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ove triangles centring around the often oblivious protagonist have always been a literary staple, from classic works such as Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice to modern pop culture phenomena such as Bridget Jones Diary and Twilight. They are everywhere. Therefore it is not surprising that Prada have used this ever-present concept on the complications of love in their latest perfume advertising campaign seeing as it is synonymous with seduction and getting what you want.
irstly Prada Candy L’Eau has taken a more playful and youthful approach than its predecessor Prada Candy as suggested through its fun and decadent set. The image is taken from part 2 of the Prada Candy Short Film directed by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Anderson’s spirited art direction and influence is very evident within the shot. Those familiar with Anderson and Coppola’s collaborative work will acknowledge that all their films have a particular look and feel about them; from the set design to the colour palettes,
which arguably is further continued within this image. For example, the Persian rug and Victorian styled panelled walls are emulative of the décor of the Tenenbaum House as featured in The Royal Tenenbaums. Along with the chandelier, this set styling gives the image a strong sense of decadence and richness. However, cleverly as not to make it feel too old and stuffy, the bright balloons and streamers create juxtaposition when entangled in the grand chandelier, bringing the photo back down to its rightful playful atmosphere.
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urthermore the styling of the models further emphasises the idea of the love triangle. Whilst the two male models are undoubtedly dressed very similarly, there is one key difference between them; the white shirt and black turtleneck. Along with giving the image a retro feel, this yin and yang style suggests their opposing personalities, whilst the fact that the rest of their clothing is very similar suggests that they both want the same thing; the girl. Further highlighting this idea is the light seen inbetween the male models legs. There is no coincidence that the light on the darker dressed model is red, as these two colours together give us ideas of danger and passion. Whilst the bright light with the model in white suggests goodness and safety. Red and white has been a prolific feature in classic literature such as in Hardy’s 1891 novel Tess of d’Urbervilles. Red and White is used to foreshadow and symbolise danger and virtue, both of which Tess experiences through the two men in her life; Alec and Angel, therefore also creating a love triangle.
oreover, the female model’s styling also reflects her personality; and thus the character of ‘Candy’ and essence of the fragrance. Coppola describes the character of Candy as “someone who is playful and mysterious... the ultimate woman.” This delight and mystery is perfectly portrayed by the styling of the female model through her clothing. Candy’s cream knee length dress suggests her fun, sweet nature. However this is contrasted by her red heels, which suggest her more seductive, mysterious side; further made evident by the clear suggestion that she is playing these two doting men.
Furthermore the models hairstyling and in particular her fringe is very key to this image as it reflective of the art-deco design of the bottle and is reminiscent of Bettie Page. Through the use of such a powerful pop culture reference such as Page, ‘Queen of Pinups’ whom following her death was summed up perfectly by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner “an iconic figure in pop culture who influenced sexuality, taste in fashion, someone who had a tremendous impact on our society”, Prada have not only referenced an era with the 1950’s styling but they have also immeasurably added to sensuality of the image.
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he styling is also very emulative of events such as the 1971 Proust Ball and Truman Capote’s 1966 Black and White Ball, adding to the illustriousness of the image. As alike to how people throughout America at the time wanted a piece of Capote’s event, as suggested by the extensive media coverage, for example CBS News reported on the night “This is how the other half lives... we know you were not rich, social, or beautiful enough to be invited, or you wouldn’t be up watching the news” we as consumers strive for the fun and decadent lifestyle that these characters are experiencing.
When Geordie Greig reinvented the ailing magazine Tatler in the 90’s, countless pages became dedicated to ‘the most invited’ and the best parties around including extensive coverage of the each years coveted Bystander Ball. Thus renewing the zeitgeist and showing how even in modern society our need for wanting this type of lifestyle is still evident and appropriately Prada have successfully capitalized on this desire.
