Creating Swimsuit Glamour

With the launch of the 2018 edition of the Kingfisher Calendar, shot in picturesque Croatia by Atul Kasbekar, RANJAN MUKERJEE caught up with international hairstylist Franco Vallelonga, fashion stylist Allia Al Rufai, and make-up artist Kapil Bhalla to discuss their work on it.

Your approach for the shoot...

Franco Vallelonga (FV): We worked with a few different themes in mind— braids, wet hair, sleek hair—but everything revolved around the fact that the girls are wearing swimwear and the location was near the sea. Basically, wearable styles for the summer with a touch of glam.

Allia Al Rufai (AAR): We had one huge fitting and worked out looks based on what’s best for each of the models, and what works best given the backdrop we are shooting against. It’s tricky because nature can have its way and the weather played games with us. Sometimes, we go with our instinct and sometimes with what works best given the circumstance. We played with colour blocks in bright summer hues for the calendar cover.

Kapil Bhalla (KB): The theme was always going to be minimalistic glamour. Less is more. Keeping that in mind, all the looks created were youthful, fresh, and not too made up.

Facing challenges...

FV: The weather at the time of shooting was on the cooler side, and on some days, we had to wait for the sun to come out. Thankfully, we had a strong team of experienced people who have faced this before and know how to deal with these situations. Allin-all, it wasn’t too challenging for us.

AAR: Every day was a new adventure as we played tag with the sun. At some point, we were shooting in a nature reserve—jumping over snakes and insects is definitely not your average outdoor shoot!