"Its Not Pink": PPE09- Foto Fashionista; Womens Photo Vests

By Mel B

Possibly a new trend? Photography accessories designed exclusively for women? Photography vests have been around for ages and are loosely designed on the fishing/hunting concept. While the convenience of having accessories readily accessible cannot be denied, what fashion-conscious female photographer wants to be seen in an over sized flyfishing vest with pockets in awkward places? Enter My Foto Vest, by Foto Fashionista.



Developed and designed by Marla Holden, her objective in developing this vest is described in her own words: “As a travel and fine art photographer, the safety and security of my equipment is always on my mind. This becomes especially important in crowded markets, the shuffling of public transportation and places where people can grab a bag or pick your pockets.” says Holden. “I wanted to create a vest which had both style and security. The interior pockets of our vest not only allow for security, they keep everything you need at your fingertips while maintaining a flattering feminine silhouette. This allows a woman to focus on getting the best shot and feel stylish and secure in the process.” http://www.fotofashionista.com/news.htm

Due to the smaller size and trimmer fit, of course they won't be able to hold all the accessories one would carry in a bag, but I can see this being very useful in a shooting situation where you are using one or more bodies with just the lenses, do not want to carry a bag (or only a small bag), and need space for just small items. The vest can hold such things as memory cards, filters, cell phone, and even a small lens, as well as those forever-getting-lost lens caps. For myself, when shooting in the field, I usually plan for cargo pants or shorts to have all the pockets I need for these things. It would be a great convenience to be able to just throw on a vest (and a stylish one to boot!) to hold stuff in addition to or instead of making sure I have enough pockets on my pants or shorts, without looking like I'm off to the stream for some flyfishing.

The vests come in a variety of basic go-with-almost-anything colors and feature stretchy spandex pockets sewn into the inside of the vest, mainly in the lower portion, with slots for memory cards in the upper part of one side. The back is constructed of a mesh fabric that stretches and moves with the active shooter and keeps one cool to boot.

The fun won't end here. Foto Fashionista has plans to expand it's line in the coming months. Future plans also include more stuff for the girls, with a expansion into other fields past the vest. More to come soon, check back here for updates.

More information on My Foto Vest and Foto Fashionista can be found at www.fotofashionista.com

by Mel Beus for P3 N&R
Images by Mel B and Foto Fashionista
Product was previewed at PPE 09. No product or compensation given for this review. We are attempting to get a unit for review. P3 N&R is always impartial and true to its readers not our advertisers or sponsors. If it breaks, has flaws etc, we'll tell you!