Review of Valentino Beauty Spring 2021 Ad Campaign by Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli and Director Oliver Hadlee Pearch with models Devon Ross, Giovanni Valentini, Harry Browse, Jill Kortleve, Maja Zimnoch, Malika Louback, Mariacarla Boscono, Mika Schneider, Sophia Hyldtoft, Teddy Corsica, Wang Chenming, Yacine Diop and Zinzi Fauci
Valentino Beauty celebrates the launch of its first makeup line with a big, bold, and beautiful new campaign. Photographed by the house’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli, and with film direction by Oliver Hadlee Pearch, the campaign joyously captures the collection’s ideal of beauty for all.
Romantic, joyful, and dramatic, Piccioli’s portraits convey an incredible amount of personality and expression, drawing the viewer into a world of personal beauty that feels both idealized and down to earth.
The imagery takes two smart approaches to convey an idea of versatile beauty behind the cosmetics line. First, the cast is diverse in terms of skin color and gender expression, hitting a strong note of inclusivity and universality. Second, the various applications of the makeup itself are quite diverse: from a more traditional evening-out smokey eye or barely-there foundation to swirling ink liner experimentations – and of course, lipstick in iconic Valentino red – the imagery runs the entire range of cosmetic expression.
The campaign also does smart work to subtly highlight the products’ packaging – an important element of beauty and fragrance campaigns – which features a luxurious Valentino red finish with gold accents and hardware. The designs are well-considered to fit smoothly into the rest of the maison’s visual oeuvre.
Hadlee Pearch’s film works as both a moving extension of these still portraits, and a behind-the-scenes document of the campaign’s making. It’s a rare joy to get to see the models having such fun moments of playfulness and connection on the set of the shoot. Rather than the haughty pretentiousness that characterizes many beauty campaigns, this one feels honest, welcoming, quirky, and accessible – but still very beautiful.
Valentino Creative Director | Pierpaolo Piccioli
Photographer | Pierpaolo Piccioli
Director | Oliver Hadlee Pearch
Models | Devon Ross, Giovanni Valentini, Harry Browse, Jill Kortleve, Maja Zimnoch, Malika Louback, Mariacarla Boscono, Mika Schneider, Sophia Hyldtoft, Teddy Corsica, Wang Chenming, Yacine Diop and Zinzi Fauci
Stylist | Joe McKenna
Hair | Paul Hanlon
Makeup | Raoul Alejandre