BJ Pascual’s weekly YouTube videos have become a habit to watch for many fashion lovers. His behind-the-scene reels and after-shoot friendly convos with his subjects—ranging from influencers, beauty queens, to famous celebs—reveal what it’s really like to work on a fashion editorial shoot.
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So to end October with a bang, BJ dropped a set of otherworldly and mystical images of Halloween muse Nadine Lustre. The actress and singer just turned 27 on October 31 and premiered her much-anticipated visual album Wildest Dreams on YouTube. The 30-minute video is a feast for the eyes and is quite an artistic tell-all from Nadine, as it somewhat chronicles her journey in the spotlight through poetic visual storytelling.
Speaking of poetic, BJ reveals that Nadine’s birthday photoshoot was inspired by a poem by Swedish artist Fia Forsström, which talks about powerful women being silenced and oppressed because of their outspoken and strong personalities. The excerpt reads:
"It was not witches who burned.
It was women.
Women who were seen as
Too beautiful
Too outspoken
Had too much water in the well (yes, seriously)
Who had a birthmark
Women who were too skilled with herbal medicine
Too loud
Too quiet
Too much red in her hair
Women who had a strong nature connection
Women who danced
Women who sung
or anything else, really."
On his vlog, BJ points out how the message of the poem befits Nadine, who's outspoken and “in control of her sexuality.” Think feminism and witchery but make it fashion.
He also chats with creative director Eldz Mejia who points out that Halloween fashion icons like Morticia Adams, Vampira, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, and even Cher are the main inspirations for the shoot.
Meanwhile, stylist Lyn Alumno references some of the iconic collections and silhouettes of Jean Paul Gaultier, Thierry Mugler, Helmut Lang, and Azzadine Alaia for the fashion. Nadine dons a lot of lace, leather and a statement bejeweled chain bikini by designer Thian Rodriguez.
For her hair and makeup, Nadine’s go-to glam team composed of Jelly Eugenio and Paul Nebres were mainly inspired by the dreamy ball-jointed-doll Instagram account @popovysisters.
Nadine also reveals that she really knew very little about the concept of the shoot but had trusted the vision of BJ and the rest of the team. The morena beauty also goes on to say that her first photoshoot with BJ was for her Preview Magazine cover back in 2014, which was also her first-ever magazine cover, mind you!
Watch BJ’s entire vlog here:
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