In the Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme and Pour Homme advertising campaign, Mario Testino sets a scene of fairytale romance as the backdrop for a tale of love and transgression, set to the strains of Città Vuota by Mina. Actress and model LAETITIA CASTA, who stars alongside Noah Mills in the short film, is interviewed here. This interview first appeared exclusively in the December issue of FIRST magazine.
Tell us about the story behind the campaign.
I think passion and sensuality are at the heart of this campaign. The story begins with a traditional Italian wedding scene, with one of the guests (my character) secretly seeking to be somewhere else. She makes her departure and catches the eye of one of the local boys, which is where Noah comes in. Our journey together evolves and you see us travelling in his sports car together before capturing the romance of their passion at the beach. I love that the campaign really tells this story so beautifully – the locations, the styling and the whole atmosphere really helps to portray the mood and theme.
What was the mood of the shoot?
The feel of the shoot was relaxed and very laid back; I think the beautiful and calm setting really contributed to this. We were surrounded by some really breathtaking scenery; the coastal road overlooking the ocean and the beach at La Riserva dello Zingaro was like a paradise.
I loved this shoot particularly because the varied locations we used really helped to tell different aspects of the story. The wedding location in Erice was gorgeous – I love that town as it’s so quaint and traditional and then the beach location played a big part in portraying the more passionate side of the story. I think we were all really inspired by our surroundings and this really helped us get into character.
You have worked with Mario Testino before: how was it working with him again on this campaign?
I adore working with Mario. He is a genius, a true artist with such incredible vision. He knows exactly how he wants a shot to look, and how to capture the essence and spirit of the moment so beautifully. This campaign is all about passion; both the raw, intimate passion but also the romantic and tender side, and it was great working with Noah and Mario so collaboratively to bring that to life.
What do you think of Dolce&Gabbana Pour Femme?
I think there is something extremely sensual and provocative about scents. The way they make you feel when you wear them, and how they make others feel – fragrance can be very powerful. I have grown up with my mother enjoying wearing fragrance, I remember her dressing table which had beautiful antique perfume bottles displayed, to me they looked so ornate and special and from then on I was fascinated.
I like to wear fragrance every day; I love fresh and classic scents which are incredibly feminine. However I do think it is important that fragrance is wearable, which is why I adore Dolce&Gabbana’s Pour Femme fragrance. It has floral notes with a hint of sweetness, which for me is the perfect combination. When I wear it I feel together and a little more complete, to me its just as important as leaving the house wearing lipstick – it is part of my uniform I guess.
A FREE CLUTCH BAG WITH EVERY PERFUME
Dolce & Gabbana fragrances are distributed by VJ Salomone marketing. With every purchase of Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme Edp100ml you will received a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana Vintage Clutch Bag.
LAETITIA CASTA
Born in 1978, Laeticia Casta is a French model and actress. Her modelling career reportedly began when she was discovered by a photographer during a family holiday in her father's native Corsica, aged 15. She has appeared on the cover of fashion magazines around the world including Vogue Paris, ELLE, Grazia, Madame Figaro, Glamour and Cosmopolitan. Laeticia is well known for being the GUESS? Jeans Girl in 1993, and for her work as one of the Victoria's Secret angels.
She starred in films such as Astérix et Obélix contre César, Les Âmes Fortes and Serge Gainsbourg, vie héroïque, and in Rihanna’s music video for the song Te Amo.