There are models who are in the right place at the right time; then there are models who are the right face at the right time.  Michelle Olson and Kasia Pilewicz are two such women; both were already working with big name fashion clients when they were booked for V Magazine’s issue 63, entitled “The Size Issue – Every Body Is Beautiful”.  The 12-page editorial was shot by top fashion photographer Sølve Sundsbø, whose style signature is voluminous-haired, glamourous beauty shots. Sundsbo said in the magazine -

“I loved the opportunity to show that you can be beautiful and sexy outside the narrow interpretations that normally define us”

- and he definitely delivered a stunning centrepiece editorial, as well as the most talked-about and reblogged imagery for the issue.  It’s rare that magazines give their readers get an idea of what goes on behind a photoshoot, so I asked the very busy Michelle and Kasia to provide a quick run-down of the experience of shooting with the V Magazine team.

HANDY HINT: click on the FS button at bottom right of the pictures to view the images at Full Screen size – they’ll be much larger.  Or click on SL for a slideshow.  Either way, use your ESC button to close the screen when you are done.

GETTING THE CALL:

Michelle: I live near Minneapolis, MN and wasn’t aware that there was even a casting going on for this magazine. I was actually on a long drive home from Chicago the day before this shoot when my booker called to tell me about the job so I drove straight away to the airport to head to New York.   I didn’t have to go in ahead of time for fittings and they didn’t ask me to change anything, like get a tan or change my hair or whatever. I was very happy to just show up on the day!

Kasia: I live in New York so I went to a casting arranged by my agency at the time. I wasn’t requested to do or wear anything specific, however I always choose clothing relative to the client I’m seeing.  As I have a pretty artistic sense of style and an unusual face compared to other blondes, I thought I might be a good fit for what they were looking for, but you can still never be sure!  I was so excited to book this job because V Magazine is one of the magazines that I draw inspiration from in many ways.  It happened pretty fast for me too: I went to the casting on a Tuesday and the shoot was Friday the same week.

THE FUN STUFF:

Kasia: The hair and makeup people were so talented!  Everyone but me had hair extensions glued in for extra thickness and I’m glad I didn’t need them because they are a pain to remove.  They didn’t really change our hairstyles and makeup much at all after that, but they did keep touching up and fixing things throughout the day, since the shoot was about 12 hours long.

Michelle: Yeah, the crew pretty much knew in advance what sort of look they were going for, so they got on and did it.  When it came to the clothing, we each took turns with the stylist and tried on a bunch of outfits and his team took Polaroids of us in the outfits they thought worked best.  I didn’t really know for sure what I’d be wearing until right before the shot!

Kasia: I had seen some of the fashion work of the stylist before and knew that he worked with celebrities such as Lady Gaga. Trying on of the clothes with him was one of my favorite parts of the day!!!  Racks and racks of stunning designer clothes and accessories were staring at me from the moment I arrived at the shoot….I couldn’t wait for the moment he called me to start!  The gorgeous shoes I wore fit me perfectly…I wish I could have walked out in them!!

FACING DOWN THE CAMERA:

Kasia: I knew of Solve’s work, but I still looked him up online when I heard I’d be shooting with him.  Even though he is a famous photographer and does so much amazing work, he was really nice and down to earth, which really helped me connect with him doing the shoot.  But he’s definitely focused at the same time, and knows what he’s doing and what he wanted to achieve with each shot.  He gave us lots of direction while shooting and was very confident.  He was really easy to work with, and the vibe on the shoot was very busy and professional yet relaxed at the same time.

Michelle: It was definitely a great work experience for me. Cool people, cool set, and very cool job. There weren’t any problems.  Everyone on set was really considerate and it was a real pleasure to work with Solve.  We didn’t finish until 9 or 10 at night so I was tired but happy!  Right after a shoot I am always a little unsure of how I’ve done.  I always catch myself worrying a little about that – I wish I’d have more sleep the night before the shoot but my remedy for that is green tea.

I was really happy with the shots that the magazine editors selected and I really liked that we were treated just like the smaller-size models V Magazine usually books.  I feel really honoured to have been a part of the shoot and to have worked with a top fashion crew.  Young women need to be reminded that we aren’t all built alike and shouldn’t wish to be, so I really hope I have more opportunities to promote size diversity as I did in V Magazine.

Kasia: There were a lot of people involved in the production of the shoot.  It’s crazy to see how it takes a team of people working so hard to get a gorgeous finished product.  I love the artistic side of that.  I thrive on that chaotic, creative energy and buzz and try to channel it back into the camera for the shot.  It’s all a bit unbelievable when I look back at it now that’s it’s blown up so much, but that day I just took it as any other shoot I needed to focus and deliver on.  I loved working with the people on this shoot because while they are so talented they were also just great people, all collaborating on a beautiful project.

I’m shocked at how many people have taken notice of me and contacted me since the preview and the magazine came out.  The increased exposure has immensely helped my modeling and acting career already…and I’m so grateful for this opportunity!  I was happy with how I performed overall that day, and now that I’ve seen the final photo, I’m very proud of myself. I really hope this shoot, and the magazine overall opens up people’s eyes and minds to seeing beauty in many body types.

Michelle Olson is represented by Ford Models

Kasia Pilewicz is represented by Wilhelmina Models

See the girls in action…

Tagged as: Kasia Pilewicz, Michelle Olson, Solve Sundsbo, U.S., V magazine