Linda Helena by Carlijn Jacobs for Document Journal, Spring 2019

Linda Helena wears a series of sculptural styles as she steps into a design dream by Carlijn Jacobs for Document Journal, Spring 2019. To Reveal is to Conceal, as we witness the body come into view. The art of exposure opens one door as it closes another, leaving us to wonder what secrets are still cloaked. The most abstract image has Helena showing the Gaultier suit as if it were alive. Stepping into the fabric, you get the feeling the material is being held up by a power beyond our understanding. The subtly of movement doesn’t seem to end with the click of the camera. Instead, it’s as if the style stays in motion. It’s a visceral editorial inspired by a brave performance. This is what originality looks like. This is what haute couture was meant to be. Exhilarating imagery inspiring a sense of liberation.

Traversing the landscape of lunacy only to stop at the top to explore the madness below. Converging lines connect ‘causing the sense of depth to be more pronounced.’ To me, it appears that a wide-angle lens allows more distance between the foreground and background, artfully accentuating the depth in each photograph. Each shot shows subtle yet sublime shifts, taking us into another dimension. Where the imagery is foggy but the clarity is clear. Helena isn’t always on her footing, but that is the fuel that moves her. She is power. She is strength. She is the fire… She is the flame… She burns slowly never truly to be tame. At the risk of sounding foolish, she is intoxicating. In a mosaic of tessellating shapes we see her spirit star rise. Following the tone of temerity with the beat of her body, letting the tenor of timidity shape the story speak. Soul-stirring imagery evokes a sense of symmetry.

Imruh Asha tempts us with the tactile. Gorging on gorgeous we find ourselves lost in the land of high fashion. Architecturally inspired, each piece is an artistic illusion. Fantasy elements flood the page as a blast of blue organza expands, in the form of John Paul Gaultier and Yves Saint Laurent. A bustier of breakfast rolls remind us of Madonna. Staying in the 80’s, a tight-fitting top by Thierry Mugler are artfully cast over thigh-high boots by Y/Project. Clearly This isn’t your typical fashion collection. It’s a connection to couture not often seen. High art doesn’t submit to a timeline. Helena stands like light in the darkness of being. So distinct is her aura, it can’t be ignored. However, hidden gems are hiding beneath this beauty, showing us there is something more.

Min Kim’s makeup application is impeccable. Perfectly sculpted, she creates poetic features that are nothing less than exquisite. Her skull is strong. Her cheeks are chiseled. Her face is like clay, it can be molded, but retains it’s original features. It’s as perfect as any sculptor has ever mastered. The bones make up her striking beauty, with chiseled features etched into the skin. The dimensions of the nose is not small, but is perfectly cast. Helena’s mouth is curved down, as the lines of her fine lips are seen in stunning surround. The chin is capped with a cleft palate, showing the shape of her lower face. Dark, brown eyes are set perfect distance apart, setting at a depth and width that’s nothing less than divine. Black brows are thick with intensity, able to emote dynamic energy. Her skin is utterly flawless, with a complexion so pale it looks as if her pallor comes from another era. This is not about covering up. This is about capturing the power of indescribable beauty.

To lose yourself in the subject of this story, you must step into the mind-set of this compelling video, by Tristan Chenais for Document Journal. When the editorial write-up included a description that read… to employ restrictive shapes, I was indeed intrigued. To adopt a conceptual notion that actually spoke of the restrictive nature of avant-garde fashion, is indeed uncommon. However, to extricate ourselves from the chains of mass perception, we must move past the descriptive narrative. Uncover our deeper selves, and be willing to dig. Here we are witness to a merging of the emotional and the physical body. Falling into the arms of avant-garde fashion, Linda yields to her higher self. It is a compelling picture. One where humanity converges with a non-entity being to produce an integral enigma. Soul-stirring imagery evokes a sense of simile, allowing couture and character to connect.