>> The predictions that Spring 2009 ads would be all about commercial models that can sell product are indeed coming to pass; Versace pulled out not one, but two big guns for their campaign — Gisele Bundchen and Kate Moss, shot by Mario Testino against the never-can-fail beachy blue background. Desperate times call for desperate measures; Donatella must not mind that she's sharing Gisele with Dior and Kate with Stella McCartney.
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Mario Testino
Gisele Bundchen, Kate Moss Versace's Spring 2009 Queens of Hearts
Burberry's Spring 2009 Garden Full of Money Trees
>> You know Burberry is worried when their Spring 2009 campaign comes out looking like a catalogue. Mario Testino did the honors at Petersham Nurseries outside London, and Christopher Bailey carried on his all-British cast tradition with returner Lily Donaldson and newcomers Eden Clarke and Alexina Graham, but gone are the days of Fall 2008's moody black-and-white ads and Spring 2008's edgy, colorful group shots. These new Spring 2009 ads seem aimed much more for the mainstream, with their prominent placement of denim, the top-selling trenches, and the new, trademark plaid-covered Gardener Bag. Everyone's going for the money shot this season — and with Burberry, those intentions are quite transparent.
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>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Those who enjoyed Liya Kebede and Raquel Zimmermann as Lanvin girls, cherish it while it lasts — they won't be back for Spring 2009. Although no casts have been revealed, Steven Meisel shot the new Lanvin campaign in New York last week, Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin shot Yves Saint Laurent a few weeks ago with a very "California" theme, Mario Testino is doing Versace in LA in early November, and Gucci will be photographed this week in Miami. [WWD]
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Amber Valletta and Fam Go Grocery Shopping, Vogue-Style
»Amber Valletta, her son and husband get LOLVogued [Jezebel]
»This morning's Barneys warehouse sale: Not as crazy or marked-down as in the past [Racked]
»Mary-Kate Olsen is obsessed with Diane von Furstenberg [Page Six Magazine]
»Sean Avery's Gap ad overlooks Vogue headquarters [Fashionista]
»Victoria Bartlett commissioned Lizzie Fortunato jewelry for her Spring 2009 VPL collection [The Pipeline]
»Cato Van Ee shot a commercial for D&G with Mario Testino last week [Dazed Digital]
»A "loose size 2" seems to be the modeling size of choice right now [The Cut]
Carine Roitfeld Pelts PETA in Vogue Paris August 2008
>> PETA has long targeted Anna Wintour for her fur patronage, even going so far as to throw tofu pie in her face in 2005, but Carine Roitfeld may have just put herself on the hit list. In the August 2008 issue of Vogue Paris, Carine styled a shoot starring a fur-draped Raquel Zimmermann brazenly giving faceless PETA-like activists the bird. Only a couple of pictures from the Mario Testino-shot editorial have appeared so far, but these images are sure to stir the pot.
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Another Vogue Cover Shoot in Progress?
»Reese Witherspoon is likely shooting with Mario Testino in Paris for an upcoming Vogue cover [PopSugar]
»The CK Jeans Fall 2008 campaign is rumored to feature 17 models in total [Style File]
»Du Juan does David Yurman Fall 2008 [Of the Minute]
»Chanel Iman, Victoria's Secret Pink lady [Fashionista]
»Jessie Randall's 93-year-old grandfather bought out the entire Loeffler Randall for Target stock at his local Florida store to give as gifts [The Cut]
»Coco Rocha was shown Lily Cole photos on her first shoot for inspiration [Fashionista]
»Urban Outfitters made a cartoon Karl Lagerfeld shirt [Nylon]
Gisele for V54: Trashy in Denim, But Environmentally Friendly
>> The pictures that had everyone gossiping in early April — you know the ones — of Gisele in derriere-bearing ripped jeans, makeup artist James Kaliardos applying lotion, have finally appeared in finished form. Leave it to Mario Testino to fashion three full V 54 covers and an editorial out of trashtastic shredded denim, skimpy metallic bikinis, and of course, Gisele.
In fact, Gisele blames Mario for the clothes (or lack thereof).
"Only Mario [Testino] could make me take those pictures. Ah! The only person that can get me to do stuff like this is Mario. You know what he’s like . . ."
As for those paparazzi pictures, they spoiled the shoot within minutes.
"I have never seen anything like this — after four minutes, Mario’s assistant yells, 'Cover her!' We look back and these guys have lenses this long. They looked like telescopes. There were fifty of them . . . We got there and it was empty — I’m looking at the camera and James [Kaliardos] is putting cream on [my bottom] and everyone is doing their job — and then I scream! So Mario refused to shoot on the beach, they put a robe on me and we went back up the mountain."
Gisele doesn't see what the big deal is about a little derriere.
