Sex Still Sells

Now I'm going to admit this right from the start - I don't really understand this film.  It doesn't speak loads about YSL as a fashion label, it kinda leans toward some fleeting ideas about YSL as a lifestyle brand, and as far as I can tell it doesn't really tell us a whole lot about the Fall 2010 menswear collection.  For what seems to be mainly an inspirational, aspirational, dreamy bundle of semi-naked and naked models, YSL has put a serious amount of effort, time and money into this project directed by Bruce Weber.  So there must be a damn good reason behind doing it.

My answer - sex sells.

It's an old story but it seems just as relevant in fashion today as it always has been.  What I find most interesting about the concept in this film is that the masculinity is being portrayed in a bizarrely feminine way.  The sexuality of the models in this film floats between friendship and far more than friendship in a very delicate, sensual way that would not normally be associated with traditional views of masculinity.  And then the baby at the end?  That completely throws a spanner in the masculinity works and takes us well past femininity and on into a strange maternal zone.

While we've all seen masculinity and various views of male sexuality being explored mainly in fashion photography for years, it's interesting to see it played out in film.  So maybe YSL wasn't even trying to create a film about their label or their collection.  Perhaps this film is more to do with getting in touch with the kind of masculinity and sexuality that is influencing and inspiring YSL at the moment.  Whatever their reasons - the film is a nice piece of work.  Sex definitely still sells, perhaps just in a different way to how it has in the past.

'Ain't Nothin Like the Real Thing' - Bruce Weber for YSL
Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDrezl40Ezgn or on the YSL website http://ysl.com/us/en/index.aspx