A KALTBLUT exclusive. Photograph by Becca Geden. Creative direction by Paul Mac. The models are Ava Bendon and Minnie Marley. Styling by Sarah Corcoran. Makeup by Lorea Prieto and Rob Morley. Nails by Karolina Podlinska. Wigs by Bruno Oliveira.
Feeling slightly alien has become a familiar condition of contemporary life. We move through systems of aspiration built long before us, chasing promises that feel increasingly distant, out of this world. This series draws on the visual language of the American diner, a symbol of mid-century optimism and aspiration. Seen from today, that polished vision of the future feels nostalgic, almost surreal.
Inside the diner, the models embrace that surrealism. Their sculptural headpieces make their presence clear. Iridescent and insect-like, the forms draw loosely from beetle shells, vintage sci-fi and the heightened femininity of 1950s pin-up culture. Curling somewhere between alien biology and couture millinery, they function as both armour and antennae — quietly tuning into the strange spectacle of the world around them.
The series reflects the position many of us now inhabit: living inside a dream we inherited, long after its promises have begun to unravel. Sometimes the only way to navigate the absurdity of the present is simply to lean into it — order the milkshake and play along.
Credits
Creative Director – Paul Mac / @paulmacspecial
Photographer – Becca Geden / www.beccageden.com / @beccageden
Models – Ava Bendon / @avabendon
Minnie Marley / @minniemarleyofficial
Styling – Sarah Corcoran / @thesarahcorcoran
Makeup – Lorea Prieto / @loreaprietomua
Rob Morley / @makeupartist__robmorley
Nails – Karolina Podlinska / @viciousgreennails
Wigs – Bruno Oliveira / @queenmiagold
Brands used are: Looks from the stylist’s own vintage collection
Creative Director – Paul Mac Special is a Cork-based barber, headpiece designer, and creative director whose work moves fluidly between traditional craft and avant-garde fashion. A self-taught headpiece designer, Mac developed his distinctive approach during lockdown, drawing inspiration from figures like Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy. His work has since been featured in publications including Vogue and Rolling Stone, and is recognised for its bold, sculptural quality—often blending elements of horror, fantasy, and high fashion into what he describes as a “Horroritorial” style.
Alongside his design work, he is an award-winning barber and educator, with international recognition and multiple industry titles to his name. His practice is rooted in both technical precision and creative experimentation, allowing him to move seamlessly between commercial work and more conceptual collaborations.
Photographer (me) – Becca Geden is an Irish fashion photographer whose work moves between editorial image-making and more psychologically driven portraiture. Rooted in a background in both photography and psychology, her practice is shaped by a sustained interest in people—their inner lives, contradictions, and the subtle ways identity is performed and constructed.
Her images are often characterised by a strong sense of atmosphere, where styling, location, and subject are carefully brought into alignment to create something both intimate and cinematic. Drawing on influences from fashion, art history, and film, Geden’s work resists straightforward narrative, instead suggesting layered emotional states and a quiet tension beneath the surface.
She is currently working on a solo exhibition that will last the whole month of October.
Becca Geden and Paul Mac Special are long-term collaborators. Combining Geden’s psychologically driven image-making with Mac’s sculptural, avant-garde headpieces, their work is both intimate and highly stylised.
Notably their collaborations with Bambi Thug are a key example of this approach, where imagery becomes central to shaping persona and narrative. Balancing theatricality with emotional presence, their work explores identity, transformation, and self-invention through a distinct and cohesive visual language.
