“She Sells Sea Shells”

Regal elegance on the tribal haute couture scene.

Southeast Asia's most renowned stylist and costume designer, Hilde Marie Johansen, unleashed a plethora of indigenous shells to transform this sophisticated lady into a stylized tribal high fashion statement. Cowrie shells were glued to the model’s bare head and refined body-paint strokes were added to compliment the shell arrangement. I acquired much of this tribal regalia in the remote Baliem Valley in Indonesia’s eastern-most state, Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya.

Kenyan model, the inimitable Laurine Akinyi.

From my Tribal Wild Collection featuring body-painted, untamed models photographed in my Bangkok studio.