Our Vogue Japan Shoot

Hobnobbing with Supermodels
at the New York Transit Museum
I actually almost forgot about this, but last December, I got a call from a casting company asking Richard and me if we would be interested in working on a photo shoot for Vogue Japan April 2013 issue at the New York Transit Museum called The Vanishing Underground. It sounded like fun, so on a chilly morning we took a car service to the museum in Brooklyn.

We were both all dolled up in our most colorful duds. I wore one of my own color-block helmet hats and a great dress made out of silk scarves by Madame Matouvu. Richard had on his red and white check Kiton jacket that if it wasn't cashmere, and had not cost an arm and a leg, would look right at home on your flamboyant, cigar-chomping uncle in Boca.

This is Liya Kebede, the Ethiopian supermodel who starred in the shoot.

When we arrived at the shoot, we were herded into the "Extra" trailer. Mikael Jansson, the photographer, and George Cortina, the Fashion Editor, came by to check us out. There was a beautiful girl named India. They opined that she had a beautiful name. After waiting in the trailer for about an hour, we went down the steps to the transit museum subway platform. As we sat in a car to wait, the editor and photographer chose people to pose with Liya for each photograph.

 India is the red-haired girl on the far right.

Liya Kebede has her own fashion line called 

Lemlem which means "to bloom" in Amharic. Clothing is made

from hand-spun, woven and embroidered fabrics in an

effort to preserve the art of traditional weaving in Ethiopia.

The supermodel has also created a foundation

to enhance maternal health around the world.

Liya poses with David Agbodji, a lovely man from Paris.

We chatted in French when he wasn't posing.

Mr. Richard Cramer made it into a photo. I did not.

I guess my outfit was too extreme. 

Liya wore clothes by Lanvin, Saint Laurent, Balmain, Tom Ford, Balenciaga and Marc Jacobs. Here she is wearing a spectacular jumpsuit and carrying my vintage, velvet clutch (hard to see in the photo.) Like a pig sniffing out truffles, the Fashion Editor came over to me and asked if I had any handbags in my tote. Of course I did.

My bag appeared in Vogue Japan!

But I did not.

This young lady is a milliner. Her chapeau looks like it was caught in a nor'easter. She can be seen sitting next to Liya in the photo above. She was inordinately interested in my hat and took lots of photos of it.

We were not allowed to take any pictures

 but I sneaked this shot of the accessory table.

This shot for Vogue shows Liya, her husband,

Kassy Kebede and their kids. Love it.

Richard and I each received $100 for the day's work.

Photos: Vogue.co.jp

À Bientôt!