The Buzz
Gucci pared back its ad campaign this season, going for a type of minimalism reminiscent of Tom Ford’s era at the brand. Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott photographed models Anja Rubik and Karmen Pedaru against a simple grey background sporting looks primarily of one color (from what we’ve seen thus far). Forum members couldn’t get enough of the campaign.
“Gorgeous,” wrote WolkFolk. “The minimalism of the ad reminds me of the good old glory days of the brand. Perfect way to capture the collection and the girls look absolutely stunning.”
Kokobombon posted, “The good old days are back!!! I’ll take 1990s minimalism over the over-the-top opulence of recent campaigns any day of the week.”
“I think they both look incredible,” Psylocke commented on the models. “Very good job on the hair, makeup and editing. This is really good for a Gucci campaign. I'm surprised by how they managed to make such a huge turnaround from all of the last few years' campaigns and yet it still looks so right, it totally works. I love this!”
Personally, it wasn’t until I saw the second image that the throwback Gucci feeling clicked for me. Between the simple lines of the clothes and the light and tone of the background I got a flashback of the infamous Spring 2004 campaign photographed by Mario Testino featuring Carmen Kass and Louise Pederson with a “G” shaved into her nether regions. I don’t anticipate this campaign getting quite so scandalous, but I appreciate the new “old” route Gucci seems to be exploring with this campaign and I'm curious to see more of it.
Images scanned by Fashion Spot forum member Northern Star.
Meghan Collison tends to be more edgy than ethereal, but dress her in pastels and put her in a surreal under-the-sea setting as lensed by Tim Walker and art directed by Ronnie Cooke Newhouse, and you have Mulberry’s whimsical Spring 2013 ad campaign.
Walker, who photographed Lindsey Wixson in a Where the Wild Things Are-esque campaign for Mulberry’s Fall 2012 collection, described his vision for this season to WWD:
“I wanted to focus on the girl as part of the landscape, rather than a character within it. Thus the pictures of Meghan Collison become more like portraits. She was…able to hold your gaze, but almost otherworldly, she inhabits a dreamscape.”
 
Cooke Newhouse noted:
“Mulberry campaigns always tell a fantastical story. The campaign is located in a kind of lunar landscape below the sea…in a world that almost exists but may be more of a beautiful dream.”
Whatever the inspiration, forum members responded to the resulting images. “Soft, feminine, elegant and very beautiful! I love it!” MON exclaimed.
Greenway commented, “I love it, it's so strange to see the soft side of Meghan…but the art direction and styling woos me.”
“I love the styling and backdrop for these advertisements, they just work so well together,” YoninahAliza shared. “It's a beautiful campaign, Mulberry and Tim Walker are always a delightful combination!”
Though I’m not typically one for pastels, there’s something about Meghan in this campaign that, like Greenway, is wooing me. It could just be the fact that Meghan looks as though she's some sort of nymph who was dropped into the landscape of a mermaid snow globe (sea globe, sand globe?) that I had as a child. I prefer to believe that it’s the charm of the brilliant Walker-Cooke Newhouse combo though – because this campaign is much cooler than that glittery old globe thing I used to have.
Images: Mulberry via the Fashion Spot forums.
So, Stella Tennant may not exactly be young (in model years anyway), but Ondria Hardin and Yumi Lambert certainly are. Hardin’s age is up for debate (she’s either 15 or 16), and Lambert tips the scales at the ripe old age of 16. Despite her tender age, Chanel had no qualms about styling Hardin in a see-through ensemble for the Spring 2013 campaign – which was, of course, lensed by Karl Lagerfeld. In addition to the young models, this campaign is a change of pace for Chanel visually, boasting a Japanese-inspired set and theme that was prevalent in the brand’s collection.
“Love it!” mikel exclaimed. “It's a great concept. Love the styling and colors.”
“I like the concept of it,” StoneSkipper commented. “The background looks a little flat, but the clothes are well-presented.”
MulletProof wrote: “Well… [Lagerfeld’s] photography really jumps from one trend to another. I do like the Japanese touch, just because it's one of the S/S ‘13 trends I'm actually attracted to… and Yumi's appearance also makes this quite special. It is in general, a very insipid set but I suppose it makes for a necessary break from the outdoors productions.”
Legolas noted: “It screams 90s to me… This is great… Now, this tells me a story, and I love it; I really don't know why, maybe because of the poses and the set, I cannot help but relate the whole thing to psychology, which I think gives an intellectual contribution to the campaign, and at least in my case, makes the clothes look a lot more interesting… and what a lovely surprise to see Ondria and Yumi, they're definitely perfect casting, I think they both fit the aesthetic very well.”
This isn’t the most incredible Chanel campaign I’ve ever seen, but I think it represents a nice change of pace for Chanel. The great debate about model ages can rage on, but I have to admit, the young Ondria doesn’t do much for me. I much prefer Yumi’s exotic looks, and if I’m being honest, I think Stella outshines both of the newbies. Seriously, give me Stella Tennant any day. Let’s hope the young ones were watching, learning, and taking notes from her during this photo shoot.
Images scanned by tFS forum member Northern Star.
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For his first ad campaign for Dior, Raf Simons went a surrealist route with models Daria Strokous, Anna Martynova, Diane Conterato, Nicole Pollard and Marie Piovesan for the Spring 2013 ad campaign. A spare white space with varying levels and depths, and geometric windows and entryways, some of which show a cloudy blue sky beyond, sets the stage for the collection. The perspective is odd (as it often is in surrealist works), which could be a contributing factor to why some forum members didn’t respond well to the Willy Vanderperre-photographed campaign. Others however, found this to be a continued step in a fresh new direction for Dior.
 
