Budapest’s Presence in Fashion Shoots

Another fashion project drawn to Budapest’s elegant and stylish locations is Brax’s 2015 A/W catalogue shoot. Here the Hungarian capital features as a classy urban backdrop, with beautiful textures that fit the collection’s  features, such as leather seated cafés, historic stone buildings, cobblestone streets and wrought iron. Brax is special because they choose to photograph each of their collections set in a different city. Each time they focus on the city’s unique world, aiming to use such iconic sites, that reflect the city well, making it easily identifiable. For this shoot they decided to focus of the capital’s stunning bridges, since they are a perfect embodiment of the stylist historic feel the city has. Still, instead of viewing Budapest as a tourist, they created images as if they were shots from the everyday lives of its cosmopolitan, central European inhabitants.

Furthermore, the USA magazine LaPalme shot an editorial for NousMode in Budapest, which also focused iconic locations like the Andrássy Boulevard and the State Opera House, but were used in an energetic, hip style perfect for the Spring collection. In the video below the elegant city vibes follow the models while they continue their adventures around the Danube and the Chain Bridge.

Next to these urban locations, Hungary has many other historic faces to show, which one can see in the NOW Magazine’s shoot, using these locations in a chick, classy and sexy way. They even shot in the Gödöllő castle’s stunning mirrored baroque ballroom, as well as the abandoned Tura Castle, creating a luxurious, aristocratic feel. Next to these special places, this shoot could not either leave the streets of Budapest out, where the cool exteriors prove to be a good match for these elegant, urban outfits.

Last but not least, we would like to highlight the Brazilian label Morena Rosa Shoes’ stunning campaign for Fall-Winter 2013. It focused on the compelling shift from day to night, creating a captivating feel. They also uniquely reinterpreted the iconic locations in the heart of Budapest with their special atmosphere. The beautiful, centuries old wrought iron bridges linking Buda and Pest are much loved sites for photographers of all kinds. The Chain Bridge forms a monumental, grandiose sight, while the Liberty Bridge shows a more elegant and decorative side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire’s architecture. These are a great example of how the historic features of the Hungarian capital can be used to create cool, elegant and luxurious images.

In the 20th century, four decades of Soviet influence had a strong effect on architecture and the development of Hungarian cities. New materials, colours and aesthetics appeared, such as plastic, concrete, bold colours and a more geometric, minimalist taste, which by now count as unique and retro.

Hungary is home to scorching summers, which combined with the colourful details of the past can result in things like the British fashion brand Boden’s catalogue shoot for its 2016 Spring/Summer collection with its specially charming summer vibe. While focusing on the vibrant features of Budapest’s public transport system, naturally the romantic historic streets couldn’t be left out either. It is obvious looking at the photos, how much fun the stylist and photographer had creating them. These retro locations perfectly fit the outfits’ colour and style, creating images of an imaginary, lovely summer adventure. The yellow plastic chairs in the colourful interior of the waiting room in the Nyugati train station’s are a special gem.

Although it was made back in 2012 and the location is currently unavailable due to construction, this brilliant photo shoot cannot be left out.  The acknowledged photographer Tom Craig created an unforgettable series of photographs for British Vogue at Hotel Ezüst Park, the most emblematic Soviet era hotel in Hungary, by the Lake Balaton. He created a bizarre world, with the charm of late summer and of a period in history soon to end. Sun-bleached pastel colours and geometric shapes create the world in which the model wonders, somewhat enchanted, as a lonely holiday maker lost in the past.

Also, Budapest has another side to it - its underground scene. As most large cities, the Hungarian capital is a meeting point for the youth in search for alternatives, new styles and new tastes than what is historical and traditional.

This cool shoot shows an unfeatured side of life in Budapest; its underground scene. The photos gives us an insight into a gang’s day-to-day life, as they hung out among Soviet era architecture. Baseball courts surrounded by typically concrete apartment blocks and underground pathways are the normal surroundings for so many, and are yet featured in hardly any photos and films shot in Hungary.

Therefore these are the highlights of the most creative and stylish fashion shoots made in Budapest and Hungary. This historically diverse capital has thankfully been hardly touched by modernisation, welcoming many international brands to find their own unique ways to combine with its European atmospheres. Let the style either be classy, aristocratic or colourfully modern, the Hungarian capital has inspirational locations to offer all sorts of photo projects.