Inspired by the garden theme of this issue, I chose the gorgeous Mercer Botanic Gardens as the location for the cover shoot. Just outside Houston, the site contains over 20 acres of landscaped gardens with ponds, flowers, trellises, and beautiful walkways. It’s an amazing place to visit.
I knew we would be able to find the variety of vegetation there that would be needed to create a unique look for all four seasons. Riley Halford was our model. Having worked with Riley for years, and knowing how talented and versatile she is, I was confident she would be able to pull off the variety of looks I needed. I also knew it would be easy for me to create some of the custom pieces in which we would dress her.
Both the spring and summer dresses were custom-made by me. I was excited to be able to incorporate them. My mom taught me how to sew when I was little. She used to make all our costumes herself as well as many of our clothes. Being able to sew some of the garments for the shoot, therefore, was special to me, and not something I can often find time to do.
I used the colors and textures of the clothing and accessories to enhance the natural beauty of the garden landscapes and to create the illusion that we were shooting in different seasons. This turned out to be quite effective. It also doesn’t hurt that in Texas we often experience all four seasons in one day! This shoot was particularly fun, and I hope the readers of CKW LUXE enjoy the finished product.
