Meh...

You know what kills me? What kills me is when you're looking forward to something and in the end all that excitement was for nothing. Anticlimax. Unmet expectations. Disappointment. Whatever you decide to call it, the feeling is a frustrating one. It pains me to say that it's exactly how I'm feeling about the hot-off-the-presses Givenchy S/S 2010 campaign, which debuted on WWD yesterday. Why was I looking forward to it you might ask, given that I was left feeling pretty indifferent about the collection? For starters, the cast. Oh it's not some eclectic ensemble of girls like it has been in past seasons, nor was there news that some super or another was making an appearance, not that either of those things would automatically whip me into a frenzy of breathless excitement anyway. But when I read that Tisci's go-to Givenchy girl MCB (that's Mariacarla Boscono to civilians) would be joined by Natalia Vodianova, my interest was piqued. I've made it clear that I'm by no means an avid follower of models, but I consider both Mariacarla and Natalia to be talented, which is an increasing rarity these days. I think I also have a soft spot for both of them since I can remember their individual rises to icon status. Plus, I was interested in seeing what Mert & Marcus would do with their second campaign for the label since their first effort was solid, though somewhat reserved by their standards.

As it turned out this season the campaign may as well have been by ex-Givenchy photogs Inez & Vinoodh, because it looked almost exactly like some of their Givenchy campaigns. That, my friends, is just the very big tip of the sucky iceberg. Granted M&M's campaign last season wasn't exactly their normal fare, but I just don't get the point of ditching every last thing you're known for, especially if it's in favor of something that someone else has done. On the other hand I have to question the decisions made by Tisci and his team. Why hire Mert & Marcus if you're not going to let them do their signature work? Granted their aesthetic can get a little grating sometimes, but it's distinct enough that you would never mistake it as another photographer's work. But this campaign, you would never guess it to be theirs. The fact that M&M resorted to a predictable Givenchy campaign formula of a group of models striking unposed poses in coordinating clothes is made even worse by the fact that neither Natalia or Mariacarla are at their best here. They're just sort of lifelessly staring into the camera, and on top of that Natalia's hair was inexplicably dyed brown. It does nothing for her, and paired with MCB she's basically overshadowed because she looks pretty much unrecognizable at first glance.

I will say this though, the clothes are shown very well, especially in the middle shot, and at the end of the day that is basically the point of an ad campaign. But then you could argue that a good campaign should do more than just display the product, it should make you crave it and if it's a really good ad, crave the life it's portraying as well. The thing is that there really isn't anything to hate about the campaign, but there really isn't anything to love about it either from where I'm sitting. Okay, so maybe that's not entirely true. There is one thing to love; Simon Nessman. He makes the campaign worth looking at more than once, for no other reason than the fact that he's unnaturally beautiful. It's shallow, yes, but it's as good a reason as any to pay attention to something. And really, you'd probably be lying if you said you didn't like the view of him as well.

images from WWD.com via Flashbang at the Fashion Spot