Known for her soft swept styles and luscious man-braids, Danielle Keasling pushes the envelope in her latest collection. Her inspiration behind the piece could be a hit T.V. Show as her back-story and attention to detail are perfection! Take a peek at this ravishing collection with all of its guts and glory just in time for Halloween!
What was the inspiration behind this shoot?
I LOVE a good murder mystery story.
Serial Socialite is a story about a woman that lives a double life. She’s an introvert and insecure, however to the outside world it doesn’t appear that way at all. She was never really a success in the careers she tried so she rejects those who are and prays on people whom succeed or are happy. She may not have a business sense but she is a master of manipulation and she would cut a throat in a heartbeat to gain status. She can fool men and women alike, even her best friends, and she thrives on drama and evil. Her reality is only what she says it is. She’s twisted, evil, and unstable and she lives for revenge no matter what is in her way. She found her calling.
What roles does the woman in these shots play?
She is a serial killer. She needs to feel accepted yet when she is, she’s not happy with that either. Her only true happiness is ruining other peoples.
Who is she? What does she do? How did she get into this?
Her name is Eve. Her name means “life” yet lives is what she takes.
She was the oldest of siblings but never was the star of the family. She got by on her good looks and never applied herself to make herself successful. She resented her sister, her mom. She was a daddy’s girl. She always felt off and battled with emotional problems. Most would say she had multiple personalities. She is quiet and keeps to herself and therefore is awkward in social situations, yet possesses a certain skill to attract people to her mysterious behaviors.
In this scenario she moves to a new area, establishes a new life and then people around her start to disappear. She kills for pleasure and prays off people that trust her. She is ruthless and spends her life repeating this pattern.
What steps did you take to visually tell your story?
If you look at the images closely, we used theatrical blood in many of the images to portray murder. She is sitting in her kitchen drinking coffee in the morning with the blood of her victim on her “men's” collar shirt. She is lounging at her pool solo with blood on the pool deck and her vodka in hand. There is blood smeared on the glass shower of a bathroom, a blood handprint on her leg.
I also used a wig in this story. The longer she lives in each area of the world, the more she must hide behind a “mask” and disguise herself.
What did you love most about this collection?
The fact that I love to tell a story on paper and that the whole editorial piece really spoke to the hair and the story we created. It was challenging to try to portray a story like this. It was an editorial that was actually a twisted horror story but the hair was the “hero” when it came to each scene. I loved the different styles I could create based on what part of the day the character was in and what had happened in that past hour.
What was your biggest hurdle?
Honestly, the biggest hurdle was trying not to be to literal, I wanted the audience to be able to imagine their own story. In my mind I had an entire T.V. Series going on, so it was hard not to want to over do everything.
Did you have a favorite look?
I loved the bathroom scene with the blood on the shower door and her hair all perfectly done. This image reminds me of a spin off on Audrey Hepburn in a scene from American Horror story, its just twisted.
What do you hope the audience will take from this collection?
To use your imagination and think outside the box. This was an extreme story and unlike anything I have ever done.
I was inspired to do something weird and different and to stretch my imagination. So often we do things we feel comfortable doing and don’t stretch ourselves to do something unexpected. I am known in this industry to do soft texture, braids, a lot of my work looks like it would be a representation of Free People and it’s a representation of my style. This was completely opposite of that and a ton of fun to create.
Be sure to stalk Danielle on Bangstyle and stay tuned for even more style tutorials and inspiration!
Hair: Danielle Keasling
Photography: Michelle Boniface
