Review of Skims x Roberto Cavalli Ad Campaign by Photographer Nadia Lee Cohen
Skims, Kim Kardashian’s premium line of lingerie, shapewear, and loungewear, recently unveiled promotional imagery for its collaboration with Italian luxury design house Roberto Cavalli, shot by Nadia Lee Cohen, who the brand also tapped for its last luxury collaboration with Dolce&Gabbana in November.
This time, the collection sees three of Cavalli’s signature prints, taken from the brand’s archive, reimagined on swimwear silhouettes. Photorealistic tigers, zebra stripes, and charming, delicate roses meet barely-there bikinis, plunging one-pieces, hip-hugging dresses, and billowing chiffon cover-ups, all set against a backdrop that evokes the lurid sultriness of a hot summer’s day on the Amalfi coast. Warm light beams into the campaign’s set: a glamorous, mid-century space complete with wood paneling, wicker furniture, and floral wallpaper galore. It embraces retro Italian glamour; it’s your nonna’s villa, made luxe. The campaign also nods to the importance of the family unit, featuring key figures from the Kardashian-Jenner dynasty.
These motifs are further established through an accompanying video, posted on Skims’ website and Instagram account. In one, founder Kim Kardashian is shown with her mother, Kris Jenner, for whom she helps adjust a headscarf in the same Fagianella flower pattern as her own dress, sounds of a humming fan, ringing phone, and purring cat in the background. We hear a conversation on the other line, one that carries across rooms to see Kardashian lounging by the pool, preparing breakfast. There’s excitement in daily ritual, a charm in part shaped by the low-brow VHS filter the video was shot on. Skims’ videography immerses us in a world that is at once both timeless yet shaped by nostalgia for the gritty flair of ‘80s Italy, and allures us to step through the dusty haze and enter it.
Skims continues to transcend the traditional trappings of a celebrity brand, instead leaning into sincerity and world-building that lend its luxury ventures artistic credibility. With this Cavalli collaboration, it continues this evolution, transcending from simply selling viral garments to crafting narrative collections.
Photographer | Nadia Lee Cohen