“I'm sure Dior hired Vanderperre so that he could bring a new perspective, but I'm struggling with this campaign,” justaguy admitted. “Visually, it's quite nice and the casting's great, but I can't wrap my head around this as a Dior campaign. Hopefully it will grow on me.”
Aedlacir, in contrast found the campaign to be an apt interpretation of the collection. “I like it,” he wrote. “It reminds me of the runway with all the girls walking around, intersecting at certain points and, now, they've settled into their respective places showing different aspects of the Dior woman. I think Raf saw the big picture from start to finish with how he wanted to capture the essence of the brand. It is quintessentially Parisian.”
 
“Love it,” ohmycolin agreed. “New creative director, new start, new campaign ideas. This has Raf written all over it, but the minimalism totally plays into the rebranding of the classic house. Beautiful art direction I must admit,” he added.
Based on the varied opinions of our forum members it looks like Dior isn’t quite there in terms of their campaign this season. It’s early yet in Raf Simons’ reign and it’s clear that he, the creative team, and the executives at Dior are still working to find a common vision for the brand. This debut campaign can more or less be considered an unsteady step in the right direction.
 
Images: dior.com
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Terry Richardson (of course) managed to get Lena Dunham to take her pants off for V Magazine. [Fashionista]
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Ever thought about adding more yellow to your wardrobe? No? Maybe this will change your mind. [fabsugar]
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Let’s rumormonger for one quick second. Could it be that model Lily Cole and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey are a couple? [Fashionologie]
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Israel’s ban on too-skinny models is now in effect. This will probably have next to no impact on anything. Sigh. [The Cut]
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Kate Bosworth is super pretty.
So, in honor of her 30th birthday, here’s a look at some of her best beauty moments. [BellaSugar]
Image: Terry Richardson for V Magazine via Fashionista
Image scanned by tFS forum member Northern Star.
Nothing does it like caged gladiator-style footwear when it comes to conveying that Greek God (and Goddess) image that Versace loves so much. In the brand's Spring 2013 campaign, both male and female models sport shoes with gladiator-esque straps creeping up their legs, and there's also no shortage of the brand’s signature Greek key motifs. Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott photographed a stellar cast of models to show off the collection. Bona fide supermodels Kate Moss, Daria Werbowy, and Joan Smalls represent for the women (styled by Melanie Ward), while Edward Wilding, Kacey Carrig and Veit Couturier (styled by David Bradshaw) model what little there is of the menswear.
 
Images: theflamboyant.tumblr.com
“They're like Glamazons having a vacation in Mars,” lanvinray laughed, describing the dark, barren, moonlit feel of the set.
“Hell, I love this,” Northern Star admitted, calling the campaign “overdone with fantastic finesse. M&M love a post-apocalyptic landscape as a backdrop and so does Versace it seems. The casting is great and the girls look like goddesses to be totally adored by the guys. I'm sure this will look stunning and very glossy in print,” he concluded.
 
Images: theflamboyant.tumblr.com, designscene.net
Iluvjeisa wasn’t necessarily as taken with the campaign as some, but she found it to be evocative. “It's….borderline…and I mean borderline…atrocious,” she wrote. “And yet it works. This taps into some of the madness of the first Versace ads, or the Genny ads of the late 70s. There's a strong emotive quality to the images and that is worth quite a lot.”
The models here undoubtedly “make” the campaign. Without the emotive quality that iluvjeisa referred to, the images would be forgettable. Instead, the women look strong, powerful, dominant, and simultaneously vulnerable. They look like they could potentially stage a world-takeover, and that modern warrior-goddess is just the woman Versace has always striven to outfit.
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