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Arriving in style at our Paris apartment in the 11th arrondissement. 

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After trying for weeks to secure a model for our Saturday morning sunrise shoot in Paris, our designer, Hrissa, finally started to reach out to her French friends. Little did she know that it was Fashion Week during our scheduled shoot, and that was why the modelling agencies in Paris weren't responding!  

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So, what do you do when life throws you a lemon? First, you make lemonade, then you quickly get on Instagram and start a networking frenzie to quickly find the perfect team for your shoot! 

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After chatting with nearly fifteen fashion industry insiders in Paris, our designer finally had the perfect team and the shoot was on!

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Early morning wakeups and rides in tiny elevators...

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As Paris is well known for protests, especially on weekends, our model was late due to the metro station being closed! Running behind to a sunrise shoot at the Eiffel Tower meant that our team had to share magic hour with many, many other people.

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C'est la vie!

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Next location for our team was meant to have been the Pont Alexandre bridge, however, the protest had also closed the bridge! So instead of shooting along the most beautiful bridge in Paris and then continuing to the Grand Palais across the Seine, we came up with a new plan!

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Paris is no match for the ban on Love locks;)

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Then we had our last surprise...which was a swan swimming in the Seine! Very rare to see, and such a beautiful visit from nature to capture alongside our final dress shot in Paris. 

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We couldn't have done it without so much help, mostly from strangers all in the fashion industry in Paris. Sometimes you have to really remember just how lucky we all are.

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Elika In Love wants to specifically thank Vichik Ayorn, our HMUA, for going above and beyond to ensure the shoot was a success. From having everything anyone could ever need on a shoot (including a change room with floor mat) he is also a dream to work with and is very talented.

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Having immigrated from Cambodia to Paris to follow his dream of doing hair and makeup in fashion (which is no easy feat), Vichik became well known and came highly recommended. He was an integral part of the success of this beautiful shoot. Thank you for being so wonderful, "Mary Poppins!". 

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Elika In Love | Full Moon Collection 2020