The Art of Casting : Which Brands Are The Best/Worst At It
 

Gucci is really one of the very few brands that has nearly mastered the art of casting. Consistently solid with a good mix of ultimate Gucci girls, some current Frida favorites and some new models who actually fit the brand. I like that she doesn't discard her models after one season and I like that when she does cast newbies, it's not just for the sake of having the new 'it' girls, but they mostly fit the Gucci aesthetic. They have missteps here and there, but overall, other houses could take notice.

^ Yeah, I can agree with that.

Wish they would have had Kendra Spears there this season, she's one of their regulars whose absence I felt.

im not a fan of gucci girls used during frida's era but the girls used during tom ford's era were stunning. they were pure luxury!

and the casting at gucci for the last many years was boring. one formula was being used over and over again. im not saying the casting is bad but it doesnt create any kind of excitement unlike prada's, givenchy's,etc

totally agree with those statement^_^

Prada, exciting? More like a bunch of newbies who everyone coos over, then end up forgetting within weeks.

Givenchy's a better argument.

prada's newbies may disappearring fast but everyone is talking about prada casting, exclusive, show,etc

The same can easily be said of Givenchy.

I don't really know that they are. People here at tFS, sure. But people in the industry? Nah. Which is why they fade away.

I would also add John Paul Gaultier & John G Dior casting to that list. You can easily list 10 models that would make an appearance.

So you're saying that since Prada/Givenchy have hype surrounding their casting, that fact automatically makes their casts more exciting? Thus, if Gucci spread a rumor two days prior to their show "Guess which 10+ year veteran will open and close our show on Wednesday?" and everyone then wasted 5 pages here on tFS speculating about it, their cast would then somehow be more 'exciting'? See, I think this is precisely where Prada/Givenchy/CK/Marc Jacobs have gone wrong. They have let the hype and the need for "excitement" dictate their casting and at this point (maybe Givenchy not quite yet) they all have fallen victim to it. Their casts are all about the hype and little else. Since 90% of the casts are bland newbies who will most likely not be heard back from at this time next year, how does that make for a good cast? I just don't understand that. Hype is good. Having people excited is good. But at the end of the day, you have to deliver the goods.

sorry but i dont remember the last time gucci produce a star right out of their catwalk. current hype is based on the past it's not like it is out of nowhere.

I don't remember anyone producing a star out of his catwalk recently. It's more the campaigns, covers and editorials that matter in the end and any name that could be mentioned as "made by this or that exclusive" owes, in reality, her success to editors, photographers or advertisers.

I think that the point of MyNameIs wasn't who can produce instant stardom with his runway show. Rather who really puts some effort into casting a coherent group of models, true to his brand's aesthetic vs. who only wants to make some unnecessary noise for the sake of getting a little bit of hype.

Thank you penny609, that's exactly my point.

And congacon, considering how many newbies Prada casts each season, their success rate is probably not much greater than that of something like Erin Fetherson. For every Sasha, Prada has had ten Natalias, Samanthas, Rasas, etc. And that's just the opening/campaign girls. And even though this wasn't my previous point, I'd imagine if Frida let a new girl open Gucci next season, she'd probably be a star overnight precisely because of how major it would be.

if i remember correctly, arizona opened prada show and her career has taken off ever since.

sorry but if there were no catwalk models wouldnt be a star to begin with. almost every single major model start out on the catwalk and it is the playground where models get noticed by photographers and advertiser, etc. so to say that the catwalk doesnt matter much makes no sense.

to me prada casting is a thousand time more exciting than gucci. whether newbies/exclusives will be successful in the future.... no one knows. but the fact that prada is the pioneer in the industry in term of featuring exclusives give their shows something fresh and new to look forward to.

Arizona opened Prada, Daphne started at Givenchy... but how many others did this and didn't get any response right after. That was my point, not that catwalks are useless. It is, as you say, some kind of playground where they can be noticed but there are as many chances to be noticed here and there as they are to be caught opening Prada, Givenchy or whatsoever. Eniko, Abbey or Sasonkina have made their way differently for example and their career pattern is more common these days than Sasha's (which was relevant back then).

Sincerely, and it's a matter of taste, I don't see anything exciting about Prada's cast (and I've just had a look at this season's). I guess some of us, are truely thrilled and I'm happy for them but there is nothing avant-garde anymore about it as it used to be some years ago. That's why I prefer a decent, honest cast like Gucci's this season (it even surprised me to like Ondria there).