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behind the scenes – Andromeda photoshoot in Iceland with Arden Leigh

11.16.2016 by btslingerie // Leave a Comment

Behind the Scenes – Andromeda Shoot in Iceland with Arden Leigh

I had begun to work on the sourcing and putting together my ideas for Andromeda shortly after releasing Arabesque. The Specimens of Seduction collections are all sort of connected in my head, showing the evolution of a woman’s love life – from blossoming and new love, to the uncertainty of reciprocated affection & unrequited love, and with this collection I wanted to explore the idea of what happens when our ideals of love shatter, when it leaves us broken and we put the pieces back together and something even more beautiful and strong emerges. To me it began with of all the most unlikely places, a trip to the hardware store that inspired me to use copper and brass elements. This represented going back to our essential nature as metal smithing was the building block for modern society, and metal in unexpected pairings also reminded me of Kintsugi the Japanese art of fixing pottery with metal. Because you rarely see metal forms incorporated into lingerie other than rings and slides.To me the metals in terms of garment construction could also be seen as a metaphor for bondage or armor (the romantic ideals that hold us back & the romantic ideals that protect us). This wide inspiration might all come across as esoteric, but to me its the story of the many rabbit holes I dive down that help me to create something with personal. That personal inspiration may remain unseen in the actual garments and photos, but I like to think that it can perhaps be felt in the same way a piece of art or music touches something deeper.

So from there as I started designing I was exploring the story of Andromeda, a woman sacrificed (bound & chained, see where that metal element comes in?) for being perceived as so beautiful it was threatening… and then Arden and I talked about shooting this in Iceland, and it wasn’t until I started scouting locations and found the cliffs at Vik that I connected the images of Andromeda I had seen in paintings and online with Iceland and I realized what a wonderful coincidence it was for us to have chosen to shoot there, see my inspiration on pinterest alongside images from shoot click here.

Anyways, I will conclude my waxing poetic about design inspiration and the magical moments where coincidence feels like kismet. Behind the scenes and link to the full lookbook below!

Blue Lagoon

Josh shooting Arden in Andromeda collection at Blue Lagoon Iceland Josh shooting Arden in Andromeda collection at Blue Lagoon Iceland

We only shot one look at Blue lagoon, and mostly bc its a private spa and we didn’t really want to interfere with the other guests or have a full on photoshoot there without the spa’s go ahead. We arrived early and shot this look first thing before it got too crowded, it started raining during this shot and with the sun from behind and fog that started to rise from the lagoon. When we pulled together the final edit we chose a headshot we took of Arden submerged in the lagoon but left these out bc the man made feel of the bridges didn’t fit with the rest of the Arden vs. the Landscape theme emerging from the rest of the shoot. I will be doing another blog post with the shots that didn’t make the lookbook, including these from Blue lagoon, so stay tuned for that!

Vik – Reynisfjara & Reynisdrangar

When you arrive at Vik it almost feels like you have arrived at the end of the earth, well other than the tour buses. There are no towns, no houses, and very few people. The landscape is huge, look at the scale of Arden against these rock cliffs and then the wide shots in our lookbook & below with the rock cliffs. For the wide shots we were far away and there were tourists in the background of the shot that had to be photoshopped out, they looked like little ants along the foot of these giant rock walls!

Josh shooting Arden in Andromeda collection in Vik Iceland Reynisdrangar

Click here for the image/painting of Andromeda mythology that these Reynisdrangar cliffs reminded me of.

Josh & Arden at Cliffs of Vik in Iceland shooting Andromeda collection Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

In between shots we warmed up in the car, wrapped Arden in a jacket, boots, and those heat reflecting blankets so she could walk out to the spot we were posing. I started leaving my coat in the car so that I’d be able to get a feeling for how cold she was, bc if I was wearing more than her and getting cold it was time for her to go in. Make no mistake it was windy, the cold air was hitting her skin directly through those sheer fabrics so imagine that pins and needles feeling and you’ll get just an idea of how that felt.

