Mel, #46/100, Bringing Clothes To Life For Massimo Dutti

Mel, #46/100, Bringing Clothes To Life For Massimo Dutti

Image by Mark Emery Photography
All Rights Reserved. The image is set CC to allow the Stranger to download the image for their own use.

I first noticed Mel the day before this shot was taken, getting one of the Massimo Dutti windows ready for a new display. She had a hammer and nails in hand and was doing a fine job of getting a rug to stay put nice and flat. I liked her style and thought she'd make a great addition to the project. I introduced myself and showed her some of my photos, Mel commented on how I've met such a wide range of interesting people, telling me about one of her photographer friends. I think the 100Strangers project will be ideal for him, it's a great experience once you've got over any initial nerves.

When I asked Mel if she'd mind being part of the project she agreed but asked if we could do it the following day. My second scheduled 100Strangers?! I returned today and we continued our conversation.

Mel is half of a team of two covering 10 shops in England and Ireland, with each shop getting it's windows redressed by one of the team every 6 weeks or so. I asked Mel if she'd studies Fashion, she said she'd done Fashion & Design at university. Only 10% of her group are now engaged in the fashion industry in some from. I commented on it being a lot of time and effort invested and not used.

Mel turned one of the manikins upside down and put some jeans on it, then added high heal shoes. I asked Mel what the average shoe size of a manikin was. A question I'd never contemplated before today. The lady manikins have size 5 feet. If boots are used then maybe a 6 or even 7 if full length boots are used as getting them on can be an issue, but then it's harder to make them look right at the ankle. Mel turned it the right way up and started to move the jeans about, starting to show me how she did various things to make the manikin look more human, as if the clothes had moved with their movement. As Mel started adding the top, shirt and jacket she told me how arms can be the worst to fit. Especially the case on the bigger male manikins with multiple layers of t-shirts, tops, jackets and coats. The arm minus the hand has to be passed down the clothes and the joint on the shoulder of the arm twisted into place. With lots of layers all the material can bunch up and make that final stage take ages. With the manikins dressed Mel wired them to the floor. Mel had plenty of pins, tape and wire to work with, but only the wire keeping the manikins upright can be seen when she's finished working her magic on them. The wire's quite thin so unless it's being looked for most people probably wouldn't notice it being there.

With the two manikins in that section of window dressed, Mel took down a bit of material that had been blocking most of the window. It had been hung from a suction-hook stuck to the inside of the window. I told Mel about the kit I keep with me. 4 of the same hooks and a ladies black petticoat (no funny comments please!) The elasticated end holds the material on the hooks, the camera can then be used inside with reflections minimised by the material, just like an old fashion plate glass camera. Great for taking photos of animals at zoos, etc. More on reflections in a moment...

Mel went outside the shop to have a look at the results. She does an initial dressing of the manikins and then goes back to fine tune and make sure no pins are showing. While outside I asked Mel if I could take my shot of her in front of the window. I showed it to her, commenting on the reflections of other shops in the glass. Mel said that when she's taken shots to document her work she's often asked by her manager if she can make them any better. Mel had given me a number of great tips on making clothes look good, I returned the favour by giving her some tips on photographing through glass, an extension of the principles behind my petticoat kit. Later that afternoon further ideas popped into my head, I'll be writing them up in a blog post for Mel and her colleague ASAP.

If you see a Massimo Dutti store check out the windows, there's a 50% chance that Mel did the display.

It was wonderful meeting you Mel, I'm grateful for the tips, they'll be very useful the next time I'm in the studio. This has been the longest and most educational 100Strangers encounter to date! Thank you so much for your time.

Find out more about the project and see pictures taken by other photographers at www.100Strangers.com