Merv’s Azean Food is a small restaurant in the heart of the sleepy suburb of Naenae, decorated with floral tablecloths and indoor plants. Photographer Lily Paris West visited the restaurant over summer, and wanted to use it as a location ever since.
For the photo-shoot, the stylists wanted to take glamour to a quiet suburb; to set luxurious clothing against the backdrop of bungalows—the cornerstones of suburbia.
The stylists, Aria and Moya, wanted to convey a faux-lux, high glamour vibe with their styling, and sought to pair unconventional textiles and play with ideas of tacky and glitzy. Lily’s photography is natural and candid. The clothing, supplied by Emporium, is second hand, this was important to the stylists as it works against the tide of fast fashion. They dressed the model Mila, who had caught Aria’s eye, in unconventional textiles, and turned tacky-glitzy garments into really fresh outfits.
Thank you to Merv for letting us use his restaurant as the backdrop to this photoshoot.
Photography: Lily Paris West, on a Canon Av-1, see more at westalbums.tumblr.com
Styling: Aria McInnes and Moya Mclennan
Make-Up: Lara Daly
Model: Mila Reuelu-Buchanan
Follow them on Instagram:
@lilpariswest
@ariamcinnes
@moyarenee
@lara.daly
@milakaiariki