Bathing Suit

I knew that I needed something colourful to wear for the upcoming photo-shoot so I searched through my cupboards and draws and dug out the bathing suit that I had almost forgotten.It had a high-cut leg, which proved just how old it was since that style hadn’t been seen since I had left university. I knew that I would have to pair the suit up with a more contemporary item to hide its age so I found some almost-new bikini bottoms and found the look I wanted.

I had been in the second year at uni and I knew that I would be spending the next academic year living and studying in France. The first thing on my wish list was a new bathing suit because I didn’t have one and I knew how much I needed it. I arranged an overdraft but to be able to use it I had to provide an itemised budget to justify the amount. I sat in front of the Bank manager as she read my list, saw the purchase from Top Shop and asked me whether a bathing suit could be called an essential. I said it was, made my case and got the money.

Years later, in the kitchen of my apartment, I put the old bathing costume on and poured out-of-date tetrapak soups and bad tomato ketchup over myself to get into character. I went a bit mad then and turned the kitchen, and myself, into a total shambles. After a while I couldn’t handle the smell of the food any longer and told the photographer that I had to go to the bathroom. He carried on snapping as I smudged my make-up and tried to get clean in the shower. I had a ball with my wet clothes and I can’t wait to organise more wet and messy sets.

Photography by Sebas Romero

Enjoy!

Venus O’Hara