The Buzz By now, we know exactly what to expect from Gucci’s advertising campaigns with Creative Director Alessandro Michele having implemented his bohemian aesthetic from day one. Per usual, British photographer Glen Luchford was selected to capture the newly unveiled Cruise 2017 campaign. But in a shocking move, the ads star 79-year-old actress Vanessa Redgrave, whose presence steals the spotlight from the rest of the cast, the picturesque scenery and even manages to overshadow the clothes.  IMAGE: WWD.COM  IMAGE: WWD.COM The campaign seemed to leave our forum members divided in their opinions, however. “Tragedy continues,” stated Scotty the moment the images came to light, suggesting he wasn’t a fan of Michele’s take on Gucci. “If you switched the thread title to Dolce & Gabbana I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference. What was the justification for firing Frida [Giannini]?? She wasn’t selling enough clothes? How is the new designer selling clothes??” asked a dumbfounded jj36. (more…) As if Paris Fashion Week wasn’t already our favorite installment of the month-long runway extravaganza (we’re looking at you Dior, Lanvin, Lemaire, Givenchy, Stella McCartney, Dries Van Noten, Chloé, Courrèges, Off-White, Loewe, Acne, Céline, Chanel, Miu Miu, Junya Watanabe…we could go on, but we won’t), Rihanna had to go and add her Fenty x Puma collection to the mix. The R&B singer turned fashion designer has scheduled not one, but two evening presentations on September 28, at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m. (local time). Lucky attendees of the Paris collections will have to choose between the Fenty-flaunting spectacles and the Lemaire and Vionnet presentations (#firstworldproblems). The rest of us can tune in to Tidal — no membership necessary — to take in all the action, including interviews and behind-the-scenes content in real time. “It’s a dream for me to be able to present my second collection of Fenty Puma by Rihanna in Paris,” said the Puma creative director. “I approached this season very differently and felt the theme and concept was best suited for one of my favorite cities, Paris.”
Her Fall 2016 collection, which hit stores earlier this month, was filled with references to Japanese street style — gothic lettering, towering platform boots, crops and corsetry, oversized hoodies, upscale wrestling gear and modern tracksuits. (more…) Poor Chloë Grace Moretz doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to eye-catching and flattering magazine covers, but Teen Vogue took a stab at profiling the actress for its recently revealed October/November issue. The magazine has been doing incredibly well lately, selecting diverse cover stars and delivering a fantastic September cover featuring Tavi Gevinson. For its latest, Bruce Weber photographed Chloë, who was joined by her now former boyfriend Brooklyn Beckham. Awkward.  IMAGE: COURTESY OF TEEN VOGUE “Wait didn’t they break up already? Ah teen Love… so fleeting,” A.D.C. pointed out straight away. “Is that actually Brooklyn? Weird that they didn’t show his face nor name him on the tags. It’s a weird cover but I like the cinematic feel, it looks more like a movie still,” kokobombon added. (more…)  Image: Puma These days, brands are all about marketing girl power, not that we need to be sold on the idea. From Serena Williams and Simone Biles’ awesome Nike spot to Adidas and Karlie Kloss’ “Here to Create” ad to Under Armour and ballerina Misty Copeland’s “I Will What I Want,” we’re inundated with female empowerment campaigns — and we’re by no means complaining. Especially when badasses like Rihanna and Cara Delevingne decide to get in on the action. In the Puma-creative-director-slash-apparel-and-footwear-designer-slash-R&B-sensation-slash-CFDA-icon’s latest campaign for the athleticwear brand, the polymath teamed up with her good friend Cara, who’s been known to do a bit of profession-jumping herself. The 24-year-old Suicide Squad actress has taken something of a sabbatical from modeling, only lending her bold brows and rabid social media following to gigs that appeal to her on an emotional level: “Right now, I want to put my energy towards things I’m passionate about,” she told Refinery29. “I’m passionate about acting and I’m passionate about empowering women and girls. I want to align myself with opportunities that stand for something.” (Hence, her showing off her Lady Garden in the name of female sexual health.) Needless to say, Puma’s RiRi-helmed “Do You” campaign more than met Delevingne’s moral standards. The British beauty saw the shoot as a “chance to deliver a message of empowerment through confidence and honesty.” (more…)  Tracey Africa on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar India; Image: Stockton Johnson for Harper’s Bazaar This is big: Tracey Africa Norman is finally getting the vindication she deserves — and we’re not referring to Laverne Cox’s homage to the pioneering transgender model in the pages of October’s Cosmo. After reading of Tracey’s ridiculously inspirational, tragically brief career as the first black transgender model of the 70s and early 80s in the Cut’s December cover story, Harper’s Bazaar art director and executive producer Christopher Sollinger was moved to action. (As was Norman’s former employer Clairol, who reinstated the 63-year-old beauty as the face of its brand, showcasing her signature auburn locks in its Nice ’n Easy “Color As Real As You Are” campaign.) Now, thanks to Sollinger, Norman is at long last getting the Harper’s Bazaar cover she rightfully deserves…although we do wish it was for a less rarefied edition of the glossy. The latest printing of Harper’s Bazaar India features Tracey Africa Norman and fellow transgender model Geena Rocero (whose viral TED talk you can watch here), as well as Soo Joo Park, Hind Sahli, Pyper and Daisy America, Emanuela de Paula, Cora Emmanuel, Hannelore Knuts and former America’s Next Top Model guru Tyra Banks. Entitled “The Nine Wonders of the World,” the celebration of diversity shows each of the nine women wearing a custom headpiece by American artist Isaac Aden. The Chanel and Roberto Cavalli-filled shots were lensed by Stockton Johnson and styled by KC Jones. Of the project, Sollinger told the Cut, “This entire project stems from wanting to do something with Tracey. The way she had to live in hiding and in fear, being such a beautiful woman with so many talents and gifts, just felt so wrong. She’s someone who should be celebrated. I wanted to create an image that she would be able to look at and feel proud and seen and loved and appreciated.” (more…) After years and years of ruling the modeling industry (her team doesn’t even have a final tally of the number of Vogue covers she’s graced, reports Business of Fashion), how does an OG like Kate Moss keep life interesting? By starting her own talent agency, natch. Since her public split with longtime agency Storm Models earlier this year (the two were together 27 campaign-filled years), we’ve wondered why Moss hadn’t signed to a rival agency. Now we know. In an extremely business-savvy move, the 13th highest-paid model in the world hired her loyal (former Storm) agent, Lucy Baxter, to help spearhead and quietly lay the groundwork for Kate Moss Agency, which will launch later this month. Of branching out and entering this new phase of fashion world domination, the model told BoF, “I felt like I wanted to do things that were more than modeling. It didn’t matter how much we would try and do it together with them, I was always going to be the little Kate that they’ve known since I was 14. It was like leaving home. I had to leave, and they were very understanding about it.” (more…) |