First of all, I’m sorry for the delay ‘cause I wanted to do this post yesterday, but… the last two days I simply had no time to write it, or at least do a decent one. That said, a very important preamble: take this post as a work in progress. I mean, usually I’d wait a little time to have more material to share, and I mean the chance to have bigger and better images and specifically the opportunity to share videos longer than the 4 teasers I’m going to post too, but… because of Euro 2012 (and my being a huge fan of Netherlands national football team – for the record: a huge D’OH for how things, even if not exactly or completely unexpected, went…) I decided to do these “Oranje Dagen”, so post only about Dutch models for some days, so – how could I not take this wonderful opportunity to close them mentioning a wonderful model like Daphne Groeneveld, that I simply adore and who here looks greater than ever? Btw, briefly the point is I’ll probably edit the post in the future and update the material (both images and videos).

So: Daphne. Better, Daphne in this version which has personally been not only welcome but… ok, we’ll see it, now time for objective considerations, both about the single campaign and how it can be compared to the previous “Be iconic” one.

(yep, not in the PS, but this new HQ image is part of the updates)

Even I can’t exactly consider that a actually very successful shot or at least the one which seems to represent for the best the campaign (and Daphne’s beauty too if you want), that is probably what you had the chance to see in any perfumery you happened to visit in the last few days. Btw there’s more to see,

designscene.net

and I’m not only talking about images:

In the longer TV commercial you’ll have the chance to see Daphne wearing a red skirt, dancing and showing a (for someone unexpected – hehe not me!, and I want to underline it…) wonderful side of her… ok, if you haven’t seen the video and don’t get what I mean, you certainly will when you watch it… :)

Btw… ok, once I say if you’re curious (the way I always am in these things) the song is “I Love You, Ono” (Stereo Total – cover of “I Love You, Oh No!” by Japanese band The Plastics),

(for the record, exactly what I’m listening to while I’m writing this post… dear old loop… and: the title of the song gave me a good opportunity to underline “I love you, Daphne” in the title…)

what to say about such a campaign?

There could be a good number of considerations, but at least three are in my opinion essential and crucial:

-a reflection about Dior Addict and how the “Be iconic” campaign totally changed compared to the one with Kate Moss;

-a couple of considerations about what Dior proposed with Monika Jagaciak for the Resort 2012 campaign and the interesting suggestion it represents;

-a more extemporary point of view about Daphne and what THIS Dior Addict world suggests.

So

1)

no, in the first point I won’t dig that deep, I won’t consider any Dior Addict old campaign ‘cause I guess it would simply have no sense (for 1000 reasons I won’t write about now), no, let’s be a little more recent:

Dior Addict – Dior Makeup with Kate Moss

I’m not a fan of Kate, I’ve never been and I never will I guess, but: who better than her to embody a “Be iconic” campaign? Everybody knows her so she just has to play herself, in fact more than a model she’s certainly a testimonial (there’s a huge difference, sure there is) who somehow proposes herself for what she is and most important how she’s perceived: an iconic model most of the people know and who embodies at the same time cool and somehow unapproachable vibes of fashionable glamour. Ok, about that we all agree I guess, but – what’s happening now? I mean, the point is crucial: we don’t have to care if the campaign is about a new fragrance or not, what exactly it is about in fact (don’t forget it, in fashion with perfumes more than with anything else “The medium is the message”, and you really can’t find a referent, something beyond it… I mean, sure there is, every perfume has its own real identity and characteristics, but campaigns are certainly focused on something else – maybe we’ll see it another time…) isn’t so important, the point is we have those same Dior Addict and “Be iconic” brand and signature, and the thing somehow force us to connect it to what came right before.

I mean, “Be iconic” would already offer interesting suggestions by itself, but right after what we had the chance to see with Kate Moss we’re somehow forced to have certain expectations, and this campaign from this point of view may have disappointed some. I mean: Daphne plays the part of a lively and jaunty girl, graceful and blooming with brightness and a lighthearted, playful and cheeky (in the very good and somehow naïve acceptation) “joie de vivre”. You like it?, not so much?, you find it simply marvelous (the way I do, but ok, that’s point 3…)?, ok, but – what about Dior Addict and the “Be iconic” vision?

