There’s this cool little clique in LA. When you look at one Instagram account you will find exactly one degree of separation with the next. You can get lost for hours in this pretty-young-things network, jumping between all these groovy profiles of girls and boys most human beings would be too intimidated by. There’s Langley Fox, and Rebecca Dayan, even Miley Cyrus sometimes. That’s how I found my two DVF girls, stalking the LA social scene. “We have an adventurous gang,” confirms Paige, “and are excellent at executing group trips. They’re the only people I could find who are as crazy as me.” Z calls them “a pretty solid babe crew”.
Paige Elkington and Z Berg (Z stands for a much longer, less mysterious name which I am forbidden to mention, “because no one ever calls me that. [Z is] my father’s favorite letter.”) met through mutual friends at a party a few years ago. They sat on a porch and talked for two solid hours. “I decided she was amazing,” says Z, “and that she must date my best friend (who is also my ex boyfriend – pretty much all my best friends are my ex-boyfriends). And without them knowing I did my damnedest to set them up. Lo and behold, it worked!” Most girls might be dreadfully disturbed by the idea of their ex with a new friend, but as far as I could tell, on my set, there wasn’t an ounce of weirdness between them. On the contrary, they were chummier than peanut butter and jelly.
Z is a musician; she wanted to be for as long as she can remember. “I started my first band, The Like, when I was fifteen. I sang and played guitar. (Fellow Muse Tennessee Thomas played drums!) We were a kind of harmony-driven, sixties-influenced rock and roll group. My band now is called Phases (formerly JJAMZ). We’ve just made a sort of future melodic dance pop record coming out on Warner Brothers this summer.” Paige’s boyfriend Mickey plays guitar in the band, but besides that she has little to do with music. “I am making reproductions of vintage pieces with a friend, although that project doesn’t have a name yet,” she warns me. “I have a Etsy store called The Neck Down where I sell vintage clothes. I model from time to time.”
It’s pretty clear though that both girls have that Muse factor, especially when it comes to style. “I’m like fashion Rain Man,” laughs Z. “I can’t remember what I was doing yesterday, but I can tell you what I was wearing at almost anything that’s ever happened in my life.” And I bet the same applies to everyone she comes in close contact with. “I’ve heard certain outfits of mine described as looking like: “Michael Jackson’s fortune teller,” “Beetlejuice’s sister”, “Pollyanna in a whorehouse,” and “sexy Holly Hobby,” among others. My style is definitely ever changing, but I think it always falls somewhere in between Cher Horowitz, Debbie Harry, Edie Sedgwick, and an old timey french lady of the evening.” Paige wanted to be Shirley Temple when she was growing up. “When I was nine, my mom put me in sewing lessons so I could make a mini dress out of a sunflower print fabric I liked,” she smiles. “I wore that dress constantly. My older sister made a truly hideous jumper.” Now it’s a bit all over the place: “Schizophrenic! Every day is different. But I would never wear a turquoise body con dress…”
We had an excellent time at the Pink Motel. Dressing these girls in DVF was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. It also helped that they loved the collection. “Such a beautiful color palate!” raved Z. Her favorite outfit of the day was “that floor length lace wrap-around gown. Been dreaming about it ever since.” Paige thought the whole thing was “feminine and whimsical.” Because she’s “a sucker for gingham. Makes me want to picnic.”
Read and view more about our SS15 DVF shoot on dvf.com.
Talent: Z Berg / Paige Elkington
Photography / styling / casting / Art Direction: Natalie Joos
Production: Yasmin Hed / Stylist Assistant: Anna Su
Vintage collaborations: The Way We Wore / Avalon Vintage / Sielian
Find all fashion credits in the photo captions and Shop My Wardrobe.
The way you style and take photographs fits so perfectly with how I have always imagined the DVF girl to be! The images with the matching silk dresses are just so beautiful and I love the way you have styled the gingham! As a new designer myself, it’s wonderful to see how you translate these story’s for the designers, it really makes the clothes seem special.
Caspar
LOVE LOVE LOVE this whole piece! Makes me want to picnic with all of you cool girls!
Love this post!
Amazing pics and incredibly cute outfits!
You both look stunning!
Xxo
Jessi Malay
http://www.mywhitet.com/
Love this post!
The pictures are amazing and you both look absolutely stunning!
Xxo
Jessi Malay
http://www.mywhitet.com/
what great vibe, beautifully put together! it’s like “david hockney meets guy bourdin to talk over a cup of pink grapefruit tea” <3
xzouix
https://www.etsy.com/shop/XZOUIX/about