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Released Youth: fashion portraits of ‘volunteer’ older models that show age is but a number

In their series, Released Youth, Italian photographer Ludovica Anzaldi and Korean art director Min Seon Kim capture the fashionable and quirky qualities of six older women, volunteering to pose for the camera in a Parisian park.

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All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

All images courtesy of the artist. Via Creative Boom submission.

These spontaneous, chance encounters took place during a sunny day at Buttes Chaumont, where the pair approached these women individually, asking if they wanted to be photographed and styled by her team, which included makeup artist, YOYO; hairdresser Waka Adachi; set designer Clément Pelisson and videographer, Nadia Mob as well as assistants Thomas Vilaca and Paula Coderch Blasco.

"We experimented with the idea of playing with each different woman, styling them for clothes, makeup and hair," explains Ludovica. "We focused on their different characters and life stories. In details, especially for women, senility is a melancholic phase of life, made sadder because of a society imposing us to always appear young.

"It is a phase of life composed of the awareness of what people can not do anymore, during which time passes slowly, too slowly, approaching the future without a destination."

Given the opportunity to have a little fun, Ludovica and Min's willing models embraced every moment of the random fashion shoot, "That day, they freed themselves, felt loved and desired. They told us before leaving the shoot, ‘Vous avez fait ma journée normale différente'. Which translates as – you made my normal day different."

All the pictures were taken with a Hasselblad 500. Discover more of Ludovica Anzaldi's work at www.ludovicaanzaldi.com.

Older woman in white coat and blue scarf seated on a chair at Buttes Chaumont park, holding a flower arrangement and gazing upward, with a turquoise table beside her on a red geometric rug against dark stone archway
Older woman wearing an elaborate white fur stole and turquoise-trimmed gown, standing in a sunlit stone courtyard
Woman with white hair wearing a head wrap and white fluffy garment rests her head on a turquoise table beside a bowl of green grapes and bananas
Woman in blue cardigan and cream scarf sits on a park bench reading a book, surrounded by green trees and a lamppost in a Parisian park
Woman wearing green jacket reading a book while reclining on a park bench, photographed from above during a sunny day at Buttes Chaumont
Person's hand holding a plastic bottle above sand, with another person wearing pink and black clothing crouching below during the Buttes Chaumont shoot
An older woman with silver jewellery and makeup looks upward while holding a black rectangular prop, wearing a pale green sheer jacket against a leafy background
Two women sit on grass in a park, smiling while petting a small tan dog between them, with lush green foliage in the background
Magenta fabric with gathered pleats lies across grass in a park setting
Two older women stand outdoors in a park, smiling at the camera whilst holding a small dog, styled with colourful clothing and accessories against leafy green trees
Woman with long grey hair in a white top and pleated skirt stands against a weathered stone wall, one hand raised, with yellow fabric pooled at her feet
Older woman with long grey hair wearing a sheer grey top and black harness, looking over her shoulder against a textured stone wall backdrop
Older woman in a straw hat and patterned jacket holding a watering can and red gardening gloves, surrounded by colourful flowers and tropical plants in a sunny garden setting
Red rubber gloves resting on green leafy plants with orange flowers in a garden setting
An older woman in a cream and gold jacket with red gloves strikes a dramatic pose with her arm raised against a clear blue sky, surrounded by tropical plants and flowers
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