Press release from Prada, on their Gas Station Chic ad campaign starring Kati Nescher, Meghan Collison, Natasha Poly, Elise Crombez, Ymre Stiekema & Kathryn Kruger — lensed by the legendary Steven Meisel:
Bathed in sunlight. Fueled by optimism. Girls and cars stop and stare at the future in
this Technicolor mise-en-scéne of desire.
1950s hot rods and muscle cars with spiky rear fins and bodies emblazoned with
flames reflect the design motifs in the collection. The iconographic language of
Americana is re-drawn through more than half a century of pop and style culture. The
gas station is cast as a central symbol in this post-modern crossroads of new horizons
and economic fulfillment, a stage set where fashion, fantasy and the promise of new
discoveries collide.
Through the lens of Steven Meisel, the consistently groundbreaking photographer of
Prada’s campaigns, we see the models tower above us, the cars and modernist
architecture set against an expanse of azure sky. His low angle and rich coloration
emphasis the power and positivism in the campaign and collection message.
The diverse casting of models with distinct characters such as the blonde bombshell or
the noir heroine creates a utopian celluloid narrative. A virtual collage of feminine
film iconography unfolds in this hyper-real gas station fantasy.
