Image Credit: wwd.com via the tFS Forums
One of the more controversial efforts of the season, Versace’s punk collection — referred to as “Vunk” — was destined to get a campaign just as saucy as the clothes in the collection. Ironically, the only racy picture to have been released yet does not even show the clothes. Supermodel Kate Moss is seen posing nude, only covering herself with three handbags. The campaign also stars Dutch stunner Saskia de Brauw and male models Travis Smith, Dominik Bauer and Matt Trethe. Matt Trethe is the only new addition to the roster of models featured in Versace campaigns, with the other ones all having been in recent campaigns for the brand already.
Mert & Marcus have once again been appointed as the photographers, albeit tFS forum member GivenchyHomme argued that Steven Meisel would have been a better choice to shoot this. He said, “Why not just book Meisel for a Meisel-esque shoot? He would have elevated this and gave it life. Boring. And isn't it a little soon to copy a concept that Prada did just barely last season?”
Testinofan shared an equally negative opinion on the campaign: “OMG big disaster here, the campaign looks very amateur, a lookbook, the photoshop in Kate's face is very awful!!! And the campaign has much of Avedon, Meisel ,Testino’s [previous] campaigns but [it] looks very Inez & Vinoodh. I think M&M need to stop copying.”
“Very Avedon but the clothes add a modern touch. Bravo!” added Elfinkova, who also admitted that he loved Kate Moss as a brunette and liked the pose and styling in the menswear shot with the grey coat.
VogueDisciple93 also liked Kate’s shot the best, because “she makes a great brunette” and “it doesn't have any of the vile clothes in it."
StoneSkipper found the womenswear shots to be the weakest link in the campaign. He wrote, “The menswear doesn't bother me so much, but the girls… It's like they sucked the soul out of both of them. Look how lifeless they look. *shudder*.”
Heavy Photoshop, to the extent where it makes the models look borderline unreal, will most likely always be a trademark of Mert & Marcus’ photography, but I can’t say I am offended by it here all that much. The minimal makeup and brown hair give Kate Moss a more natural look in spite of the heavy retouching. And Saskia de Brauw just proves once again that she is one of the most interesting and versatile models of the recent years, looking absolutely convincing as a Versace punk. The concept of the campaign may not be groundbreaking, but with this cast and this extravagant collection, this campaign was bound to be a hit and it certainly does not make me shudder!
