Coutorture

Pepper And Pistol Fall 2009 Look Book

coutorture — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:17:47 -0700

New York based brand Pepper and Pistol are known for their graphic, colorful contemporary clothing. The duo behind this brand, Silvia Hillmann and Katrin Wiens, hail from Germany with separate but equal experience in the fashion industry--Hillmann has worked with many emerging brands and Wiens has created textiles for the likes of Calvin Klein. This season, the duo explored a circus theme which called up the Michael Jackson look while still allowing for P&P's relaxed silhouettes. Check out their Fall 2009 look book below, shot by Coutorture fav, Shannon Sinclair.

Shelly Steffee's Luxe Shapes

coutorture — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:49:56 -0800

We've long been fans of Shelly Steffee's amazing aesthetic where interesting fashion-forward tailoring meets feminine details. It's not often one can be fashion-forward and ultra-feminine at the same time. For our Seasoned Street photo shoot Steffee's frocks gave our models a burst of color without straying from the hip, slightly off-kilter silhouette we were looking for. Our photographer on the shoot, Shannon Sinclair, also shot Steffee's Fall 08 look book, pictured above. To see the full look book, click here, and, for e-commerce indulgence, check out Steffee's offerings on Refinery 29.

Shelly Steffee Fall 2008 Look Book

coutorture — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 09:35:52 -0800

Photography by Shannon Sinclair.

Original Photo Editorial: Seasoned Street

coutorture — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 05:44:51 -0800

An original photo editorial by Coutorture.com. Photographer Shannon Sinclair, Stylist Liz Baca, Stylist Assistant Robyn Kessel, Makeup Artist Mark Edio, Hair Stylist Billy Keith Lawhon, Fashion Editor Megan Zanke, Models Shelley Zander @ Rocket Garage, Marta Stempniak @ MC2 Model Management. Special thanks to Marmalade Vintage & Chez Edio. Click individual photos for clothing credits.

Link Round Up: Goings On Elsewhere & London Love

coutorture — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:29:16 -0800

We're off to a press preview for some amazing London designers, so stay tomorrow for all our coverage and, until then, check out our London Fashion Week Spring 2009 videos, photo galleries, and reviews. Also, some of our favorite fashion happenings...

Odin's e-commerce site launched! This morning we brought you a screen shot of the site and now you can feast your eyes on the whole interactive process. The list of designers might be small but it'll keep on growing as the weeks go on.

Last night marked a fashion-studded event at the New Museum and Refinery 29 has all of the party photos. The footwear alone make it one of the best parties this month.

Beloved guest Coutorture photographer and all around great gal published a shoot on Blackbook Mag this afternoon and boy, has it geared us up for Spring. Check out Sinclair's photo shoots and New York Fashion Week coverage right here.

Coutorture Community Must Reads 10/16

coutorture — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:25:26 -0700

We are hormonal, tired and craving brownies so in order to keep ourselves from going into a bitch fit over our estrogen levels we are distracting ourselves with the clever quips of our community.

Debutante Clothing wonders if eLuxury's new men's vintage collection is worthe the high price tag. Men's vintage is harder to find its true but even we are surprised by the cost.

We never would have thought to combine cedar and lime but the Daily Obsession's review of Jo Malone's scent has us itching to test it out.

And if you want more Daily Obsession The Jet Set Girls has a look inside Daily Obsession's carry on luggage.

The Adventures of An Urban Socialite has found what sounds like the miracle solution to all hair frizz problems

I Heart Makeup has an interview with Bollywood makeup artist Mickey Contractor

Manolo Brides proves that a la Elle Woods's best friend Paulette Bonafonté if you want to do something REALLY classy you should go for leather. No its not just a joke, some of the dresses are pretty decent.

And finally MISS Crew's Liza Baca (and Coutorture stylist) and photography favorite Shannon Sinclair have an awesome shoot together up on MISS Crew.

Backstage At Three As Four

coutorture — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 11:34:48 -0700

Backstage at Three As Four, New York Fashion Week Spring Summer 2009, Photos By Shannon Sinclair.

Backstage At Karen Walker

coutorture — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 15:02:50 -0700

Backstage at Karen Walker, New York Spring Summer 2008, Photos by Shannon Sinclair.

Backstage At United Bamboo

coutorture — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 10:59:54 -0700

Backstage at United Bamboo. New York Fashion Week Spring Summer 2009. Photos by Shannon Sinclair.

Interview With Shannon & Bryn From The Fall's Top Five

coutorture — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 07:08:51 -0700

We think it's interesting to paint the fashion picture from all perspectives. You know, when we meet someone interesting in the fashion industry, we interview them. As far as we're concerned that person has just as important a perspective as the designer or brand themselves. That said, when we began work on our Fall's Top Five: Past & Present photo shoot we knew right away that we would want to interview our photographer Shannon Sinclair for the site. A young mother, an accomplished photographer, a leggy gal whom, at first glance, you might confuse for the model, we thought her insight would be interesting to share in a post. As things progressed, her husband, Bryn Bowen, who happens to work in our office, got involved. His company, We Are Rocket Science, builds world class sets and installation pieces for fashion editorial. Before we knew it, both Shannon and Bryn were committed to the shoot, and we had quite a little production on our hands. Below, a few questions answered from the talented pair, and, below that, some out-takes captured by Shannon.
What are the advantages to working in the same industry? B. Knowing where each of us are coming from when dealing with outside work. We don't get the opportunity to work together very often, so knowing the highs and lows of the industry helps with understanding each other. S. The industry has a tendency to be very word-of-mouth. At times, we have been able to be each other's PR manager. What are the disadvantages? B. The inconsistent income. S. The Hours! Some days he isn't home until late! We have a 2 year old so I find myself wondering where my break is. Do you often bring in each other on board to the projects you are working on? B. We always look at each other's work and critique it. Everyone needs that extra opinion sometimes even if they don't want it. She sees things I don't and vice versa. S. I value Bryn's opinion. I always ask him what he thinks of my concepts for shoots. We agree to disagree! Shannon, how has Bryn made you a better photographer? S. He has a wonderful creative eye. He always brings ideas to the table when I am shooting with him. He also keeps me grounded and calm. Bryn, how has Shannon made you a better designer? B. I wouldn't know to think about a crop, movement, or when to stop working if it wasn't for her. What inspired the set for the trend shoot? B. There were so many shots and so many different looks. The simplest idea was to take inconspicuous walls and add texture, depth, and color. Do it in a way that wouldn't take away from the clothes but, instead, compliment. What inspired the lighting and photographic techniques? S. I wanted to go back to the way of shooting that I like which is more on the conceptual side. The last several shoots I have done I have kept the lighting pretty straight forward. I wanted to be more creative with the mood of the shoot. We were going to be shooting clothing that had a lot of texture and color and I wanted to enhance that. I decided to use several different lights to create a sort of blurred effect, with the feeling of movement and fluidity. I think the lighting brought a lot of life & color to the shoot. What don't people realize about the fields that you work in? B. That I can still make a living at making art. S. It's hard work being a photographer! It isn't as easy as you would think it would be. The photographer wears many hats. We don't just stand there and push a button. We are orchestrating an entire job. Oh, and we control the ipod. What don't people realize about the fashion industry at large? B. Its a huge stone that we each have to chip away at to get ahead. I think what ever people think about it is true. It can be fast, creative, and fulfilling at all the right times. One can always find either a city or a designer that inspires them to either create or think outside the box. S. That there are hundreds of people doing different jobs to make the fashion industry go round. There is much more going on than just pretty models, cool magazines, and a fancy party.