Versace’s latest advertising campaign sees the iconic Italian fashion house shaking things up a bit. The fall 2011 commercials sees not just a brand new model, but a brand new photography team at the helm.
Mario Testino has been shooting Versace campaigns since 2004, so it’s surprising that this time around he was passed over for Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. These photographers aren’t exactly slouches behind a camera, but it’s always interesting when a fashion house breaks with such a long standing tradition.
And it’s done it again by choosing Saskia de Brauw, rather than a stereotypical blonde beauty. Versace’s chief designer and company vice-president Donatella said it’s “expected to have the blonde girl, the sexy girl, and this is what Versace meant recently.” However she cast her mind back to her brother Gianni’s controversial casting of Kristen McMenamy and Stella Tennant.
“Everyone was always saying, ‘Wow, this is not a Versace girl, she is not blonde.’ Sometimes you need to renew yourself to work better and to make a little bit of a push,” she explained.
The result of the risks is one of the freshest campaigns Versace’s produced in some time. The elfin beauty of Saskia de Brauw is compelling, and a great foil for that dramatic feathery dress and golden Medusa head purse. Are you impressed by Versace’s new direction?
