Eliza Barr
The thrift store is a place where I’ve felt I can truly find clothes that express who I am. But living in a town filled with people who shop at high end stores as a pastime and more often are on the donating end of thrifting, it can feel difficult. Through constructing fashion shoots with models dressed solely in items from local thrift stores, I sought to change the perceived notion that thrifted clothes are dirty and gross. I drew inspiration for each picture from real editorial work and in some places aimed to have a sense of parody of some of my favorite photographers. I learned that fashion doesn’t need expensive clothing in order to be glamorous, despite how much emphasis we put on high price being the one thing that defines fashion. It is my hope that this project will serve as a testament to that fact, that fashion can be pushed much further when we step outside of the boundaries we may feel exist.
Eliza Barr is a photographer who lives in Westport, CT. She first started exploring photography through making pictures of her friends and soon began taking classes in Teen Academy at the International Center for Photography in her sophomore year of high school. Eliza gravitates towards portraiture and specifically fashion photography, drawing inspiration from photographers like Tim Walker. Most typically found using the same digital camera she has had for years, Eliza loves to be expressive through the outfits, set design, make-up, models, and posing used in her pictures. She enjoys pushing the boundaries of reality in her images and often aims to break away from the normalcy of her suburban town.