Alber Elbaz says that his decision to cast non-models between the ages of 18 to 82 in Lanvin‘s new autumn/winter 2012-13 campaign is because he loves women of all ages – not only fresh-faced model girls.
"I wanted to see people from different age groups, body shapes and personalities wearing Lanvin," he told us this morning. "That is what Lanvin is all about and represents – we don’t only do clothes for 20-year-old girls. I love to see mature women wearing Lanvin as well. I love wrinkles, I love grey hair."
Photographed by Steven Meisel and with creative direction by House and Holme, Ronnie Newhouse and Stephen Wolstenholme, the advertisements show a diverse array of individuals – from waiters to milliners.
"There was a street casting in New York and the team who did the casting did a fantastic job," explained Elbaz of how he chose his new muses. "They sent me all the photos of the anonymous people who had been pre-casted and the day before the shoot, I met them all. It was an unforgettable experience to meet with these beautiful people."
Elbaz was first heralded for his lighthearted, playful approach to campaigns for autumn/winter 2011-12, when he recruited Karen Elson and Raquel Zimmerman to dance their way through a promotional video to the soundtrack of Pitbull’s I Know You Want Me. The designer even joined the models in his signature tuxedo at the end. However, for autumn/winter 2012-13 the mood is centred on "reality". "It’s all about individuals with individuality," added Elbaz.
Source: Vogue