Staff Photo by Meghan Brown
Kenneth Cole’s suit jacket, $159, and belted skirt, $79, worn with a short-sleeve mock turtleneck, $39, give the professional look a feminine touch. Shoes, $70, are by Nine West. Modeled by Denise Leach. Fashions courtesy of Belk.

A fashion photo shoot, though labor-intensive and sometimes grueling for models wearing winter fashions in the September sun, offers a great opportunity for the photographer and reporter to get out in the community and make new friends.

The on-location shoot in the Southside community for this 2008 fall fashion section was interesting, enlightening and, best of all, fun. Photographer Meghan Brown and I got a glimpse of the neighborhood, its inhabitants and a way of life that has enveloped the folks who live and visit there.

Everyone we met in the neighborhood, including business owners, residents, real estate agents, builders and firefighters, welcomed us with open arms. They allowed us to set up our equipment outside and inside their homes, offices, parking lots, vacant buildings and, on a couple of occasions, rooftops. They wanted us to see what they see: a vibrant neighborhood in the making.

This progressive neighborhood was the ideal backdrop for the fall fashion shoot because, like the community, many of the season’s fashions are updated resurrections of yesteryear styles.

“Fall fashion echoes the sophisticated glamour of yesterday’s silver-screen sirens, recast and reinvented with today’s new shapes and styles in mind,” notes a Belk stores news release.

The same holds true for the Southside, where a renaissance is well under way. Not only are dilapidated properties being restored, they’re being turned into homes, art galleries, businesses and green spaces, where residents and visitors alike can learn the importance of sustainability.

Comments