Whenever I have friends come to visit the Bay Area, I always take them to the Chinatown neighborhood in San Francisco. I think that it is one of the most beautiful, sparkling parts of the city: the bright facades, the gilded structures, and the unique shops and boutiques that line the streets. By day, a great shopping district with excellent restaurants. By night, a glimmering piece of architectural artwork alight with neon signs and red lanterns.

This shoot was a collaboration with couture designer Victor Tung: a Chinese-American fashion designer with a design workshop in Chinatown itself. His work features handpainted portraits and motifs, inspiration from nature and from Chinese tradition and history. Each piece is entirely unique: one-of-a-kind. On this bright, sunny day, my team and I set out to shoot this editorial with a loose plan: feel inspired. Chinatown is one of the easiest places to photograph: each corner is unique and full of color. Pedestrians can be an issue, but that's true of any place in a big city. My models are ballerinas, so their movement in the garments comes from a background of dance and elegance. The hair and makeup are pulled from portraits that line the floor of Victor Tung's studio. Each garment we photographed, pulled straight off the rack and combined with vintage jewelry and accessories. It was a lovely collaboration of ideas among wonderful artists. Truly one of those shoots where I loved the process, maybe more than the final images. Yet, the images remain among my favorites in my body of editorial fashion work.