What's this?! Karl is a slut! I thought his love for Hedi would outlast his lust for ego! Oh boy...
Danger: Dior Homme Ads Ahead
Jan. 7, 2008
PARIS
? Taking Dior Homme back to its couture roots, Kris Van Assche made
tailored elegance the theme for his first advertising campaign?albeit
with a hint of danger.
?They look like young professional killers,? quipped Karl Lagerfeld,
who shot three models in a Parisian apartment wearing Van Assche?s
ballooning, high-waist pants and pristine white shirts.
Van Assche described the images, which break in February magazines, as
the ?next step? for the brand?rather than a radical change?in its
post?Hedi Slimane era. A budding photographer, Slimane lensed recent
Dior Homme campaigns and favored an edgy, artsy approach.
?When one evokes ?elegance,? people tend to think you refer to
something old-fashioned, boring,? Van Assche said. ?I am totally aware
that we are living in a sportswear generation, but I feel it is my
duty?at Dior Homme even more so than at my own label?to propose an
alternative. ... I prefer to look at it as a challenge: Make elegance
radical.?
That?s the reason he selected Lagerfeld, who shoots campaigns for
Chanel, Fendi, Dom Perignon and others. ?Karl Lagerfeld represents in a
very personal way this idea of ?modern elegance,?? Van Assche
explained. ?He has extraordinary and undeniable cultural resources that
strengthened the concept of the shoot.?
One subtle change is that the ads were shot in color, ?though one could
mistake it for black-and-white,? Van Assche allowed. ?Light was used in
a radical, contrasted manner and the framing adds to the modernity of
the images.?
The models, all South American and in their mid-twenties, are also
slightly older than those in many recent Dior Homme spots. Van Assche
said his favorite image depicts a model at a window in a black suit
with a satin-collar detail on the lapels. ?It best translates the
message of modern noblesse,? he said.
Dior declined to specify budgets for the spring/summer campaign, but
Van Assche said the media spend would be on par with a year ago.
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