Swide Magazine by Dolce&Gabbana

Why France's First Lady took a last minute flight to the U.S.- Stefano Gabbana reveals all.

We were in New York in 1991. Domenico and I were following the shooting of the Spring/Summer 1993 advertising campaign. Steven Meisel hadn’t planned to use the young Italian and he was skeptical, “I don’t know her or what she’s like to work with”. We were so certain she was right we would have gambled on it. In effect, we'd only known Carla for a short time; she worked with us on a catwalk show a few weeks earlier and we’d instantly fallen in love with her. She had a strong Italian personality and a Piedmont allure.

Carla didn’t appear to be shy, scared or timid. Her sparkling eyes were determined and bright. It seemed like anything was insurmountable to her, and for a girl of only twenty years old she wasn’t afraid. We were enchanted. Carla, had no desire to show her feelings in front of others, she was self confident and poised. Her personality was almost masculine and seemed to perfectly encapsulate our brand, gentle but at the same time strong. She was in control of her femininity until it exploded into a smile or even better, a laugh.

Over the years, and the many times we have since worked with her, we saw Carla smile a lot and every time it’s like a rush of femininity. Her smile is contagious, and her laugh is like a wave that sweeps you up in its arms, and to us, the reason why she's always been in demand.

“I really like the idea of involving this Italian girl”. Domenico wouldn’t rest, we had always worked in harmony with Meisel, on the campaign's concepts. This concept was "the Seventies” and we were evolving it, wanting to embrace the inspiration of a woman who was something of a gypsy, a bohemian with a rebellious side. Carla appeared to personify this very woman.

“We need to explain to Meisel again” Domenico said, as he continued to nervously kick stones on the half destroyed set. “With Carla,” said Domenico, “We have to persuade Meisel."

“I’ll handle it” I said to him looking out of the window onto Broadway that was crowded with people rushing to finish their late night shopping. I noticed Domenico smile. His eyebrows were raised as if cherishing the thought of victory, a thread of hope when all had seemed lost. We would have another attempt to get Carla involved. Our tactic would be to simply try and win Meisel over.

I went back to the hotel and called Carla. There wasn’t any time to lose. “We’ve convinced Meisel, and we want to put you in our campaign!” She was enthusiastic and continued to thank us. At that time she wasn't yet known as “Carla Bruni top model” but was a strong, young woman starting her career as a model after completing her studies at The Sorbonne. “We can’t waste any time, you have to get to New York ASAP” we urged her. “Ok, don’t worry, I’ll take Concorde” she said.

The day after, Meisel raised an enthusiastic eyebrow in front of the charming bohemian, Domenico was literally skipping on set, laughing and laughing with the future first lady of France.

Stefano Gabbana

 

 

Source: Stefano Gabbana

Photo Credit: Getty Images

TAGS: celebrities stefano gabbana domenico dolce carla bruni steven meisel new york ss 1993 the seventies