Longing

This project begins with a simple prompt: exploring the emotion of longing. 

Created March, 2025

Initial Inspiration

Longing is a very raw, and human emotion found in nearly every aspect of life. Longing is a quiet, persistent ache—an emotion that sits between hope and sorrow. It is the space between what is, what could be, and what had been; the pull of something unattainable, whether it be a distant love, a lost past, or an unfulfilled dream. This photoshoot will embody that bittersweet tension, capturing the weight of absence and the fragile hope that lingers in its wake. Without longing there is no hope, no ambition, but it brings with it a fervent sense of dissatisfaction and inadequacy. These feelings lie dormant inside all of us, only to be awoken when we reminisce on the past and fantasize about the future; the things that are out of our reach and control. 
This project is a conceptual fashion narrative rooted in melancholy, nostalgia, and emotional stillness. Using a limited palette of neutrals, worn tones, and softly muted colors, the project evokes the textures of memory: faded notes, pressed flowers, souvenirs from a past life, and the quiet aftermath of someone’s presence. These visual fragments create a world suspended in time — a place where dissatisfaction, boredom, and wistful desire converge into a single, lingering emotion.

Corrine Day

Nan Goldin

Francesca Woodman

Ryan McGinley

Location

Written Concepts

Story:
Two girls with contrasting but harmonious aesthetics. They represent the things that the other is so close to, but can never quite attain. The, adorned with feathers, flowing dresses and scarves, bare faces, and occasionally bare feet. The girls are in a perpetual push and pull, tethered together at opposite ends of the same metaphorical rope. They’re in the gardens of a beautiful home with expansive landscapes and beautiful foliage overlooking the city. They look out to the city below. The obverse sceneries help to emphasize the idea that we want what we can’t have, leaving behind a somewhat beautiful, understandable pain and listlessness. 
Styling:

 I chose to style the girls in flowing long dresses, veils, and feathers with neutral colors. The dreaminess and aspects of nature in the outfits allow the models to have a connection with their surroundings, grounding them to the earth below. I also wanted it to have a bit of a creepy or unsettling feeling in order to evoke the feeling of malaise that often comes with the act of yearning. I did very bare hair and makeup because the styling of the actual outfits is a bit over the top, so the vibe of the outfits with the lack of makeup adds to the idea that something is left unfinished, something is still to be desired and sought after. 
CD and Styling by Merel Kanter
Photography by Maru Sekine
Models from We Are Models Firenze
Garment Sourcing by Merel kanter
White Outfit Details: 
Dress: 1930’s vintage, Cavalli e Nastri (Milan)
Heels: Maison Margiela
Accessories: Unnamed Brand, Contessa Miseria Archivio (Milan)
Black Outfit Details: 
Dress: Max Mara
Heels: Manolo Blahnik
Feather Headpiece: Prada
Feather collar: Miu Miu
Scarf: Sous Vintage (Milan)
Fan: Unnamed Brand, Contessa Miseria Archivio (Milan)

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