Grace Elizabeth, Lily Aldridge Pose in Carolina Herrera Spring Campaign
ARTFUL YOUTH: For her company’s spring global advertising campaign with photographer Mario Testino, Carolina Herrera was inspired by the French neoclassical painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and she recruited up-and-coming model Grace Elizabeth to help relay his artistry.
Setting out to examine the juxtaposition between the muse and the protagonist, the images are meant to blur the lines between the main characters and supporting role. Most widely recognized for his portraits, Ingres worked in Paris, Rome and Florence, specializing in paintings that used delicate yet precise contouring and impeccably capturing his subjects expressions. The artist also favored bold colors for added ambience.
In her campaign debut for Herrera, the 19-year-old Elizabeth joined Lily Aldridge. In individual photos, each model looks relaxed in evening gowns and flat shoes, leaning against a naked man — an apparent reference to the male torsos that Ingres pictured in his own work. Not too long ago, Testino photographed another unclothed posterior — Kendall Jenner’s for a V magazine cover. Equally risque are some of the photos in his new limited-edition book “Sir” that Taschen has published. But Testino’s images for Herrera are meant to highlight the designer’s stand-alone mission, “to design clothes that make women feel and look beautiful.”
Elizabeth, who has modeled for Miu Miu, Tory Burch, Oscar de la Renta and other houses, was on the runway with Aldridge in the Victoria’s Secret show in Paris in November.
Tailoring softened by subtle details and silhouettes define the new collection. The pieces selected for the campaign exude timeless femininity and evoke a sense of sensuality. Elizabeth lounges with arms akimbo, wearing an off-the shoulder white tulle gown with a signature black grosgrain belt. And Aldridge is seen in a strapless denim with exposed boning detail. In keeping with last season’s plan, the campaign will break on the House’s social media platforms, and it will be featured in fashion and lifestyle magazines and in digital advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
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