After months of uncharacteristic radio silence, we’re finally ready to unveil our new brand and website! Our launch shoot, photographed by the inimitable Heidi Murphy of White Loft Studio, took place in Massachusetts beneath a magically overcast spring sky on the grounds surrounding The Old Manse, a historic Georgian clapboard that sits near the banks of the Concord River among rolling fields hemmed in by centuries-old stone walls. Steeped in literary history, it is where Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife, Sophia, started their married life; in the upstairs room that Hawthorne once used as his study, you can still see the sweet nothings that they wrote to each other, etched on the windowpanes with Sophia’s diamond ring.

The basic concept behind the shoot was to subtly reflect the look and feel of our brand design—sophisticated yet warm, contemporary yet organic, and defined by smooth, soft gradients ranging from salmon pink to pale cream. 

Erin Heath and Rose Mattos of Forêt, a bespoke floral and installation design studio based in Somerville, were responsible for the dreamful array of blooms. These talented ladies, who aptly describe themselves as “foragers of nature, makers of magic, creators of smiles,” selected seasonal tree peonies with gloriously multi-tonal hues, as well as ranunculi, roses, pieris, and vine. 

Stylist Jennifer Tawa gave our model, Jessica, several different hairstyles, including softly tousled waves and a simple but elegant chignon adorned with a single tree peony. Makeup artist Kelly O’Keefe completed the look with naturalistic makeup that lent a fresh, dewy glow.

Jessica donned a trio of ethereal gowns—Ines Di Santos’ “Liberta” gown, a blush-colored silk gazar creation with a translucent bodice and a wispily ruffled shoulder detail; Claire Pettibone’s “Devotion” gown, which features a mermaid silhouette, floral embroidery, ivory linen, and guipure vine straps; and Claire Pettibone’s “Flora” gown, a thing of enchantingly delicate beauty, of gilt vines and ivory flowers, inspired by Yeats’ fairies. 

The icing on the cake was the cake itself, meticulously hand-painted with edible watercolors by Jenny Williamson, who combines a love of art with a passion for pastry. 

We hope you enjoy our labor of love, and we welcome you to Swooned! 

Styled Shoots