“If you look at Janice Gaye, she kinds of reminds you of her,” said a friend of London’s of her styling choice.
The California native is no stranger to cameras as she’s been in several memorable and successful films, but she’s still a touch camera shy. Whether that’s a personality trait or the product of sharp focus and professional perfectionism wasn’t made clear, but London was clear about her aversion to multiple things going on at once.
“When I’m shooting, I’m cognizant of what’s going on around me,” she said. “I prefer it’s just the photographer and me because I can’t really focus on the photographer’s direction when so many things are going on around me and I don’t want to be caught in an awkward pose.”
The 26-year-old starlet, who is also mom to one of popular rapper Lil Wayne’s offspring, is a natural beauty that one would think would have the right to be arrogant. But she’s demure and humble. She’s polite and respectful. Maybe it’s our creator’s work to temper those He endows with extraordinary characteristics to keep them grounded; London is certainly extraordinary in the looks department but she in no way appeared to flaunt it or use it as a reason to be a “mean girl.”
London entered the studio for her shoot unassumingly and as she worked her way through the four “groovy” looks that hearkened to the era when the fashion sense of Pam Grier as Foxy Brown and Diana Ross as a supreme (artist) made everyone drool, she maintained that humble disposition. Could it be that dimples, of which she’s the proud owner of two deep ones, and shyness go hand in hand? She made it seem that way.
Here’s a timetable of what the shoot was like:
11:00 a.m. – London entered the studio with her team and immediately began preparing with hair and make up.
1:00 p.m. – She emerged from the dressing room in hip hugging bell-bottom slacks a plunging neckline blouse accented by a huge medallion necklace and a big feather-adorned hat to Marvin Gaye’s music emanating from her iPod — in fact, she was a pretty present dj for her cover experience, cycling in and out of old school and new. London worked the camera in natural sunlight and chilled in a chair set to a wooden paneled scene that captured the essence of ’70s decor.
1:45 p.m. – London emerged from the dressing room in a “Janice Gaye night on the town” Isabel Marant fur, high-waisted bell bottoms jeans and platform shoes.
2:30 p.m. – London stepped out in a leopard print flowy gown, channeling Gaye as “Mahogany.”
3:30 p.m. – She wrapped up the session with a silver metallic short length dress with feathered luxurious earrings.
4:15 p.m. – London patiently sat through the interview, wearing a white tank top, jean shorts and furry boots, even though she was concerned about picking up her son shortly thereafter.
Check back for more details on Lauren London’s exclusive cover shoot with rolling out. The issue is set to hit newsstands April 21. More photos.
