Madonna for Versace. Joan for Céline. Sicilian grandmothers for Dolce & Gabbana. The spring 2015 ad campaigns have been surprisingly, awesomely, age-diverse. And yesterday, Barneys effectively dropped the mic, by revealing its new campaign, “Better Than Ever.” Photographed by Bruce Weber, the campaign stars a posse of ten O.G. models letting their hair down in Miami. The women range from their late 30s to their mid 60s, and include industry legends like Pat Cleveland, Stephanie Seymour, and Brooke Shields. In the most iconic image, Christie Brinkley is worshipped, as she should be, by a team of younger men in speedos. We asked Bruce how it felt to reunite with one of his favorite supermodels:
“I went to Las Vegas with Christie Brinkley for one of my first jobs for Italian Vogue [in 1983]. I was really nervous. We were all waiting for Christie downstairs in the casino and when she walked into the room, in a sequined showgirl outfit, the place literally stopped. Everyone turned away from playing the slots and blackjack to look — it was as if the music had stopped and the machines had suddenly gone silent.”
“When we shot this campaign for Barneys, Christie brought it all home again. We were gathered around the pool photographing and filming all the guys doing their Rockettes routine, like they were in a present-day Busby Berkeley musical. She walked on set and all the guys got distracted and missed their cues. Christie felt right at home, knowing that she was the star of the show once again.”
Credits
Text Alice Newell-Hanson
Images Bruce Weber