For its art issue, W approached Steven Meisel to shoot nine advertisements for fake products and sprinkle them in with the real ads. The results are arresting, funny, and occasionally subversive. Behold: Linda Evangelista shilling shampoo, Joan Rivers in fur, and Toddlers & Tiara‘s Eden Wood fronting for a children’s clothing line.
Among the several ads for too-good-to-be-true fragrances is this one for fictitious La Femme perfume, starring Drag Race star Carmen Carrera.
W wanted to include “a beauty ad featuring women aging gracefully,” so it got stylists (clockwise from top left) Anna Dello Russo, Marie-Amelie Sauvé, Brana Wolf, Carlyne Cerf de Dudzeele, Polly Mellen, and Lori Goldstein to sit for Meisel. But if the point was to show grown-up women’s real skin, it’s kind of silly they covered up all their skin, no?
On the right, of course, are none other than QVC partners-in-crime Joan Rivers and Dennis Basso.
Petra Ecclestone, the billionaire heiress who lives in Candy Spelling’s house, looks kind of great in this neon-blue ad for her signature perfume. But my favorite has to be Guinevere Van Seenus, Coco Rocha, and Cyclops-Karen Elson in this ad for “Vainglorious.” I feel like all celebrity perfumes should probably be called “Vainglorious.”
AAAAH! DEMON CHILD! AAAAH!
W would like you to know that it’s makeup.