Fashion
Joan Didion for Celine, and 8 More Surprising Designer Brand Ambassadors We Never Saw Coming
They may encourage viewers into the movie theatre in droves or convince young readers to crack open a book, but seeing certain celebrity figures in ad campaigns is nothing less than shocking. Does a singer with an attitude and a criminal record make you want to purchase boxers? Does a woman who sings about her curvy rear-end convince you to purchase a leopard print chiffon evening gown? 2015 is the year of the unexpected brand ambassador, and here are nine of the most controversial you likely never saw coming.
Jennifer Lawrence For Dior
Jennifer Lawrence’s representation of Dior is now as much an accepted facet of the fashion world as the preeminence of Christian Louboutin Pigalle pumps or Anna Wintour at the helm of Vogue, but think back to when you first heard the announcement. An outspoken wild child from Kentucky who enjoyed Cheetos with her couture was being tapped for one of Paris’s most iconic couture houses? It seemed almost too good to be true.
Joni Mitchell For Saint Laurent
Ageism may have met its match in 71-year-old Joni Mitchell, the new spokeswoman for Saint Laurent’s Spring campaign. Considering the label’s past choices — the slender, youthful Freja Beha Erichsen, and equally fresh-faced Saskia de Brauw — odds were against even a model over 25 being cast. Perhaps Mitchell is the first wave of the next generation of models, who possess more skills than simply looking beautiful?
Joan Didion For Celine
At 80 years old, Joan Didion may be the most elderly — and most intelligent — model to date. Didion vogues in Celine’s new campaign looking every inch someone women should model themselves after. The change is welcome.
Ansel Elgort For Prada
I’ll give Prada credit for selecting Ansel Elgort for the brand’s Spring/Summer 2015 campaign. After all, the actor personifies a rare combination of good manners and good looks in an industry that only places a premium on the latter quality, but the choice is certainly out of left field. Was Brad Pitt busy with his newlywed calendar?
Image: prada/Instagram
Justin Bieber For Calvin Klein
First Kim Kardashian broke the internet with her ghastly photo shoot. Now Justin Bieber is attempting a similar feat with a shirtless Calvin Klein ad campaign suffused with the singer’s apparent vanity. I would venture a guess that no one foresaw the former child wonder exclaiming, “Nothing comes between me and my Calvin’s!”
Image: calvinklein/Instagram
Nicki Minaj for Roberto Cavalli
Though he prefers to keep consumers on their toes and infuse his collection with enough animal prints and sultry appeal to satisfy even the most outlandish dressers, Roberto Cavalli’s choice to appoint Nicki Minaj as the brand’s Spring 2015 face was risky. Minaj’s songs may be catchy, but her personality and lifestyle are polarizing.
Brittany Hampton For Diane von Furstenberg
Quite frankly, after viewing the first episode of Diane von Furstenberg’s reality television-documented quest to find her next brand ambassador, I feared for the designer and whatever drama-inducing contestant she would select for her legacy. Brittany Hampton was selected as the lucky finalist, and I was taken aback that the reality series had produced anything aside from more negativity towards Millennials and their reportedly self-centered manner of living.
Choupette For Shu Uemura
Frankly, a cat becoming the spokesmodel for Shu Uemura would not have been one of my predictions for 2014. Nevertheless, Karl Lagerfeld’s feline Choupette took center stage.
Image: choupettesdiary/Instagram
Winona Ryder For Rag & Bone
Winona Ryder’s casting in Rag & Bone’s autumn 2014 campaign came out of left field. After all, Ryder’s heyday took place in the ’90s grunge scene, after which she flitted in and out of the spotlight periodically until her sudden reemergence as a model.