2)

Yes, you read it right above, I mentioned Monika Jagaciak, and the Resort 2012 campaign, by Ellen von Unwerth; I did a (very positive) post about it some months ago (click for the link), but here some shots to give you an idea of what I mean:

And better, to give you an idea of what I think, here a copy & paste from that post with the conclusion too:

If Dalida sang “I found my love in Portofino”, talking about models I found mine in Poznan. A Monika Jagaciak who’s one of the most outstandingly solid and reliable options on the runway, such an astonishing choice talking about makeup campaigns, and way more than that – this is a good demonstration.

…

What I adored the most is Monika floating between the “young woman” / “grown-up girl” parts in such a lovely, gently seducing and captivating way. Yep, you’re right, there are a lot of shots so maybe some are more successful than others, but the “light-hearted ritzy playfulness” (and, why not?, sometimes “coquetry”) that comes out is such a marvelous pleasure I literally loved.

What?, what did I write about, “light-hearted ritzy playfulness” (and, why not?, sometimes “coquetry”)? Yes, there are a lot of suggestions from this point of view: but what there is of different compared to what Daphne did for the Addict campaign is that sense of glamorous exclusivity, some kind of coquetry somehow fresh and lively but not exactly naïve, and a way more refined and sophisticated femininity. Oh, yes, and before I forget: all that brings us to those “diva vibes” I already mentioned above talking about the campaign with Kate Moss, which whether the model is recognizable (Monika is a great and established model, one of the best around in fact, but maybe not exactly everyone knows her the way it happens with Kate) or not are powerfully in those shots (and the video – yep, there’s a video too, you can find it in that post).

The conclusion is quite simple: ok, you wanted you give a touch of jaunty yet still refined freshness both to Dior Addict and the “Be iconic” signature, but if you didn’t want to totally reinvent both and somehow turn over a new leaf losing what you proposed before and a coherent vision of a renewed, younger, fresher but still ritzy diva which you could have successfully used in the future too (obviously you still can, but without that same continuity), I think that campaign, the one with Monika for the Dior Cruise collection, somehow represents a perfect and quintessential vision of what I would have expected. Obvious, if we don’t consider the will to propose a new branding, which is obviously what happened in fact…

3)

All that said, I have to say I found Daphne simply marvelous; proposing such a joyfully confident femininity and seduction she practically had to reinvent the “Be iconic” concept (in this case not self-sufficient / internal but clearly external, which exists and successful is in most part as a reference to something else – see Brigitte Bardot and a movie specifically, “Et Dieu… créa la femme”), and she successfully did. If you know me a little you have an idea of how I love her talking about runway, and because of the uniqueness she expresses, her beauty, the body structure, really whatever; from a lot of points of view this campaign has personally been very welcome.

What I loved the most is… ok the bright, playful and lively suggestions, but what I really love is how there’s something else, so Daphne playing the part of a girl who still proposes a fascinating seduction. So yes, she’s confident because of the appeal of her intriguing beauty, her irresistible attitude, and she does it like no one could have done. The way she walks down those stairs, she wonderfully lies under the sun in bikini, she joyfully dances and sends kisses, everything is a marvelous piece of a puzzle representing a lively and jaunty girl, graceful and blooming with brightness and a lighthearted, playful and cheeky (in the very good and somehow naïve acceptation) “joie de vivre”, and who makes amazingly coexist confidence and a genuine ironic flirty seduction. That capacity is something only few have, and Daphne here had the chance to show she’s certainly part of the exclusive club.

PS here we are, as I wrote at the beginning of the post – time for an update! Here the longer video:

Here you can see more clear references to “Et Dieu… créa la femme” (“And God Created Woman”), by Roger Vadim, obviously with the wonderful Brigitte Bardot (or simply BB if you prefer…). And the shiny bright and simply irresistible beauty and attitude of Daphne…

Here too: check Diori Addict website for a world of wonderful bright (yes: and so, so marvelously enchanting) contents (www.dioraddict.dior.com).