Turning 40 is such a huge milestone. Especially in these trying times when life feels even more fragile than usual. These recents events during this pandemic has definitely reinforced the need to celebrate momentous occasions and milestones (no matter how trivial they seem at the time).
Cue this photoshoot below for David in honor of his 40th birthday as a surprise gift from his wife Kemi. Kemi hired me to style David and direct his photoshoot. She thought it would be a fun project and a great way to celebrate him (she was absolutely right!).
I enjoy working with men's fashion and I love stretching the limits on men's styling, so this was the perfect opportunity for me to brainstorm creative concepts. For this project, I wanted to ensure that I listened to both Kemi and David’s needs and that each look that I sourced and styled perfectly compliment David's personality, charm and culture. I wanted to have 3 looks that individually stood apart but collectively told a story of who David is.
For this 1st look below…my mind instantly thought “go for a boyish street style vibe.” Society can sometimes be harsh on us as it relates to aging and I wanted to do everything in my power to dispel that logic. The clothing choices for this look had to be a lot fun and organically say “40 is the new 20” without being too try hard. Also, David moonlights as a DJ and what could be more fun than that?
I call this next look “Wall Street chic” to reflect David’s life as a business professional in the finance industry and also to showcase a refined man of a certain age. Besides, a 3-piece suit is always a good idea! For a bit of an edge, I remixed the look in the last couple of pictures with the Nigerian hat.
The 3rd and final look …I dubbed “King David” represents a more stately and regal vibe. David is of Nigerian descent and his culture is very much a part of who he is and I wanted the clothing choices to reflect that. For this look, I drew inspiration from the famous Biggie artwork but wanted to put my own spin on it.
I hope you guys loved the final images from David’s styling and shoot. Kudos to one of my favorite photographers Tobi for a job well done on these photos. You can see the behind the scenes on this project in my highlights on my Instagram account. Also check out my IG posts on this shoot here, here, here and here.
Anyway I hope everyone is staying safe, healthy and sane right now. In the meantime, I'll try to use this quarantined time to post more frequently here. Wish me luck:)