Les Femme Fatale | thinkCONTRA - IDEAS. PEOPLE. CULTURE.

December 28th, 2009 by ThinkCONTRA

Mike Katz, a Time’s columnist, could not have described teens better. “I mean, it’s like, today’s teens, they just don’t get it! Sure, for them, life is totally phine–er, phat. They are coming of age in an age that celebrates the coming of age. For every standard-issue adolescent yearning, there is a show that explores it on the WB. For each of life’s cliched ironies encountered for the first time, there is a chat room to lament it on TeenGripe.com For every pimply punk buying a pop CD, another kid with a good complexion has just released a debut album. Being a teenager these days is as effortless as being a Renaissance Man during the Renaissance… They just… I dunno. Forget it. Whatever.” Okay, so maybe they don’t say “phat” anymore (then again, when did they ever?), watch the WB (it’s more like the CW or MTV, now), or fuck around in chat rooms (unless, of course, you classify Facebook as that)- but it seems that some things never change.

But what I’m really trying to get at is the rarity of finding teens today who aren’t completely self-absorbed or lost in a delirium of teenage-woes. Thankfully, two of them seem to stand out in a sea of sameness. Petra Collins and Laura-Lynn Petrick of “Fatale Femmes” – a photographic fantasy- are not your typical teens. Sure, they end their text messages with a little “xx” and comment “I like” on Facebook fragments, but their talent, style and creativity makes them rebelles to be reckoned with. While most kids reluctantly attribute McDonalds or the Gap as references on their resume, Petra and Laura-Lynn can proudly put Style Editors of Platform and contributers for Regia Magazine on theirs. Their photography has a very Terry Richardson-feel to it, so you can be sure to expect lots of T & A. I sat down to chat with the two about “Facebook creepers”, being friends with the Cobra Snake and a “failed” attempt of being Sid and Nancy for Halloween.

Interview by Stacie Brockman, Photos by Cherisse Thurab

Basic Info: Petra Collins: 16-year-old from the Big City
Laura-Lynn Petrick: 19-year-old from Redneck Town, Thunder Bay

Describe each other in three words.
Petra on Laura-Lynn: Rambunctious. Sassy. Anti-Christ.
Laura-Lynn on Petra: Angsty. Rebellious. Inspiring.

How did you guys get your start? How did the two of you come to collaborate?
LL: We started the site, this year, around August. We had been talking about starting a website for about half a year before that. But, we are major procrastinators. We knew we worked well together, and complimented one another’s style. Once we got to talking, we knew we had to.

Where did you come up with the name, “Fatale Femmes”?
LL: We wanted a name that was fierce and also, feminine. Drawing the term from film noir and the dark, yet beautiful aesthetic, it works. Kinda powerful and graceful.
P: Yeah. We wanted it to be feminine, but have an edgy vibe to it. We’re really pushing for strong, feminine figures. It’s just our philosophy. There are a lot of male photographers, who get females to take their tops off, like Terry Richardson, and there’s not enough females empowering other females.

What’s your “weapon of choice”?
P & LL: Yashica FX-3.

What is the public response to your stuff? You’re young, so I can imagine young people having a strong response to your work – particularly the nude stuff and stuff that makes it on to Facebook?
LL: We get a really mixed crowd.
P: We get a really ‘Vice Magazine’ kind of response. Some people love it, cause we’re really young. We’re doing shit really young and the stuff we’re doing is kind of controversial.
LL: People call it like soft-core porn sometimes; we don’t really see it that way. Guys will make fun of it in a way and say, like, ‘Where are the boobs? There’s no boobs in this post!” That’s not who were marketing to anyways.
P: Who we’re marketing it to, loves it.
LL: I think the people who normally digest our stuff love it, but then like the people who just randomly creep Facebook are kind of like, “What? This is what you’re doing?” They don’t under it really understand it, but they don’t need to- and we don’t need to explain it either. I kind of like that in a way
P: I love it. I don’t mind!

What is your favourite editorial that you’ve shot?
P: Oh! This is so hard! We pick really carefully what we put on our website. So, everything that we’ve shot is what we love and we’re only putting it out there because we love it…
LL: …and were proud of it.
P: …yeah, we’re proud of it. We wouldn’t put anything out there we’re not proud of.
LL: I would say the initial shoot, Wild Women, because it really motivated us to keep doing stuff, regardless. Like, we’re naked but I’m not trying to get guys- it’s not about that. We’re totally free with nudity- I don’t mind, I love to pose nude. It’s not a big deal.
P: If were exposing other people, we can expose ourselves.
LL: It’s just kind of that mutual relationship.
P: It’s totally not one sided.

