Review of Valentino Nellcôte Bag 2025 Ad Campaign by Photographer Julie Greve with models Anton Pietzcker, Isabella Pascucci, Leander Martin, and Pati Bogusz
Valentino taps into a nostalgic, youth-fueled Americana with its Spring 2025 ad campaign for the Nellcôte bag. Shot by Julie Greve, the series embraces lo-fi intimacy and deliberately offbeat framing, capturing a group of young dreamers in a sun-drenched field that feels more high school summer break than high fashion.
There’s a refreshing rawness to the visuals—Greve’s eye favors softness over gloss, with overexposed sunlight, bare skin, and spontaneous movement lending the images a sense of lived-in ease. The Nellcôte bag, rendered in suede with exaggerated grommets and long fringe, acts as both a talisman and a totem—swinging from hips and slung across denim cut-offs as the cast lounges, dances, and wanders.
The styling by Danny Reed hits a deliberate mix of campy and cool: “Panther Lady” baby tees, cherry appliqués, prairie dresses, and animal prints clash playfully, underscoring a subversive kind of femininity. It’s less about polished glamour and more about owning one’s idiosyncrasies.
By leaning into this DIY, outsider energy, Valentino distances itself from its past polish and instead taps into the aesthetic of alternative youth culture—a move that mirrors the broader Gen Z affinity for authenticity, awkwardness, and nostalgia. This campaign doesn’t shout luxury—it murmurs intimacy, rebellion, and belonging.
A dreamy departure from convention, Valentino’s campaign feels like a soft-focus love letter to the outsiders, the weirdos, and the ones who run barefoot through the grass. The Nellcôte bag may be the product, but youth and self-expression are the story.
Valentino Creative Director | Alessandro Michele
Photographer | Julie Greve
Models | Anton Pietzcker, Isabella Pascucci, Leander Martin, and Pati Bogusz
Stylist | Danny Reed