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ithin the image Prada cement their brand essence through their use of typography. It is clear that Prada chose not to differentiate from their signature typeface in naming the fragrance, even though this is quite common. As when creating concurrent annual fragrances brands often aim to differentiate and make each new fragrance stand out with different fonts alongside the consistent brand name. For example this can be seen in Thierry Mugler’s fragrances when the typography reflects the name and spirit of the perfume. However Prada’s unique and persistent typeface is effective as its consistency mirrors Prada’s brand identity, clarifying the brand message to the consumer throughout their different product ranges. It is also worth noting how the fragrance has been cleverly named ‘Prada Candy L’Eau’ which gives the name strength and significance as I feel that instead naming it ‘Candy L’Eau by Prada’ or such like would have suggested a weaker, very different image concept with more girly connotations and less feminine power.
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herefore, in conclusion the image is strong in that it does not sacrifice the brands strong identity but through the art direction and collaboration with Coppola and Anderson it may become open to a new, different consumer group. However the image fails to clarify what it is actually advertising. I feel a small image could have been included of the perfume bottle to clarify the objective of the advert, especially as the design of the bottle with its sharp bottle top is mimicked in the models hairstyling. Furthermore doing so would have also been beneficial to the brand in working as a selling device, as many consumers base their first judgements on a perfume on how the bottle looks. Overall I feel like the image is effective as it successfully portrays the perfumes’ playful yet mysterious nature whilst also appealing to the consumer through its interpretable story and theme of romance.
Bibliography
Bibliography cont
The Wes Anderson Collection, Matt Zoller Seitz, New York, Abrams Books, 2013 Advertising as Culture, Chris Warton, Intellect, 2013 Fashion Brands: Branding Style from Armani to Zara, Mark Tungate, Kogan Page 2008 Colour and meaning: Art Science and Symbolism, John Gage, London, Thames & Hudson, 1999 Colour in Art, Stefano Zuffi, Antwerpen, Ludion, 2012 Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy, Wordsworth Editions LTD, 1992 Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and his Black and White Ball, Deborah Davis, John Wiley and Sons, 2006 Tatler Volume 308 Number 10, Conde Nast Publications, October 2013 Tatler Volume 308 Number 8, Conde Nast Publications, August 2013
References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnsXlxYiH6c http://www.prada.com/en/fragrances-female/prada-candy-eau-making-video http://poetry.rapgenius.com/Wes-anderson-the-royal-tenenbaums http://ministryoffear.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/literatures-most-touching-love-triangles/ http://www.imdb.com http://gb.pinterest.com/karenwangnola/truman-capotes-black-andwhite-ball/¬ http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/ red-and-white-emily-stauring.jpg http://www.color-wheel-pro.com/color-meaning.html http://alias.dj/blog/type-and-fashion-for-form-magazine/ http://poetry.rapgenius.com/Wes-anderson-the-royal-tenenbaums http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/12/arts/12page.html?_r=0 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/truman-capote/ introduction/58/ http://www.bettiepage.com
http://www.bettiepage.com http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=bettie-page&pid=121286383 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mariehelene-de-rothschild-1341658.html http://madamedepique.wordpress.com/tag/proust-ball/ http://typecast.com/blog/type-qa-gareth-hague-from-alias
The Wes Anderson Collection, Matt Zoller Seitz, New York, Abrams Books, 2013 Colour and meaning: Art Science and Symbolism, John Gage, London, Thames & Hudson, 1999 Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy, Wordsworth Editions LTD, 1992 Party of the Century: The Fabulous Story of Truman Capote and his Black and White Ball, Deborah Davis, John Wiley and Sons, 2006 Tatler Volume 308 Number 10, Conde Nast Publications, October 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnsXlxYiH6c http://www.prada.com/en/fragrances-female/prada-candy-eau-making-video http://ministryoffear.wordpress.com/2009/02/17/literatures-most-touching-love-triangles/ http://www.imdb.com http://gb.pinterest.com/karenwangnola/truman-capotes-black-andwhite-ball/¬ http://images.fineartamerica.com/images-medium-large/ red-and-white-emily-stauring.jpg http://alias.dj/blog/type-and-fashion-for-form-magazine/ http://www.legacy.com/ns/obituary.aspx?n=bettie-page&pid=121286383 http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-mariehelene-de-rothschild-1341658.html http://typecast.com/blog/type-qa-gareth-hague-from-alias
Shannon Lawless