The 14th issue of the free South African magazine, Voila, features the current Miss South Africa, the very beautiful Melinda Bam on the cover.

The shoot is the perfect combination of twisted freaky fashion and classic beauty. I love the concept and so I had to find out some more about it!

The photographer, Steve Marais, came up with the concept together with stylist Jessica Lupton, for Gaschette.

Various media people asked Steve what it was like to work with Melinda – and whether she got all diva on him, but apparently she was perfectly behaved. So much so that Steve was all gushy about how her presence filled the room the minute she walked into it. Apparently he is a cynical bastard usually…

As I have already picked up from Melinda’s current reign, she has a very clear idea of what it means to be Miss SA, and how to fulfill this role. Strength of character and a great eye for fashion seem to be hallmarks of her time in the sash already.

Apparently all the guys who provided the golden hands in some of the images, were put into very awkward positions to get the shots just right. With much stretching and twisting of bodies – and all the associated cramping – they got the shots they had plotted out very carefully ahead of the shoot.

Word about town is that Melinda took the whole thing incredibly well – like a trooper – even when she had a myriad of strange painted hands all over her. And if that isn’t a mark of a real Beauty Queen – smile and wave through the pain – I don’t know what is…

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