GUESS RUNS TO BRYAN ADAMS: Canadian crooner Bryan Adams is upping the ante for multitasking celebrities by being the first bold-faced name to step behind the camera for Guess Inc.'s spring campaign. For the marketing initiative, breaking next month on billboards and in style bibles such as Vanity Fair, Interview, W, Vogue, Visionaire and Wallpaper, Adams captured Swedish beauty Line Gost vamping à la Sophia Loren in gingham microshorts, flouncy black dresses and snow white blouses tucked into skintight jeans. Collaborating with Guess chief executive officer Paul Marciano, who oversees the Los Angeles-based company's marketing strategy, Adams re-created a rustic Italian village at Melody Ranch, located some 30 miles outside of the City of Angels. Guess even hired Loren's hairstylist, Peter Savic, and makeup artist Joanne Gair to transform Gost into the Italian siren for the black-and-white photographs.
The 20 shots by Adams are only one aspect of Guess' campaign, though. Yu Tsai, who worked with Guess on fall's visuals, shot a separate series in color to run in publications including Best Life, Condé Nast Traveler, Esquire, Lucky, Men's Vogue and Teen Vogue. Though a Guess spokesman declined to disclose the cost of the new campaign, Guess reported in financial filings that it spent $22.4 million last year on advertising.
For his contribution, Adams said: "I wanted a modern feel for the shoot, but also wanted the nostalgic feeling of some of the original Guess campaigns."
Adams said he will donate his fees to his namesake foundation that funds projects supporting the elderly, victims of wars and natural disasters and other disadvantaged individuals. "I'm looking forward to working with [Guess and Marciano] again," he said. — Khanh T.L. Tran
