Ever wondered what really goes on at a photo-shoot? Well here is your chance to take a sneak peek behind the scenes of the photo shoot for our ‘Summer Occasion Wear’ supplement, featured in the Sunday Times – hitting a newsagent near you tomorrow.

After weeks of planning, shoot day finally arrived and boy, were we excited! There’s nothing quite like the feeling of seeing concepts spring to life in front of your very eyes. Not to mention the buzz of working with such talented people.

For the second time, we were lucky enough to have the privilege of shooting with renowned photographer, Elisabeth Hoff. You may have seen her previous campaigns for Dune, Simple and, of course, for our recent shoot with Red Magazine. She truly is photography royalty and we’re sure you’ll agree that she has injected her passion for life into this campaign.

Britain’s unpredictable weather left us with little option but to go for an indoor location for our shoot. Come 3pm, when it was raining cats and dogs outside, we were patting ourselves on the back for playing it safe. The location of choice? The iconic Loft Studios, which double up as a photo studio by day and an über-cool venue for London parties by night.

With an 8.30am call time, we all arrived to start the day, coffees and totes in hand.

Adding the final touches to the looks we were shooting, was ‘Wearing it Today’ and ex-Red Magazine fashion editor, Laura Fantacci, the Italian beauty who oozes that effortlessly cool style. Assisting Laura was our very own BrandAlley Stylist, Ria. For the past week, they’ve been in cahoots to pull together the most fashion-forward and enviable ensembles that are guaranteed to make you stand out from the crowds at any important stylish affair this season. We think it’s safe to say that, with their guidance, you will have your summer wardrobe sorted.

For make-up, we’d asked along the self-titled, 007’s Miss Victoria Bond, who created the most desirable dewy looks on our models – Denmark’s Next top Model Louise Mikkelsen and our male model Luka Badnjar.

Teasing the tresses, we had Kim Roy who created the most wonderful waves using straighteners. Yes, straighteners that curl. Who’d have thought?!?

By 10am, the shoot was well underway and as Louise and Luka worked the camera, Elisabeth caught the most magical moments.

After a healthy spread of chicken satay and grilled tofu on a bed of brown rice and mango salad for lunch, we took a look at the shots from the morning. Delighted with what we’d got, most of us were ready and raring to go for the final two looks of the day.

Whilst Victoria touched up Louise’s make-up, we took the opportunity to pick her brains on beauty. At BrandAlley HQ, we love to know everything there is to know about make-up, skin care and all the latest beauty trends.

In three words, Victoria summed up her fail-safe beauty look for us, “Clean, contoured and glossy”.

“For glossy eyes, I love a creamy eye shadow in gold or ivory; it keeps the look natural,” says Victoria. “An ethos of mine is to work with what’s there. Mascara really does work wonders. I use oil to prep the skin and a touch of moisturiser worked in with a five-minute facial massage, followed by foundation and powder applied only to the t-zone. Highlighter is my favourite thing to use on the face – anywhere that helps bring out natural beauty highlights. For the lips, I like to use a natural colour lip and liner, again enhancing natural beauty. I love make-up, but for me it’s all about everyone emphasising their natural beauty; we should be proud of what we have. All women are beautiful.

The final shot, the beauty feature – Strawberries and Cream – almost ended as a not-so-fruitful shot! Unknowingly, we had been eating the props throughout the day. Luckily, we noticed in the nick of time and had one perfectly shaped strawberry left to feature. Oops!

“It’s a wrap,” echoed throughout the studio and before we knew it, the day was done. High fives all round, we packed up and said our goodbyes to await the final edit.

So, if you’re struggling to know what to wear to your VIP events this summer, be sure to pick up a copy of The Sunday Times tomorrow and be inspired by our ‘Summer Occasion Style Guide’ in our special BrandAlley supplement. Hope you love it as much as we do!