The Christmas season has come and gone and for the first time in years, retailers are the worse for it. Fashion photographer Jonathan Daniel knows it’s a grim economic forecast, and he wonders whether that means fashion is about to take the backburner.

“When having a conversation with a friend about what my next shoot should be, I joked that I may as well buy all the clothes from a charity shop as they will be the only thriving retailers in 2009,” he says.

But what started as a joke turned into a brilliant photoshoot set in the crumbling St. Mungos Cathedral in Glasgow, Scotland. Armed with trunks of clothing he collected from vintage shops and charity stores around the world, he set out to show how restyled clothing can be every bit as chic and innovative as anything right off the rack, new with tags.

He left most of his finds as-is but worked his magic in creating and restyling some of the accessories, such as the feather headpiece, the black satin blazer, and the jeweled belt seen in the slideshow below.

Like what you see? Check out Jonathan’s design studio here, and browse more of these awesomely moody photographs on his Flickr site.

Location: St. Mungos Cathedral and Cemetery, Glasgow, Scotland
Model: Suzanne Fairbairn
Styling: Disco Dolly Designs
Photography: Jonathan Daniel Photography

Click on any image to launch the slideshow.