Alan Ilagan

These are the latest images form Madonna’s Dolce & Gabbana campaign, as shot by Steven Klein. While I think they’re superior to the first batch, I’m still hung up (in a not-so-great way) on the wig. What happened to the days of styling your own natural hair? (Granted, natural hair and Madonna haven’t always gotten together, but I miss her actual tresses.) I mean, I think the least you can do for a few million dollars is sit around for a few hours of hair and make-up.

That said, I do think these are wonderful, and it’s nice to see Klein creating something more traditionally beautiful than off-putting and edgy.

(I won’t even begin the witch commentary that will undoubtedly ensue with the above shot, but if anyone can defy gravity, I’d bet on Madonna.)

This is one of Steven Klein’s photos for Madonna’s upcoming Dolce & Gabbana campaign. While I normally champion just about everything she does, there are moments when I simply can’t get behind her. (Her collaboration with Gap, the second part of her Louis Vuitton ads, the shoddy efforts she put into every Greatest Hits album after The Immaculate Collection… to name but a few.) Of this preview pic (and the others I’ve seen, which show her doing mundane things like washing dishes, peeling fruit, and eating spaghetti with her bare hands) I’m a bit on the fence.

I went to Matt, my main go-to-guy when it comes to all things Madonna, and he seemed to be embracing them, so I’m giving them another chance, but my initial gut reaction was one of disappointment. I guess I was expecting some sort of ultra-glamourous scene when Dolce & Gabbana were involved. I get the concept here of turning that on its head, I’m just not sure I like it as much as I’ve liked previous work she’s done (like her first Versace campaign). I also feel like we’ve seen her do this sort of juxtaposition before – as in feeding the chickens in a dress and heels, or standing before a dirty Argentinean industrial site in formal white gloves and gown.

I will reserve final judgment until I see the ad campaign when it hits magazines. Until then, I remain unimpressed.