David Bowie turns to two of fashion’s biggest names for new video
“The Stars (Are Out Tonight)” sees David Bowie back on stomping rock form, but the song’s video, directed by Floria Sigismondi and shot by Jeff Cronenweth, is getting a lot of buzz. Bowie has always been known for his experimental visuals, and for his interest in all things style-related (this is the man who recorded “Fashion” and married supermodel Iman), so it comes as no surprise that his comeback should feature some of fashion’s biggest stars.
Bowie and his co-star Tilda Swinton, playing a husband and wife, are haunted by a pair of ghostlike celebrity figures, who leap out of the pages of the gossip magazines and into the living room. But who plays the gender-swapping duo?
Dutchwoman Saskia de Brauw appears as Bowie’s besuited counterpoint. The model and artist left fashion completely for a number of years while she concentrated on her studies and artistic work. Returning to modelling at the age of 29, de Brauw has become one of the biggest faces in women’s fashion, walking in the biggest shows and starring in advertising campaigns for Givenchy, Chanel, and H&M among others. Able to pull off masculine looks, she was also cast as the face of the most recent Saint Laurent Spring 2013 menswear campaign, photographed by the brand’s creative director, Hedi Slimane.
The other half of the freaky couple is Andrej Pejic. Serbian-born and Australian-raised, 21-year-old Pejic has become a global fashion sensation, best known for his gender-bending catwalk ambiguity. The tall (6ft 2 inches), thin, blond boy from Melbourne regularly struts down the runway in designers’ womenswear shows but is equally adept as one of boys. In 2011 Jean Paul Gaultier used him in both men’s and women’s shows, and Marc Jacobs cast him in his Juergen Teller-shot advertising campaign for the Marc by Marc Jacobs brand. Earlier this year, Pejic made history back in his native Serbia as the first male cover star for the country’s edition of Elle Magazine.
The world of fashion provided another star for the film, in the shape of Iselin Steiro, a Norwegian female model who plays the part of the vocalist. The 27-year-old blonde was previously the face of Italian luxury brand Valentino and has walked in fashion shows around the world for labels like Prada, Balenciaga and Calvin Klein.
Tilda Swinton is already world famous for her roles in both arthouse and more mainstream movies, and her 2007 role in “Michael Clayton” alongside George Clooney won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Swinton also has a strong interest in fashion: for a number of years, she starred as the face of luxury goods brand Pringle of Scotland. Last September she starred in a show/art installation at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, titled “The Impossible Wardrobe”, which featured archive pieces by Paco Rabanne, Christian Lacroix, and Haider Ackermann.
‘The Next Day’ by David Bowie will be released on March 12.
Watch the video at http://youtu.be/gH7dMBcg-gE
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