One of the mostly featured and blogged features of this issue was our apron shooting with Jeanny. Thus I asked the DIY expert where the inspiration came from to make a shooting around aprons (she already had this idea in February when I was still struggling with layout of issue N°1!). The explanation may come as a surprise, because she thought of it while clicking through the PRADA collection of Spring 2012. The models were not wearing aprons, however the edging details and embellishments reminded her of old aprons her own grandmother used to wear.

Ironically we were soon after confronted with the criticism that we supported the ‘traditional’ female image with sisterMAG. Smilingly we were even more convinced to show this feature, because modern women are not at all made into minor housewives just by putting on an apron.

It is really interesting, what Sarah Mower wrote about Prada’s collection on vogue.com:

“’I was terrified,’ said Miuccia Prada, ‘I wanted to take on the taboo of sweetness, which is one of the greatest qualities in women. But if you are not aggressive, too? How can that work, for a woman?’ Miuccia Prada isn’t really happy—or fully herself as a designer—unless she’s exploring contradictions and burning through to new positions as a feminist. Her hot clash of intellectual impulses roared up the runway as a collection about cars and women, which, of course, is stereotypical, sexist shorthand for the way dumb men brag about the two things as if they’re trophies. A joke, of course, because when Miuccia is this revved up, it’s always about putting women in the driver’s seat.” – Sarah Mower for vogue.com

Such a shooting always involves a lot of helpers, brainstorming partners and players. That’s why I want to introduce everyone down below.

The model

I cannot remember when I first noticed Jeanny’s blog “Zucker, Zimt und Liebe”. It was just there one day. I clicked, I adored, my mouth was watering and I instantly opened my mail programme to write to the author of this amazing blog. Jeanny answered quickly and even nicer than I had expected. The next building block to this idea was a Facebook picture I spotted, where Jeanny showed her wonderful pink pleated skirt during Berlin Fashion Week. I instantly had the thought that she – as food blogger – would be the perfect model for our aprons and dresses. Many eMails full of exclamation marks later, she had even invited us into her own kitchen. Such fortune because her house was the perfect backdrop for our dresses: light, friendly and modern. And when we arrived there were even fresh cinnamon buns from a bakery nearby welcoming us on the table.

I also want to mention that Jeanny succeeded in fulfilling my mother’s – sometimes quaint – wishes. Shortly before the shooting she had wished a “yellow cake”. I forwarded this info and Jeanny did her magic.

The photographer

For a long time I was searching for a photographer who would help with the apron shooting. Luckily Jeanny gave me the perfect tip and I contacted Jesse from  Jessica P.hotography. When we first met on a Friday morning on a barring highway stop to start our journey together, I was a bit anxious. 3 1/2 hours of driving north lay before us. However this anxiety was gone very soon. Jesse is not only a wonderful photographer with a unique style of using light but a great person full of ideas, many stories and interesting experiences. At the end of the day we both were – I think – really sad, that we had to part!

The stylist

I had found Sarah over the portal “das auge”. A somehow crazy-lovely person came flying into Jeanny’s house – her bags full of make-up and false lashes. Sarah has founded the “FTS Academy”, owns several hundreds of shoes and left us all breathless. Like a whirlwind she ripped through the house and prepared Jeanny for her shooting.

The Shooting

The house presented itself in its best light throughout day, while the three of us started ironing clothes, searched for the perfect views for shooting and repotted Jeanny’s flowers in the garden without further ado.

We wanted to show different situations in which Jeanny could really see herself in, e.g. taking pictures of a recipe, reading a cookbook, sieving flour (we had to shoot this one that often, Jeanny never had that finely sieved flour in her life!). No worries, she doesn’t really bake in 10cm high-heels. However she may now uses a white classic apron with an embroidered “J”.
At the end we even cut the “yellow cake”!

Many thanks to Eva, Sarah, Jesse & Jeanny for this wonderful day and the beautiful results. Maybe you want to leaf through the photo shoot again. You may spot a detail you haven’t seen before: