After having just seen the photos from Nina Ricci, I am feeling a little as though more could have been done here. But then, there are important differences between ad campaigns, look books, and editorials. Not to mention there are different aesthetics at Valentino than Nina Ricci. Personally, I'm not a big fan of these shots, but then, I've never had much of a penchant for advertisements. My favorite of the lot is the one where she's facing away from the camera, which I don't mean as a slight to her face, but simply because it makes me want to ask questions about it. Who's she? Why is she not facing the camera? Is it that she is shy? Upset? Distant?
I find the photo where she is opening the doors interesting because I'm not just getting the picture, I'm getting a little video in my head (Camera zooming as she bursts through the doors, if you were wondering. Sort of like the time when Aragorn threw open the doors at Helm's Deep in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.) The clutch shot feels like an ad to me. Like a legitimate ad, of the sort we see all the time. It's very commercial, something of an editorial vibe I suppose, but the overarching feeling is that it's meant to sell the clutch, and that's it. The shot with the bag feels a little too contrived. And to be sure, these sorts of things alway are, but some photographers and models have the ability to make contrived moments look like real ones.
I don't know, perhaps I'm being a little too critical? Maybe I'm just still dealing with the Nina Ricci looks, and am not ready to come back to reality and admit that not everything is going to meet my lofty standards of what is totes brill. Meh. Don't get me wrong, as an ad campaign, I'm convinced. It sells the clothes, it sells the bags. Yeah, don't mind me at all actually, I think I need to invest in a lower horse. :)
If you're wanting to look at Freja and Julia's adverts from the campaign you can find them here at the Valentino website. Valentino Pre-Fall 2011 is on its way!
Photos courtesy of valentino.com
Answering your comment over here..
ReplyDeleteTo be frank I have no clue as to why France is such a minor model-raiser country. As you've pointed out, you'd think agencies and a fortiori designers would latch onto French models considering the stereotypes French people in general are burdened by (french touch/class/cheekiness/free-mindedness and so ooon and on). Hazarding an opinion here but my guess is that French girls as a whole might not live up to the modelling standards in terms of both beauty type and measurements (it's commonly said that French people aren't tall - the word 'commonly' entails that this statement is to be taken with a grain of salt as I'm sure you've figured out. ;))... or without meaning to churn out tired clichés, it may be due to the discrepancy between Eastern and Western Europe's standard of living. The latter statement would actually make more sense if we were to account for the steadily growing number of models hailing from Eastern Europe. Somehow it seems to me that it must be easier to drag a girl into the modelling sphere and lull her into thinking she'll eventually savour a certain comfort of living thanks to modelling if she's never led a particularly favoured (whether it be in terms of education, money... including all privileges that have come to be mere commodities in here actually) way of life before. Then again I've never checked by myself how people live over there and I'm just bringing forward the points I've been continually repeated as to Eastern European countries... but I'm happy nevertheless that the tides are starting to change. :)
As for Alt... I know I shouldn't dismiss her the way I did at the end of this article but I simply can't help it. Carine may be the one to be blamed for Alt's one-note contributions as a fashion editor to the magazine... but to be honest I highly doubt it. Not to mention I don't think Emmanuelle's got what it takes to assert herself as a decent editor in chief (!) in terms of written contents. She'll inevitably have to come up with topics going beyond grand issues such as how-to-remove-your-leg-hair-successfully and it takes someone who's able to take notice of and bring stimulating takes on current zeitgeists (whether they be fashion or non-fashion related) and therefore someone who's got both analytic and literary knacks to carry out such a task over several years... and I doubt Alt will be capable of that, hence my thinking the magazine is kind of bound to go downhill under her (lack of) guidance, at least non-editorial contents-wise. However, I do hope I eat my words.
I read your post on Caro's Nina Ricci's lookbook, and I must say I totally agree with you, her range is nothing short of amazing in it. Concerning this campaign, I like the way you analyzed the shot of her facing away.. I hadn't apprehended it the same way you did and was sort of averse to it given both Freja and Julia got proper portraits (and I'd rather see Caroline's chiselled features than Julia's empty prettiness)but you made me revise my opinion here. Great post!
You make excellent points, as I would be ignorant not to expect; I am so glad to have you as a reader, and even more so as someone with whom to have discussions of this sort. It is not too often that I come across people who know enough about the industry (or indeed, who care enough about it in the first place) with whom I can converse on these topics intelligently in my everyday life. I am very grateful of the outlet!
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