Models Backstage at Roberto Cavalli S/S 16

Photo Credit: Kevin Tachmann.

How do you like the Roberto Cavalli beauty look of summer 2016?

Prada Resort 2016 Advertising Campaign by Steven Meisel

Steven Meisel captures a series of informal portraits for Prada’s Resort 2016 advertising campaign. Pop decorativism is subverted by industrial minimalism, as his muses lock us in an authoritative gaze.

Lexi Boling, Meghan Collison, Ina Jensen, Lineisy Montero, Julia Nobis and Greta Varlese are bad girls turned good, or good girls turned bad, exuding a kind of unhinged innocence. The cool knowingness of their gaze is offset by expressive body language, hands on hips or folded across the body, arms swinging as if in dance.

The concept of post-modesty and luxury are investigated in a dialogue of contrasts and dichotomies. High impact pieces, with soft silhouettes, are based on the simple T-shirt. Paillette-covered coats, leather shifts and skin-tight printed sweaters are layered over extra-long striped sleeves. Multi-coloured bags in printed or perforated leathers and bold, oversize earrings are all part of the story. Decorativism, through the serial repetition of symbols recalls the concept of post-pop art. Simplicity becomes uniqueness.

An anonymous silver backdrop suggesting a post-industrial landscape jars with this sensual overload, suggesting the collection’s recurring rabbit motif is perhaps not as naive as it seems. Shadow falls across the images, reminding us darkness and light often come entwined. The gaze of the muses is both complex and seductive, warning anyone following them down this particular rabbit hole to expect the unexpected.

Photos © Prada / Steven Meisel.

I`m superloving Prada`s bunnies! The pixel- or xerox-effect and the arrows add a postmodern edge to it. Very cool! 

How do you like the ad campaign?

Season Favourite: Prada S/S 15 Ad Campaign by Steven Meisel

  Can a woman exude confidence yet be relaxed; appear uninhibited and carefree, yet remain in control? These seemingly contradictory states are explored in the new campaign for Prada by Steven Meisel.
   
Gemma Ward, Julia Nobis and Ine Neefs take centre stage. They are all portrayed in a different mood: stoic, psychedelic and intimate. A black and white studio shot is strong and defiant. A graffiti pastel backdrop channels movement and a youthful attitude. Then we’re drawn in close, into a seductive bedroom scene.

 
The diverse settings, contrasting moods and seemingly disconnected narratives form a dynamic backdrop for the Spring/Summer collection. The clothes draw together this diverse series, with a distinctive blend of fabrics, colours and silhouettes. Precious materials – antique brocade modelled on the 1800s through to the 60s – meets humble cotton, gauze and raw leather. Silk jacquard socks are a modern and elegant leitmotif.
 
  The season’s bags are reinterpreted in their own revealing character study. One moment they are held protectively, the next they are casually flung on to a bed. Still lives suggest a free and fleeting moment, as if the wearer has just arranged them in a peculiar bedroom ritual. Within each image the many facets of the Prada woman shift and overlap, part of an interconnected and contradictory story. A spirit of confidence and optimism suggest there are many more stories to be told.
   Pictures © Prada.

How amazing to see Gemma Ward in a Prada ad again. I`m loving the elegant yet mysterious mood that Steven Meisel creates in this wonderful ad campaign. Season favourite!
How do you like the ad campaign?

Narciso Rodriguez Resort 2013

Pictures are property of Narciso Rodriguez.