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out of the box
January 2, 2013

All a Blur: Marcelo Gomes Shoots Resort 2013’s Colorful Clothes

By Marcelo Gomes and Hilary Moss

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Photo: Marcelo Gomes

After graduating from the University of Iowa in 2000 with a B.A. in Political Science, Brazilian-born Marcelo Gomes headed to an unlikely place — Index, the seminal art and culture publication, in New York City. There, publisher and neo-geo artist Peter Halley prompted him to start thinking about color, “because there was a lot of it coming in and out of that studio,” and now, Gomes told the Cut, “it’s probably always going to be a big part of what I try to do.” He eventually left Index to assist one of the mag’s regulars, photographer (and Vogue and Purple contributor) Mark Borthwick, a devotee of color saturation. He was also drawn to “the casual stance that Mark took on fashion,” which set his photos apart from the staged pictures many magazines were publishing. Since going out on his own, Gomes has shot for Vice, Dazed & Confused, T, and Harper’s Bazaar, participated in group shows at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and Diptrics in Tokyo, and is working on his third book — a series of abstractions to be published by Morel. For this installment of Out of the Box, we sent him a selection of Marni, Louis Vuitton, Reed Krakoff, Balenciaga, Christopher Kane, and more, to see his take on resort’s colorful garments.

Gomes called Ann Kelley, a sculptor he met through a friend, and Maya Villiger, who produces the blog Turned Out, to be his models, and he spent three afternoons taking portraits of the women wearing the high-fashion looks in front of white walls. He shot on tripods, and used two- or three-second long exposures while asking the subject to move slightly, a method he came across a couple of years ago that creates a painterly effect. “Every artist, in whatever medium they use, they always envy painters in a way,” the photographer said. “I don’t think I’m any different. I like the slowness of it. I like how there is a certain cinematic quality to it, which allows me to imply movement — that something happened before or that something’s going to happen after.” Though he looks to painting, he named Brazilian musician and writer Caetano Veloso as one of his favorite artists. “His work isn’t complex, but it is sophisticated in its own simplicity, and I try to do the same,” Gomes explained. “I don’t necessarily think conceptually. My work is very earnest, honest, and sincere.” Click ahead to see (and read) more of the story behind the photos Gomes created for the Cut.

Market editing by Veronica Gledhill and Rebecca Ramsey.

