Out of the Box: Todd Cole Shoots Spring Runway Looks in New Orleans
For our new feature Out of the Box, the Cut approaches photographers with an unusual proposition: We pick the clothes, you have your way with them. First up: Todd Cole. His dreamy, easy-feeling editorials have filled the pages of Purple, Self Service, T Magazine, and Vogue, and his films, Aanteni for Rodarte and The Curve of Forgotten Things featuring Elle Fanning, are both traveling in the exhibition “Out of Fashion” and screening at various international film festivals. Eschewing the trappings of a typical photo shoot — hair, makeup, stylists, casting people, catering, assistants — Cole flew from his base in Los Angeles, where he felt he had “shot every possible inch of every possible location,” and dropped himself into less-familiar territory in New Orleans. Upon arriving, he unpacked the runway looks we’d pulled for a weekend in the Bayou, hit the road with his model Madisyn, and the adventures began. Click ahead to see the story behind the fashion story.
"This is at the edge of the Mississippi River. We'd been trying to shoot at a plantation and got kicked out, so we tried another plantation, but ...
"This is at the edge of the Mississippi River. We'd been trying to shoot at a plantation and got kicked out, so we tried another plantation, but it was too perfectly manicured. We decided to walk into the woods. It was our first shot of the weekend, and I was worried Madisyn wouldn't want to get in the mud, but she was into it. We were both hoping there would be no leeches, and thankfully there weren't."
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Valentino dress, $6490. For information, contact Valentino: 212-772-6969. Photo: Todd Cole
"I knew I wanted to shoot in one of the many incredible cemeteries down there. When we stumbled on this place, a bus full of tourists unloaded si...
"I knew I wanted to shoot in one of the many incredible cemeteries down there. When we stumbled on this place, a bus full of tourists unloaded simultaneously. We entered with them and snuck away by ourselves, wandering around the tombs."
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Motorcycle jacket, price upon request; cotton shirt, approximately $1,203; skirt, approximately $4,970; and pumps, approximately $1,056. All by Louis Vuitton, and available at select Louis Vuitton locations: 866-VUITTON. Photo: Todd Cole
"This look felt kind of serious, and the mausoleums were a nice pale background to shoot with the yellow crocodile coat. I loved the teardro...
"This look felt kind of serious, and the mausoleums were a nice pale background to shoot with the yellow crocodile coat. I loved the teardrop detailing on this collar ... I didn't want a lot of makeup or hair because I didn't want it to feel too much like a big fashion shoot. I knew Madisyn well enough to know that she's a smart, stylish girl who could do it herself. The first morning of the shoot, we met, and I told her what I was thinking. When I came back 45 minutes later, she'd done a perfect job."
Photo: Todd Cole
"I spent a lot of time as a kid running around the levees where I grew up, and this made me nostalgic for that time. I loved the sense of mo...
"I spent a lot of time as a kid running around the levees where I grew up, and this made me nostalgic for that time. I loved the sense of movement, the way the hair and the dress dissolve into one another, and she seems beautiful and free."
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Rodarte dress, price upon request. Photo: Todd Cole
"I love driving around and being able to just get out and try things, and you can't really do that with a van full of people ... Ernie K-Doe's Mo...
"I love driving around and being able to just get out and try things, and you can't really do that with a van full of people ... Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge is one of the truly iconic, magical spots in New Orleans."
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Jacket, $2630, and pants, $970. Both available at Jil Sander: 212-838-6100. Miu Miu shoes, $630. Available at select Miu Miu boutiques and Miumiu.com. Photo: Todd Cole
"This is one of my favorite shots because of the way the color worked out. The backlighting and the way the light goes through the dress the same...
"This is one of my favorite shots because of the way the color worked out. The backlighting and the way the light goes through the dress the same way the color fades on the wall — you can't plan that! It's a gift when it all works so well."
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Silk skirt, $1707.50; Lurex sweater, $822.50; and silk trench, $1407. All by Rochas and available at Rochas.com. Stella McCartney sandals, $835. Available at Stella McCartney: 212-255-1556. Photo: Todd Cole
"On the second day of shooting, I met up with Little Buddy — he's like the mayor of New Orleans — who knows everyone and everything in town. He t...
