Scene from the Fashion Film Mating Flight
Many people have recognized author, poet, singer-songwriter, and model Elizabeth TenHouten for her deeply expressive work in several creative fields. However, not as many people remember the time when she turned her gaze towards another creative project: the production of fashion films in collaboration with acclaimed film director, Ashley Avis.
In 2014, Elizabeth and Ashley put their talents together to create two fashion films showcasing the luxurious jewels of the jewelry line Lone Ones, wildly popular in Japan. The first film, Classic Ones, was equally romantic and sensual, utilizing a beachside backdrop for a truly evocative setting. It starred Itsaso Bolivar and Peter Kraus, whom Elizabeth and Ashley would go on to collaborate with again for their second fashion film for Lone Ones. The film went on to receive a nomination for Best Film at the Miami Fashion Film Festival. Red Hot-Society’s Ricardo Garcia called the film “a surreal capturing of moments of love, lust, and attraction.”
Elizabeth addressing the audience before the screening
The duo’s second collaboration was on the fashion film Mating Flight, which told the story of a man torn between his feelings for two women. For this film, Itsaso Bolivar and Peter Kraus were once again decked out in Lone Ones’ famous jewels. This time around, they were also joined by Kara Davis, who filled the role of the love triangle’s third piece. Mating Flight illustrated both Ashley’s proficiency in creating unforgettable visuals and Elizabeth’s skill at organizing and using her connections in the industry to the best of her ability.
Elizabeth is no stranger to being in front of the camera, as seen in the music video for her song “Broken Dreams,” as well as her modeling projects, which include stints posing for respected photographers such as Tyler Shields. This experience served her well by familiarizing her with all aspects of producing visual content, which would prove handy on projects such as Classic Ones and Mating Flight. On these two fashion films, Elizabeth served in multiple roles as a producer, including casting the models, location scouting, sourcing and hiring crew, and coordinating budgets and payments for the entire production. Her production work freed Ashley to bring her vision and visual acumen to the project.
When she directed the fashion films, Ashley Avis was just a burgeoning filmmaker without any major feature film productions under her belt. Since then, she has had the opportunity to work with industry greats such as Kate Winslet on Disney’s 2020 adaptation of the classic novel Black Beauty. Ashley also went on to direct the Critics Choice Award-nominated documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West, which was released in 2022.
Elizabeth with a guest and Daniel Maltzman at the screening
The duo went on to screen their fashion films at a special event hosted by the Daniel Maltzmann Gallery in 2014. Maltzmann, known for his pop-art paintings, was a previous collaborator of Elizabeth’s, as she had previously served as a model for one of his paintings. For one night, Maltzmann would remove his paintings from a wall in his gallery to accommodate a projector that would show the fashion films for a who’s who list of guests at the gallery.
Elizabeth and Ashley have since continued their steady output of creative projects. Elizabeth continues to work on her craft as a musician, most recently releasing her album Dream, which has been released on all major digital music platforms. Ashley has just finished work on the film Lamb and is preparing to shoot an adaptation of the book The Dark Between Stars by the mysterious bestselling poet known only as Atticus. This duo will continue to find inspiration and create memorable pieces of art throughout the entirety of their long careers.