Lauren Summer is the winner of the 2025 Great Playmate Search, the People’s Playmate, but when she arrived at the studio for her photoshoot earlier this month, she had no idea what to expect. She did have one wish, though: She adores classic Playboy, and hoped the artistic inspiration for her turn as Miss February would be retro in some way. Photographer Alana O’Herlihy must be telepathic—or some kind of “witch,” Lauren says—because she was thinking precisely the same thing.

O’Herlihy’s work—photos that look like nostalgic hyper-realist fever dreams—tends to marry vintage pop culture with new ideas and techniques. Her inspiration for Lauren’s shoot was a calendar by celebrated pinup artist Alberto Vargas, with the intent to turn a set of his fantastical paintings into actual photos. (Locating the originals, O’Herlihy says, can be a “fun little Easter egg hunt” for those who are so inclined.)