Now that's what we call a photo chute! Skydiving model takes high fashion to new extremes with mid-air makeover



HTC has taken the concept of high fashion to an entirely new height - 14,000-ft to be exact.

A model dressed in futuristic gear skydiving in the Arizona desert stars in a new TV commercial for the telecommunications manufacturer's One mobile handset.

Amazing behind-the-scenes photos of Roberta Mancino, a model and professional skydiver, being touched up by a make-up artist mid-air have well and truly stolen the limelight from the phone.

High class: A make up artist refreshes model Roberta Mancino's look while she skydives through winds of up to 126mph for a new HTC commercial. She dropped from a height of 14,000-ft

A-list make-up artist Adam J Breuchaud, who has worked on Anne Hathaway, Elizabeth Olsen and Felicity Jones in the past, was briefed to create a look that would sustain winds of up to 120 miles per hour.

He told Shinesquad, a creative media agency, that it was quite a challenge.

First class appeal: A-list make-up artist Adam J Breuchaud designed the look and ensured the model's make up could endure the extreme conditions

‘One of the difficult things was having the eye make-up move around the face at those fast speeds,’ he said. ‘It’s quite a time constraint to keep it looking fresh and new every time.

He said there was no way the look would have worked had they decided not to retouch as she was falling through the air.

Beauty lift: Ms Mancino soars through the air with the sun at a distance while she skydives to HTC's shoot

Say cheese: Nick Jojola captures Ms Mancino using the HTC One series handsets, all while skydiving at 126mph for the company's fashion shoot

‘If we were down on the ground the whole time, I might not powder at all… but we needed to really powder it in order to go up there.’

Ms Mancino, who has sky dived more than 7,000 times during her 11-year career, was also seen in the commercial wearing a funky futuristic-themed body suit. It was inspired by the designs of Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen, Alexander McQueen himself and Balenciaga.

A fashionable high: The model, Roberta Mancino is actually a professional sky diver as well

Light as a feather: Ms Mancino strikes a pose as she tumbles through the air in a skydiving fashion shoot

Stylist Hayley Atkin, who is also a contributing fashion editor for the LA Times Magazine, said the job was a dream come true for her.

‘I had never done anything like this, it’s totally one of a kind,’ she said. ‘When I read the treatment I was so excited but I was so naïve. Really, I get to work on a costume that is going up in the air, have wings, floaty fabric and all of that? It was a little fantasy of mine.’

14,00-ft view: Mr Jojola uses the HTC One series handsets to capture his first fashion shoot while skydiving