"One doesn’t usually equate the word “shocking” with the house of Valentino, but there’s a radical image change afoot there. The fall campaign, which breaks in the July issue of Italian Vogue, has a new photographer — David Sims, who replaced Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, making this his first Valentino campaign, and mixes nudity in with clothed models. Creative directors Maria Grazie Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli opted for black-and-white and, for the first time, chose to shoot in the house’s historic Parisian headquarters in Place Vendôme. “The idea is that of an unexpectedly intimate black-and-white portrait with candid shots of unconventional, delicate and individual beauty and a more dangerous undercurrent,” said Chiuri. Added Piccioli, “We believe it is a very modern and feminine vision and we wanted to show each woman’s unique personal allure.”Perhaps this news is a little less surprising than the Tom Ford Eyewear campaign news, but having Freja in a Valentino campaign is still out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, if this season is teaching us anything it's that Freja is truly one of the models of the moment.
The three models chosen to pose for the moody images are Freja Beha, Monika Jagaciak and Tati Cotlar, while Alex Gilbert provides the male presence. Each photo features two side-by-side shots of the same girl, one where she’s decked out in fall attire and the other naked, but cropped or posing to discreetly conceal her more intimate body parts — so magazines will run the ads."
Her campaign count so far is amazing:
Chanel Mainline
Chanel Eyewear
MaxMara
Balenciaga
Tom Ford Eyewear
Valentino
Quantity and quality of the brands, as all of them are top blue chip companies. As a longtime fan I'm overjoyed, but as always a little skeptical. Being "of the moment" carries an implicit connotation that the moment will end and you will be of the past before too long. Yes, I know I'm a strange fan because these are the first thoughts that run through my head. I think I've said it before on here, but market over saturation is never a good thing for the long term.
But maybe at this point it doesn't matter. Freja has proven herself to be indefatigable for the past five years, and all the success now is just part of the payoff, and part of the signs telling us she'll be around for another five years.
I guess I should just relax, revel in the moment and look forward to seeing the images roll in. Thoughts?
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