The man behind the infamously seductive Guess campaigns, Paul Marciano, selects his top ten girls

The Guess Girls of the 90s

The man behind the infamously seductive Guess campaigns, Paul Marciano, selects his top ten girls

Paul Marciano has good taste in girls. The CEO of Guess is the brains behind every Guess Girl campaign, casting each and every beauty since the very beginning. In control of the creative direction, Marciano is the man single-handedly responsible for the notoriously sensual and infamous black and white campaigns. A striking image from 1993 surfaced of a dark lipped, Drew Barrymore wrapped in cheetah print, coinciding with our current takeover. To celebrate the decade, Paul Marciano selects his ten favourite Guess Girls, predominately photographed in the 90s taken from his campaign archive. 

Carla Bruni Photography by Wayne Maser

Carla Bruni 1987
"Wayne and I went to Paris that year to work on a new shoot and casted an exotic young Italian model, Carla Bruni who we felt could give a new look to the Guess campaign images. She was very young, only 16 when she did that shoot yet her presence on film was magical. The Guess shoot was her first job in her career and she was the third Guess girl."

Claudia Schiffer Photography by Ellen Von Unwerth

Claudia Schiffer 1989
"Ellen and I were scouting for unknown models for the Guess campaigns and  in one of our many castings we came across a young German model that had an amazing resemblance to Brigitte Bardot and in our opinion was the answer to our dream to faithfully recreate the old movies of the 50s.  Her long, blonde hair and sensual curves, along with her unique personality, so independent and determined set the standard for all Guess girls to follow her. Claudia is the quintessential Guess girl."

Eva Herzigova Photography by Ellen Von Unwerth

Eva Herzigova 1992
"When I saw Eva, I thought immediately how much she looked like Marilyn Monroe. Her resemblance to a 50s icon like Marilyn Monroe, her playful nature and her determination broke through on these first shoots making her an unforgettable Guess girl."

Anna Nicole Smith Photography by Daniela Federici

Anna Nicole Smith 1992
"Anna Nicole was larger than life and so similar in appearance to Anita Ekberg in La Dolce Vita, what a find and what a perfect model for the Guess campaigns.  She was sensual, mysterious and seductive, so Guess!"

Drew Barrymore Photography by Wayne Maser

Drew Barrymore  1993
"I can only say Drew was the nicest and easiest person to work with and full of enthusiasm at all times on the shoot. She brought a new dimension to the Guess campaigns and to the Guess girl image with her fresh and striking beauty."

Laetitia Casta Photography by Dah Len

Laetitia Casta 1997
"I worked with Laetitia for six years in many locations – Jamaica, New York, Los Angeles, Malibu, Miami, Palm Springs – with many top photographers like Pablo Alfaro, Dewey Nicks and Daniela Federici and she is one of my favourite models of all time. She is an ideal beauty with her alluring face and bright blue eyes and portrayed the Guess girl image in such a successful way, appealing to both men and women alike."

Estelle Lefebure Photography by Wayne Maser

Estelle Lefébure 1987
"I was continuing shoots with Wayne Maser and one of the most important goals for us at the time was choosing a face that could represent the Guess image in the right way. We constantly scouted for new faces and that is how we found Estelle who was a completely unknown French model.She was fresh and unknown and would set the trend for all the Guess girls to follow her.  Estelle’s beauty captured all the elements of those GUESS years. Her sensuality and natural style burst through the lens and on to the images."

Carrä Otis Photography by Ellen Von Unwerth

Carré Otis 1988
"Carré was the star of my first partnership with photographer Ellen Von Unwerth. Ellen and I shared a passion for old American and Italian movies and wanted to use that concept as a base to create timeless campaign images. Carrè, with her romantic looks and playful personality was an ideal choice."

Deidre Maguire Photography by Wayne Maser

Deidre McGuire 1983
"I met Deidre on the first shoot we ever did for Guess which was shot by Wayne Maser on a beach. Deidre was a perfect and natural choice for Guess. Her relaxed attitude and natural sensualness made her truly stand out from the crowd."

Amber Heard Photography by Ellen Von Unwerth 

 

Amber Heard 2011
"I met Amber at the Beverly Hills hotel and as soon as I saw her I knew she was our new Guess girl. She was fun, fresh, she had the dream to make it big and with her natural beauty and classic, all-American good looks she just embodied the Guess girl."

 

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