'She left the web, she left the room,
she made three paces through the room,
she saw the water lily bloom,
she saw the helmet and the plume,
she look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide,
the mirror crack'd from side to side -
'The curse is come upon me!' cried
the Lady of Shalot.'
Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Ah vanity, you fickle, fickle friend. While it is of course necessary to have a degree of self-love lest we spiral into a depression-filled and angst-ridden pit we are always warned against the perils of being overly self-conscious. Those who are constantly primping and preening, who ruffle their proverbial feathers like a peacock at every opportunity, who care more about appearance than they do intelligence, who spend every waking hour looking in mirrors... These people are to be avoided at all costs because they are clearly so self-absorbed that they cannot see how silly they look.
But the Lanvin Ad Campaign of Spring/Summer 09 certainly turned those notions on their heads. featuring an impeccably dressed woman throughout (think those stunning bejewelled heels, assymetrical dresses in rainbow brights and handbags so embellished they might feed a small african country) the ads show her reclining on lounges, posing in a beautiful belle-epoque parisian apartment (where else) invariably facing a mirror. In one picture she leans towards it sensually, puckering her crimson red lips towards her own reflection.
What is it with human fascination with their reflections? Is it because of 'natural curosity'? I don't even know, but i can't name a friend of mine who doesn't check herself out when passing glass or mirrors. Even the ones who are self-conscious, myself included, can't help themselves when in the bathroom, fixing their hair and pulling faces...
There is a real beauty in this image as you are getting double the lanvin in the one shot. It's very cleverly done, the campaign tells the story of this bright young thing decked out in gorgeous jewel toned lanvin and the extravagant lanvin statement accesories. But in many shots some of these elements are hidden except in the reflection. The second image shows how the beautiful jewelled necklace can be seen only in the reflection, a slightly eery thing for an ad campaign, and certainly not the norm.
What i think is most interesting about this campaign is the added effect of voyeurism. There is the sense that this woman, haplessly flirting with her own reflection and posing sensually has no idea that the camera is recording her every movement. In polite society it does not do to reveal that you are seduced by a mirror, but in the comfort of your own home you can pose and primp and preen to you heart's content. Who hasn't done that?
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