Paris Hilton and Courtney Love On How to Take a Selfie at W‘s The Shot Party
“Even if you’re not that pretty, believe that you are, and it’ll come through,” said Courtney Love at a party for W and Hugo Boss’s The Shot contest, which also celebrated winner Agnes Lloyd-Platt.
Since 26-year-old Agnes Lloyd-Platt changed her mind from being an astronaut to a photographer, she’s spent her days taking candy-colored, optimism-infused photos in her studio in London, much to the delight of her thousands of Instagram followers. In the last few weeks, though, she’s garnered a much larger audience: Lloyd-Platt was chosen from 1,500 others by W’s Stefano Tonchi, Jason Wu, and the photographers Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin as the winner of The Shot, an international fashion photography talent search with Hugo Boss that included a feature in W‘s September issue.
Now, everyone from Courtney Love to Priyanka Chopra and Paris Hilton is familiar with Lloyd-Platt’s work, as it was showcased at a party on Monday night at the new downtown, Kim Kardashian-friendly International Center of Photography. Photos and videos from the current exhibition by artists like Martine Syms and Nan Goldin were joined by Instagrammable photo sets, like a futuristic silvery space that both Hilton and Maye Musk seemed happy to spend plenty of time in.
“I’m really good. I just flew in from Ibiza last night,” Hilton said after she’d wrapped up posing both solo and with her sister, Nicky. “It’s all about good lighting, knowing your angles, and having a really cool background, so this party is perfect because you have all of that,” she added.
Paris Hilton, Courtney Love, and Priyanka Chopra Celebrate “The Shot” with W
Courtney Love at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Guests at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Priyanka Chopra and Jason Wu at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Karlie Kloss at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Guests at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Nicky Hilton at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Paris Hilton at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Daphne Groeneveld at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Coco Rocha at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Guests at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Guests at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Jason Wu, Priyanka Chopra, and Inez van Lamsweerde at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Courtney Love at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Guests at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Courtney Love at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Guests at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Stefano Tonchi at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Stefano Tonchi at W and Hugo Boss’ Celebration of “The Shot” at the International Center of Photography during New York Fashion Week.
Love also offered up her posing advice: “Keep your chin up. No, chin down, sorry, chin down,” she said, tilting her own to demonstrate. “And even if you’re not that pretty, believe that you are, and it’ll come through. When I was a kid, I was really homely, but I thought I was Kate Moss, and I did alright.”
Meanwhile, model after model gushed about their favorite photographers, with Steven Meisel being a favorite of Hilton, Maria Borges, Karlie Kloss, and especially Casil McArthur, the 17-year-old trans model whose big break came this September after a 16-page W shoot with the photographer. The night was his first-ever official fashion event, and he was happy to mingle with more seasoned faces like Kloss and Toni Garrn, who towered over the crowd and paused from taking selfies to share their appreciation for Vivian Maier, the late, forgotten street photographer.
“She found such interesting angles of people,” Kloss said after working her own.
Having a distinct style is also what drew Wu and the judges to Lloyd-Platt: “She just has a point of view, and you can see it,” the designer said, explaining what distinguished her from the thousand-plus other aspiring photographers.
And that seems to make her right up Hilton’s alley, too: “I love photography,” she said, pointing to names like David LaChapelle, Terry Richardson, and Ellen von Unwerth. “And Charlotte Rutherford is my new favorite photographer – she’s young, incredible, and so talented. I love meeting new talent that’s up-and-coming and working with them.”
