Dressed to Impress

Wardrobe consumes a great deal of my preparation time for book cover photo shoots. Each character has a vibe, a mood. Those moods are key.

I’ve studied the psyche of these characters at length. They evolve and grow throughout the series. As expressive and unique as these characters are, their wardrobe must be fitting.

Once the featured characters, and their moods in the book, are chosen, I begin the process of figuring out what 1990’s inspired clothing they’ll wear. Some wardrobe pieces, I hand select. Other pieces, the models pull from their wardrobe.

I shop in many places. Thrift stores provide a lot of my pieces, but I buy those items as I find them, and store them for later. It’s very difficult to walk into a thrift store thinking, “I need a 1990’s vintage surf brand tank for Trey.” Finding those pieces happens by happenstance.

For specific pieces that I need quickly, I purchase from Amazon, Temu, Ebay, and specialty shops.

My next step is accessories. The Devil is in the details. Selecting each character’s watch, jewelry, belts, scarves, sunglasses, is a process I enjoy. You see, I’m not much of a shopper for myself.

It’s fun to get to play at dressing up the models. I live vicariously for just a moment through them.

Let’s take a tour of the wardrobe storage!