Festive Fashion Comes To Jardine, Wivenhoe

It’s not easy being a dedicated follower of fashion. For non-trend James Emberson, his first fashion shoot was an eye-opener on a number of levels…

It’s difficult to appreciate just how much goes into a seemingly ‘simple’ magazine shot until you see just how much care, craft, and consideration it takes to produce such high quality images. Shots like those taken for the December issue of The Colchester Circle at Jardine Cafe & Bistro in Wivenhoe last Monday require the time and talent of a dedicated team, led by an experienced and versatile photographer like Mark Witard. In collaboration with Jardine’s owner Cristian Boreggio and The Colchester Circle Editor Ana Grabova, Mark outlined a series of shots around the central ‘sleek, festive, glam’ theme, guiding first-time models Christien Dyne and Gayle Berry through the process from setup to completion.

Decisions, decisions...

Both Christien, a second year Philosophy student at the University of Essex, and Gayle, a glamorous mother of three, were chosen by Cristian to feature in the shoot, and both coped admirably with the pressure of playing such a vital role in the day’s proceedings, even braving the cold to capture a particularly elegant shot outside the entrance to the impressive Westcott House. I’m sure they will be extremely proud of the end product, and it would be great to see them both in front of the camera again in the future.

A model's prerogative

The creative team was made up of Emma Steele (stylist), Charlotte O’Hare (make-up), and Kelly Vears and Aimee Gibbs from the Colchester Toni & Guy salon. Between the four of them they created a number of different looks and styles based around the glamorous theme, using clothing and jewellery sourced from a number of local, independent stockists. Despite the huge scope for such a task, the team were able to adapt to the day’s changing requirements, making decisions on the spot and applying their individual skills to complement the different scenarios, angles, and lighting of each shot.

Setting up a shot

With Helen Lee’s original paintings adorning the interior walls and a selection of literature for customers to peruse, it is no wonder that Jardine is such a popular hub for the Wivenhoe community. To see the final pictures from Monday’s shoot, lookout for the December issue of The Colchester Circle, out at the end of the month.

Well held...

Man in the mirror

Jardine of Wivenhoe

Just chillin' at the bar