Fonet’s creative director was asked to style Yulia Saparniiazova for a fashion photoshoot following a minimal aesthetic. As you know, that’s right up our alley but we always bring in vintage dynamics. There are many different approaches to minimalism and our brand’s interpretation lives somewhere in the 1990s to mid-2000s. It’s about color palettes and silhouettes that feel familiar yet so far away from where we are today. There will always be lace, knits, flannels, and denim but our connection to them varies through self-direction and free thought. We are all influenced in different ways by music and film, countless pop culture references that we subconsciously carry with us every day. Editorial photoshoots give us an outlet, a way of showcasing how we’ve been influenced. 

As someone who constantly creates and is directed through mood boards, it was important to understand the scope of this shoot while staying true to what makes Fonet style choices and capturing the essence of the models and their natural characteristics. 

Fonet clearly connects to the soft club aesthetic that brings natural femininity to life. The allure of cool tones, monochromatic ensembles, and essential layering create a complete picture of a home that dwells in the allusion to a woman. It was important to bring out these qualities from the very beginning.

Yulia is seen with muted tonal makeup, natural texture hair, and a mix of sterile and natural environments that crawls into futurism and feeds into the revival of minimalism and urban life design. There is something beautiful about the undone within the concise visuals. All of which culminate in accentuating Yulia’s natural sensuality, and her unapologetic yet boisterous personality.  

The first look was styled in two ways: The first version was a monochromatic frock to break the ice and the fragility of linear nocturnal thoughts. A black head-to-toe with a play on textures. It is a classic silhouette stemming from the 20s but with a touch of futurism and soft-club simplicity. 

For the second version, it was then transformed into a lavish layered flannel and corset bringing structure yet imperfect sensuality. Somehow more clothing was introduced to build even more sex appeal, something that we all crave to express yet struggle to balance.

 Both looks touch opposite ends of the spectrum, sharing two sides of the same coin. There is something left to be explored about the female shape throughout time that remains valid in a nonlinear way. 

The third look takes us to knits and natural earth tones. The combination of knit and denim has been around since the beginning of classic workwear, but this ‘ain’t no fisherman get-up’. It’s joined together by a leather waistbelt and chunky heels. The luxurious folds rest off the shoulder for an effortless vision that fosters a relief from the corset that's far from idle. Our bootcut jeans were featured in this look for a classic dark wash flare that fits the 2000s. 

Next is the quintessential time reference that speaks to our origins: cool tones, simplistic shapes, sterile metals, and nostalgic 2000s futurism. A silver tank top and blue-gray herringbone trousers. It was all brought to life by a choice of going barefoot and tying the hair up into a wet bun.

Although simple in nature, the outfit could have turned out in many ways. From more “office siren” with pointed-toe pumps to a quick normcore reference that speaks to the glory days of Crossing Jordan or Nokia ads. 

Next was the unforgettable black trench that has been on everyone's trend radar since the revival of the undefeated trench coat. We decided to have nothing underneath other than our bootcut jeans. It’s worth noting that we went a size up for a more relaxed fit and sexy undertone. Everything was dramatically brought together with a black backdrop for an intense Dark Angel scene.  

Finally, Yulia’s style choice from the remaining curated outfits was a micro skirt that we paired with a plunge neck blouse. She was drawn to the riding boots so we complimented her choice with a black velvet driving cap. It was fun, flirty, and a great finale to our time together. 

We had a great time bringing these images to life and you can check them out via our Instagram. You can find the outtakes, BTS videos, and final images on our Pinterest as well!