Featured Portfolio | Carmen Olariu

Carmen’s shoot is brimming with glamour and sex appeal, and Carmen herself is drop-dead gorgeous; but our favourite part of this shoot is the story behind it.

Carmen has always been interested in fashion and style, inspiring her to open two fashion stores in her home country of Romania. This allowed her to travel between Romania and Italy constantly, immersing her in the world of fashion. Carmen moved to Australia from Romania in 2012 to marry the love of her life. Tragically, he passed away suddenly four years later, leaving Carmen and their son in a state of shock and grief. Carmen says that she stopped caring about fashion and about how she looked for the first time in her life. One night, her husband came to her in a dream and told her that he wanted her to take care of herself and get back to her passionate, confident self, which is what made him fall in love with her all those years ago. Slowly Carmen got back to her true self, and rediscovered her love affair with fashion. She realised that life is short and she needs to treasure not just those around her, but also herself as a person; that’s what prompted her to come in for a shoot.

For her shoot, Carmen donned a stunning black bodysuit and thigh-high boots; she threw a white men’s work shirt over the top for an effortlessly sexy vibe. Her red lipstick and black eyeliner paired with her jet-black hair in tousled curls made for bold, glamorous shots. Carmen’s next look consisted of a black, lace minidress. Carmen absolutely glowed in all of her photos; her confidence is obvious.

Carmen hopes to inspire others with her photos, showing people that even while she was in a period of intense pain and grief, she was able to find confidence and happiness and relish in it in her shoot.