Jennifer Lawrence is a dab hand at modelling in Dior campaigns, since first becoming a face of the brand back in 2012. Yesterday, the French fashion house unveiled its latest ad campaign for AW17 in which the Hollywood actress is given a fresh new look. Shot by French photographer Brigitte Lacombe who also captured the SS17 campaign starring Ruth and May Bell, Lawrence is photographed in black and white, wearing a black Bar jacket over the 'We Should All Be Feminists' T-shirt with jeans and J’adior ballet flats, in a series of images that are notably more relaxed and natural than usual.
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Since taking the helm last summer, as the first female artistic director in the brand's 70-year history, Maria Grazia Chiuri has made feminism a central part of her creative vision. Before Chiuri's first show for SS17, last September, Dior released a campaign entitled #TheWomenBehindMyDress which invited us to discover the females who inspired the collection via Twitter and Instagram. Then at the show itself, Chiuri presented her sell-out slogan T-shirt, bearing the message 'We Should All Be Feminists', later asserting that proceeds from sales would support Rihanna's charity.
Similarly, Jennifer Lawrence has been quite vocal in her championing of womanhood and pursuit for gender equality. In 2015 she spoke out about the pay gap in Hollywood, writing an essay about it for Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter and last year she told Harper's Bazaar: "I don't know why that word [feminism] is so scary to people; it shouldn't be, because it just means equality. If we are moving forward in a society, you are feeling stronger as a woman, and you want to be taken more seriously. You don't have to take away the wonderful traits that come with being a woman: We are sensitive. We are pleasers. We're empathetic. All those things that can keep you from asking for what you want or making mistakes."
At a time when fashion activism pervades on the catwalk and in campaigns, Jennifer Lawrence's appearance in Dior's feminist T-shirt, feels slightly more authentic than most. It is also refreshing to see one of the world's most well-paid actresses in jeans, a T-shirt and pumps in a campaign, albeit by Dior.
The star's natural attitude is enhanced by strong accessories such as multiple rings, necklace charms featuring birds or stars, and, in particular, the season’s emblematic bags, worn cross-body or carried in hand. In addition are Chiuri’s new creations for AW17: the vintage allure of the C’est Dior, inspired by a bag held in the house’s archives, and the Dioraddict, a new essential, with its cannage pattern and a clasp borrowed from old trunks.
If it feels a little premature for an AW17 campaign – the show was barely a month ago after all, it’s because this campaign actually showcases the pre-fall collection. In less than a year, Chiuri has made a monumental mark on Dior, tapping into the millennial audience with a powerful, feminist message and creating wearable collections for the modern women. In an industry that is still dominated by men in the top positions, Chiuri could just be the breath of fresh air we needed.