Coronavirus News: Fashion shoots go back to basics amid coronavirus pandemic

Monday, August 10, 2020

Fashion photography now mirroring how it was done 60 years ago

Sandy Kenyon reports on how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way the fashion industry operates.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- When the coronavirus pandemic hit, fashion shows and the iconic Met Gala were canceled. Now, everything about fashion is changing, from the way we buy our clothes to how we decide what to buy.

The fashion industry is discovering that less can be more, after COVID-19 altered the way fashion shoots are done.

You could even call it a 'Back to the Future' approach, because it mirrors how fashion photography was done 60 years ago.

"We're going back to the photographer and the model alone in the set," WWD Style Director Alex Badia said. "And all the work is done days prior."

So much work has to be done virtually, and the model does her own makeup with guidance from a makeup artist lending expertise remotely.

Photographs by Eric White were taken on the roof of his own building, while he kept a social distance from his subject, and looks were all determined in advance with extensive instruction beforehand.

The garments were sent in different sizes to ensure a good fit.

"And to be honest, it's kind of perfect," Badia said.

The intimacy between the two people created a different energy.

"There was something kind of fabulous about creating a different kind of product, letting things flow more naturally," Badia said.

Even some stars are discovering the joys of doing it yourself, and that includes two sisters who were discovered by Beyonce and have hits as Chloe x Halle.

"We kind of realized and told ourselves, 'the possibilities are endless,'" Chloe Bailey said.

Chloe x Halle staged a virtual shoot in their Los Angeles home to promote their new album -- just two sisters and a photographer at a safe distance to produce a cover for WWD.

"And what's incredible is, when you look at the result, you cannot tell," Badia said. "You look at these images, and it's like a shoot where 15 people were there."

Badia said that fewer people can mean fewer problems.

"There is a feeling of, let's re-think the way we've been doing things," Badia said. "Because at times, it felt excessive to have all those people on set."

The back-to-basics approach changes the nature of the work for the better, say the teen recording artists.

"(We) feel like this quarantine during this pandemic has kind of worked in our favor," Chloe Bailey said.

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