Céline has just released the first image for its latest ad campaign, and its star couldn’t be more perfect. The photo features none other than literary legend Joan Didion, wearing her signature bob and oversized shades and looking so, so perfectly perfect. Check it:
Though we couldn't have guessed it, we're not surprised that Céline designer Phoebe Philo — herself an aloof, nonchalant, intellectually ferocious woman who inspires the same kind of lightheadedness among thinking girls — tapped Didion. After all, Didion’s writing did define Philo’s favorite decade to parse: the ‘70s. The journalist has also become quite the style icon herself, from her oft-quoted packing list from her essay collection The White Album — “2 skirts, 2 jerseys or leotards, 1 pullover sweater” — to her essay in Vogue about longing for a glamorous, grown-up sable coat. Perhaps we did have clues before: Many say Céline's resort campaign photo of Daria Werbowy (below) was inspired by the 1968 Julian Wasser-shot portrait of Didion sitting in her Corvette. Didion herself is also a fan of Céline; she told the NYT that she owns a few items from the brand, and would love to attend a runway show sometime in the future.
Judging from the timeless quality of her work and the always necessary, always relevant topics about life and love she takes on, you might say that Didion never goes out of style. Even so, she's having a particular moment right now, with an upcoming documentary about the writer getting a massive response on Kickstarter. In fact, two of the now sold-out prizes appropriately included those signature black specs that Didion favors. If you didn't get a chance to be one of the lucky two, no worries — while those might not have been Célines, you can still do your best slouch with the pair from the campaign. Just add these to your packing list.
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