Stefanel Spring Summer 2010

The Stefanel ads that we have long been awaiting have just been released. Daria replaces Gisele Bundchen as the face of the Italian brand but it seems as if with Gisele's departure a sense of the brand has been lost. 

Stefanel campaigns are known for Gisele and her obvious sexiness - after all she has been the face of the brand for the past six seasons. And try as Mario Testino might I don't think he will ever be able to capture Daria's unusual beauty with such obvious poses and settings. 

Stefanel Spring Summer 2010: Daria by Mario Testino

It is interesting to note that Daria replaces Gisele in the Stefanel campaign, just as she did for Vogue eye wear back in 2008. They seem like such different models to me so I find it random that the fashion industry considers them of the same caliber (and I say this with no offense to Gisele or Daria. I love them both but they are quite different).  However there will be more images in the campaign to look forward to so I'm not going to base my opinion on just one shot.

On another note, it seems that the Go West editorial isn't Daria's only appearance in Vogue this month. If you head over to Vogue.com, there is a Best Dressed of the Decade poll and Daria makes an appearance along with the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and Sofia Coppola. Her Balmain LBD she wore to the Costume Institute Gala is one of the choices for 2009. Needless to say, I think you know who I voted for!

image credits: scanned by fujiko at tFS

Vogue US January 2010 : Go West by Patrick Demarchelier

"Go West", Daria's editorial in the January issue of Vogue US, heralds the start of a new decade in fashion and a new decade in Daria's career. I had high hopes for this editorial and it didn't leave me disappointed. It's a refreshing take on the Vogue travel editorial and Demarchelier lends his lens to a visionary American locale.

Go West
Vogue US January 2010
Daria Werbowy by Patrick Demarchelier


Go West was shot in Lake Powell, a stunning reservoir in Utah and the location lends its unique serenity to the pictures. Maybe it is the National Geographic subscriber in me (I am quite biased when it comes to travel editorials) because I love this. The opening shot is particularly great as is the portrait of Daria in a head piece. As is the shot with the horse ... and the Balmain on the bike ... and ... I could go on and on but you get the idea. There is actually nothing bad I can say about this other than that I wish it was a few pages longer. It is also a great thing to see Daria still appearing in issues of Vogue - it is one of the few magazines that stays loyal to their favourite models. I hope this loyalty continues throughout 2010 ... Tigerrouge at the Fashion Spot said it best- this is one issue of Vogue US that I will not miss out on!

source: scanned by Luxx at the Fashion Spot

Balmainia Continued ...

It seems that I was wrong on Balmain's seeming exclusivity. I had lamented on the fact that it was so hard to find any pictures from behind the scenes, but I've recently stumbled upon quite a few. You may have seen the same set ups from previous posts but albeit these are at different angles. There are some new shots as well including Daria and Balmain designer Christophe Decarnin ... I'll find it quite hard to believe if Daria doesn't end up with the Balmain campaign!

There is also something else to add. Daria has her first editorial of the new decade (funny how the fashion world is already a month ahead of the real world!) in the January 2010 issue of Vogue US. It is entitled "Go West" and the man behind the lens is photographer Patrick Demarchelier. If you can recall, earlier this year Daria appeared in Indian Summer in Vogue UK . Judging from the title of the Vogue US editorial and Patrick Demarchelier's penchance for travel editorials it might be another location piece. But Demarchelier is also known for his studio work at Vogue so it could go either way.

A Look at Things to Come

It's been confirmed - Daria will be the latest face of DSquared in the Spring Summer 2010 campaign. And since news is lacking I might as well post a few of my predictions on the campaign ... we had heard that Daria was shooting the campaign in Morocco a few weeks ago, and now there is more news. 

Mert and Marcus are reprising their roles as campaign photographers after the Fall Winter 2009 campaign with Lara Stone. And if that campaign is any indication of what is to come, and the fact that the shoot took place in the colorful city of Morocco then I believe we can expect a few elements of hedonism ... 

Daria isn't the only model to star in the campaign. Brazilian Arthur Sales and American model Kyle Ledeboer, both of whom can be seen above. It was honestly impossible to find a picture of these two with a shirt! It will be interesting to see how this dynamic turns out, with these two relative newcomers and Daria, the veteran.

I have to say that I am a bit apprehensive to hear that Mert and Marcus shot the campaign. I feel as though if you see one of their editorials, then you've seen them all. Although I can appreciate their stylized take on women I always feel that their shoots are a bit lifeless ... it is odd that when they want to depict a strong women they often come off looking like cyborgs. However, if the Longchamp campaign of FW09 is any indication of what the DSquared campaign will look like, then I do have high hopes!

Spring Summer 2009: Lara Stone by Mert and Marcus
I was hoping that the campaign would have been shot by Steven Meisel, but I think this is impossible now. Meisel hasn't worked with Daria in years for what reason I am not sure ... but for your time, some campaigns shot by Meisel. The SS09 campaign with Linda and Naomi was legendary!

In the Midst of Chaos

Trust Daria to walk in the most elusive show of Paris fashion week. In fact, I think Balmain is the most guarded presentation of all fashion weeks, save maybe for Maison Martin Margiela. What I mean to say is that pictures from Daria's appearance have been very hard to find. It seems that every backstage photography site that I come across has every show's images uploaded except for Balmain. In fact, the backstage images took a few weeks to surface! That is why, when visiting a favourite site of mine today it was quite the treat to come upon a beautiful image like this:

Daria was captured through the lens of Delphine Achard, a talented French beauty photographer who manages to capture great portraits amidst the backstage chaos. If you have time visit her site at www.delphineachard.com . I've written about backstage photography before but I will say it again - I love how photographers like Delphine manage to capture the little secluded moments in the busiest of times ...  Hopefully there are more images like this but for now I think we can be pleased! And if that image isn't enough to intrigue you take a look at more of Achard's images below.

P.S. Daria's appearance in a SS10 DSquared campaign is all but confirmed ... but more on that later!