Daniel SchweizerWe don't know where to look with this one!
French fashion journalist Nathalie Croquet went to great lengths (and then some) to recreate famous fashion and beauty editorials—and yup, she nailed every one. The photo series shows the writer posing as Kate Moss (in an Eleven Paris ad), Penelope Cruz (in a Lancôme beauty ad), Gisele Bündchen (in a Sonia Rykiel ad) and Natalia Vodianova (in a makeup-heavy Etam ad), among others.
But the project, aptly named "Spoof," has deeper meaning than what may initially across. An explanation for the piece follows the side-by-side image comparisons: "Nathalie's work [offers] questions of identity, femininity, the commercial use of the image of women, and the notion of image rights in the creator and model," the statement reads.
These comparisons are quite uncanny (and bring to mind another pop culture shape shifter—Paolo Ballesteros, the Filipino makeup artist who has transformed himself into everyone from Kim Kardashian to Cate Blanchett).
As a fashion and beauty stylist (as well as a successful journalist), Nathalie has worked on the flip side of the camera dressing models for famous shoots throughout her career. You might even recognize her vast portfolio of work, which includes styling Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford for Vogue. After working with top magazines for years, including French Marie Claire, Nathalie was struck by the idea to put her own twist on the high end ads and magazine spreads she once had a hand in creating.
"The thinking process of Spoof is fabulous when you go beyond the first impression of fun. I look more real than the original image," she told Maan of the Hour of the photo exhibit, which she released in Paris back in February.
"In the ads the models are super retouched. The confrontation of the two images create a confusion in the viewers' mind. Do they prefer to see a beautiful woman sell the product or do they like to see a normal person showing the product? All I know is that I am not going to change the world of advertising. And remember my job consists in making those ad pictures with beautiful models! Look at the last Céline campaign with Joan Didion or all Vivienne Westwood ad pictures, change is already happening."
Although many will view Nathalie's work, shot by photographer Daniel Schweizer, as a bold statement against unrealistic standards of beauty in modeling and advertising, the journalist admits she doesn't consider the photo series that out-of-the-box.
"Many people think that I was courageous to do it. But I don't see myself as particularly brave, maybe I don't take myself too seriously, that helps," she said.