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"I edit in a funny way. When I shoot, there is a certain amount of chaos. I set it all up so that I have just enough light — there can’t be too m... "I edit in a funny way. When I shoot, there is a certain amount of chaos. I set it all up so that I have just enough light — there can’t be too much light and there can’t be too little light, either. I'll shoot an entire roll of one pose and I’ll just try to create movement in different ways, like with the slight movement of the subject. And then, when I’m actually editing it, I’m just looking for the most painterly frame possible." -----  Balenciaga Combo Tank Dress, $1845, available at Barneys.com. Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"I wanted a white wall because I thought the colors would come through the best if they were shot against a neutral background. It was important ... "I wanted a white wall because I thought the colors would come through the best if they were shot against a neutral background. It was important to make it really simple." -----  Christopher Kane Coral Half Tab Pleated Maxi Dress, $3,080, available at MyTheresa. Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"To the right is a blank, white polaroid — it wasn’t exposed to anything — with painting on top of it. I've always wanted to do this sort of... "To the right is a blank, white polaroid — it wasn’t exposed to anything — with painting on top of it. I've always wanted to do this sort of color association thing, where I would more or less interpret the colors from the actual photograph with the model and with the clothes ... it's almost like you're trying to explain the photograph in a really simple way, starting with white, and then you'll have one color, and then you'll have the next color. I guess it makes sense to me. [Laughs.] I don’t know if it makes sense for other people." -----  Christopher Kane Coral Half Tab Pleated Maxi Dress, $3,080, available at MyTheresa. Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"For the hair and the makeup, I just asked them, 'So how do you usually wear your hair?' Maya has this really beautiful brown hair, and she jus... "For the hair and the makeup, I just asked them, 'So how do you usually wear your hair?' Maya has this really beautiful brown hair, and she just had a baby, so her hair looks amazing. And if you notice, Ann’s wearing her hair one way on one day and then, she’s wearing it up on another day." -----  The Row Priston Silk Maxi Dress, $2,741, available at MyTheresa. Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"The blue is bright and perfect, and really true to life, but there was a little bit of cloth left over [in the window] from a pink curtain, so i... "The blue is bright and perfect, and really true to life, but there was a little bit of cloth left over [in the window] from a pink curtain, so it turned the top a little salmon-colored, which I was really excited about."  -----  Thakoon Aqua Blue Top, $990, available at Ikram Chicago (15 East Huron Street, Chicago; 312.587.1000). Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"I didn't try to over-direct them ... I just tried to stick to really classic-looking poses. Ann has this sort of innate elegance, just the way s... "I didn't try to over-direct them ... I just tried to stick to really classic-looking poses. Ann has this sort of innate elegance, just the way she stands." -----  Balenciaga Shell Top with "Trefle" Motif in Night, $1695, available at Balenciaga.com, and Balenciaga Mini Muse Skirt, $765, available at Barneys.com. Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"There's a lot of really great design work — obviously, the market is super saturated. But I believe that we've never had better fabrics and... "There's a lot of really great design work — obviously, the market is super saturated. But I believe that we've never had better fabrics and we've never had as many great designers working at the same time ... but I think as far as the way that stuff is depicted, I find it a bit boring. There's cool editorial work happening in men's. I think there's a bit more freedom because the men's market is getting a lot bigger, but it's not big enough in a way that people feel like they have a lot to lose when they do things that are a bit more out there editorially." -----  Marni Blue Patterned Top, $880, available at Marni (161 Mercer Street; 212.343.3912). Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"I shot in three different places: at Ann's apartment in Chinatown, in Maya's apartment in Brooklyn, and at my friend's place in West Village. At... "I shot in three different places: at Ann's apartment in Chinatown, in Maya's apartment in Brooklyn, and at my friend's place in West Village. At the end of the day, there's an hour and a half of lighting that is perfect." -----  Prada Kid Mohair Top, $870, and Kid Mohair Pants, $855, Select Prada Boutiques.   Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"I really love Brian Eno. He launched this thing called Oblique Strategies and it's a set of cards that he created to solve creative conundrums a... "I really love Brian Eno. He launched this thing called Oblique Strategies and it's a set of cards that he created to solve creative conundrums and dilemmas. It's a little bit like a joke, but one says, 'Don't be afraid of something just because it looks too easy.' And I think a lot of people do that, just to overcomplicate things, at the risk of sounding trite. I wholeheartedly don’t second guess myself. I just think that if I'm doing it that way, there's a reason for it and that's okay." -----  Louis Vuitton Silk Chiffon Dress, Price Upon Request, available at Louis Vuitton, (1 East 57th Street; 212.758.8877). Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"When there's no stylist involved, it eliminates something that's really present today in fashion editorial work. It automatically creates someth... "When there's no stylist involved, it eliminates something that's really present today in fashion editorial work. It automatically creates something that's going to be different and new. And the people I shot aren't models, necessarily, so I had to imagine things in a different way, too. When there's something that looks good on them, it makes it more personal." -----  Boy. by Band of Outsiders Combination Jumpsuit in Snow White, $895, available at Shopbop. Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"There's a lot that’s implied ... there's a lasting impression that gets created through the long exposure." -----  Reed Krakoff Sle... "There's a lot that’s implied ... there's a lasting impression that gets created through the long exposure." -----  Reed Krakoff Sleveless Chainmail Dress, $7580, available at Bergdorf Goodman (754 Fifth Ave.; 212.753.7300). Photo: Marcelo Gomes
"I thought that the blazers looked like paper airplanes." -----  Sonia Rykiel Crepe Wool and Silk Jackets, $1495, available at Bloom... "I thought that the blazers looked like paper airplanes." -----  Sonia Rykiel Crepe Wool and Silk Jackets, $1495, available at Bloomingdales (1000 3rd Avenue; 212.705.2000). Photo: Marcelo Gomes
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