PLAYING WITH ADS

Very cool photoshoot by Steven Meisel and styled by Edward Enninful for W magazine (November issue). They created fake ads to explore the items they were shooting. Photos and their own comments here:

TANTRUM INTIMATES

Wanting to create an image that was just plain naughty, the team conceived this lingerie ad, which features model Karen Elson surrounded by a cast of naked and submissive male models dolled up in diamond jewels and sporting reddened bottoms—the latter courtesy of makeup artist Pat McGrath. “Underwear in itself is so sexy,” explains Enninful. “We wanted to push the idea, to really make it shocking.” 

LAVEZ-LES BIEN

When it came to casting a woman for a classic shampoo commercial, there was only one option: the iconic Linda Evangelista, who, aside from being an extraordinary model, was thought to have the chops to convincingly express the sensation of a tingly scalp. “She is the ultimate actress,” Enninful says.

LA FEMME

Viewers of Drag Race, the reality-TV show and drag-queen competition hosted by RuPaul, will immediately recognize the illustrious Carmen Carrera, who became an instant fan favorite by flaunting her womanly curves. And while she worked it hard here as the face and bod for La Femme fragrance, behind the scenes the 23-year-old New Jersey native was a surprisingly modest dude. “She has no idea what a star she is,” says Enninful.

 

 

JOEL SCHUMACHER

 Joel Schumacher, 72, might not seem like the most obvious man to front a glamorous high-fashion label in the vein of Halston. But long before he was directing such films as St. Elmo’s Fire and Batman Forever, Schumacher was a fashion kid, designing window displays for Henri Bendel and styling stories for Diana Vreeland at Vogue. Additionally, “he’s just so chic,” says Enninful.

VISAGE

Now that Botox has become as common as a hair blowout, a beauty ad featuring women aging gracefully seemed like a refreshing idea. And who better to star in it than legendary stylists and longtime Meisel collaborators Anna Dello Russo, Marie-Amélie Sauvé, Brana Wolf, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Polly Mellen, and W ’s Style Editor at Large, Lori Goldstein—all of whom got a kick out of posing together before Meisel’s lens. “People think everyone hates each other in fashion,” says Enninful. “They got on like a house on fire!”

BRUCE HOCKSHMIDT

Most folks watch Dennis Basso and Joan Rivers’s QVC segments for the good deals on embellished wares; others, like Enninful, tune in solely for the entertainment value. “They’re incredibly funny and have great chemistry,” he says. As such, they were the perfect pair to pose in a fur coat ad inspired by Blackglama’s icon-laden Legend campaign from the Sixties and Seventies.

PIZZAZZ

What do you get when you tap Eden Wood—the six-year-old beauty pageant vet and star of TLC’s reality show Toddlers & Tiaras—to model a lavish children’s wear label? Lots of laughs—and some pain. “She was running around karate chopping everyone,” Enninful says. “My back was sore for three days.” On camera, though, it was a different story: “She didn’t need any direction. You couldn’t even distract her. She was a total professional.”

 

VAINGLORIOUS

Not every product needs a face to sell it—some simply require a mood. Such was the idea for Vainglorious, an exhilarating new fragrance for women who like to be the center of attention—as exemplified by models Karen Elson, Guinevere van Seenus, and Coco Rocha.

 

 

PETRA

Formula 1 heiress Petra Ecclestone made headlines this summer when she purchased Candy Spelling’s L.A. über mansion for a cool $85 million. So what’s a girl to do next? Launch a signature scent, of course! Here, the model and fashion designer stars in the ad for Petra, her imaginary eau de socialite.