Ah, this was a fun time. Until this day, I still do not understand why I did this. After some retrospect, I suppose it makes a bit of sense, but you can read more and let me know if I am crazy dedicated or just crazy.
Time to Hustle
I was in Toronto for three days; I did not know much except that I wanted to shoot, which meant I had my work cut out. I have never been to Toronto, so it was a hard sell to try to secure makeup, hair, a location, and a model, all within 24 hours. Naturally, agencies were not going for it when I answered their question with "I will style her myself." Plus, I do not know if you have seen Canada during COVID - in short, everything and everywhere was in lockdown. My usual move of going to a local designer's atelier and acting like I have been there before was not going to work this time. So I had to be two things: creative and fortunate.
After a few rejections, an agent I will never forget, Stefany Li, from Anita Norris Models Toronto Modeling Agency, responded to my inquiry. She helped me to book a model, who turned out to be Charlotte Johnson, one of their new faces. Stefany even helped me to find a Makeup Artist, Vee, who also does hair, which was an enormous relief. Now, the only thing left for me was to find clothes, but where? I already told everyone I was shooting at 3 pm; it was already 2:30 pm. As you can tell, I was stressed.
Long story short, I went to Saks Fifth Avenue and went to town, colloquially speaking. The total cost spent: 10,000 CAD - the dedication was far too real. Megan Tucker was the girl I met working there, and I will never forget her as she is an intricate part of this story. She helped me pick and bag all the garments, and we made it happen. I hauled all the items to where the team was now waiting for me to arrive (15 minutes late). It was now showtime.
Did I mention that it was 0°C that day? If I have not yet, Charlotte definitely will because we shot outside on the streets of Downtown Toronto.
Time To Shoot
Our first look:
Coat - Alexander Wang
Top - Helmut Lang
Melina Pants - Aritzia
Boots - Burberry
The story for this first look was to portray how I felt first arriving in Toronto: feeling boxed into a corner with nowhere to go.
Fur Coat - Givenchy
Dress - Helmut Lang
This next look portrayed the surge of confidence I experienced, even though I'd never been to this city, knowing I'll make something happen here. Imagine a 1950s boss who runs the town and gets whatever they want. Let's also take the time to appreciate Vee's rendition of the smokey eye, plus her nailing the contour exactly how I asked!
Overcoat: Fear Of God (which I bought at Saks in Toronto, I actually bought it for myself!)
Scarf: Hermes (which I bought when I lived in Honolulu)
Top: Three Dots
Skirt: Helmut Lang
Bag: Burberry (which I bought at Malpensa airport in Milan)
This final look signified the bossed-up momentum I carried after pulling all these impossible strings. Now, it is time to make it happen!
Time To Wrap It Up
The shoot was amazingly successful - the agency and the whole team were euphoric. Now time to return all of the items and fly back to New York.
This store opened at noon, and my flight was at 12:30, meaning I had to be in Etobicoke way before this Saks, or any other one, would open. Sweet.
Upon hearing the bad news, I panicked and left the clothes for a security guard, with a note (and receipt) for my new friend Megan. I then proceeded to place my utmost trust in this total stranger. Then I headed straight for the airport.
Aftermath
Two days later, I saw a refund for about USD 8,000 in my bank account. I called Megan to thank her, and her lovely reply was, "what are you talking about, there have not been any clothes here for me, and I have not been to work since we met. But I am happy that you got your money!" Whoever processed that refund deserves all the blessings because THE BURBERRY BOOTS GOT SCUFFED SO BAD. Also, there was a pair of Gianvito Rossi boots that I did not mention here (you can see them in the full editorial here). A few days later, PUMP Magazine picked up the story and made it the cover of their Editor's Choice edition. I have not been back to Saks Fifth Avenue to this day.
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