Today fashion director Grant Woolhead and I shot day one of our main fashion story for the February Swimsuit Issue with photographer Greg Lotus. We were shooting at an amazing beach 40 minutes west of San Juan, PR. The location was a gorgeous cove with exposed coral reefs and rock formations. The sky was perfection - the most tranquil blue with bright fluffy gigantic clouds. The combination of rocks and sky gave the beach a moonlike feeling. We decided that with this sort of space feel we'd mix the swimwear we pulled with more sporty attire (e.g., moon-appropriate sneakers and mesh athletic gear) and electric colors to give for a late-'80s/early-'90s edge that is "out of this world."
The pull was bonkers. Some of our favorite pieces on the racks were these mesh tank tops by DSquared2, black midtop sneakers with Velcro straps by Maison Martin Margiela, and acid rainbow cycling shorts by Calvin Klein Collection. The looks we busted out were high camp, fun, and optimistic. Swimwear has been too serious and too gray as of late. We were loving color, especially neon orange. It is time that us gay boys get back to some really playful looks for the beach and pool. Swimwear highlights for resort 2010: Versace's square-cut briefs in black and orange, Boss Hugo Boss's aqua triangle briefs, and Juun J.'s collaboration with Speedo!
Our models, Danny from VNY and Corey from DNA, were absolute angels. They were totally up for playing dress up in some of our wild duds and were total troopers hiking up and down that massive rock formations to get the perfect shot. We even risked life and limb. There were moments when we were shooting so close to the edge and large waves would come up splashing that I thought we'd all be carried out to sea.
The images are looking beautiful and epic. So make sure to check out the February Swimsuit Issue out mid-January. In the meantime, check out some exclusive behind-the-scenes photos. More to come with day two of shooting.
