A couple of weeks ago we had our latest photoshoot- this time the focus was on occasion shoes. I wanted to show how versatile they are and how easily you can style them for multiple occasions from coffee with a friend to a night out. That's the whole thing about Rachel Simpson shoes- yes they're special, but my worst nightmare would be that you wear them once then banish them to the back of the wardrobe! They're designed to be worn and enjoyed again and again- so that's what I wanted to demonstrate from the shoot!
The Looks
Whilst I've worked with an amazing stylist for previous shoots, this time I had a really clear idea of the looks I wanted so styled it myself. This is actually something I really enjoy and I like to plan out every little detail, with a style board for each model and every look. For our occasion shoe shoot I worked on three looks- elevated daytime, mother of the bride/ wedding guest and evening. Each model had two looks for each scene which was ambitious but I always prefer to take too many options than not enough!
The Shoes
Whereas photoshoot are often of new collections, this one was using all existing styles and it was really fun to give them new life with new styling. So where you might have seen them styled previously in a bridal shoot, the new images show them styled for events and occasions. I chose a wide range of styles from metallics and neutrals to daywear, to our signature pastels for wedding and mother of the bride and through to black, gold and rich jewel tones for evening.
The Team
This was the second time I've worked with this fabulous team and they made it so much fun it really didn't feel like work! I met our photographer Emily last year via a course I was doing, and the first time we worked together was my brand shoot. She put me so much at ease and is a joy to work with! This was the first time we had a content creator on set too but certainly won't be the last, after the lovely Connie did an outstanding job of capturing the day. Our models Anna and Hannah were a dream and totally got the relaxed and smiley brief of the day, chatting and laughing away- so much so it felt like they'd known each other for years and were on a genuine girls days out! Our amazing make up artist Beth created the most stunning natural looks for daytime, followed by a slightly more glam look for evening- wish she could follow me round and make me look like that on a daily basis!
The Location
Huge thanks go to Hermitage Road in Hitchin for hosting us and providing the most gorgeous backdrop for the shoot. As we were showing off day looks, it made sense to base ourselves in a real life coffee shop (and the fact that their coffee is incredible was definitely a bonus!). We shot the evening scenes in their beautiful restaurant too which has such a great vibe I only wish we could've stayed for dinner!
The Results
It's an exciting day when you get the email taking you to your gallery and I am thrilled with the results! Keep an eye out on our socials and of course the website where you'll be seeing the new images pop up very soon...
Let me know what you think or whether there are any shoes you'd like to see styled- already planning the next shoot!
Love,
Rachel xx
