David Gandy & Bianca Balti Teach Us The Secrets Of Sexy Eyes

We're not sure exactly when it happened, but we're still boggled by why so many women think looking sexy in a photo means throwing up duck lips. Why? No, seriously, someone please tell us why this continues to be a thing.

So badly were we disturbed by this continuing trend, that we went to the experts: David Gandy and Bianca Balti. The stunning models are best known for their work in Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue ads. You know the ones: The two, clad in nothing but blindingly white swimsuits, cavort on a boat in the middle of the Mediterranean in all their gorgeously tanned, piercing blue-eyed glory. Sorry, give us a minute here to recover.

We got the chance to sit down with the two in Milan before the Dolce & Gabbana show to talk about what it's really like to film those sexy spots, how they managed to cultivate such great chemistry, and the secret to looking sexy in a photo. Hint: It ain't duck lips. Click over to read their adorable joint interview.

You hear from actors a lot, when they talk about doing sex scenes, that it’s very awkward for them. Is it awkward for you guys to get this intimate? Or is it just kind of like another day at work? David Gandy: "It can be awkward, of course, when you come into the industry — and I didn’t know Bianca before — so you get dropped into a shoot and you have to do these intimate scenes. It's very, very well edited, so its looks more intimate. The boat was all over the place — you [Bianca] were trying to stand up, I was trying to stand up. We were in hysterics half the time! And then you’ve got this huge ship, a huge tugboat —"

Bianca Balti: "I even fell down on the ship!"

DG: "Yeah, me too! Once you see all that you’re like, not really all that steamy anymore."

Does that make it hard to get into that kind of mindset when you’ve got 30 people around you and all this craziness going on? DG: "You have to switch on."

BB: "I’m going to tell you something funny, though. He’s not a smoker and I am a smoker, so you know, I had my gum. Because in the last Light Blue advertising, they were kissing, and with Mario, you never know. So, I was like a little tense about my breath — I don’t know if you realized that!"

DG: "I didn’t! And then we didn’t kiss anyway! All that gum for nothing."

You guys have worked together quite a few times now, so you have this repertoire and this intimacy already established. The first time around, how did you go about creating that connection with each other? Did you meet beforehand? DG: "I don’t think we did. I think it kind of takes a true professional — it’s getting the scene done. That’s what a good model, a good actor does."

BB: "Well, I have to say that [it was easy] because it was David. If It was other people, I might be like, ehhhh."

DG: "You’re going to get on with some better than others, but we had a connection straight away and we got on really fine. It was fun and you know, if you’re a bit more young, a bit more innocent, you are probably a bit more shy. But, we both know what to do and what to expect."

BB: "Also, he’s very professional, and he’s a gentleman. That makes it easier."

DG: "She was the domineering one this time, anyway — I just laid there, like, 'So, what do you want me to do?'"

One of the things we see a lot today is these girls that think looking sexy in a photo means doing duck lips. What do you think is sexy and how do you convey that on film? BB: "The look! I’m more smiley in real life, but I try not to smile — to give a serious face, a sexy look."

Is it closed eyes, is it open eyes? Are you positioning your head a certain way? I’m sure it comes naturally to you. BB: "I am a professional, but right now I’m really embarrassed!"

Don’t be embarrassed! BB: "My friends are like, why do you do that look? It makes me want to laugh, to think about it. I think for us it’s easy to do it on set, in front of many, many people. At least you know you’re working, so you don’t feel stupid doing it. But, it makes me feel really stupid!"

DG: "Women have got these moves, and I’ve noticed now that when they’re like, 'Can we have a picture?' They put an arm on the hip, they’ve got that thing going. Who teaches these things?! Men are standing there with their hands in their pockets."

You've got the easy job! What about for you, David — if someone’s trying to look sexy in a photo, what should they be doing? DG: "I think sexiness is different to different people — you might have a smiling shot with someone and go, "Oh, that smile is so sexy.' I hate my smile — I think I look like an absolute wally when I smile, I really do. I think people interpret sexy as the power that the sex brings. I think it has to do with the eyes — Bianca has fantastic eyes. We’re very lucky in that we’ve both got these light blue eyes that people sort of fix on. As a model, it’s quite strange, you have to convey something with one look—and that’s an art in itself. Actors will have a scene and they can sort of do it, but models have to convey what photographers want. It’s a bit of an art."