Self Service, the hardbound biannual that walks like a book, is back on the newsstand with its Spring / Summer 2012 issue, overall its 36th to date. Ondria Hardin (Ford) and Bambi Northwood-Blyth (Ford) both feature in the cover story by photographer Alasdair McLellan and Self Service fashion director Suzanne Koller. Following the publication’s titling convention of location and date, the story is called “London, December 20th-21st, 2011,” which thereby strips away any pretense whatsoever and lets the portraits speak for themselves. And how eloquently they speak! Two pages into the story, Ondria enters the frame (Slide 1) wearing a black leather dress by Sportmax and a crystal earring (Slide 2) by Jil Sander. Bambi makes her entrance (Slide 5) in a most dramatic fashion sporting heavy eyeshadow by makeup artist Aaron de Mey. The colorful shades, liberally applied, add even further emphasis to the Australian’s eyes that are already framed a pair of the industry’s most sumptuous eyebrows. McLellan’s portraits exude an intensity thanks in part to his subjects looking directly at the camera, which in turn translates onto the page as confidence. Assured, unencumbered, Ondria and Bambi require no assistance at all in this issue of Self Service.
Credits include: Publication, Self Service Issue 36 Spring / Summer 2012; Title, “London, December 20th-21st, 2011”; Photography, Alasdair McLellan; Styling, Suzanne Koller; Hair, Anthony Turner; Makeup, Aaron de Mey; Photography assistance, Gareth Powell, Simon Bremner, Lex Kemberly; Styling assistance, Sabrina Marshall, Ray Tetauira, Divya Bala, Georgia Shaw; Hair assistance, David Wadlow, Emma Hedges; Makeup assistance, Frankie Boyd, Ciara O’Shea, Yuko Fredriksson; Production, Chloe Charlesworth, Charlie Forte; Prop styling, Theo Politowicz; Processing and printing, Bayeux and FTP London; Retouching, Output London; Thanks, James and Nigel at Curtain Road Studios.
