Promising Young Woman
FEATURING LILY STEWART.
WORDS & PHOTOS BY TODD COLE.
When Lily Stewart and I collaborate, we’re always conjuring some kind of story, with Lily playing a character that might have very little to do with who she is in real life. For this collaboration, we decided to try something different.
This portfolio is an artistic portrait of Lily that is part documentary, part fiction, blurring the line between the two genres to explore deeper truths about identity and one’s desire to self-mythologize.
We made a list of of spots in Los Angeles that held a special meaning for her, spaces that are indelible in her memory. The shoot took us across the city— from her house in Topanga to Ventura Boulevard to Downtown LA and back to the PCH.
All the while, Lily was playing a different kind of main character, someone who was at once herself but also an interpreted version of her. We’re left to ponder what’s true versus what’s performed. Only Lily knows where one begins and the other ends.
“Lily was playing a character, someone who was at once herself but also an interpreted version of her. Only she knows where one begins and the other ends.”
Todd Cole is a photographer and director based in Los Angeles. See more of his work at @toddcole.
Lily Stewart is a Los Angeles–based model repped by DNA Models. Follow her at @_lilystewart_ .