"You know, people are going to say my butt is showing too much in these — but, I’m sorry, my butt showed more in Victoria’s Secret. For seven years my butt was in every catalog. It’s hypocrisy: those [paparazzi] pictures ran everywhere, and everyone was talking about my butt. This is V Magazine—if you’re going to do something like that, you do it for V."
She hates gossip so much, she doesn't even have a publicist.
"I’ve been a model for ten years and . . . I am the only person I know that does not have [a publicist]. Do you know why? Because I don’t want them to talk about me. For my job I need an agent. Where am I going? What time is my flight? Who am I working with? That’s what I need to know. I have nothing to say to people who gossip about me."
Gisele wants you to think about the bigger picture.
"I paid for a study about violence that is being edited into a book at the end of the year; we researched for three and a half years with fifty sociologists. While everyone is going around saying crazy things about my life I’m concerned with the destruction of our planet. Why don’t they talk about that? Or, forget about what I’m doing altogether, why don’t they talk about what’s going on in the environment in these magazines?"
Full gallery (NSFW) below.
All Aboard the "Kate Express" for August 2008 Vogue
>> Just as suspected, Kate Moss graces Vogue's August "Ageless" issue. The cover may be all kinds of bland — especially considering that Kate is anything but — but within, little tidbits are revealed about her relationship with Sir Philip Green, her upcoming Fall Topshop line, and her clotheshorse tendencies (she's been collecting since she was 15 and has over 1,000 pieces).
Kate loves her handbags.
In her 20s, [Kate] would spend her earnings on Hermès Kelly bags from the Paris store. 'I would go and spend £3,000. That felt quite good.'" . . . She also has "at least 100 Chanel purses."
She's over airports and is saving for a private jet, a la Gisele.
"I'm going to call it the 'Kate Express.'"
She has a pet name for Sir Philip Green.
"When she wants something, she calls me up and goes, 'Uncle Phil, Uncle Phil, please…' " he says, impersonating Kate in a squeaky, high voice.
Just as suspected, Kate's Topshop line is heavily influenced by her own clothes.
Amelia, one of the [Topshop] designers, shows Kate a black silk-and-net dress that is the inspiration for the party dresses. Then she notices Kate's leopard-print trench. "Do you want it?" asks Kate with a grin. "Yes!" the two designers cry in unison. Kate takes the coat off, and it is hung on a sample rail, ready to be reincarnated for the masses. "See" says Kate, "they take the clothes off my back!"
Speaking of, a few details about the Fall Kate Moss for Topshop line . . .
"A slightly Beatles-esque wool sweater with just the right amount of stripes to keep it punky (around $110); there's a charming black chiffon flapper dress that could easily wander into a cocktail party on Park Avenue ($240); . . . a little faux-fur gilet ($100) . . . most of all I want the skinny black sweater with sheer chiffon blouson sleeves ($100)."
Natalia Vodianova, Isabeli Fontana Tango for Versace
>> A little show of skin here, a little handbag there . . . that's what Versace's Fall 2008 ads are made of. Shot in Manhattan by Mario Testino, the images portray Natalia Vodianova and Isabeli Fontana flaunting color-coordinating outfits . . . that is, when they're wearing clothes. The set is pretty typical glossy Versace, but I do like the up-close-and-personal handbag shots.
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Mario Testino: The Picture of Humility, Integrity
>> As a well-established fashion photographer, Mario Testino apparently has no qualms about implying certain, less-than-flattering things about his competitors . . . and even his clients, on the record.
In a three week-long diary documenting his work from late May to mid-June, Mario professes to be obsessed with British models, but also Toni Garrn:
She's 16 and may be the new Claudia Schiffer. She was also picked up by Calvin Klein, but when I saw their campaign I thought it looked . . . I thought you didn't really get her. A lot of campaigns transform the girl into what the designer wants. But when I met her I was so taken with her I was, like, 'Oh my God, Toni!' . . . I want . . . the girls to have a starring role. It was about them, not the designer.
The Spring 2008 Calvin Klein campaign he's referring to was photographed by Fabien Baron, who Mario clearly doesn't see eye-to-eye with; don't expect for any Testino-Interview collaborations anytime soon.
Mario also knows how to subtly bite the hand that feeds him:
Most of my work is for American Vogue. I shoot for it almost every issue. This is a magazine that sells 1.2m copies and is probably read by 3m. Its reach is so wide you have to be quite easily understood. Whereas British Vogue's aesthetics are different. You can't give them work that's too bland. It's got to have a certain humour; a certain fun.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but did he just call Vogue "bland"? You don't say . . .
Finally, just to reiterate what a wonderful, dedicated, and original photographer he is, Mario goes over how he comes up with his ideas:
The moment you accept a job, the responsibility is on you; if the photograph is not delivered, the only name that lingers is yours. That has its pros and cons. Pros in the sense that you can be at a shoot and an idea can come from the secretary or manicurist and you can benefit from it: when people remember the image, they don't know the manicurist gave you the idea.
Ah, the integrity.
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