Dress Up

Johanna and I have been working together for a long time- first at a small family-run tea shop, then at a marketing firm, and she’s really been my only employee at RAOP since I got started. Every single weekend we get together for photoshoots, planning and dreaming, but we never really get to be in photos together. When Harriet from Hello Harriet offered to send us two of her adorable hand-made cat dresses, we knew what we needed to do: a dreamy pastel twin shoot.

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Photos by Jill Botting.

Dresses provided by Hello Harriet

Dress Up

A dreamer caught in a distant paradise of her own making, she twirls in the sunlight to light up the sparkles on her cheeks. With flowers in her hair and a faraway gleam in her eye, she pulls the petals from wild roses echoing the words “He loves me, he loves me not”.

Absent minded and a little bit lost, she’s ready to dive in… but the water is all gone.

Some might say she’s gone off the deep end.

Styling and Concept // RAOP
Photos // Johanna Martin
Clothing // Samantha Pleet
Crowns // Summerblossom

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Dress Up

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A few weeks ago Paige from Bicyclette and I went on a big road trip to a very special spot to shoot some mermaid photos. We climbed cliffs in tight dresses and waded through icy cold water, but it was all worth it for this magical editorial!

Far across the sea tucked into a bay, there’s a magical grotto filled with treasure, turquoise waters and sequins. To the untrained eye it appears empty, a secret mystical spot that’s rarely explored, but if you wait till the sky turns pink and the sun starts to set, you’ll realize there is so much more to this tropical spot.

Even if you stay for weeks, you might only hear a whisper, or on occasion your eye will catch a lock of mint hair as it disappears behind a rock. They’re always careful not to be seen, but have no doubt, they’re here. They spend their days braiding each others hair, stringing pearls onto delicate necklaces to wear, and exploring the deep blue sea. With cheeks that gleam like opals in the midday sun, and glittering fingernails, they drape themselves in silks, pastel knits, and tulle.

They are mermaids, and this is their home: the Mermaid Lagoon.

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Photos by Jason Matos

Dress Up

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Yesterday I had the pleasure of shooting a mini-editorial of sorts with Toujours x Fidele, a new Toronto pop up shop that’s opening to the public tonight!

Focused on fostering a magical community in Toronto, Toujours x Fidele is eco friendly, and sells the work of local designers like Kendra Pegg. The limited run clothing they’ve created is crafted from dead stock or repurposed materials, and most of the decor is from the Toronto Salvage yard. Everything in the shop fits into one lovely concept, “Suburban Dream”, which basically means there’s a lot of washed out pastels and magical details.

My favourite part of this dreamy pop up though is the attic room.

Inspired by Wes Anderson movies and teenage girls, this unique peachy space is a total escape from reality. Pieces of Toujour x Fidele’s clothing are hidden amongst the little scene, and every detail is pretty much perfect. I hung out in this magical little spot for an afternoon, decked out in Toujours x Fidele pieces, and for a moment really felt like a suburban teenager trapped in my eclectic bedroom.

Check out Toujour x Fidele’s opening night party tonight at 8pm. The space is located at 2 Lakeview Avenue (near Dundas and Ossington), and rumour has it there will be special cocktails created by your favourite pastel princess!

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All clothing from Toujours x Fidele

Photography by Brianne Burnell