In certain shots and lighting you can see her goosebumps on closeups, and still she was able to hit some beautiful poses and capture a serenity that is truly remarkable considering the conditions. We got lucky with a few sun breaks but at temps around 40-45 degrees farenheit (4-7 degrees celsius) that does very little in the way of warming up the body.

shooting specimens of seduction on black sand beaches of iceland

Can you see the little white specs in the background to the left of Arden above? Those are tourists at the cliffs!

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

A jetlagged, freezing, and yet smiling Arden warming up between shots.

Josh shooting Arden in Andromeda collection in Vik Iceland Reynisfjara

Things you don’t see in the final shots, the pile of shoes, warming blankets, and jacket that she threw off right before this to Josh’s right.

Iceland Fire & Ice - Between the Sheets on the road

A quick trip to the cafe after shooting before we started driving back to Reykjavik.

Golden Circle – between Gulfoss and Geysir

Andromeda Behind the Scenes josh taking photo of Arden Golden Circle in Iceland Andromeda Behind the Scenes josh taking photo of Arden Golden Circle in Iceland

one of the few places where we saw houses outside of Rejkjavik, I’m assuming farms bc of the horses and livestock (the sheep were a bit skittish so no photos of them, sorry!)

arden leigh meeting an iceland pony in layla l'obatti designs

This Icelandic pony was the friendliest, we have some of Josh’s photos of this and will release them in a separate post with photos that didn’t make the cut of the lookbook – but this was a really magical moment and Arden seemed to forget how cold it was and hung out with this guy until he left us to graze.

Andromeda Behind the Scenes josh taking photo of Arden Golden Circle in Iceland

josh braving the elements in Iceland golden circle

Golden Circle – Pingvellir

josh verleun & arden leigh shooting layla l'obatti designs in Iceland

The things you don’t see in the final shot – her boots and a jacket underneath her to shield from the cold mossy rocks.

Andromeda Behind the Scenes josh taking photo of Arden Golden Circle in Iceland josh verleun & arden leigh shooting layla l'obatti designs in Pingvellir Iceland

This last day shooting was a little bit warmer, but not enough to make it comfortable but it did allow us to shoot for longer periods outside the car and I think that shows up in the range and quality of shots. It was also easier in that we didn’t shoot anywhere near onlookers or tourists but found places to pull off the road and that lent itself to easier and quicker shooting.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the peek behind the scenes and if you’re starving for more, check out the links below.

Traveling to Iceland? Check out our Iceland travel tips post click here.

The Andromeda Lookbook is now live – click here (some images may be NSFW)


 

Andromeda was a collection that I designed with no intent to mass produce, many of these pieces would not be able to be made in the commercial production facilities we use as there is too much hand detailing, and to be honest when I am designing commercially things like hanger appeal, storage, laundering, and closures all become part of the design process. For me this was an excercise in exploring the beauty that I could make when released from the shackles of those commercial necessities. So with all of that in mind I hope you’ll understand why we won’t have product pages for any of the items here, I may release a small cut of them that is made in house in the future, but for now they will be made to order/bespoke and you can contact info at btslingerie.com for prices and product information.

model: Arden Leigh

photographer: Josh Verleun

design, styling, hair: Layla L’obatti

Categories // behind the scenes, designers, her perspective, lookbook, models, photographers, the girls between the sheets, Uncategorized Tags // arden leigh, behind the scenes, between the sheets, layla, layla l'obatti, lookbook, model, photography, photoshoot, specimens of seduction

press – Fashion Indie Layla L’obatti Designer Daily

08.15.2012 by btslingerie // Leave a Comment

Fashion Indie Layla L'obatti Designer Daily featuring Arabesque 2012 collection

This time around FashionIndie features Layla L’obatti Designer range on their Designer Daily series- the Arabesque 2012 collection modeled by the lovely Arden Leigh.

