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Color Story<br />
Leopard<br />
swimsuits<br />
Photographer<br />
Turned Designer<br />
Michael<br />
Burgan<br />
New Faces<br />
Alondra<br />
Vahan
Content<br />
4 Meet The Designer<br />
Photographer Michael Burgan learns fashion design<br />
4<br />
10 Design Of The Month<br />
White wrap tie dress<br />
16 Fashion Editorial<br />
Exploring uptown charlotte with a see through dress<br />
20 Color Story<br />
Wildcat themed swimsuits<br />
10 16<br />
24 New Faces<br />
Aspiring model Alondra<br />
20 24
Design of the month<br />
Wrap tie Dress<br />
What’s your story?<br />
I’m just a simple kid from<br />
New York City who somehow ended<br />
up in Charlotte North Carolina.<br />
I use art as an avenue to explore my<br />
world and figure out how things<br />
work.<br />
my money into getting my work<br />
uniforms professionally tailored.<br />
Naturally this lead to me investigating<br />
how much would be involved in<br />
learning to alter my own clothing<br />
and i purchased my first sewing<br />
machine.<br />
reason is fit. by using designs with<br />
sliding triangle tops and tie string<br />
bottoms, there is a lot of room for<br />
adjustability. Most models i work<br />
with fit my suits great even tho they<br />
are all built different and vary a lot<br />
in height.<br />
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model<br />
Tell us about your start in the<br />
beauty industry<br />
One of my wedding clients<br />
referred me to a fashion blogger<br />
that she ran into at a cafe shop. I<br />
followed up and they invited me to<br />
a fashion show in the music factory.<br />
Even though i was volunteering i<br />
felt like a made it. I was hooked.<br />
After the show i started shooting<br />
for there fashion blog on a regular<br />
basis. It was all really simple. I’d<br />
show up the do a few poses and<br />
keep changing outfits and in less<br />
than an hour they would have<br />
enough content to keep the posting<br />
for the rest of the month.<br />
How did you learn to sew?<br />
My biggest pet peeve in<br />
menswear is unfitted clothing. It<br />
used to drive me mad that they<br />
make men’s shirts so baggy around<br />
the waist. Some retailers do sell<br />
slimfit but i spend most of my<br />
youth wearing uniforms so it didn’t<br />
matter. Soon i started investing<br />
Are you quitting photography to<br />
be a fashion designer now?<br />
I love photography. That<br />
will always be my primary craft. But<br />
i like to think of myself as an artist<br />
not a photographer. Photography<br />
is about capturing beauty not really<br />
creating it. So i need to be the creator<br />
to really feel like i’m an artist.<br />
That’s why i want to get as involved<br />
as possible in my personal work. So<br />
naturally i wanted to explore fashion<br />
design. And just as i expected<br />
there is nothing more gratifying<br />
then photographing clothing that i<br />
designed and stitched from scratch.<br />
Of all things to make why bikinis?<br />
Why not bikinis? as a guy<br />
photographer that’s one of the most<br />
fun things to shoot. but there are<br />
also many practical reasons too.<br />
Most swimsuits require less than a<br />
yard of fabric. That means the cost<br />
of materials is very minimal. heck i<br />
can even upcycle a old graphic tee<br />
into a two piece bikini. Another<br />
What inspires your designs?<br />
What’s the most difficult<br />
thing about fashion design<br />
Do you intend to sell your line?<br />
No i like couture garment<br />
making. Thats where the real art is.<br />
Once you start thinking about production<br />
and scalability everything<br />
gets watered. It’s the same reason<br />
concept cars look so much sexier<br />
than the production cars that ended<br />
up in our driveways. no thank you.<br />
Where do you plan to take this?<br />
As i improve my sewing skills i<br />
would like to transition into more<br />
complex garments like wedding<br />
dresses. Especially ones that have<br />
corset bodices. those are amazing.
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model
Design of the month<br />
Wrap tie Dress<br />
I thought it was impossible<br />
to actually get bored of<br />
shooting pretty girls in bikinis.<br />
I was wrong. After sewing what<br />
felt like hundreds of bikinis for<br />
my clients fashion show i decided<br />
to take a break and take on some<br />
more personal projects. Since<br />
my end goal is to design bridal i<br />
decided to practice a new dress<br />
design. Not quite a wedding dress<br />
but something that might look<br />
amazing as a bridesmaids dress<br />
on a casual beach wedding.<br />
The design was pretty<br />
straight forward but i included<br />
a six foot neck strap so i would<br />
have plenty of fabric to wrap<br />
in multiple ways. I ignored the<br />
urge to buy pure white fabric and<br />
opted for an eggshell. It photographs<br />
better. All the details show<br />
up. Yet in this case the details<br />
were few. I kept the design to a<br />
minimum because i wanted lots<br />
of contrast with the all the complex<br />
environments i was going<br />
to shoot it in. I decided to break<br />
it up into two shoots. One in a<br />
botanical gardens and the other in<br />
uptown charlotte.<br />
The city shoot was the<br />
most exciting for me. It was the<br />
first time i got the satisfaction of<br />
seeing my design on a real person.<br />
My model was Zitlaly from<br />
Statesville NC. Petite and very<br />
feminine which i love. We shot<br />
near the Mint Museum. That five<br />
block radius is like a photographic<br />
utopia for me. there is every<br />
shade a brick, an asian garden,<br />
even a urban waterfall all right<br />
there. The urban planning in charlotte<br />
is simply breathtaking.<br />
So often when i’m shooting<br />
i need to constantly be mindful<br />
not to get mess up the dress.<br />
Especially a bride’s wedding<br />
dress. So for the second shoot i<br />
wanted to get messy on purpose<br />
since the dress was mine. Finally<br />
we could ignore grass stains and<br />
lay across rocks and all that jazz.<br />
That time i used Icela Stallings.<br />
She still had that same feminine<br />
vibe as Zitlay but she also had<br />
enough tom boy in her to get<br />
dirty. That trait got her a lot of<br />
brownie points with me. I think i<br />
may use her for my next trash the<br />
dress session.<br />
Overall i’m pleased with<br />
this new design. I’m going to<br />
build on it. Add some lace and<br />
maybe make it longer with a bold<br />
side split. The possibilities are<br />
endless.<br />
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model
Fashion Editorial<br />
Stoping traffic design<br />
I am no stranger to transparent clothing.<br />
I’ve made dozens of lacy swimsuits with<br />
a obvious lingerie influence. In the beginning<br />
stages of me learning to sew, lacy fabric hid<br />
my sloppy stitching. What started out as a<br />
crutch started to turn into a signature. Since i<br />
learned to make swimsuits in the winter most<br />
of my shoots were shot in the privacy of my<br />
studio. There was no need to to worry about<br />
modesty because i could use dramatic lighting<br />
to hide just how see thru the clothing was.<br />
As the summer got hotter so did my transparent<br />
designs. I started looking for models who<br />
were bold enough to wear my designs outside<br />
the studio, in public.<br />
I made a bodycon with some extra<br />
fabric from a runway show i did for a client.<br />
While i was sewing I was was daydreaming of<br />
Aubree, my favorite runway model from the<br />
show. I knew that’s the model i was gonna<br />
use. Not a single shy bone in her body. She<br />
did not disappoint. I was an awe when she<br />
stepped out of the dressing room. So many<br />
curves for my design to cling too! The dress<br />
was a vibrant hot pink that stood out in the<br />
sea of blue and white collar workers. I made<br />
it long sleeved to draw more attention to her<br />
long legs. The only lined part was the bust<br />
and just barely.<br />
As we walked thru the city I watched<br />
in fascination as construction workers<br />
and businessmen alike almost broke their<br />
collective necks to get a look at Aubree. The<br />
transparency literally almost caused a car<br />
accident. I don’t think the queen city was<br />
prepared for that much eye candy on their<br />
lunch break. We were getting more attention<br />
then we got at the fashion show. We walked<br />
the whole length of the center city stopping to<br />
shoot at every scenic background i could find.<br />
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model
Color Story<br />
Wildcat swimsuits<br />
Lately i’ve been on a roll with that crazy cat print.<br />
I had all these mental associations in my head about<br />
leopard print being synonymous with tackiness. Like<br />
Nicki Minaj or pretty much anything in the 80’s. Honestly<br />
not sure which is worst. It seems to be in ongoing<br />
trend with me to challenge myself to and make ugly<br />
fabrics pretty in photos. In this case i think i succeeded.<br />
The one piece design is very special to me.<br />
It’s the first time i felt confident enough to stray away<br />
from store bought sewing patterns and started designing<br />
instead of just sewing. Funny thing is a lot of<br />
the details were influenced way more by my sewing<br />
limitations then my actual creativity. For instance i<br />
used white shoe laces because i hate turning straps and<br />
i used clunky gold grommets before i discovered buttonholes<br />
would have sufficed. I may have a lot to learn<br />
but choosing the right models makes all the difference.<br />
I shot with marissa wick first. Found her on social<br />
media as per usual. I encouraged her to bring one<br />
of her best friends with her to the studio to keep the<br />
mood fun. In less than a few hours i was able to shoot<br />
all my designs and capture a mini video to complement<br />
the still photos. Finding models that can speak<br />
on camera with easy is more rare then you might<br />
think. Thankfully wick was up to the task.<br />
Months later i still had a yard left of the fabric<br />
so it was time to make another. This time i was was<br />
a little more practiced with the machine from doing<br />
contract work for pink holly swimwear so i used their<br />
wrap design to make the next. This time it was all<br />
about Amanda Baker! I’ve been collaborating with her<br />
for a while and she always exceeds my expectations.<br />
I’m not even sure why but clothes just hang so well on<br />
her. Even when i make something to small or too baggy<br />
it still looks amazing on her. She’s like the perfect<br />
model fittings! Amanda and i ended up going to her<br />
pool an early weekday morning. Super refreshing anytime<br />
I can shoot outside of the studio because I learned<br />
to sew bikinis in the dead of the winter It was a chilly<br />
overcast day so we had the pool all to ourselves. I love<br />
shooting on cloudy days because I can focus on the<br />
model instead of dodging harsh sun.<br />
Amanda’s images came out so good i was<br />
determined to shoot the suit one last time on the lake.<br />
Then i would finally have it out of my system. I knew<br />
it would take all my might to resist the urge to use<br />
another blonde lol. I ended up choosing Jacey!
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model
New Faces<br />
Model Alondra Vahan<br />
What is your origin story?<br />
1. My name is Alondra Vahan! I grew up in an Armenian<br />
and Puerto Rican household in Charlotte,<br />
NC. I have been performing since I was 3 and have<br />
loved being in front and behind the camera. Whether<br />
it’s dancing, acting, modeling, etc. I’ve always been<br />
involved with the arts and so has my family.<br />
How did you first get involved in the<br />
fashion scene ?<br />
2. I first got involved with the fashion scene at a<br />
young age. I started modeling at age 5 with the help<br />
of my mother who did runway modeling back in<br />
Puerto Rico.<br />
How would you describe your personal<br />
style?<br />
3. My personal style is pretty eclectic. About 70% of<br />
my closet is from thrift stores. I love to mix that feel<br />
with a very natural/island feel.<br />
All modesty aside, what do you feel you<br />
bring to the table as a model?<br />
6. What I think I bring to the table as a model is the<br />
fact that I do have dark and ethnic/foreign features in<br />
a place where most people do not. I am a dancer of 16<br />
years which helps with my posing and body positioning<br />
tremendously.<br />
if you had to give up all your projects<br />
and do just one full time what would it<br />
be?<br />
7. I would work on becoming an established dancer.<br />
Make a name for myself and hopefully one day open<br />
a studio. But for now, I’m trying all the fields because<br />
there is an opportunity at every corner.<br />
What would you like to transition into<br />
after your modeling career ends?<br />
8. To determine what I’m doing after my modeling career<br />
is just too soon to say right now. I’m working and<br />
building my career day by day and meeting new and<br />
talented photographers and models every week. Different<br />
people offer separate opportunities that I have not<br />
yet gotten to experience yet!<br />
What’s your dream photoshoot concept?<br />
4. My dream photoshoot concept would be around a<br />
water landscape with lots of foliage with a high fashion<br />
edge. I love plants and have always wanted to do<br />
something in a botanical garden.<br />
Who is your favorite designer and<br />
why?<br />
5. Yves St. Laurent is my favorite designer because<br />
I’ve grown up buying anything from his scents to<br />
handbags. His work is sleek and always classic and<br />
stylish.<br />
Photographer Michael Burgan<br />
Designer Michael Burgan<br />
Model
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