Come fly with me – Fashion model Naomie Trowers looks back at favourite shoot

This Is Me by Naomi Trowers

The soul is something deep down inside.

Invisible but something I cannot hide.

It controls who I am

How I act

I’ll describe this now for you.

Mkuu Amani, in-fact.

A complicated person you probably don’t know.

Though I try to hide them by

My emotions always show.

That’s not a good thing I sometimes find

But whatever happens, I try to be kind

My life has a pattern I suppose in a way

In confidence, I don’t lack,

I have lots of fun, but I’m quite laid back,

Gregarious and fancy-free, easy going that’s me,

No hidden depth

I’m not elusive

To be quite conclusive, you get what you see.

This is me.

Mid-Summer, 2019.

One minute you’re chilling in beautiful, sun-drenched Montego Bay with the family. The next, a professional photographer wants you to fly out to a Greek island for a unique photo-shoot.

Welcome to the incredible world of fashion model Naomi Trowers.

The photographer was the renowned Anna Argiropoulou of Miss Santorini Flying Dresses and Anna A. Photography.

After Naomi returned to the UK on August 2^nd, she and Anna remained in contact. Two months later, and not for the first time, she made the two-thousand-mile trip to Greece.

“The journey was brilliant,” she told me, “I’m always back and forth from Santorini [Greece]. It’s my second home really. Since 2001 I’ve been back and forth then eventually, I lived there for four years. So, from 2007, every year or every other year I’m there.”

She caught a plane from the UK’s Birmingham International Airport, landing around four hours later at Santorini’s national airport at Thira. From there, a journey south-east to Perissa, a coastal village known for its ‘endless lengths’ of glorious black sand beach. She would reside with friends in a villa there – in the days ahead of the shoot.

So, what was it like arriving in Greece?

“You can feel the heat. It’s like being in Jamaica when you step off the plane.” she explained.

Her next journey would take her twelve miles north-west of Perissa, to the enthralling clifftop village of Imerovigli. This time for the shoot itself.

But that wouldn’t be for a few days.

“The weather in October started to get a bit cloudy. Anna wanted some sunshine. So, we waited for the fifth or sixth day, when the sun was really bright.”

Although she knew she’d be modelling a flying dress, Naomi was still not quite sure what to expect.

“Anna did say they were flying dresses but she said ‘I’ve made a special one for you,’ and that turned out to be the royal purple one, which when they saw me in it I heard some say ‘woah Goddess.’ ”

How did she feel when she saw the dress for the first time?

“Anna actually sent me a photograph of what I’d be wearing. She’d made it a few days before arriving there, so I was the first girl to wear it. She’s an amazing lady.”

“When I saw the dress on the mannequin,” she continued, “I thought ‘this is nice,’ but I didn’t know it was so long. I was quite flabbergasted when I saw the actual length.”

It is little wonder that heads turned her way as the photo shoot progressed. The model and photographer produced some stunning shots together.

Speaking about her associate, Anna said, “She [Naomi] is a beautiful woman and a beautiful soul. It was really a pleasure working with her.”

“She is beautiful, smart and very easy going.” she added.

Looking back at her career, Naomi had this to share, “It’s what’s inside that counts. A good heart. A clean conscience. You can look so beautiful modelling fly dresses, but it’s always what’s inside you that matters. That’s what I’ve found. To express myself with all those colours, whether it was the royal purple or the pink fuschia, I felt like me, and it was amazing.”

There is a twist in the tale. After just over two years in the industry, Naomi is hinting at retirement.

Her January 30^th TV appearance on ITV’s This Morning with Rochelle, Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield may turn out to be her final public appearance.

The Greek island paradise photograph shoot that she now sees as her best shoot to date may also be her swansong.

However, she maintains a positive outlook about a future away from the cameras. She is after-all a former Science Technician, still holding an interest in the field. She speaks several languages and looks forward to being able to travel again with Africa, one of the destinations in mind. She won’t be short of things to do. “I write poetry, I like cooking, I used to bake and I also paint.”

And what would Naomi say to someone considering a career as a fashion model?

“Just be yourself. Remember that sometimes you can smile with your eyes. Be yourself, be natural, and then if you love fashion and wearing nice things it just comes natural.”

You can view photographs of the photo-shoot on Instagram via Anna A Photography and Miss Santorini Flying Dresses.