Categories // designers, press, style trends, the girls between the sheets Tags // arabesque, arden leigh, designer, fashion indie, layla l'obatti, lingerie, press

behind the scenes – interview with Arden Leigh seductress & author

06.30.2012 by btslingerie // 1 Comment

arden leigh modeling arabesque lingerie by Layla L'obatti for Between the Sheets

In a city like New York you can expect to meet a lot of interesting people with a wide range of careers and life stories, but I can honestly say that I have never met anyone like Arden.

With a background in neurolinguistic programming  and a fascination and hunger for what makes the opposite sex tick she’s honed her seductive personality in a way that few women do. Seduction make no mistake is not just about sex, and no stranger to a dungeon Arden’s been there and done that, and lets be clear we’re not talking Shades of Grey. All those experiences paired with an innate insight into the female psyche have lent her a unique perspective on the subject of dating, and so its no surprise that her first foray into the world of publishing manifested itself in a book titled “The New Rules of Attraction”. Anyone who’s dated in NYC or watched Sex and the City won’t be surprised that a book like this is born from an author who’s experienced it up close, because truly dating in New York is like no other city (and clearly we wear that as a badge of honor).

It’s like a jungle out there, literally with no better way to put it but “fresh meat” arriving daily. There is an imbalance of power in New York dating, and although Arden never says this explicitly, I strongly suspect this played no small part in the genesis of her book.

So when it came time for us to shoot our new Arabesque range Arden’s powerful seductive persona came to mind, and I am truly honored to have worked with her. We’ll do another post sharing the images from this Spring Summer from the Arabesque luxe range, as well as what’s to come for Autumn Winter 2012. So without further ado, our interview with Arden Leigh author, seductress of the modern age

arden leigh modeling arabesque lingerie by Layla L'obatti for Between the Sheets


Layla: Tell us a little bit about yourself, how does one become a seduction coach? Like lingerie design it is not a field that career counselors have on their radar, so how did you come to be the master of seduction you are today?

Arden: The inspiration for me to become a seduction coach for women originally came from the men’s pickup artist community (you might remember the VH1 show The Pick-Up Artist, or Neil Strauss’s book The Game). I started following that community closely because I found their methods so much more practical and broken-down into actionable steps than the advice given to women. And I noticed handfuls of women trailing them at their events and book signings, asking what the girl equivalent of “game” would be, and despite their remarkable innovations for men, I never felt the pickup artists answered women in a satsifying manner. So I set out to study everything that they studied — evolutionary psychology, social dynamics, neuro-linguistic programming, conversational hypnosis, brand marketing, you name it — but I studied them with women’s goals in mind. And obviously I put everything I was learning to use in my own life to learn what worked and what didn’t. Then when I set out to write my book “The New Rules Of Attraction,” I was surprised at how easily it came together, and at how firmly I believed in everything I was writing. By the end of the book, it had almost become a manifesto.

Layla: Does a lot of pressure come with the title of seduction coach?

Arden: It did, at the beginning. When I got my book deal for The New Rules, I had just come out of a comfortable four-year relationship, and getting back into the dating pool made me worried about how closely I’d be scrutinized (i.e., if I got rejected by someone I wanted, would it make me look like a fraud). But I found my sea legs again pretty easily, and nowadays, whether single or partnered, I’m proud to live the lifestyle that I’ve created for myself. And I can attest that I practice everything I preach on a daily basis. I’ve also gotten really comfortable with crashing and burning, and so I’ll push things sometimes just to see what I can learn from them. Sometimes they actually work (like, for example, asking a guy out on Twitter whom you’ve never met in real life. Who would’ve guessed? We dated for two months). Or even when they don’t, the results are always interesting. Regardless, I’m way past the point of judging the value of my work by who’s into me and who’s not.

 

Arden Leigh in Specimens of Seduction by Layla L'obatti Arabesque Lingerie

 

Layla: In your eyes what role does lingerie play in seduction?

