Lollipops. Puppies. Teenage girls squealing over One Direction at a slumber party. As one of the official faces of Victoria's Secret PINK, Chanel Iman channels all things sweet 16, whether she's posing perkily in bright, girly PINK hoodies or smiling down the VS fashion show runway to blaring teen pop. Getting even with a cheating lover in a scene straight out of Revenge? Not so much.
Well, well, well. Turns out we were wrong. Last night, we witnessed a 180-degree transformation that dispels Chanel-lite in just three minutes and 46 seconds. The quick-change is thanks to Jenna Elizabeth's short film, Thirst, a collaboration with BULLETT magazine and luxe accessories brand Reece Hudson, where a feminine Iman turns hardcore (read: Lisbeth Salander) femme fatale. We watched the flick slack-jawed with a clutch of other fashion girls and boys — think: Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Genevieve Jones, Timo Weiland, Kelly Framel, and Fivestory's Claire Distenfeld — over fried chicken and cold sake at Niko, making for a Monday that made us wish it was Friday.
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Okay, so this isn't the first time we're seeing the supermodel less than squeaky clean; indeed, boundary-pushing filmmaker Elizabeth's first teamup with Iman led to some haunting stripping action. For Elizabeth x Chanel 2.0, though, we're taken somewhere infinitely more dangerous and erotic, an in-motion editorial that leaves the viewer disturbed, empowered, and, yes, slightly turned-on. Shot at the already moody Lafayette House, the "deadly game of confession" maps out just exactly what unfolds if you happen to be stupid enough to sleep with another woman while you're hooking up with Miss Chanel. A superhero for the Carine Roitfeld French Vogue generation, the model poisons her lover via some tainted whiskey, then gets heavy with the duct tape, leading to some macabre games with stilettos, cigarettes, and surgical equipment that's worthy of any Saw murderer. Paired with Reece Hudson's delicate, eye-catching bags and accessories — a gold-flecked minaudiere here, a crucifix-embossed cross-body bag there — and we're not sure if we should be making a shopping list or screaming. Who knew our clutches needed to fit a scalpel?
Video/Photo: Courtesy of Jenna Elizabeth/BULLETT Media