Lily James Sports New Hairstyle for First Versace Advertising Campaign
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NEW MUSE: Long gone are the blonde days of actress Lily James, who earlier this year was seen impersonating Pamela Anderson in the Hulu miniseries “Pam & Tommy.” The British actress, who has recently appeared on the red carpet and on Instagram with a brunette mane, switched to an even darker, jet-black hairstyle to front the latest Versace advertising campaign — her first for the brand.
Almost unrecognizable with a graphic bang and a dark shade of lipstick, James was tapped to embody the new Versace goddess for the fall 2022 season, posing for photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
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The beauty restyle echoed a similar transformation her fellow Versace muse Dua Lipa underwent last year, when the singer sported long hair in a fiery red shade to front the Versace fall 2021 advertising campaign, also lensed by Alas and Piggott.
While at the time the images were dominated by the vibrant primary colors and monogram patterns of the looks, the latest ads, debuting on Tuesday, took an edgier turn, spotlighting all-black minidresses and tailored suits, latex gloves and leather accessories. These made for bold, graphic attires clashing against classical statues in the background.
Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott/Courtesy of Versace
Joined by several talents — including Sofiane Belaasri, Yilan Hua, Avanti Nagrath, Reece Nelson, Parker Van Noord and Lulu Wood — James was portrayed oozing self-confidence with her fierce expressions and poses.
“When Lily got in front of the camera she transformed,” said the brand’s chief creative officer Donatella Versace. “Wearing the collection unlocked her own personal attitude and she took on a new energy and power. That’s exactly how you should feel when wearing Versace.”
For example, one of the images sees James confidently posing while holding the brand’s new Greca Goddess bag above her head. Introduced for fall 2022, the sculptural leather style is enriched with the house’s signature Greca hardware in gold, which also defines the chain strap to wear the bag crossbody and mirrors the metal bangles layered on James’ latex gloves.
“It has been so special and exciting to be welcomed into Donatella’s Versace family,” James said to WWD. “I have truly never felt more empowered since working with Versace and it has been extraordinary how wearing the clothes made me instantly feel like a Versace goddess. It is such an honor,” added the actress, thanking the designer “for everything” and defining her as “an inspiration.”
As the face of the brand, James follows the steps of the likes of the Hadid sisters, Maluma and, most recently, Iris Law.
The ads further cement the relationship James has with Versace, a brand the actress has favored on many occasions, frequently sharing her looks and appreciation for the label with her 3.4 million followers on Instagram.
HULU
“@Versace this outfit is everything I could wish for and a whole lot more,” she wrote as a caption under the image of the Atelier Versace look she wore at the Los Angeles premiere of “Pam & Tommy” back in January. At the time, James arrived wearing one of her boldest looks to date: a pink cutout blazer jacket layered over a silver, bustier-style cutout dress.
Other prominent red carpet moments included the Atelier Versace fall 2021 pink gown with high side slit the actress wore at the 2022 Academy Awards and the beaded number she donned for the Met Gala.
Lexie Moreland/WWD
In addition to attires sported during press tours, James also opted for a pastel-toned frock from the Versace pre-fall 2022 collection to attend the brand’s fashion show in Milan in February.
Before the Anderson role, James played several different characters, ranging from Lady Rose MacClare in the period drama series “Downton Abbey” to Ella in her film breakthrough “Cinderella” in 2015. She also had starring roles in movies such as “Baby Driver,” “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” and “Rebecca.” Next up, she will be seen in the upcoming British romantic comedy film “What’s Love Got to Do With It?” next to Emma Thompson and Shazad Latif, among others.
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