"On the second day of shooting, I met up with Little Buddy — he's like the mayor of New Orleans — who knows everyone and everything in town. He took us to his house in Bywater, a historic neighborhood next to the river. We shot around there for a few hours. This color combination was exceptional."
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Leather top, leather skirt, and leather belt; all by Rodarte, price upon request. Photo: Todd Cole
"Little Buddy introduced us to his neighbor who lived in a creole cottage, the typical architectural style found in the French Quarter and Bywate...
"Little Buddy introduced us to his neighbor who lived in a creole cottage, the typical architectural style found in the French Quarter and Bywater. This is his neighbor's front door."
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Jacket, $3355; dress, $3275; by Stella McCartney. Photo: Todd Cole
"The whole weekend, I told Madisyn, "Pretend you're a ghost, but you don't know you're dead."
"The front of a house in Bywater. Mardi Gras had just ended, but the decorations remained."
"While we were shooting here, a green Pontiac with amazing rims pulled up across from us. They were just clocking us. It was a special moment.&qu...
"While we were shooting here, a green Pontiac with amazing rims pulled up across from us. They were just clocking us. It was a special moment."
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Rodarte dress and Burak Uyan sandals for Rodarte. Prices upon request. Photo: Todd Cole
"A friend had told me about a woman called 'The Christmas Lady' whose house is perpetually decorated for Christmas. So we went looking for her pl...
"A friend had told me about a woman called 'The Christmas Lady' whose house is perpetually decorated for Christmas. So we went looking for her place with directions from a bartender we met. I knocked on the door a few times, but she never answered. The streetlights in the intersection next to her house were really beautiful, so I just had Madisyn stand in the street in that amazing light."
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Lurex sweater, $1147; Lurex skirt, $740, by Rochas. Available at Adressephiladelphia.com. Photo: Todd Cole
"As soon as I saw this glittery outfit, I knew that I wanted to shoot it at night."
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Lurex sweater, $1147, and Lurex skirt...
"As soon as I saw this glittery outfit, I knew that I wanted to shoot it at night."
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Lurex sweater, $1147, and Lurex skirt, $740, by Rochas. Available at Adressephiladelphia.com. Miu Miu shoes, $630. Available at select Miu Miu boutiques, and Miumiu.com. Photo: Todd Cole
"The sense of decorating down there is so unique. This is an Easter wreath on a house near the home of 'The Christmas Lady.'" Photo: Todd Cole
"I love shooting in parking lots. This one is opposite Decatur Street, in the French Quarter, with all the tourists stumbling around drunk on Hur...
"I love shooting in parking lots. This one is opposite Decatur Street, in the French Quarter, with all the tourists stumbling around drunk on Hurricanes and Hand Grenades (drinks)."
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Dress, $2600; shoes, $645; and socks, price upon request. Available at Marc Jacobs Mercer Street: 212-343-1490, or Marcjacobs.com.
"My friend had told me about this abandoned Six Flags in the east part of town. I heard from someone else it could be kind of sketchy there. I we...
"My friend had told me about this abandoned Six Flags in the east part of town. I heard from someone else it could be kind of sketchy there. I went in first to make sure the coast was clear. It was completely reclaimed by nature and there wasn't a sound except for the wind. We walked until we found the roller coaster — the perfect place to shoot that Balenciaga look because the colors and shapes of the structure perfectly echoed the style of the clothing."
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Jacket, $3,950; shirt, $1,295; shorts, $2,150; belt, $295; and anklet, $2,350. All items Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière. Similar styles available at Balenciaga.com.
"I grew up going to a similar theme park in Houston. It was surreal and a little terrifying to walk around in these abandoned pastel colored stru...
"I grew up going to a similar theme park in Houston. It was surreal and a little terrifying to walk around in these abandoned pastel colored structures."
"We would see a cool spot, get out, open the trunk and hang the clothes hangers on the trees till we got the look we wanted. It was pretty loose....
"We would see a cool spot, get out, open the trunk and hang the clothes hangers on the trees till we got the look we wanted. It was pretty loose. ... All along Plantation Drive, the houses have these creeping trees. This look was like New Orleans camouflage."
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Jacket, $6357, and dress, $2127, by Christopher Kane. Available at MAXFIELD, LA: 310-274-8800.
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