After another round of front row attendance at this year’s Paris Fashion Week, Heart Evangelista gets a breather at her shoot with Vogue Philippines.
After the marathon of fashion shows and fittings and content creation that defines the life of a top tier influencer during Fashion Month, the Vogue shoot that came at the end of it all was, paradoxically, a moment to exhale. Heart Evangelista, who has come through several different eras to emerge as the Philippines’ ambassador of style and a front-row fixture at shows for years, has found herself, at the center of fashion.
Her Parisian transformation over the years has captivated her Filipino fans and global audiences alike, and brands have taken notice. According to Launchmetrics, Heart generated a total of USD1.27M in Media Impact Value across 11 placements during Paris Fashion Week—meaning that her social posts, whether strutting the streets in towering stilettos or whipping up a Purefoods corned beef sandwich in haute couture—garnered views, likes, engagements, and so forth equivalent to an amount based on an algorithm developed by the data analytics company.
At the shoot, Heart was swept up in the process and the storytelling. Nicolas Ghesquière’s 2024 Cruise Collection for Louis Vuitton was the perfect vehicle to transport the artist to a different plane, at least emotionally, with its evocation of fantastical scuba mermaids and enchanting creatures of the lake. Heart takes on the mantle of the “beautiful, mythical woman” Ghesquière alludes to, transforming a bare studio backdrop or nondescript city street into something more. If “fashion is her armor,” as she herself said, the clothes from Louis Vuitton embodied it literally: the bejeweled breastplate, sequin-encrusted scales, and embroidered water droplets from the collection all form a protective shell around a vulnerable heart.
“They built this story around this love affair I have with Fashion Week, what I do for fashion,” Heart says about the concept behind the shoot, which had photographer Fabien, stylist Melissa Levy, and Heart all collaborating for the first time. “It was so nice to work with all these people who flew in [to Paris]. There’s this magic about first times.”
“Everything on set felt organic and flowed really well, people felt comfortable pointing out different ideas,” agrees Melissa. “Heart was a pleasure to work with, so chill, and she just ran with the direction.”
French photographer Fabien Montique shares that he’s been wanting to work with Melissa for a long time and was keen to make this project happen. “When I shoot influencers, it’s [sometimes] hard because they don’t let go,” he says, “but with Heart, she was so into the process and just being easy,” adding that Heart trusted the team enough to let go. “She gave a really special moment.”
LOUIS VUITTON mermaid hem flounce gown. Photo by Fabien Montique1/7
LOUIS VUITTON neoprene peplum top and bouclé wool mini skirt. Photo by Fabien Montique2/7
LOUIS VUITTON leather camisole dress, low-slung leather trousers, and Olympia high boot. Photo by Fabien Montique3/7
LOUIS VUITTON shagreen circle blouse and embellished trousers with building pattern. Photo by Fabien Montique4/7
LOUIS VUITTON swatch print button-up top and leather trousers. Photo by Fabien Montique5/7
LOUIS VUITTON long-sleeved glossy vinyl combishort. Photo by Fabien Montique6/7
LOUIS VUITTON Boutis circle blouse and Boutis overskirt, and half boot in suede calf leather. Photo by Fabien Montique7/7
Photographs by Fabien Montique. Styling by Melissa Levy. Fashion Director Pam Quiñones. Introduction by Audrey Carpio. Makeup: Stoj Bulic. Hair: Olivier de Vriendt. Talent: Heart Evangelista. Producers: Anz Hizon, Jonas Farro. Photographer’s Assistants: Clovis Tanguy, Joanna Huttner Lemoine, Philip Skoczkowski. Stylist’s Assistants: Alejandra Garran, Gabriela Fin Machado, Kyla Chuasiaokong. Shot on Location at Studio Zéro.
