From Runway to World Map: Shannel Resto’s Fashion Cartography at Bloomingdale’s

Nikki D Leader
Jan 5
4 min read

A woman in a vibrant orange outfit stands smiling beside a display board in a gallery setting. The board reads "SHANNEL RESTO FASHION CARTOGRAPHY." — Shannel Resto stands proudly at the entrance of her cartography exhibit at Lenox Mall in Bloomingdale, exuding elegance in a vibrant orange outfit.

Lenox Mall on a Saturday already carries its own kind of heartbeat, but stepping into the Bloomingdale’s gallery for Fashion Cartography felt like entering a different frequency altogether. It’s one of the busiest luxury hubs in the Southeast, yet the moment you crossed the threshold, the noise of the mall softened and the energy shifted—warm, stylish, intentional. The exhibit space was bright and polished, the kind of clean modern layout that invites you to slow down and actually see the work.

People engage in conversation at an art gallery, wearing casual clothes. Colorful art pieces and photos of models in vibrant dresses adorn the walls. — Guests gather and engage in conversation about the vibrant fashion photography exhibition on display.

The room was alive with people who move the needle in Atlanta’s fashion landscape—designers mingling with their models, photographers comparing angles, stylists whispering ideas, and a blend of creative insiders who brought their own quiet electricity. This wasn’t just an exhibit; it was community in motion.

You could feel the pride of Atlanta Fashion Week pulsing through the room, especially with founder Angela Watts present—her influence was both visible and felt. Shannel Resto’s work drew everyone in immediately. The images mapped out movement, memory, and geography in a way that made you want to trace each story with your own eyes. The space had that rare mix of gallery polish and cultural familiarity… the sort of environment where networking doesn’t feel forced because everyone is there for the same reason: to witness fashion as art.

Beyond the visuals, the energy was generous. People were introducing themselves, swapping stories, snapping moments, and celebrating Shannel’s lens. Whether you arrived for the fashion, the photography, or the culture, you left understanding why this exhibit carries the word “cartography”—it charts where fashion has been and hints at where it’s going.

Fashion Cartography unfolds like a cinematic passport—each image a stamped memory, a mapped emotion, a moment suspended in motion. Shannel Resto has a way of turning photography into choreography. Her work doesn’t simply capture subjects; it moves with them. Fabrics arc through the air. Expressions shift mid-gesture. Stillness pulses. Every frame feels alive, as if the images are breathing with the room.

Her visual language pulls from the streets that shaped her—from Atlanta’s raw grit to the refined ateliers of Paris and Italy. You can trace her travels in the textures, in the silhouettes, in the way she composes a frame like she’s honoring every place her lens has ever stood. Each photograph becomes both a destination and a memory, connecting cultures, identities, and stories with an ease that feels both intentional and instinctive.

A woman in a red coat speaks to a diverse group in an art gallery. People listen attentively, surrounded by framed art and neutral decor. — Shannel delivering a heartfelt welcome and thank you speech to an attentive audience in a gallery setting.

“Fashion Cartography is my way of mapping the energy, the pride, the excitement, and the heartbeat that keeps fashion alive.

This exhibition is a postcard stamped with my experiences and reflections of everywhere fashion has taken me. I’m thrilled to bring this global story home, letting my camera’s coordinates rest here in Atlanta.”

- Shannel Resto

Shannel herself describes the collection as her way of mapping the heartbeat of fashion—the energy, the pride, the excitement that keeps style evolving. And standing in the gallery, it’s easy to see what she means. The work feels global and deeply personal at the same time. It’s a diary, a dance, a love letter.

Two women pose at an event. One wears a bright orange dress, the other in white and black. A table with flowers, cookies, and "Bloomingdale's" text is behind them. — Shannel and Angela Watts, founder of ATLFW, pose together at the exhibition, exuding style and sophistication.

As one of the defining photographers of Atlanta Fashion Week, her imprint is already woven into the city’s creative identity. Her images have become an unofficial pulse of the event—bold, soulful, and full of movement. That essence carries into Fashion Cartography in a way that feels both elevated and rooted. It’s Atlanta energy through a global lens.

Founder Angela Watts captured this perfectly when she reflected on Shannel’s influence: her work doesn’t just document fashion; it carries it. It shifts, it sways, it tells stories without needing sound. She called the collection a celebration of what makes Atlanta a creative capital—freedom, rhythm, and fearless storytelling.

Shannel’s fiancé, Daniel Friday, who installed the exhibit, shared how seeing the completed gallery struck him in an unexpected way.

But the narrative isn’t just on the walls. It’s also in the hands that helped place the pieces there. Shannel’s fiancé, Daniel Friday, who installed the exhibit, shared how seeing the completed gallery struck him in an unexpected way. Even after physically hanging each piece, stepping back and watching people absorb the work gave him a new appreciation for her journey. It wasn’t just about the photographs—it was about witnessing her strength, her dedication, and the moment she had worked toward.

The exhibition itself invites guests into this creative world from November through January, transforming Bloomingdale’s Gallery into a vibrant map of color, motion, and emotion. It’s rare for a retail space to feel so much like a cultural destination, but on this day—and through this work—it absolutely does.

Fashion Cartography isn’t simply an exhibit. It’s a global story resting right here in Atlanta, told through a lens that knows how to move.

Artist Talk Back

You’re invited to Join Artist in Residence Shannel Resto for a special Artist Talk Back on Saturday, Jan 17th live on Instagram and in person at the Lenox Square Bloomingdale’s Art Gallery (2nd floor).