On Thursday, April 8th 2021, the Christine team shot the look book and campaign for our FW 2021 Collection. These shoots happen twice per year in beautiful Vancouver, Canada where our silks are proudly made. And for the first time, we would like to take you behind the scenes! We’re excited to share how our photography has evolved and what pleasantly separates our shoots from the average fashion shoot. So through the voices of our team, please join us on this fun BTS journey! 

Hi Christine fam! Katrina here. I had a lot of fun putting this blog together because we get to hear about the shoot through the voices of my colleagues who were on set on that special day. As one of our photographers, I can tell you first hand that there is a lot of pressure and risk involved on any set, on any day, no matter the brand, the budget, or the talent. An effortless looking image is derived from not so effortless effort. At the mercy of weather, attendance, and technology, there are infinite factors that could go wrong at any minute. Every great fashion photograph is created on the edge of disaster. But it is overcoming these challenges that makes great fashion photography so satisfying and euphoric when it comes to life successfully, as it did on this shoot.

Our big collection shoots happen twice a year, but in today’s climate, I shoot for us every month. This is because social media has changed the fashion photography industry forever. Where designers used to need only a few editorial photographs and a look book, they now need unique content to post, email and share every single day of the year, in addition to filling a website with imagery. That amounts to literally thousands of unique photographs needed per year, representing men and women of every age, shape, size and ethnicity. 

What separates our two large scale shoots from other fashion shoots is for one, the joy that can be found on set, which is a rarity on fashion shoots, and for two, the very fact that these shoots are as much for Christine and her team as they are for our clients and retailers. It is the first time that Christine and her team get to see their hard work come to life. They get see it in motion. They get to see it on camera. They get to see it in the light of day, as they shoot away, in this case, on the roof of our very own showroom, overlooking Vancouver’s breathtaking mountains and beautiful blue skies. So without further ado, starting with Christine herself, please enjoy the team’s informative and fun reflections on our FW 2021 photoshoot.

Christine Morton, Creator

“I love working  with a group of super creative people who bring their expertise to bear on my collection.

From the hair and make-up, done by LucyAnne Botham to the beautiful model Silken, and the fabulous photographers Jamie Mann and Trevor Brady, the collection just came alive.

It is the first time I am seeing the whole collection together and then presenting it, as we often did in New York to our clients, but on video. And I usually find this quite stressful, but  this team was amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

We had a good laugh while filming the video. We were teasing Raymond for using the word beautiful all the time. So Kim made prompt cards to hold up with lots of different descriptive words….elegant, pretty, gorgeous…which helped for him. However I started using beautiful for everything! When I realized what I was doing I started laughing and couldn’t stop! I had to take a break and go outside and wipe the tears from my eyes! It was a fun day. Thanks so  much to everyone….including Raymond and Kim who worked so hard to make it a great day!” 

Kimberly Fairs, Supply Chain Manager and Creative Direction

Q-What is your favorite capsule from the new collection?

A- I love the contrast of the black charmeuse and silver lace in the Davina collection, and I find the fine appliquéd detail of the lace, especially, to be both exquisite and dramatic. The Davina gown makes me long for this pandemic to be over so I can enjoy an evening out and wear it to a gala or a fancy opera.

Q-What was your favourite shot of the day?

A-While we were shooting little video clips to make into gifs, Silken was having so much fun in our Valentina babydoll chemise. Our babydolls can easily be styled as daywear and can be worn as a sundress on the beach, or right out onto the dance floor in the evening! Silken was so animated when she was in this style, she really brought the essence of it to life.

Q-What was the biggest challenge of the shoot?

A-Will I jinx future shoots by saying that this one went surprisingly well…?

Raymond Lee, Managing & Sales Director

Q-What is your favorite capsule/print from the new collection? 

A-My favorite capsule/print from the new collection is “Swan Lake”.  I never get tired of this beautiful print that Christine has become synonymous for.  Every different colorway that we’ve offered sets off a different mood and I just love that!

Q-What was your favorite shot of the day? 

A-Hahaha – my favorite shot of the day is the picture of Silken confronting the drone on the rooftop of our studio.  It captures the moment of a monumental business empire merging with the future generation.

Q-What is something new that you are excited to introduce to the Christine brand?

A-I love the introduction of the new “Femme Fatale” color way – “Cheetah”!  It’s classic, modern and breathes sex appeal.  It reminds me of the bold prints of Roberto Cavalli.  

Q-What was the greatest challenge in putting the collection together? 

A-Getting fabrics in to create the collections was the biggest challenge during a world-wide pandemic.  A lot of suppliers were running on limited staff and getting delivers of fabrics in were challenging.

Q-What was the greatest challenge at the shoot?

A-We were not expecting the outdoor, rooftop shoot to be so windy!  It rained the day before the shoot and a system was coming in for the following day. Luckily, the day we shot was sunny.

Q-Christine is a brand that is evolving rapidly. What is your favorite aspect of that evolution?

A-Even though Christine has been in business for almost 50 years, a lot of people don’t know about us. I love to hear when people discover us even till today. Having a presence on social media and our own website helps us spread the word – I love that evolution.

We’re excited to share this new collection with you! Thank you for making our jobs a gift!