I ♡ Anne-Constance

I bought a copy of Mirage in Paris during my Christmas holiday, left it unopened in a corner of my parent’s flat, returned to London and after a hectic month remembered to look at it when I found a male friend in my kitchen grinning at the pictures in the same way he would when looking at the … sports pages (although he may think that this is an unfair caricature)! This “incident” was precisely what encouraged me to finally sit down and turn the pages of the magazine. I was immediately seduced by the intense vintage quality of the stories and the direct and indirect softly erotic references. In the days after having looked at Mirage in its entirety, I realized that it had been a quality investment: the shoots reflected an aesthetic I love and a sensuous visual exploration you don’t always see. In parallel, it is coherently creating a new understanding of nudity combined with fashion. Another vital element is photography. A lot of mainstream fashion publications don’t have the freedom to commission new or more imaginative photographers and express their sense of identity through the use of the same “banal” image-makers year after year. Finding Anne-Constance Frénoy’s work in Mirage was delightful on every level. It felt like I had discovered a jewel among the erotically charged dimension of the magazine’s pages. I was fascinated. She is a remarkable and original photographer who seems to have a fundamental obsession with the female body, nature’s marvels and romantic atmospheres. In her images the dreaming world appears to mingle freely with reality, combining the unlikely with the closely observed (almost naked girls in sun-drenched gardens or fields) and for the technically minded she also demonstrates how to lead the eye to wonderful light games. This is the kind of work that leads me to make an exciting connection to David Hamilton or Tana Kaleya. They all share the same desire to please the senses and develop a poetic and nostalgic vitality. Looking at Anne-Constance Frénoy’s pictures it is inevitable to see that her narratives are sometimes based on her personal experience as a dancer and model giving her a better awareness of a woman’s body.
She’s a new firm favourite of mine!

All images courtesy of Anne-Constance Frénoy

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13 comments:

young-shields said...

really understanding the light is what sets these apart from the countless other 'little bit naked girls in fields' photographs/photographers

great find. x

Fotografia Ślubna Warszawa said...

very nice stuff

kiss me quick said...

great post. beautiful photography.

xxx kissmequick

rouli said...

lovely and so spring and romantic post full of stylish inspiration!

www.thebeautifulandthehard.blogspot.com

Alex said...

July Stars, I just want to give a major shout out to your blog! I rarely leave post comments but I really feel the need to tell you how much I love your posts.
The dedication and detail to your interests and subjects is so immense and personal it really resonates with me, and makes for awesome reading.
It is always quality over quantity and thats so refreshing, as anyone can post a picture, but not many bloggers can write like you.
You make me want to write a better blog.
Keep inspiring x
www.thelistupdate.blogspot.com

COCAMIA said...

So sexy romantic!!!

Gisele said...

Oh, I bought this issue to, mostly becuase of the vintage seventies feeling, I´m also a fan of that certain aesthetic and I feel like you that it was definetly a good investment!

Gisele said...

Oh, I bought this issue to, mostly becuase of the vintage seventies feeling, I´m also a fan of that certain aesthetic and I feel like you that it was definetly a good investment!

stylespotterfashionblogger said...

Love mirage mag!!! These pictures are very cute but still sexy!
http://stylespotterfashionblogger.blogspot.com

samantha said...

i think what i love most is how beautifully raw these pictures are. May they be planned, she just captures the essence of innocence so naturally. wish i could get my hands on the issues! too bad mirage isn't available in KL.

x
samantha
www.dreamcassette.blogspot.com

Tebonin said...

I think the most interesting part of this post is put girl with flowers together. Look at them they are so similar.

Sarah Edenly said...

Wow these photos are stunning

edenly jewellery blog

ces-fils-qui-nous-remuent said...

one word : W O W