You both recently became Style Editors for Platform Magazine. How did that come about?
LL: We never really check our e-mail…
P: Yeah, never! And all of a sudden, one night, I decided to look at our e-mail and saw we had gotten an e-mail from the creator of Platform. And he just asked us to work with him.
LL: He was like, “We’re really interested in working with you.” And we were just like, “Oh my god! How did this happen? That’s crazy!” because we don’t really put it out as much as we probably could.
P: No, not at all.
LL: He told us just add him on AIM and then we would talk. We gave him ideas of what we were going to do for him and he loved it! And now we’re just doing shoots.

Who would you say are your biggest influences? Any favourite photographers? I’ve seen you both on the Cobra Snake enough times…
P: Mark (the Cobra Snake) is more of a friend, than an influence.
LL: Well, now. But, when I was in Thunder Bay- just a young kid- that’s what brought me into photography. A hundred per cent. And now, I have different influences. Lina Scheynius. She’s not very explored on the internet; she’s just on Flickr. She’s very low key, but her images will blow your mind.
P: She’s amazing.
LL: And it’s awesome that she’s a female.
P: I really like Richard Kern. He used to shoot porn. I really just have this thing for him- there’s such a fine line between it being porn and not. Even though a lot of people say it’s exploiting woman, I always feel like his images are sexually empowering. It just really speaks to me. It’s not even the mages, it’s the idea.
LL: Also, William Eggleston has the most raw imagery in the world. It makes you go, “What the fuck!”
P: He’s so good!
LL: It shocks you and disturbs you- most of the time.

Dream closet? Anyone in particular to swap with?
LL & P: Sid Vicious & Nancy.
LL: They’re completely edgy as fuck (Laughs).
LL & P: We were them for Halloween.
LL: It was a fail! You (Petra) looked good..
P: No! It wasn’t a fail!
LL: I looked like a man..
P: Yeah! You looked like Sid Vicious!

What’s on your radar? Music? Designers? Artists?
LL: There’s a lot of really good Toronto artists right now. I’m really into Ben Schumacher. He does the most post-modern installations ever. Also, Liam Crockard. They do shows all the time.
P: There’s so much! I just got that Christopher Kane dress from Topshop. I almost cried when I got it. Christopher Kane is basically my favorite designer of all time.
LL: My favourite music is Salem.
P: Alexander McQueen Spring Summer shoes. Any Rodarte show- they move me. While watching it, it gives me goosebumps. Like, it’s art. And, Alexander Wang.

Rundown
You can find us…
P & LL: It’s a blur.
Favourite magazine?
P & LL: Regia Magazine
Favourite designer?
P: Don’t do that me! (Laughs) Rodarte or Alexander Wang.
LL: Don’t have one.
Dream job?
P :What we’re doing now. I just want to do this for the rest of my life.
LL: Same. Working with people we love. Capturing the generation- that’s my dream job.
Dream photographer to work with? Dream model?
P: Noot Seer.
LL: Alice Dellal. Not cause I have her hair- she’s just really sassy and edgy. And you never know what she’s going to do. And photographer? Moni Howarth of Johnny’s Bird.com.

A Fashionable What Would You Rather
Faux Fur or Real Fur?
P & LL: Real.
LL: Vegans- shut up.
Leather or Pleather?
P& LL: Leather.
Studs or spikes?
P & LL: Spikes.
Fringe or Fringe benefits?
P: Fringe… cause we’re already getting those (benefits).
LL: Fringe benefits.
Topshop or Top Bunk?
P & LL: Top Bunk.
Alexander Wang or Jeremy Laing?
P & LL: Alexander Wang. Sorry for not representing… But, you know. You gotta.
Christopher Kane or Christophe Decarnin (Balmain)?
P & LL: Christopher Kane.
Jean on Jean or Leather on Leather?
P & LL: Jean on Jean.
Forgetting your shirt (a la Ann Demeulemeester) or Forgetting your pants (a la Martin Margiela & Taylor Momsen)
P & LL: Forgetting your shirt.
Subtle sheer or Totally topless?
P & LL: Subtle Sheer.
Pale & pasty or bronzed & (fake-)baked?
P & LL: Pale & pasty.
Alice Lancaster or Alice in Wonderland?
P & LL: Alice Lancaster. She’s our girl! We love her.
Acid wash jeans or Dropping acid?
P & LL: Dropping acid.
L: Yeah, acid’s probably fun… probably.

Visit http://www.fatale-femmes.com/ to check out their unreal portfolio.

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