AMERICAN DREAM
Byline: Lisa Lockwood
NEW YORK — Ralph’s doing “clean and racy,” Calvin’s going global with Kate and Christy, and those black and white devotees — Guess and Donna Karan — are getting into color.
The fashion industry’s biggest ad spenders here are combining print, outdoor and, in some cases, TV, to make a splash this spring.
And spending is up at most of the high profile houses, thanks in large part to their licensees, which are featured in many of the season’s campaigns.
Among the spring highlights:
Polo/Ralph Lauren has created a print and outdoor campaign, tying together its new women’s fragrance called Ralph Lauren Sport Woman and the men’s activewear line under the Polo Sport label. The spring campaign, shot by Bruce Weber, features bold images of Tyson, as well as nautical shots featuring the Dreyfuss brothers, who are competing in the Olympics, and Bridget Hall.
Hall and Tyson will also appear on bus strips to advertise Polo Sport and the fragrance. The ads will run on buses and billboards in New York and Los Angeles, as well as beach kiosks in Malibu and phone kiosks in downtown San Francisco. The company has also begun a TV fragrance campaign for Ralph Lauren Sport Woman on broadcast and cable TV, also shot by Weber.
Patrick Demarchelier has photographed a “clean and racy” Ralph Lauren Collection campaign, reflecting the spring line. In some cases the ads, which feature Kirsty Hume, combine fashion and accessories. Lauren will advertise Collection in the New York Times, New York magazine, Vanity Fair and W, and for the first time, Variety. Fashion and accessories portfolios will run in Vogue, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar.
After years of black-and-white image campaigns, Guess has taken a totally new direction with its women’s campaign, using psychedelic images, shot by Wayne Maser. Guess is running eight-page inserts in the February issues of Details, Elle, W, Harper’s Bazaar and Vanity Fair. The company has also increased its outdoor presence. And, as reported, Guess will run a commercial in movie theaters and on TV, starting Feb. 5, starring Juliette Lewis.
Calvin Klein Inc. is taking a multifaceted approach to its spring campaign.
“In general, [the budgets] for our spring campaigns across all the brands have been increased significantly and reflect global commitment in terms of jeans, CK and the women’s Collection,” said Marty Rose, executive vice president of Calvin Klein Inc., who heads CRK Advertising, Klein’s in-house agency.
The CK Jeans campaign will be a continuation of what began at the end of 1995, after Klein killed his now notoriously controversial CK campaign. Starring Kate Moss, the ads “reflect a hip, ageless target and a focus on fashion, united by the rock culture.”
“It’s a mind-set, not a demographic,” added Rose.
The CK Jeans, CK and Collection ads were photographed by Steven Meisel.
CK Jeans has expanded its print list to include such titles as Wired, Live, Transworld Snowboarding, Transworld Skateboard and George, said Rose. It will have a larger presence outdoors this spring, as the division has added more cities and more placements on buses and phone kiosks.
The CK bridge line, also featuring Moss, will reflect the “fashion forward, modern person,” Rose added.
Christy Turlington continues to be the model for Collection and Collection Accessories. “We’ll see a lot of color and a modern feeling,” said Rose, who noted an emphasis on spreads in Vogue, Elle, Vanity Fair and W.
For women’s underwear, the company will return to TV in a campaign featuring Turlington, shot by Patrick Demarchelier. It will debut in March for one month and will run nationally and in spot markets. The Donna Karan Co., with its overall ad budget increased by 20 percent, is crazy about color for spring, and its DKNY ads, which break in March magazines, reflect that mood. The campaign, shot by Peter Lindbergh, features Anna K., Emma Balfour and Guinevere, as well as Mark Vanderloo and Alex. The first flight of the campaign in March and April highlights DKNY sportswear, accessories and footwear in such colors as acid green, bright yellow and orange, and the second flight, in April and May, moves into pastel colors.
The DKNY women’s eight- and four-page inserts will appear in March in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair and Elle. Pages will also appear in W, Allure, Details, Detour, Mademoiselle, Marie Claire and Self, as well as numerous European magazines. The ads will also appear on buses in London, New York and Chicago, as well as billboards in Los Angeles, New York and London. There will also be underground posters in the London tube stations, as well as in New York and Chicago subways and on phone kiosks in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
In addition, 200,000 copies of DKNY’S 28-page image book will be polybagged with the March issue of Interview.
As for the Collection, Mario Testino shot Shalom wearing various items from the designer line.
The Collection ads will run as four-page inserts in Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, W and Italian Vogue. Singles and spreads will also appear in Harper’s Bazaar, Vanity Fair, W, the New York Times and Harpers & Queen, British Vogue, World of Interiors , German Vogue, French Vogue, Madame Figaro and Bolero.
Ellen Tracy’s spring campaign will highlight a multidimensional eight-page insert that will run in Vogue, W, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar, Town & Country, Gourmet and Architectural Digest. The ads, shot by Marc Hom, will feature Niki Taylor and will be a combination of color and black and white. They were shot in designer Linda Allard’s Connecticut country home. The ads repeat the question asked in previous seasons: “What Should I Wear?” and the response, “You Know the Answer.”
Ellen Tracy will spend between $4 million and $5 million on its spring campaign, up by a double-digit amount, said Donald Ziccardi, president and chief executive officer of Ziccardi & Partners, Ellen Tracy’s ad agency.
For Company Ellen Tracy, its casual division, Ellen Tracy will show model Emma Balfour in a striped red and white T-shirt. While keeping the merchandise constant, photographer Paul Lang has captured the model’s various emotional states. Company’s spring ad budget is $3 million, up practically 100 percent from last spring, said Ziccardi. Anne Klein II will spend $1.5 million this spring, which is even with last year. The company has decided to bypass a Collection campaign and instead reach its customers through direct mail and a 32-page Look Book.
As for Anne Klein II, Peter Arnell shot the campaign, which features Amber Valletta. The ads will also appear outdoors, on a wall on 57th Street, as well as on king-size bus panels between Feb. 1 and April 1.
The Anne Klein II ads will run in Elle, Vogue and Vanity Fair, as well as the New York Times Magazine, Marie Claire and W.