Various types.

[LabelKing]

I was leafing through a fashion magazine for men, and I suddenly noticed something. It seems that for different brands there are different types of models.

For example the American brands like Polo or Guess have a more rugged look that is somewhat conventional. For brands like Fendi or Gucci the look seems to be thin, and affected with a feminine air.

Has anybody else noticed this?

 

[Jantzen fan]

Yeah - Fendi, Gucci and Prada all use these skinny, feminine guys or who are very 'grunge' looking. I guess it has to do with the their target audience.

 

[Timothy]

Hey Jantz don't forget Dior in that category. Actually this is nothing new. The models chosen are the body types the designers are designing for, and posses that certain look of the moment that epitomizes the label for that season. If you flip through a magazine like Arena, or Vogue Homme you'll see that they'll do the same thing for their fashion spreads, sometimes using the same models that the designer used on their runway in the shoot.

 

[davei]

Hey Jantz don't forget Dior in that category. Actually this is nothing new. The models chosen are the body types the designers are designing for, and posses that certain look of the moment that epitomizes the label for that season. If you flip through a magazine like Arena, or Vogue Homme you'll see that they'll do the same thing for their fashion spreads, sometimes using the same models that the designer used on their runway in the shoot.

I always find a bit of subversive glee when I see clothes being worn by people "not designed for", i.e. a lot of my students wear Polo as an urban, hip-hop type brand - to them it's not rugged or preppy at all. Myself, I still like (and wear) Dolce & Gabbana, even though I'm 5'8"/150. I'm neither built nor super slim, but I like a fitted silhouette so even their pants generally fit me OK

 

[European Interloper]

The designers generally pick models who suit the image they are trying to achieve that season. If you look at Gucci, their models have changed pretty drastically from the hirsute look of JR in last years S/S campaign to the androgenous look of the models in the A/W. The best models will fit into numerous campaigns due to their emminent moldability. However, unlike the Gucci seasonal trends, houses like Dior have stuck with a sustained look- be it Heidi Slimane's modish, slim look or John Galliano's outre, eclectic party look. Dior's ads, therefore, only change a bit every season. Ralph Lauren ads are strange in that they seem to change but are actually the exact same clothes on rotation. Oops, I just managed to sum up the label.
Sorry, that's my EU elitist slipping through.
European Interloper (and elitist)