This year's Preview Ball had guests coming in white to symbolize a blank canvas. With this clean slate, everyone was invited to discover, celebrate, and write their own fashion story. After all, the ball was in celebration of a fashion era that transcends age, class, and gender, emphasizing the importance of dressing for oneself instead of societal pressures.
In this spirit, Julia Barretto emerged as the perfect September muse as she embodies the essence of an individual unafraid to chart her own path. In this special episode of The Making Of, we learn more about how the shoot came to be as well as what went behind each surreal and whimsical layout. Press play to watch!
WATCH: The Making of Julia Barretto's September 2023 Preview Cover
"We're encouraging people to dress for themselves and not for anybody else," Preview Editor-in-Chief Marj Ramos-Clemente explained, sharing the rationale behind the Preview Ball 2023's clean slate theme. "For that reason alone, Julia Barreto is the perfect September muse," she said.
A multi-hyphenate who's not afraid to be herself, Julia is a trendsetter, a role model, and a burgeoning entrepreneur. She crafts her own story, just as she embraces her distinct aesthetic, and this is precisely what makes her the embodiment of the Preview spirit. Simply put, she defies gravity, and this is what producer and cover story writer Kat Cabral wanted to highlight in her narrative.
Against a surreal, almost fantasy-like backdrop, Julia shines in five diverse all-white looks by Preview's inaugural Best Filipino Fashion Designers and Tiffany & Co. jewelry. With a nod to surrealism, Creative Director Bacs Arcebal explained that the conceptual approach was chosen "to tell a story of Julia breaking free against a crowd in white and show the new Preview and her message of writing your own fashion story."
To create this whimsical fantasy, Rocket Sets built a full set at Baked Studios, while photographers Cenon at Mav injected their very precise artistry with lighting and framing. Makeup artist Denise Ochoa and hairstylist Bee Amarga Buangan were quick to execute the beauty direction, lending their expertise in changing up Julia's usual glam looks. And of course, this wouldn't be complete without dancers from Ballet Philippines under the movement direction of Fifth Wall's founder and festival director Madge Reyes.
See the cover come to life in the editorial video below.
Read the September 2023 cover story featuring Julia Barretto here.
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