the hour of enchantment

Sometimes a photoshoot just doesn't go the way you think it will. That was certainly the case when the cast and crew - including an army of hair and makeup artists, six little people, a male model named Fabio, a ram, and a pony - arrived at Goldner Walsh Nursery on a snowy morning in late February.

We were all there for the men's and women's spring fashion shoot for the April issue of Hour Detroit. As we unloaded the clothing and accessories, arranged props on the set, and started on hair and makeup for the extras, Hour's art director Cassidy came to me with a shocking revelation - our female model was a no show, and her agent couldn't get in touch with her. We were already running behind schedule, and with a shoot this massive, we couldn't just reschedule. Basically, our backs were against a wall.

That's when Cassidy asked me a question: "Can you fit into the clothes?"

I am definitely not a model, and I am 100 percent more comfortable behind the camera than in front of it, but since I would fit into the clothes, I told her that yes, I could do it if that was our only option. (But I did tell her the skimpy Herve Leger dress we had planned for one of the looks probably wouldn't happen if I was the only girl around to wear it. We all have our limits.)

Within minutes, I found myself in a hair and makeup chair, getting all dolled up for the first look, a gorgeous ruffled sleeve Gucci gown. Luckily, we were able to call in a real model, and by the time we shot my second look, she was done with hair and makeup and ready to slip into that Herve Leger dress. Her dark hair and eyes were a great contrast to my blonde, blue-eyed paleness, and we started thinking of our characters and the "good witch" and the "bad witch."

In the end, the shoot was a success, the animals and extras all did a fantastic job, and our male model was a dream throughout the shoot. It was definitely a make-it-work moment if there ever was one. Check out all the images from the shoot below, and for full cast, crew, and clothing credits, visit hourdetroit.com.

On her: Herve Leger dress.

On him: Salvatore Ferragamo jacket, shirt and pants; Carrot & Gibbs bow tie; Gena Conti top hat.
Oh her: Gucci dress; Alexis Bittar ring; Stephen Dweck ring; Gena Conti headpiece.

On him: Gucci jacket and pants; Etro shirt; Carrot & Gibbs bow tie; Hook + Albert lapel pin; Gena Conti top hat.
On her: Milly jacket; Dries Van Noten top; Kelly Lynne pants; Alkemie necklace.

On him: Paul Smith jacket; Theory shirt and shorts; Gena Conti top hat.
On her: DKNY dress; Millianna necklace.

On him: Salvatore Ferragamo jacket, shirt and pants; Gena Conti top hat.
On her: Golden Goose dress; Kelly Lynne collar; Erickson Beamon earrings; Alexis Bittar ring.