Review of Dolce & Gabbana Holiday 2024 Ad Campaign by Creative Directors Charles Levai and Kevin Tekinel Photographer Gordon von Steiner with models Awar Odhiang, Felice Nova Noordhoff, Kit Butler, Lulu Tenney, Mathieu Simoneau
Dolce & Gabbana breaks the fourth wall with a festive exploration of the making of elegance in its Holiday 2024 campaign. With creative direction from Charles Levai and Kevin Tekinel, the campaign was shot and directed by Gordon von Steiner.
The short film takes a cleverly self-referential look at the making of a high-fashion vision of holiday elegance, both meeting our expectation for a polished Dolce & Gabbana holiday campaign while subverting them by peering behind the scenes at their creation. In a bright studio space, the cast of top models pose in festive and formal ensembles while a sweeping soundtrack provides rapturous romanticism – but only for a moment, as soon director calls “cut,” a swarm of stage techs (played in turn by the other models) dressed in all-black swarm in, and a new soundscape of work sounds, upbeat jazz, or holiday melody takes over. Other fun moments come when Lulu Tenney shoes away an assistant makeup artist, Kit Butler plays with the artificial snow, and the whole cast goes from casually chatting to instantly locking in for poses with Tyra-worthy tension.
The accompanying still photographs similarly capture this dual energy, with intricate group compositions finding a playful yet elegant tension between the hectic buzz of a fashion shoot and the seemingly effortless poise of the final image.
The campaign is a smart way to capture the festivity of holiday season gifting and dressing while still finding a fresh concept and a classically high-fashion perspective – one that feels unmistakably Dolce & Gabbana.
Dolce & Gabbana Creative Directors | Domenico Dolce & Stefano Gabbana
Creative Directors | Charles Levai & Kevin Tekinel
Director & Photographer | Gordon von Steiner
Models | Awar Odhiang, Felice Nova Noordhoff, Kit Butler, Lulu Tenney, Mathieu Simoneau
Stylist | Emmanuelle Alt