Janneke van der Hagen for Garage Magazine Spring/Summer 2016

Photographer: Janneke van der Hagen. Model(s): Alexandra Elizabeth, Lili Sumner, Valery Kaufman. Source: Garage Magazine. Stylist: Tati Cotliar. Makeup: Pep Gay. Hair: Martin Cullen.

Posted Feb 19, 2016

Lili Sumner, Valery Kaufman & Alexandra Elizabeth Ljadov fuse, reflect, meld and project by Janneke van der Hagen for Garage Magazine, S/S 2016. Hypnotic energy arises as Janneke invites us into her world, where all things aren’t what they seem. Secured to the sanctity of virtuosity, Lili and Alexandra are held together as they are both tied to the truth. Striped of all defining features they dare to become mannequins of mayhem. Bare legs break over each another as the bodies appear connected by rope. Unification is seen in the method of invention, as this piece projects the ultimate question. Is the glass half empty or is it half full… am I tied-up or tied-to? Stylist, Tati Cotliar, crafts couture that allows us to see beyond ourselves. An alteration of evolution erupts as each gesture takes us on a journey of self discovery. Legs extend up reaching toward the sky, as steps stir and rhythm rises. Art/fashion fuse as the migration of modern models progress in a shift of anti-static wonder.

Valery stuns us into submission as Pep Gay shows her skin in masterful form. Proving true makeup exposes it doesn’t cover, Gay lets the light find the features. Naked faces reveal themselves as all three beauties show their real skin. Makeup mimics paint, as black lines run down an all white pout, poetically passing a giant red mouth. Lifting her bequeathed under a chiffon veil, Lili’s, lily-white skin shines as her upper lip is marked in dark. Taking an extreme turn, avant-garde obsession finds itself in the form of creative cosmetics. Hairstylist, Martin Cullen, redefines the idea of magic with coiffure that captures the tone of triumphant. Donning a dark wig, lovely lies on her back engaging in what could be conceived as live art simulation. In black as the new beautiful, art bends and beguiles, from a tall afro and shorned pixi to a double-sided dew. Ropes swing from the scalp in radical reverie as bald heads beckon us to be free. Once in a great moon our industry gets someone so electrifying, that she defies every confining construct and breaks every so-called “rule”. Sumner is of that new ilk I like to refer to as, The Model-Movers. Exactly what the name implies, this girl knows how to move allowing energy to work right through her. Somewhere between beauty and hope, truth floats.