Riccardo Tisci’s A#8, and indeed his wider aesthetic, borders a fine line between extremes. With a sense of the perverse, the darker underbelly clashing with the demure, Tisci divines a rebellious streak through the bold yet classic halls of Hubert de Givenchy’s fashion house.
These images of supermodel Raquel Zimmermann embody this eclectic and obtuse perspective of beauty celebrated by Riccardo, in their blend of glamour and domesticity, provocation and mediocrity. Photographed by world-acclaimed Italian photographer Mario Sorrenti and styled by the fashion director of L’Uomo Vogue George Cortina, the pictures portray Raquel reclining nude on a vinyl booth, surrounded by the remnants of a Japanese meal and walls plastered with semi-nude portraits of Japanese women. Her only adornment is a slick of sky blue eyeshadow and a pair of gold patent platform shoes from Givenchy Autumn Winter 2008.
In the image below she is joined by a a smiling older man, bespectacled and grasping a camera in one hand, with one of the wall portraits printed to his tee shirt. Raquel is entirely unwaved by his presence, continuing to pose for Sorrenti’s lens regardless of the voyeur who joins her on the red vinyl.
Eerie and suggestive, the pictures leave a sense of mystery for the viewer, with the lingering question: will she be on that wall or a tshirt next?
