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Gainsbourg For Balenciaga

For its forthcoming fall 2008 advertising campaign (northern hemisphere) the house of Balenciaga has once again featured an actress rather than a model, and this time round the honour belongs to French actress Charlotte Gainsbourg.

Following in the footsteps of last seasons face - American actress Jennifer Connelly- Gainsbourg is shot in a series of images by noted fashion photographer David Simms wearing dresses from Balenciaga's Austere fall 2008 collection, a range of razor sharp silhouette cocktail dresses paired with his coveted architectural shoes.

"For me, she is one of the most inspiring girls in the world," Ghesquière says. "She's really representative of what France is today. She was always so modern in her choices and her way of being. She's so iconic for me."

On sticking to using actresses for his campaigns, as opposed to using supermodels like his peers, Ghesquière adds, "They are used to playing characters and going deeper into the image. There's definitely a celebrity effect when you shoot an actress. There's a real frisson."