Makeup Design for Film & Television student Brigette Clark-Carmichael (above, left) knew one thing: she wanted to give something back. So, as Remembrance Day drew closer, Brigette began spearheading a special project, one that would enable her to use her makeup skills – and those of her classmates – to give something back to the men and women of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The plan: a 1940s-style glamour photo shoot for service members’ wives. It was about more than just taking a pretty picture: Brigette wanted to create one-of-a-kind keepsakes the husbands could have with them overseas.

“It started off with just a pitch to my classmates and the Mainland BC Military Family Resource Centre,” Brigette explains. “Everyone was so behind the idea, it just took off.” Brigette worked closely with the Mainland BC MFRC, a non-profit that supports force members, reservists, and their extended families, to make it happen on November 11 – Remembrance Day. Seven military wives – and two supportive family members and friends – took part.

The day included the full makeup treatment by Brigette and her classmates, hair by the popular salon The Chop Shop, vintage outfits, and professional photos taken in a VanArts studio space.

“I had no idea that so many amazing people would get involved,” Brigette says. For her, the help of her fellow students and collaborators and the support of the Mainland BC MFRC made all the difference. “This was truly a group collaboration,” she says, “which why I think they were so drawn to participate.”

“It was a lot of effort to have it all come together, but it was so worth it in the end. The results show in the pictures.”

We’ll let those pictures tell the rest of the story: