Be submissive, be be submissive!
In the new issue of Let Them Eat Cake, (which has gotten bigger again in number of pages and notched up in quality...) as well as finding a sweet little column written about Style Bubble, I also discovered the work of Heather and Ellie. Their bio is simple and needs no educational/professional background because their images speak for themselves. They're two gals who like bows, cakes and a bit of subversion thrown into it and so they've translated that into their collaborative photography. It would be much too simple to look at these images and write them off as homages to Japanese lolita fashion that pander to the fetishes of men. Rather, underneath the sugar-coated pastels and the perfect sheen of prettiness, there's something a bit sinister that is latently bubbling, so I'd definitely dismiss the very simple biography and assume that Heather and Ellie have a lot more to say than 'I like bows and cakes' as illustrated in their self portrait to the left.
They recently entered a competition with this image below, held by Irregular Choice Shoes which got them a pair of IR shoes every month for a whole year (IR shoes can stump me sometimes but I'd still find a pick for every month...), and they will also be featured in the new Irregular Choice coffee table book that is coming out. I geddit.... piggies, toes, nude tones, gold bows....
The other entries for the competition were also very pretty and IR-appropriate. It's funny how the aesthetic that these photographers have created for Irregular Choice are all based on the whimsical, cutesy, dream-like, childish but have interpreted the shoes in their own way whilst sticking to that aesthetic...
Becki Ellsmore's pick n' mix bag of shoes and flying saucers (I got sick eating too many of those as a child...)
Elena Fernandez Raya's Virgin Suicides-esque vision of prettiness
Kirsty Rose's dream of shoe birds
those sweets that look like UFOs are the best candy i've ever tasted.
Posted by: Miss at la Playa | 22 May 2008 at 11:58
wow i love these a lot! there's just so much to take in!
Posted by: Jennifer | 22 May 2008 at 12:39
Their photos are gorgeous and now, with the Irregular Choice's one, my list of coffe table books is getting longer!
Posted by: alicepleasance | 22 May 2008 at 12:53
mmm....look at those bows!!!
Posted by: lady coveted | 22 May 2008 at 13:23
I want those light sky blue shoes with the yellow knee high socks, these pictures are just so pretty.
Posted by: Chic Looks | 22 May 2008 at 14:22
Their photographs are amazingly delicious. I love them.
Posted by: Laia | 22 May 2008 at 14:42
Thanks for the intro to Heather & Ellie's work, sweetpez! I find their photos highly satisfying to my aesthetic & inner mythos. Best -- ;)
Posted by: Betsylu | 22 May 2008 at 15:19
Beautiful! Just my cut of tea :-)
Posted by: Giselle | 22 May 2008 at 16:00
I love the photos, The cake image is like the one of tim walker surrounded by cakes which I think was in the last issue of Vogue. Cakes and fashion...what more do you want?
Posted by: winnie | 22 May 2008 at 16:56
There is definitely a lot going on in those images!
Posted by: giancinephile | 22 May 2008 at 17:11
Pure Guy Bourdin down to the blush application.
Posted by: JMunsell | 22 May 2008 at 17:50
these photos are my idea of heaven! thank you so much for sharing!
Posted by: selina | 22 May 2008 at 18:55
I like of the submissions, but I definitely think they chose the best. Those girls are talented and maybe a little haunted...
Posted by: The Clothes Horse | 22 May 2008 at 19:06
I love these, super cutesy and heavy on the Marie Antoinette influences. Total dream phots..
Posted by: miss woo | 22 May 2008 at 20:01
Those are great images. I love how disturbing a few of them are. The cute little powder-blue mary-janes are really cute.
Posted by: enc | 22 May 2008 at 20:15
Wait a minute, I said "The cute little powder-blue mary-janes are CUTE." Too much cute. I should have proof-read! Oh well.
CUTE.
Posted by: enc | 22 May 2008 at 20:16
Wow. Amazing, provoking photos. And I love the entries for the Irregular Choice contest. Agreed that their shoes are sometimes head-scratching but I'm sure I wouldn't mind that for free.
Posted by: ambika | 22 May 2008 at 20:24
I adore the periwinkle-butter yellow combination. All the pictures are lovely but I especially noticed, in the second picture, how in the midst of all the splendor the eyes of the girls look so haunted.
Posted by: adrienne | 23 May 2008 at 02:49
Yes! I first developed an interest for them when they won the IR competition. Completely deserved it, especially as the winning photo were shoes I had myself!
Posted by: nuvonova | 23 May 2008 at 16:11
it's so nice you always remind me to dream
Posted by: SwanDiamondRose | 24 May 2008 at 06:18
Just the images I need for my kitchen! Perfection. Thanks Susie.
Posted by: super kawaii mama | 26 May 2008 at 04:53
Love Raya's Virgin Suicides-esque vision of prettiness theme- I've been really into that particular style aesthetic recently. Although tough to find quality pieces, found some perfect ethereal accessories on this site called Goldyn I stumbled across recently. Shopgoldyn.com had these amazing Epice scarfs made in France. They helped subtly ripen lots of my fav looks!
Posted by: live4shoes85 | 27 May 2008 at 22:23
hiya - i'm the kirsty who did the photograph of the flying birds.. i love heather and ellie's photos.. i'm glad they won and were bought to my attention..
i was chuffed to bits to win 3rd place as that photo was self shot in my garden one evening with my neighbours giving me worrying looks :-) thanks for featuring it xox
Posted by: kirsty Rose | 15 November 2008 at 06:36