Joan Smalls Plays Pharrell Williams for CFDA
Abbey Lee, Cara Delevingne, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley—plenty of models have caught the acting bug lately. But no one’s accepted a role as challenging as Joan Smalls. The supermodel plays Pharrell Williams in this year’s CFDA Journal.
Every year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America produces an editorial featuring the year’s nominees and honorees. This year, Laird + Partners’ Trey Laird served as creative director, while photographer Barnaby Roper shot everyone from the Olsens (The Row is nominated for Best Womenswear Designer) to Mickey Drexler, who will take home the Founder’s Award. But one winner, Pharrell will take home the Fashion Icon Award that went to Rihanna last year, wasn’t able to make the shoot (it was scheduled for earlier this month to coincide with the Met Ball, when everyone’s in town). And so Smalls stepped in.
“Joan really became Pharrell. It was amazing. I loved the idea of bringing in someone like Joan, who is at the height of fashion and who has such sophistication,” Laird told WWD. “He hasn’t seen it yet. I don’t even know that he knows about it.” He does now!
Smalls had the musician’s customized Stan Smiths on hand to get into character, but no word yet on whether she wore a Vivienne Westwood hat or the short suit that only Pharrell can pull off. Look for the images later this week, when attendees receive their copy of the journal (and they hit Vogue.com).
