Stand by You is a new short from director Allie Yonick about the dualities of the self. Styled by Basia Wyszynski, using all looks from Kathryn Bowen’s spring/summer 18 collection, the film follows muse, model and ballet dancer Anna Collins (Petra’s little sis) as she searches for versions of her lost self in an opulent hotel. In one scene she’s cheekily pushed by her other self off the bed. It’s very meta. The film ends with Anna eventually surrendering to the unpredictability of her other selves. She accepts herself as more than just one static person, as an ever-changing collection of personalities, inspirations and histories. She takes the lift and rejoins civilisation.
“I have always been inspired by multiplicities within the self,” says Allie. “The ways different facets of a person work together or clash, how we try to escape or embrace certain sides in isolation. I find myself gravitating towards art that explores identity in this unfixed way. For me, fashion serves as an extension of this idea. Individual pieces themselves contain multitudes, further explored by the bodies, movements, and contexts informing them. In this way, the possibilities for a single piece seem infinite. Kathyrn Bowen, a luxury designer who I collaborated with for this video’s look, designs pieces that are fluid and playful in this way. Stylist Basia Wyszinski developed incredible looks, allowing Kathryn’s garments to bolster the impact of Anna’s movement and the throughline of this film. Additional behind-the-scenes photos by Aurora Shields showcase even more of the film’s own multiplicities, highlighting the intimacy you can have with stills.”
Launching during Mental Health Awareness Week, the film is ever more poignant. “This piece is a personal piece as well,” Allie says. “I have a friend who just got diagnosed with Bipolar and I think there needs to be more acceptance in being alone and feeling okay to be alone and make sure you are your own best friend when out in the world. I greatly admire those in my community who have been quite vocal about mental health — their personal struggles and the stigma they see in the world around them,” she continues. “I guess this piece is my way of sharing my feelings on the matter through the product of collaboration, exploration, and visualisation of making the invisible, visible.”
Take an exclusive look at the film below:
Credits
Director Allie Yonick
Designer Kathryn Bowen
Styling Basia Wyszynski
Hair & Make-up Claudine Baltazar
Model Anna Collins
Stills photography Aurora shields