For the Cut’s latest Out of the Box feature, model and photographer Louise Parker took a box of clothes from the latest resort runways to Marfa, Texas, where she and her boyfriend had planned a holiday vacation with her family. While Marfa may be known for Prada Marfa (a made-for-Instagram, roadside art installation that looks like a Prada store), Parker spent more time photographing their visits to national parks and the Chinati Foundation, a contemporary art museum. Their group included Parker’s parents, her sister, and her brother and his now-fiancée (they got engaged on the trip!).
Feeling as if fashion shoots about “a girl in Texas” had been done before, Parker said she aimed to make her shoot more authentic, as if it was “just me on a family vacation looking really good.” She photographed her family and used her own clothes to complement bright color sunglasses and Bottega Veneta knits she brought with her. “I didn’t want it to feel like fashion. There’s feeling in these — these photos seem more real and more natural.”
After photographing models backstage at fashion shows for the Cut, Parker said her methods for behind-the-scenes fashion shoots inspired her work during this project. “I’m always looking for the little in-between moments,” she said, “those spontaneous moments.”
