Just like regular modeling, parts modeling can get you a wide range of jobs so I never really know what I'm in for until I get to set. Sometimes I am chopping food, pouring a drink, holding beauty products, wearing jewelry, showing off nail art, or a lot of other random things. It is always a fun surprise to see what exactly I'll be doing for a shoot but unexpected issues can definetly come up from time to time.
For example, I did an engagement ring shoot last year and when I showed up on set I saw a rack full of wedding gowns. I assumed there might be a real model who would wear the dresses and I would be doing a close up hand shot with the rings in addition to pictures of the gowns. This wasn't the case - the dresses were for the hand models! We were going to be wearing the dresses and holding bouquets of flowers or handbags in front of ourselves so the dresses would serve as the background. I was surprised and not prepared for wearing a gossamer gown; I just happened to be wearing bright neon pink undergarments. There also happened to be a lot of security guards on set because of all the expensive engagement rings we were using. So I had to walk out of the changing room in the see-through dress in front of five enormous security guards. The team behind the shoot ended up having to send their intern out to fetch me nude underthings so that mine wouldn't show through. It was embarrassing and awkward but the team was nice about the whole thing and the end result turned out very pretty. Nonetheless, I certainly never expected my first time trying on wedding dresses to be quite like this. Check out the final images below and here!
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I recently had the chance to chat with my friends at Paintbox about my favorite nail polishes/nail art as well as my jewelry designing at Bobby Pin Jewelry. Check it out on their blog: http://www.paint-box.com/blog-posts/nails-of-new-york-susan-schell Look closely—do you recognize these beautiful hands? Jewelry designer Susan Schell has been hand-modeling for Paintbox for several seasons, but it's what she does when she's not modeling that we're spotlighting here. Susan and business partner Maria de Diego run a custom bridal jewelry line together called BOBBY PIN. Maria founded the line in 2011 and brought Susan on board to help design and produce beautiful, one-of-a-kind heirloom pieces for brides to wear at their weddings. As part of our focus on all things bridal this month (to coincide with the launch of our BRIDAL COLLECTION), we asked Susan if we could visit the Bobby Pin studio and talk to her more about the work she and Maria do creating custom jewelry. Susan wears Moonstruck in Essie Penny Talk. Why do you paint your nails? I like to paint my nails for aesthetic reasons and because I feel like they are less likely to break with polish on. I always have at the very least a clear coat of polish on my nails. As a jewelry designer, I sometimes work with rough materials and tools so having strong nails is really important to me. Having nicely painted nails just makes me feel better when I look down at my hands; it makes me feel more put together. Susan designing a custom piece for the Bobby Pin collection. Do you have a favorite polish or go-to look? I personally love having solid white nails. It just looks really clean and is simple enough to go with anything. Floss Gloss has a great white called "Mrs. Tony Montana." It is perfectly opaque. I really love a good metallic nail, maybe because I work with precious metals. Essie makes a great silver called "No Place Like Chrome" that I like to wear when my nails are longer. Where do you find your inspiration? When I'm designing jewelry I am often inspired by geometric patterns and nature—especially flowers and leaves. These seem to be themes that I reference a lot and turn to for ideas. The thing I love about making custom jewelry and accessories is that I get to be inspired by something completely new with each client. My business partner, Maria de Diego (founder of BOBBY PIN Jewelry), and I work really well together, we seem to come up with even better designs when we bounce ideas off of each other. We both have major obsessions with the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements so we find tons of inspiration and ideas from those styles. Pieces from the Bobby Pin collection.
What do you love most about working on custom pieces for brides? At Bobby Pin, Maria and I work with brides to make completely custom jewelry for their wedding day. Everything about your wedding is personalized to you, so we work with our customers to make jewelry, hair pieces, and accessories that are like new heirloom pieces—pieces that our clients can wear time and time again and eventually pass on to their children. I really feel like the details are what make a wedding especially memorable, whether that is a piece of unique custom jewelry or a very special manicure. |
AuthorSusan Schell is a working hand model in Paris and NYC. Archives
September 2020
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