The Stylist & The Sommlier: Behind the Scenes at the First Ever Connoisseur Magazine Shoot

The Stylist & The Sommelier. A series of shoots contrived by yours truly for Connoisseur Magazine, for whom I am the first ever Fashion Editor. Simply gastro and wine no more, my concept integrates two akin sectors of luxury--fine dining and high fashion, which, while seemingly partners in crime (can't eat in a Michelin 3 star without the duds to match!), in reality, interact more along the lines of oil and water. ie in the case of the fashionista, water in lieu of anything with oil, or calories of any kind! Five course meals and sample size gowns are not exactly birds of a flat tummy feather.

For our first ever shoot, for which I recruited fellow Style Whisperer Delphine Hervieu as model and Nicholas Elliott as photographer, was shot at the glorious gastro pub conveniently situated just across the street from me, Commander Porterhouse & Oyter Bar. DKNY, Collette Dinnigan, Munchu's, McQueen, Manolo, fine jeweller Dean Davidson and more provided the fodder for our playtime and sprawling art deco bar, roaring fireplace and a visual feast of a deli, the backdrop. The story? As the issue is Dec/Jan and focuses on champagne at the holidays, I shot champagne two ways, for Christmas and New Years and will run specially created tasting menus alongside the images.

A bit of a madcap Saturday, with less than two weeks to plan this shoot all by my lonesome, at one point during the six hour photographic marathon, I wound up on the floor as far from the luxe white rabbit fur shawl as can be with a bloody nose. But in the end, thanks to a great team and an exceptionally obliging managerial staff at the Commander, we wound up with a series of strong images, a story from start to finish of a girl and her bubbly out on the town looking fab during the holidays.

The issue of Connoisseur will be out next week, be sure to check it out to see Nick's final images!

behind the scenes shots by Chun Lin and Marina Scukina

Models can be SUCH divas sometimes

The lovely Sunshine arrives with her arsenal of Dean Davidson goodies

Bloody nose!

I didn't realize how Sex and the City this shot was at the time...Carrie le Bradshaw does London

And scene. Even teddy is tired.