Bailey’s portrait emerges from his extensive documentation of Helvin between 1975 and 1985, a body of work that spans editorial fashion, fine art portraiture, and intimate personal documentation. Their creative collaboration produced some of the most influential fashion imagery of the period while simultaneously generating an exceptional archive of artistic significance. Helvin's distinctive beauty is rendered with Bailey’s characteristic directness, creating a portrait that transcends conventional fashion photography to achieve genuine emotional resonance. The portrait displays Bailey's mastery of composition through deliberate framing that accentuates Helvin's distinct features. Stripping away any and all adornment in the image draws complete attention to his subject, creating a striking visual impact through simplicity. The high-contrast treatment typical of Bailey’s photography emphasises the sculptural qualities of the figure.

The face, sculpted by Bailey’s signature high-contrast lighting, is poised yet relaxed, accentuating Helvin’s natural beauty while eschewing artifice. The playful defiance of the model offsets the serenity of her features. The act of blowing bubble gum - a gesture more often associated with rebellion than with high fashion - serves as a visual provocation. It disrupts the expected narrative of the fashion muse, infusing the portrait with a sense of irreverence and self-awareness, suggesting a woman who is in command of her image and unafraid to inject humour and irony into the tableau: she refuses to be objectified, instead asserting her agency with a wink to the viewer.