Blair Bartlett: The Architecture of Femininity
“Representation isn’t just about visibility — it’s about honesty. To reflect the real spectrum of femininity, we must include every voice.”
Text: VIONNE Magazine | Photos: Blair Bartlett | Models: Soli Productions |
Hair: Ela Lani Hair Salon And Spa | Assistant: Reginald Mahar
The Architecture of Femininity: A Dialogue in Shape, Shadow, and Strength
In The Architecture of Femininity, photographer and creative visionary Blair Bartlett dismantles long-standing ideas of what femininity should look like — and invites us to rebuild them from the inside out. With a powerful cast, sculptural silhouettes, and tactile layers of tulle and cage-like boning, this series becomes more than a fashion story. It’s a reclamation.
Blair guides us through a deeply personal and political exploration of identity, representation, and the frameworks — both emotional and societal — that women inherit and reshape. The resulting images are a fusion of softness and structure, where vulnerability is not weakness, but strength redefined.
In this exclusive conversation with VIONNE, Blair opens up about the conceptual origins of the series, the collaborative energy behind the shoot, and the emotional architecture that runs through every frame.
Interview with Blair Bartlett
VIONNE: Blair, this series is incredibly layered — emotionally, visually, and conceptually. What sparked the initial idea for The Architecture of Femininity?
Blair: The idea began with a curiosity about what lies beneath beauty — the frameworks, both literal and metaphorical, that have shaped how femininity has been seen and constructed through time. I was drawn to historical underpinnings, corsetry, and cages, not only for their visual power but also for what they represented: restriction, structure, and expectation. From there, the series evolved into a dialogue between that history and the resilience, softness, and strength of women today.
VIONNE: There’s a striking visual tension between softness and strength throughout the series — delicate tulles beside structured cages. How did you approach balancing those contrasts in your creative direction?
Blair: I leaned into the idea that femininity is never just one thing — it’s contradiction and coexistence. Tulle, for example, is airy and fragile, but when layered, it becomes something with weight and presence. Similarly, cages or boning can be restrictive, yet they also create incredible form and structure. My direction was about letting those contrasts speak to one another — allowing fragility to stand beside resilience and showing that the two can exist in harmony rather than opposition.
VIONNE: The concept speaks not only to femininity but also to reconstruction — of identity, emotion, and tradition. Was there a personal narrative or emotional truth that guided you through this exploration?
Blair: Absolutely. For me, this was about peeling back layers and reconstructing what identity means outside of imposed frameworks. I think we all, in different ways, inherit structures — whether cultural, gendered, or personal — and at some point, we start questioning which of those we keep and which we rebuild for ourselves. This project became an emotional exercise in honoring that process.
VIONNE: The women in your portraits seem both powerful and deeply human. Why was it important to include such a diverse cast, and how do you see this project contributing to the broader conversation around representation in fashion?
Blair: Diversity isn’t an afterthought for me — it’s at the heart of my work. Femininity doesn’t belong to one body type, ethnicity, or background, and to exclude voices from the conversation would weaken the story. Representation isn’t just about visibility; it’s about honesty. With conversations currently going on in the fashion industry I thought this was an important time to keep bringing this topic to the table. By showing women who reflect different realities, I hope the series not only broadens the narrative but also challenges the fashion industry to continue moving toward inclusivity as the standard, not the exception.
VIONNE: Can you tell us more about the creative team behind this shoot? How did collaboration play a role in bringing such a conceptual editorial to life?
Blair: Collaboration was everything. From the stylists who understood how to layer materials in unconventional ways, to the makeup artists who created faces that balanced softness with edge, each person added their own voice to the vision. The models themselves were not just subjects but active participants — they brought their own interpretation, strength, and vulnerability to the shoot. This wasn’t just my story; it became a collective one shaped by everyone on set.
VIONNE: Finally, what do you hope viewers take away from The Architecture of Femininity? Is there a feeling or realization you want them to carry beyond the frame?
Blair: I hope they walk away with a sense that femininity is not a fixed construct but an evolving architecture. It can be deconstructed, rebuilt, or reshaped — and in that, there’s power and freedom. More than anything, I want viewers to feel invited to question the frameworks in their own lives and recognize that softness and strength can, and should, exist together.
Follow Blair Bartlett | Soli Productions | Ela Lani Hair Salon And Spa
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