Arden: Lingerie is a bit like creating suspense. You want your partner to wonder what he’s going to find when he undresses you. And it’s fun to hint at what might be there by showing off a bit of bra strap or decolletage, or letting a garter strap show when you cross your legs. I’ve also taken to wearing lingerie by itself out in the nightlife scene. It’s become a pretty normal thing for me to do. Some accuse me of seeking attention, but what I love about wearing lingerie by itself is that it is both glamorous and vulnerable at the same time. You’re dressed up in these beautiful garments, but you’re also still just in your underwear. And I think there’s always something sexy about a hint of vulnerability.
 arden leigh modeling arabesque lingerie by Layla L'obatti for Between the Sheets

Layla: You mention in many interviews and in your book that dating has changed, what does that mean for today’s woman looking for love?

Arden: Dating has changed because our means of communication have changed. No one out there is really teaching us how to use things like social media and text messaging, and as I think we’ve all seen, both things can be very dangerous in the dating world when used improperly! If you remember that book The Rules that was published in the early nineties, they used to have rules in there like “He has to call you by Wednesday for a Saturday night date” or “Don’t call him just to hear his voice, call his answering machine while he’s at work and then hang up!” Obviously things like that don’t apply to our world anymore, since many of us work jobs outside the Monday through Friday 9-5 schedule, and since nobody has landlines, everybody has caller id, and most people don’t even listen to voicemail anymore. And the crazy thing is that this book is still on the shelves! I can’t tell you what dating was like in the early nineties because I was just out of kindergarten, so maybe it did work back then, but it certainly doesn’t apply to today. Moreover, guys of our generation act a lot different from guys of our parents’ generation. Most aren’t nearly the womanizers that men 20 years ago were, so that whole tactic of playing “hard to get” is pretty much obsolete, because most of the time you’ll just sit there and not get gotten. At the same time, however, acting clingy and desperate is still as ineffective as ever. So what women really need, and what I provide in The New Rules Of Attraction, is a proactive strategy to navigate the changing landscape of communication and to attract, compel, and hang onto the kind of guy they want.

Layla: Women today are more empowered than ever to make the initial approach, what do you think should a girl even plan the first date too?

Arden: Sure! I just wouldn’t call it a “date.” I like to encourage something that the men’s seduction community refers to as “plausible deniability,” which means that you haven’t really committed to whether your spending time together is romantic or just friendly in nature. There should be a little bit of mystery the first time you hang out, so that if a kiss happens, it’s charged with a certain exciting tension and not simply an awkward expectation. As far as planning the evening goes, I like to bring up in conversation something that I have an interest in doing (“Hey did you hear about this movie, etc etc?”) and then later ask them if they’d like to go with me (“It was great meeting you! Hey we should go see that movie sometime this week.”). That makes for a really smooth transition, and then you can escalate from there.

Layla: Give us our single or aspiring to seduce fans a reason they must buy your book?

Arden: Because life is way too short not to go after what (or who) you want.

Layla: let’s play a game of word association, what is the first word that comes to mind in response to the following:

L: outdoors – A: Game of Thrones (sorry, was just watching the first episode, and it had more outdoors than I’ve seen in years!)

L: diamond – A: David Yurman

L: thong – A: brief!

L: tent – A: …pitch?

L: water – A: fall

L: candle – A: love

L: fave comfort food – A: lobster rolls

L: fave way to relax – A: sex

L: fave beauty products – A: I wear Bare Minerals foundation and blush, use MAC for eyeshadows and lipstick, Fresh for eye creams/moisturizers and lip balm, Jonathan Product for all things hair, and Lush for bath bombs.

L: last book you read – A: The Last Living Slut by Roxana Shirazi, now reading Guts by Kristen Johnston and La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life by Elaine Sciolino

L: last movie you saw – A: The Hunger Games


Tempted for more? You can read Arden’s monthly column in Auxiliary Magazine and posts on her blog, follow her on twitter @ArdenSirens, and buy her book The New Rules of Attraction

arden leigh modeling arabesque lingerie by Layla L'obatti for Between the Sheets

…and of course stay tuned for more images and video from our shoot!

update: click here to view the full lookbook

 

Categories // behind the scenes, book reviews, her perspective, interviews, models, the girls between the sheets, toys Tags // arabesque, arden leigh, between the sheets, interview, layla l'obatti

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