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It's no secret that we love a good model makeover here at Refinery29. Watching someone transform with the power of hair and makeup is beyond fascinating. So, ICYMI, we teamed up with photographer Elle Muliarchyk this past NYFW. She created a trio of GIF transformations backstage at some of our favorite shows, which we then posted to our Instagram.
Sounds easy? Not so fast. "Backstage is the craziest place during Fashion Week," Muliarchyk says. "In order to get a great shot, you have to fit everything in — props, chairs, whatever. And, there isn't a lot of room back there." But, she made it happen — guerrilla style. Each model starts out bare-faced and in her street clothes. Then, as the GIF moves, she's transformed into her Fashion Week runway persona.
Muliarchyk loves the GIF format. "I am a total Generation Z junkie," she says. "We want to be entertained and satisfied within seconds, not minutes. That's why I decided to create and tell full stories, with a beginning and an end, that are under 10 seconds."
She didn't just start with these behind-the-scenes shots, though. She's known for her model go-see GIFs, where she invites models to her studio and has them interact with their comp-card cutouts. "I used to be a model, and it's so boring and frustrating to be a model at a go-see," she says. "So, I thought I'd do something with them that would be memorable and special."
Click through to see these amazing GIF transformations, along with an exclusive model go-see shot that Muliarchyk shared with us.
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