A Dream of Kurt Geiger, A Memory in New York

Written by: Bri Lee

It was snowing outside on the morning we shot these images. I pulled my coat up around my neck in a futile fight against the New York winter. The action was absent-minded and unnecessary – nervous excitement was rushing through me. I could have stripped bare and still been warm.

I found a tiny coffee shop and slipped inside, ordering an Americano just for good measure. Models were in line, models were at the tables. People spoke in hushed tones on important phone calls and I strained to make out snippits… creative direction… spring looks… the new face… I could have sold the electricity in the air if I was minded to collect it, but I had bigger fish to fry. It was my third day with Zanita and Gustav and we had some photos to take.

When you walk into Milk Studios there can be no doubt you are at Milk Studios. Nobody “ends up” at Milk or just “finds themselves” there. It’s the end of the line in so far as it’s the top of the hill.

Models swim in and out around me like I’m in a luxurious koi pond.

The elevator takes twenty of us upward and I feel an almost spiritual sense of ascension. When I step out and start along a hallway I see racks of designer clothes rocketing past in opposite directions. Doors open and close on either side of me releasing bursts of music – techno, house, pop. I resist the urge to detour past these other rooms. They belong to the dreams of other young, driven people. I have a door all my own, and it does not disappoint.

Gustav greeted me with a grin and a hug, making a funny face when he took a sip of a green juice that was a little too green for his liking. Zanita was putting her makeup on and as light streamed through the large window beside her I didn’t know which was more beautiful – her face or the New York vista that expanded to the horizon. I had a multi-thousand dollar camera thrust into my hot little hands. In this space I was given respect and responsibility.

I watched Zanita make magic for almost eight non-stop hours that day. She smiled and leapt hundreds of times. She stepped left and right, moved forward and back. The exhausting physical effort never betrayed in her face. Her eyes sparkled in the POP! of the flash umbrellas look after look.

In boots, in heels, in sneakers, with handbags and without. I will forever associate Kurt Geiger with the singular feeling that Zanita and New York gave me – that I was a young woman in control of my life.

That my ultimate aspirations were achievable. That I could pave a way for myself in this non-stop, sometimes ruthless industry. That I could make my worth known through sheer willpower.

Look 1 - Textured Pumps - Ostrich Tote

Look 2 - Patent Leather Boots - Mini Crossbody Bag

Look 3 - Over-The-Knee Boots - Ostrich Tote Bag