Every so often I get an opportunity to be on set for a photoshoot. Mostly, it’s with the Bluenotes Canada for their seasonal advertising campaigns. This past July, I was a stylist’s assistant on set for a creative shoot that ended up published in Raukus magazine. The location was House of Moments in Toronto’s Leslieville neighbourhood.
Talia Brown, a super talented stylist in Toronto and also my good friend, invited me to assist her. My job was to steam clothes, record the clothing items and their respective designers used in each look. I also did a lot of folding and keeping all the clothes organized after a look was shot. I had not been a stylist’s assistant before, but she assured me that I’d be great because I’m a detailed person. I’m always up for trying new things!
The shoot was photographed by Alex Evans and featured Myles Sexton, who is quite the anomaly! He is an androgynous male model for both mens and womenswear collections. He is also a makeup artist, stylist and jewellery designer. Recently, he became an online reality tv personality with a new YouTube web series called I Walk For Myles In These Shoes. Myles organized this shoot and hand picked his team.
A big part of the inspiration for this shoot came from a Chanel Indian-inspired runway show. The concept for the styling was to keep the clothes colourful and playful. So, the outfits were meant to start out more feminine, paired with masculine hair and makeup. As the looks progress, the clothes become more masculine, moving towards more feminine hair, makeup and accessories.
I had heard a lot about Talia’s styling experiences over the years— on set and for clients. It was cool to finally watch her in action on set. The process of putting the looks together was very spontaneous and organic to the moment. The clothing items were pulled in advance, but nothing was solidified until right before the look was needed. As a stylist, that takes a lot of confidence and experience!
I love the clothing used in all of the looks! There were a lot of pieces in the shoot by designer Raji Aujla. Her meticulously tailored, masculine/feminine garments with an Indian flavour were a perfect fit. There was also a lot of Harry Rosen suits and shirts used.
House of Moments was a unique and inspiring space to work in. It is versatile environment—a restaurant, lounge and art gallery. The space is flanked with Buddha statues, large art pieces and filled with antique wooden doors brought in from other parts of the world. All of the shots were done in front of these doors. In addition, the open concept nature of the building with high ceilings, dim lighting and reds, black and creme colours made for a to a rich, relaxing environment.
EDITORIAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEX EVANS. IMAGES COURTESY OF MYLES SEXTON.
I love the use of jewellery in throughout the shoot. I have a pretty eclectic ring collection, so Talia asked me to bring them along. They ended up being used in most of the shots.
All of the accessories were layed out on a back lit table. Myles brought tons of pieces from his jewellery line. My rings are pictured in the top right.
Chanel nail polish (how appropriate!) and necklaces from Myles’s jewellery line.
BEHIND THE SCENES:ALEX EVANS PHOTOGRAPHING MYLES SEXTON
It was a pretty relaxed shoot that only went half a day. There was a great energy in the room. The team was small and everyone was super nice. Although my job was relatively simple, I was kept on my toes the whole time—folding, recording, steaming, packing and unpacking. I was important that I stayed super organized and kept things going smoothly for Talia. It was great to meet Alex Evans; he was very sweet and incredibly down to earth. I found him to be quite endearing! His photography work is amazing.
It was also a pleasure to meet Myles; he was very focused and knew exactly what he wanted. He definitely is a driven and entrepreneurial individual. I think he is a beautiful person—very confident and complex, a true artist. Raukus magazine states in their current issue Taboo:
“WE AT RAUKUS CELEBRATE PEOPLE WHO UNCEASINGLY SEARCH FOR THE WAY TO EXPRESS TEHMSELVES AND AREN’T AFRAID TO BE WHO THEY ARE, WHETHER IT IS THROUGH ART, FASHION, PERSONALITY, PREFERENCE OR PLAIN AND SIMPLE, LOVE”.
The essence of Myles definitely fits this description. I think the shoot was a great fit for the magazine.
View the full photoshoot online at Raukus Magazine (pg. 72-89).
Watch Myles’s YouTube channel. Check out his jewellery line.
ON SET:
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALEX EVANS
MODEL: MYLES SEXTON
STYLIST: TALIA BROWN
HAIR: SAVANNAH MUNRO
MAKEUP: NATALIE MUNRO
VIDEO: JJ KINGS
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FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, STARTING IN TOP LEFT
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, STARTING IN TOP LEFT
