This project with Mickalene Thomas examines the Diva and the Dandy as parallel expressions of power, glamour, and self-authorship. Having collaborated across multiple AS IF projects over the years, this shoot was built on trust and a shared visual language. We approached the portraits as a study in controlled glamour and self-possession, allowing Thomas’s persona to move fluidly between masculine and feminine codes without hierarchy. I photographed her with an emphasis on posture, gesture, and gaze, then worked closely with her to conceptualize the final treatment of the images. Together, we shaped a series that blurs and defines gender simultaneously, presenting Thomas not only as subject, but as author—embodying the elegance, defiance, and authority that both the Diva and the Dandy command.
Photography by Tatijana Shoan
Art Directed by Mickalene Thomas and Tatijana Shoan
Styling by Stacey Jones
Makeup by Renee Garnes
Hair by Niko Weddle