After such a great experience with Stéphane on our previous shoot, the master came to capture another one of our projects.

I have to say my fondest memory from this day was scarfing down the amazing butter croissants in the middle of the outfit changes. Michele will always be Michele.

For the October issue of Oxygen, Jonathan and I had the bright idea of shooting in the Paris metro. We weren’t sure how it would turn out shooting in such a public place with a shot amount of time. And where could the model change? It was a wild ride changing through many different stations while following my exact plan to make sure we didn’t loose time.

What kind of shoot would it be if there wasn’t anything crazy along the way? Boring.

It was also my first time working with video extraordinaire  Stéphane Carcopino-Tusoli. He blew my mind away with the amazing video he made of our shoot, behind the scenes kind of stuff. Take a look at it and see for yourself. Makes you wish you were there!

And course the final photos.

I wasn’t there but I heard from sources that his collection received rave reviews and I’m definitely not surprised. He did say that during the actual show, the wrong music was played and the hairstyles that were given for the models did not go with the looks at all but I guess that still didn’t stop the audience from loving it. You can view the video coverage of his runway collection here.

Obviously I can’t wait till he gets here next year because we will be housemates!!

Hair and makeup: Chris Arai & Chichi Saito
Model: Hanne-Loore Pajusoo @ StudioKLRP

This is not boring eco-friendly clothing. This is style and luxury with an awareness.

We act as a Serotonin, a hormone which is a chemical messenger between nerve cells and also a well-known contributor to the feelings of well being. With a goal that aims
to celebrate the virtues of personal style and individuality.

Every piece made, the way it falls, the way it holds, the way it folds and the texture that caresses your skin unknown to the wearer that the substances used are sustainable. Boasting of organic materials, soy and bamboo fibres, recycled PET, TPU, salmon skin and biodegradable tencel which embodies our design features and assimilates with other fabrics used in the collection.

It is luxury yet with a conscience for the earth in mind. It is the heightened ability to wear and manifest the garment on one’s own. It is the feeling of well-being, the gratitude and appreciation for art, style and sustainability. It is Ultra.

We did a campaign shoot recently for their first ever collection and this is the result of it. The design aesthetic of the brand is minimalist with attention to detail so we tried to capture that idea in the photographs as well. Photos are taken from their website.

Makeup was done by the amazing Elen Kergoat and hair by Yu Nakata. These two ladies were so patient and I really loved the work they did together on this shoot. They really knew how to translate the idea that I had in mind. Because of a last minute fiasco, I had to pull together my rusty styling skills and come up with all the outfits myself. It’s been such a long time since I have styled for anything but I think I did pretty well for being out of practice!

I have to say even though I’ve already overused my apartment many times for shoots (this being the fifth time and counting), it still ranks as one of my favourites.

My next plan, to get a bigger apartment. Donations, anyone?

I guess you can say it’s almost like the Malaysian equivalent to Net-A-Porter meets Style.com!

SERENI & SHENTEL WAS FOUNDED BY SERENI LINGGI AND SHENTEL LEE. THE DUO HAVE A DECORATION WITHOUT EXPLANATION APPROACH TO LIFE AND THEIR HAIR ACCESSORIES LINE STEMMED FROM A PASSION FOR DRESSING UP FOR PARTIES, SOIREES, CHAMPAGNE BRUNCHES, SOCIETY BALLS AND TÊTE-À-TÊTE LUNCHES. EACH PIECE IS EXQUISITELY HAND MADE IN BORNEO.

Their work has been feature in numerous magazines in Australia and Malaysia, they’ve been invited on to TV shows, the media just can’t get enough of these darlings who have suddenly burst onto the scene. It was wonderful working for them as they are the sweetest, most creative and super stylish people around. I can’t say enough to describe what they are like.

Makeup was done by the fabulous Alex Eu, a superstar makeup artist himself and hair was done by the fantastic Sun Khiew.

The goal was to capture the personalities of both girls in the photographs, which is the essence and foundation of the brand itself. It was so fun translating their ideas into photographs, it felt more like a party than work–They are just so full of energy! To get a piece of Sereni and Shentel, head on to their website and make your purchases now!

Here are some of the photos from their lookbook. I hope you like them as much as we enjoyed creating them.

As Jonathan calls it…

“La poussière a arrosé des corps.”

Photography: Michele Yong
Art Direction: Jonathan Liang
Make-up: Wong Ping
Hair: Christine May
Wardrobe & Styling: Tengku Syahmi, Debbie Chung, Pei Yee Chew, Jin Tham & Silas Liew
Models: Sasha Smirnova & Mila Melissina

Photographer – Michele Yong
Art Direction – Jonathan Liang
Make-up – Wong Ping
Hair – Christine May
Styling and wardrobe – Tengku Syahmi, Debbie Chung, Chew Pei Yee, Silas Liew & Jonathan Liang
Models – Shuai Yu, Mariya Markova