In the Age of Social Distancing, One Model Is Reimagining the Fashion Editorial
In the world of fashion, editorial has long been the de facto mode of storytelling. Traditionally, the creation of these images has required a set filled with teams of people. And yet the coronavirus crisis has ended the majority of that work. While inventive, the celebrity selfies, virtual characters, and resurgence in illustration that have emerged in the age of social distancing are only a temporary solution. The DIY aesthetics of iPhone photography has its limits, and audiences will always crave visuals that offer a bigger picture. But how can image-makers provide that when they can’t even enter the same room?
Russian modeling star, Daria Strokous, may have the answer. A regular in the pages of Vogue and campaigns for brands like NARS and Dior, Strokous, who is signed to Elite Model Management in New York, is used to starring in high-concept fashion stories. As a student of the University of Southern California’s film school who has acting credits in movies such as Contagion, Strokous has viewed the creative process from both sides. Like many in fashion, she found herself missing the atmosphere of a set once she began isolating at home in Los Angeles.
Strokous immediately sprang into action and reconnected with one of her favorite collaborators, makeup artist Anastasia Durasova, to work on a new project: an editorial created without boundaries. With Strokous on the West Coast, Durasova in New York, and director Federico Morgantini in Milan, the group challenged themselves to create images worthy of a luxury glossy while being thousands of miles apart. “We started talking, and it just evolved into the idea of doing a remote shoot,” said Strokous speaking on the phone from Los Angeles. “At the time we didn’t see anything similar online, everyone was posting news or memes. Anastasia also does painting, so I just said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if you painted something on me?’ Then we got on FaceTime with Federico, and things spiraled from there.”
Dubbed “Parallax 2020,” the project includes a short film directed by Morgantini and still images shot by Strokous, then enhanced by Durasova’s abstract painting. Evocative and atmospheric, they take the concept of at-home snapshots to the next level. Strokous was in the driver’s seat, charged with doing her own makeup and setting up each shot to execute the ideas she, Durasova, and Morgantini came up with. “It was an experiment because Federico was taking pictures of me through his screen,” she says. “Suddenly he would go, ‘Oh this is cool. I can see your eyes through your camera and then my phone,’ then he transfers it to my computer, and we play around with that.” The many digital layers of the collaboration were freeing. “For me, it was cool because it’s the first time I’m taking a picture of myself,” explains Strokous. “The studio didn’t restrain us, there weren’t a bunch of people standing around trying to get things done in a set timeframe. I was at home, so there’s that sense of relaxation. Federico was on his couch in Milan with his dog, so he wasn’t going anywhere either.”
Given her background, Strokous was uniquely prepared to handle the shoot. “It’s not every day you find a model with racks, lights, and equipment,” she says. “I have a whole studio in my house. I’ve always loved photography and cameras, but since I’m studying film, I also have everything you’d need to set up.” After years of appearing in NARS ads, she was able to follow Durasova’s beauty instructions too. “Because I’ve worked with her so many times, I’ve been able to observe her techniques,” she says. “I have all this makeup so she could just say ‘go find Orgasm blush’ and I’d go get it! We went back and forth, applying everything and doing tests to get things right.”
By playing multiple parts, Strokous found herself gaining new insight into the creative process. “Usually, the photographer is on the other side of the camera, and you never get to feel their viewpoint and see what they see,” she says. “I can only see myself from one angle while they’re able to move around and see you from every side—this was the opposite experience.” It helped that Strokous and Durosova had a decades-long friendship. The pair met when the Strokous moved from Moscow to New York to begin her career. Morgantini was a new addition to the team, introduced over video chat. “It was very natural to connect over FaceTime at this point when we’ve all become so used to communicating that way,” says Strokous. “I wonder what it will be like when we finally meet because we haven’t gotten the chance to speak in person yet.”
Despite the distance, the group has been able to create beautiful images and use their talents during a time when many have found making art difficult. The outlet has proven especially invigorating for Strokous, who would eventually like to expand the project to include a stylist and runway looks. “That’s my next step,” she says, noting that the current shelter-in-place orders have made sourcing clothing for shoots virtually impossible. “Many brands produce in Italy and China, plus the showrooms in New York, and Paris are closed.” Even still, Strokous would rather be productive than sit at home rewatching Contagion on Netflix. “It’s an incredible movie, and Steven Soderbergh was so prescient, but I can’t understand the logic of watching with everything going on,” she says. “Right now, I need to see something inspiring.”
Originally Appeared on Vogue
