Prada F/W 08.09 : Linda Evangelista & Patrick Petitjean by Steven Meisel

[Bahiyya]

Hmm, the latest one...not so awful. There seems to be a little more going in her face, around the eyes especially. She doesn't look so dead . But man, cheers to darri who suggested Yasmine as a replacement! She would have killed it. She's not as old as Linda, only 32.

 

[tigerrouge]

I think, in general, with Prada's penchant for updating old-lady looks, you need a young face in the clothes to bring the dimensions together, to give the sense that you can have something from the past that can be all about the future.

But instead, in this campaign, we have an older model made to look younger, a false youth, trying to bring freshness to clothes, trying to make traditional materials look modern, and it's not working. The ingredients of the formula have been misjudged ever-so-slightly, and it's not a disaster, but it doesn't work its usual magic.

If you're going to use an older model, use her because she's a model and she looks older, rather than hiring a 'name' because supermodels are back, and then making her look like a unnatural approximation of a 21-year-old woman wearing older clothes. Just hire the damn 21-year-old woman, in that case.

 

[kimair]

But I also think Sasha could have done wonders with this collection. She is the ultimate actress. I can see her playing a naughty school girl in her mom's clothing, or an angelic blond girl, or an expensive diva, or a silent movie star, or a bombshell. We know she can do it all. It'd be sooooooo much more interesting then the predictable shots with Linda.

To Linda's defense, she didn't choose to be airbrushed to death. She didn't pick the lighting that turns her into a mannequin. She isn't responsible for the awful concept. She didn't choose the shots that made the final cut. I still love Linda. This campaign is not her fault.

clearly miuccia wanted whoever starred in the campaign to be portrayed in this way, so matter if sasha, natalie, adina, etc. were in the ads, the poses and styling would be the same...
as you said, it's not linda's fault, she wasn't responsible for the concept...

 

[jssy4eva]

The full campaign!



*prada.com

 

[jssy4eva]

Mens!

*prada.com

 

[styleamy]

wow
they're amazing
thank you full prada ads!

 

[jssy4eva]

Shoes!




*prada.com

 

[styleamy]

wow
they're lovely shoes!
thank you!

 

[*ana*]

it's like i'm looking at 10 madame tussauds statues of linda evangelista.
the 7th one is my favorite. ugh i hate this campaign.

 

[Ed..]

Great photography by Meisel -- love the false shadows! Patrick's shots are definitely the best ones. He's 100x more photogenic than Linda. All shots are great, except the ones with Linda's face in them ... I wish I could crop her face out...

 

[Royal-Galliano]

the mens ads are so elegant and dramatic... so are the shadows in the background... i like that it has a sort of alternate action... and the setting, the same as used for the show is somewhat magical too.
it's a good campaign but i keep wondering what it would have looked like if it had had sasha in it...

thanks for posting jssy!

 

[Sabrina]

clearly miuccia wanted whoever starred in the campaign to be portrayed in this way, so matter if sasha, natalie, adina, etc. were in the ads, the poses and styling would be the same...

I think in this particular case the model came first, and the shoot concept came second.

I am really not sure Miuccia wanted. Sasha's contract was over after three years. They probably wanted someone to replace her with a bang - and got caught up in a "big name" game without thinking it through. Had they gone in a different direction with the model, the entire concept could have been different. But even with the same styling, posing, etc., a different facial expression can make things more interesting. But as I said, we can't really tell what Linda's work looked like since she was photo-shopped beyond recognition.

 

[surrealseven]

hey jssy4eva, where do you find the new campaign pics in the prada website, I can't find any!

 

[jssy4eva]

When you load the screen, the little black box on the top left corner has a bunch of options...just click on "Fall-Winter 2008" (the first one) which will give you more options, one of which will be "The Campaign"

 

[surrealseven]

hmm. mine's still the Sasha campaign though. Weird.

 

[jssy4eva]

Maybe you should clear your cache and then restart your computer?

 

[vogue28]

after seeing the whole campaign, I can say that it is bugging me that her mouth is allways open

Her face looks so stiff!

 

[Tanya443]

The full campaign!

Thank you very much! Very beautiful campaign with a touch of mystery. It's lovely to see Linda working again.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

The person who did the airbrushing deserves to get slaped!They are beautiful photographs per se, Meisel did a good job, but god damn why make her look like a doll?I dont even mind her mouth open.

 

[MUXU]

does she ever close her mouth? i cant really stand her same expression in every shot

i imagine hannelore more suitable for this collection though