The Art of Paul Marciano
Guess Girls
Paul Marciano is not only the co-founder of Guess?, he’s the mastermind behind the company’s titillating brand identity. As the art director of the company’s advertising campaigns, Marciano created a winning formula: hire a blonde bombshell, have her shot in black and white by edgy photographers like Ellen von Unwerth, Daniela Federici and Dewey Nicks and have her show enough skin and cleavage to attract a young customer base. “The company’s provocative advertising established Guess’s brand identity from the beginning,” writes Tom Reichert in his book The Erotic History of Advertising. “Marciano’s art direction contributed to a brand image that was erotic, sexy, and glamorous… images were photographed to emphasize shapely figures; namely breasts, faces, abdomens and legs.” Marciano had an especially good eye for picking the models—tapping Claudia Schiffer, Anna Nicole Smith, Paris Hilton and others who perfectly captured the brand’s air of elegant, seductive hipness. “The Guess girl always combines sensuality with class,” Marciano has said. “She’s sexy and voluptuous, but not in a vulgar or cheesy way. Over the years, whether it was when I first saw Laetitia Casta, Eva Herzigova, or Anna Nicole Smith, the common thread when choosing the next Guess girl was an instant feeling in my stomach that she was the one.” Here’s a sampling of just how good Marciano’s instincts turned out to be:
