The Forgotten Escape
by Darcy Maunder
Their fur is warm to her touch.
Warm like their breath,
Warm like her heart.
The breeze ruffles through it,
Through her hair and clothes in turn.
As it weaves through the trees,
The leaves brush against each other,
Passing secrets between themselves.
She closes her eyes to listen,
To feel a part of the conversation.
There is peace in simplicity,
In this gentle existence.
Where the world slows,
And her mind stills,
And everything is softened.
This is her utopia,
Her escape from the studied and scheduled.
In the cradle of nature, she is no longer separate.
Like the animals, like this place,
She is alive.
Director, Editor & Nail Artist
Genevieve Ashenden @sereniusnail._
Co-Director & Photographer
Sven Zhang @sven.zzx
Writer
Darcy Maunder @darcynmaunder
Stylist
Tshedza Ranwashe @tshedza_ranwashe
MUA
dunda UMEO @umeooo
Hair Stylist
Miki Ide @idemikii
Talent
Thora-lux G @lux.16x @anothermotherldn
Esther Dorothy Brown @xstherb
Assist
Anamaria Florea @anamarialaflor
Daisy Matthews @daisyframes.jpg
Ryn Williams @tarryn__williams
Darcy Maunder @darcynmaunder
Lux wears Dress & Tights Stylist’s own, Heels Vintage, Glass earrings & Necklace Mimlysk, Accessories Smart Red Elephant, Nails Serenius Nail
Esther wears Neckpiece YourGirlLulah, Top Stylist’s own, Sandy moto shorts & The boxer boots Nii HAi, Glass earrings Mimlysk, Accessories Smart Red Elephant, Nails Serenius Nail.
Esther wears Dress & Tights Stylist’s own, Heels Vintage, Glass earrings & Necklace Mimlysk, Accessories Smart Red Elephant, Nails Serenius Nail
Esther wears Frill blouse Pentagramme, shorts Reonrie, The boxer boots Nii HAi, Glass earrings Mimlysk, Accessories Smart Red Elephan, Nails Serenius Nail.
Lux wears Blazer Bershka, Shorts Stylist’s own, Boots Generation Kiss, Glass Choker Mimlysk, Accessories Smart Red Elephant, Nails Serenius Nail
Lux wears Shirt & Tights Stylist’s own, Knit skirt Daeun Cho, Mary Jane heels Funtasma, Earrings Mimlysk, Accessories Smart Red Elephant & Nails Serenius Nail
For Heart of the Meadow, I wanted to bring together my creative fashion work through Serenius Nail with my day-to-day experience caring for animals. When I was an animal management student and unable to get my nails done all the time, I started making abstract press-on nails for myself as a creative outlet. Over time, as I got more into creative direction and editorial work, I was keen to create something that conveys the comforting and meditative feeling of the company of animals.
There’s nothing like sitting in a field of donkeys, feeling the sun on your skin and nature around you. As you tune into the sound of the animals’ gentle breathing and the softness of the grass under your palms, life’s expectations and anxieties fade out. You can just be.
Shot in a place I have gotten to know very well, with animals I love, we embraced cute and playful aesthetics to reflect the innocence and simplicity of life without the pressures of society.
Wardrobe
Mimlysk @mimlysk
Smart Red Elephant @smartredelephant
Daeun Cho @daeunn.cho
Reonrie @reonrie
YourGirlLulah @yourgirllulah
Nii HAi @nii.hai
Pentagramme @pentagrammeshop
Bershka @bershka
Generation Kiss @generationkiss