Celebrity casting choices don’t often catch me by surprise – after all, most designer deck out their future ad girls in the brand’s wares for months before their partnerships are formally announced – but here we have Michelle Williams, starring in the ad campaign for two Fall 2013 Louis Vuitton Bags – the Louis Vuitton W Bag and the Louis Vuitton Capucines Bag.
The W Bag will likely remind many of you of the Celine Luggage Tote, with its flared gussets, double top handles and north-south central panel shape. The design chooses to over-emphasize the gussets in a couple of ways; first, by bringing them into the body of the bag itself, and also by outfitting them in contrasting Louis Vuitton monogram canvas on the ad version in particular. The W Bag is also available in versions that have tonal monogram at the gussets, but the contrast of print between the gussets and the body of the bag is ever-present.
The two preview ads we were given don’t depict the Capucines Bag, but longtime LV fans know what it’ll look like – the slim, trim shoulder bag with a long strap has an old Vuitton favorite, and it’s just the latest design to be reinvigorated as the brand looks to capitalize more heavily on its heritage to attract more high-spending customers.
The images, lensed by Peter Lindbergh, are pretty beautiful. I normally prefer actual models to do the work of models, but Williams looks gorgeous and has the kind of face that can do the subtly expressive work that big-campaign still photography requires. What do you think? This bag isn’t my favorite of the brand’s offerings, but I’m looking forward to seeing the images of the Capucines when the full campaign is released.
