STORIES FROM THE SET: RHINESTONE SUITS & COWBOY BOOTS

Another beautiful catalog, another painstakingly perfected photoshoot – where everyone has a part to play and nothing is quite as it seems.

We photographed this collection at the Desert Air Motel in Sanderson, Texas, a tiny town right above that upward crook in the bottom of Texas’ outline, about 110 miles east of Marfa on US-90. It’s a livestock town with a population just shy of 700 people, and this little roadside motel was just the gem we were looking for to transport us back in time, to the era of Rhinestone Suits & Cowboy Boots.

“The sign literally boasts ‘refrigerated air’ and ‘vented heat’ if that helps paint the picture,” Mitchell pointed out with a laugh. “It was just the right amount of retro we were looking for; they even actually use real keys with plastic key tags like we feature in some of the designs and for our key kickoff event. And the sign lit up at night gave us great neon-night-out vibes. Plus, it makes sense for the story of Rhinestone Suits & Cowboy Boots, because the girls are on this really rad – and maybe a bit rebellious – road trip, so it made perfect sense.”

The stars may have aligned for the setting, but that doesn’t mean the weather signed on to cooperate. Once again, we were shooting in opposite seasons, so while it may have looked like the girls were shimmying in those Glitz & Grit Shorts, they were more likely shivering!

“Unfortunately, the outdoors are unforgiving,” Mitchell said. “Occasionally, we get lucky with a mild day, but most often we’re miserable in one direction or the other, either dripping sweat or chattering teeth. We do our best to keep the models comfortable between shots, and sometimes I jokingly remind them that Mother Nature doesn’t do the photographer any favors either – sundown waits for no one!”

It’s impossible to truly put the passion and pure exhaustion of a photoshoot into words. There are moments of frustration – miserably chilly temps, long days with short breaks, and rogue gusts of wind that ruin the shot – but there is also laughter, resilience, and the collective thrill of capturing something unique.

“The thing that I think stands out about the Rhinestone Suits & Cowboy Boots catalog and all the editorial photography is that we wanted it to not only tell a story, but tell it visually in a way that you feel immersed in it, that you’re living this adventure right along with these girls – you’re on this road trip, or on this girls’ night out,” explained Cheryl. “Yes, we wanted it to be glamorous and a little aspirational, but also fun and inviting in a way that you could see yourself in these photos. Creatively, it was a hard balance to draw – and I think Mitchell did it beautifully – but on set, there was just this sort of lively buoyancy that helped. I think that’s evident in the video and even in the catalog; the fun we were having shone through and made you want to be a part of it. That’s the magic of it.”