A City of Light and Style
Paris is the city where fashion feels at home. Light bends around stone, glass, and iron to tell stories only a camera can capture. It was here, in the heart of the city, that Lily Chen and I set out to create a photoshoot that was both timeless and alive. A journey through streets where couture meets history, where a model in red could stand as boldly as the Eiffel Tower itself.
Trocadéro: Lady in Red
We began at the Esplanade du Trocadéro, the Eiffel Tower rising behind us in quiet grandeur. Lily appeared in a vibrant red dress of her own choosing, the kind of red that demands attention yet feels perfectly at home in Paris’ morning light. The mood here was one of power and grace. Her movements echoed the language of dance, as if she were both grounded and weightless. The Eiffel Tower framed her with authority, the perfect stage for our opening act.
Palais Galliera: A Sculptural Presence
From there, we walked down Avenue du Président Wilson to the Palais Galliera. Lily changed into a design by Bach Mai, a visionary who reimagines couture with architectural elegance, whose work I have photographed in Paris, Bali, Seoul, Melbourne, the San Francisco Bay Area, and on the runway at New York Fashion Week.
The location mirrored that spirit with its columns, arches, and stone textures that carried their own rhythm. Lily leaned into this environment, her pose sculptural, her presence magnetic. The narrative shifted here from movement to stillness, from a dancer’s vitality to a statue’s permanence.
Avenue du Président Wilson: Golden Reverie
Across the street, the story transformed once again. Lily changed into a golden design by Scott Braxton, shimmering in the late afternoon glow. We found a ledge with the Eiffel Tower rising in the distance, filtered through trees and framed by rooftops. She reclined against the stone, the gown catching every glimmer of light. This was a mood of surrender and dream. An image where time seemed to pause, where the viewer is left to imagine the thoughts of someone caught between the city below and the tower above. Gold against gray. Light against stone. Ephemeral against eternal.
Palais de Tokyo: Red Against Concrete
Later, we made our way to Palais de Tokyo. Lily returned to her red dress, but with new context. Here she stretched across steps and walls of weathered concrete, red fabric alive against muted tones. Her body carved lines that spoke of resilience and allure, a striking contrast between human warmth and architectural coolness. The atmosphere was cinematic, a Paris that whispered in shadow and echoed in stone.
Passerelle Debilly: Freedom on the Bridge
Our final stop was Passerelle Debilly, the pedestrian bridge arcing across the Seine. The Eiffel Tower, ever present, stood tall in the background. Here Lily leaned back against the railings covered with love locks, her red dress flowing down, her body arching upward toward the sky. This was freedom. This was release. The city in motion behind her, yet she appeared timeless, untethered, luminous. On the bridge, we closed our story with a sense of joy, Lily twirling lightly, her laughter carrying as naturally as the river below.
Butones Jewelry: Details that Tell Their Own Story
Throughout the photoshoot, one constant was the subtle brilliance of Butones Jewelry. The gold chains and pendants framed Lily’s neckline with elegance, their textures catching light differently at every location. Against the red of her dress, the jewelry felt bold and luminous. With the metallic shimmer of Scott Braxton’s gown, it blended into the dreamscape, reflecting Parisian sunlight in delicate flashes. In close up, each piece revealed itself as more than an accessory, becoming part of the narrative. Butones Jewelry did not simply adorn Lily. It punctuated the story, balancing softness with strength, intimacy with grandeur. These pieces offered continuity as Lily moved from red to black to gold, their presence a reminder that details can be as powerful as landmarks.
A Narrative in Transformation
A few constants guided this shoot. Lily Chen, the model who gave each frame life. Butones Jewelry, subtle accents that caught light at just the right angles. And of course, the Eiffel Tower, the unshakable witness, the silent collaborator who threaded every scene together. These constants grounded us. Yet it was the differences, the changing outfits, the shifting moods, the evolving backdrops, that made this photoshoot a narrative rather than a sequence. Each stop, each look, each gesture told a new story while remaining part of a larger whole.
That is the essence of fashion photography in Paris. It is not about a single dress, pose, or backdrop. It is about transformation. About how a model can become both dancer and statue, dreamer and muse, storyteller and witness. It is about the way a dress changes when it moves from stone steps to iron bridges, how jewelry gleams differently in morning light than in late afternoon glow. It is about the constant heartbeat of a city that refuses to stay still.
Photoshoot Credits
- Model: Lily Chen
- Fashion Designers: Bach Mai & Scott Braxton
- Jewelry Designer: Butones Jewelry
- Photographer: Paul Tocatlian
For brands, designers, and models looking to create compelling visual stories, Paris is not just a backdrop. It is a collaborator. Contact us to create a fashion and editorial international spotlight together.
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