HSG

In the enthusiastic forum discussion about the new holiday 2011 collection from IGIGI, readers have praised the campaign's stunning new images of lovely plus-size model Kailee O'Sullivan and have speculated about the themes and inspirations behind designer Yuliya Raquel's vision for this line.

Today, IGIGI issued a fascinating press release identifying the elements that shaped Yuliya's conception of the holiday collection, a collection that many believe to be the finest that IGIGI has ever presented. The release describes the holiday offerings as


Apart from being beautifully written, the press release itself mirrors the IGIGI aesthetic in its lavish descriptions of the fashions on offer. Note the words that recur in the text, such as "sensuous" and "sensual," "luxurious," "opulent," "vintage," "feminine," and "love." Each of these qualities is closely associated with the city of Paris, in all of its 19th-century splendour, so the IGIGI holiday collection does indeed exhibit rich Parisian associations.

Of course, each of these terms is also closely associated with gorgeous model Kailee O'Sullivan, who is the face and figure of IGIGI's holiday line. She comfortably inhabits the contemporary world, as do IGIGI's clientele, but her timeless beauty vividly evokes the "vintage glamour of the past." Thus, in her alluring images, she demonstrates how the woman of today can adopt the richer, more sumptuous aesthetic of a classier era to express her true femininity.

To be sure, the holiday print images from IGIGI are stunning, but in many ways, it is the company's breathtakingly beautiful new video (viewable here, at the IGIGI site) that most vividly evokes the qualities that the press release describes in such passionate terms. It also may well be the most enchanting presentation of Miss O'Sullivan's delicate beauty that the world has ever seen.

What makes the video especially accomplished is that it doesn't attempt to be a mere clinical depiction of the IGIGI fashions. Such descriptive footage is already available on the IGIGI site, on each item's product page. Rather, the video is more artistic and poetic, more a visual tableau design to evoke feelings and moods and emotions, to allow the model to embody the "sensual," "luxurious," "opulent," "vintage," and "feminine" sensations to which the IGIGI press release refers. And yes, certainly to evoke "love" as well, for Kailee has always been identified as the most romantic of plus-size models. She is the ideal goddess for this campaign.

* * *

The video opens in the most captivating manner imaginable, with a close-up of Kailee so thrillingly near to her soft, lovely face that the viewer feels that he could almost reach out and caress her delicate pink cheeks. The cosmetics artistry--perhaps the loveliest ever created--showcase the exquisite fairness of the model's complexion, a peaches-and-cream look topped with just a whisper of candy-pink flush on the apples of her cheeks and her pouty lips.

Then, in a saucy, teasing gesture, the model turns to the camera and blows a kiss. The heart skips a beat. Notice the delicious vanity in the model's eyes, identifying this as a coquettish impulse, suggesting how much the model relishes the astonishing power of her beauty. But notice how delightfully girlish this gesture is, in keeping with the youthful look of her fair complexion and pink accents. Rather than pursuing a seasoned, overly mature look, IGIGI allows Kailee to play up her youthfulness in this campaign, setting the vintage and historic qualities of the fashions against the model's tender age. This harmonious blending of youth and history, past and present, shows IGIGI clientele how successfully the company's timeless fashions can inhabit the contemporary world, and how even the youngest generations can enjoy a sophisticated look.

The next sequence of images may be the most artistic in the entire video. The lighting is moody and spare, with Kailee's soft, rounded facial features illuminated by just one concentrated light source, as if the image were lit by candle-light. This lighting creates a rich, chiaroscuro effect, throwing into relief the contours of Kailee's face and exhibiting that most sensual of all feminine characteristics, the bewitching hint of fullness under the chin.

Miss O'Sullivan has a specific look and particular talents that make her utterly unique among plus-size models. She can evoke sensations that no other model can approach. In this image, her expression is mesmerizing--a dreamy, faraway look that is so exquisitely gentle that the heart aches with longing just to look at her. And yet, soft and babylike as her facial features are, thanks especially to their perfect roundness, there is a depth in her eyes that speaks of countless ages of the world's history.

This chiaroscuro, candle-lit illumination and the soft piano music that plays in the background make this scene richly evocative of a Paris salon of the Romantic era (as depicted in this video at 39:41), further underscoring the Parisian influence on IGIGI's holiday line.

Kailee is renowned for her versatility, which is yet another factor that makes this video so compelling, offering a 360-degree portrait of the prototypical "IGIGI woman" as someone who can be girlish one moment, and a mature, sophisticated lady the next.

With her graceful hand gesture, the model exhibits the opulent diamond ring on her finger, which a woman of wealth and taste could not resist presenting, to showcase the lavish gifts which her admirers have bestowed upon her. Also, however, by so gently touching her face, she acts out a subconscious desire on the viewer's part for similar tactile engagement.

Many of the shots in the video are loving close-ups of the model's doll-like facial features, to highlight the rich emotions that the model channels while showcasing the IGIGI styles. However, the full-length views are equally compelling, as they show how these ultra-feminine dresses wrap close to Kailee's body and exhibit her opulent voluptuousness.

The wider views also show the attention that the videographers took in dressing the set, incorporating various Parisian elements, such as the ornate chandelier and the characteristic indoor-tent roof--a unique feature seen frequently in French homes in the past century, with even Napoleon's study having had such a ceiling adornment.

In addition to delicate grace and chic sophistication, Kailee also demonstrates how the IGIGI styles can allow a woman to be boldly seductive, as exemplified in this masterpiece of high-temperature allure. The model provocatively showcases her buxom curves while generating an appetitive look, with parted lips and rapacious eyes.

Next, she transitions into a pensive mood. The circular earrings harmonize with the roundness of her facial features, while the bracelet is marvellously ornate. The moody lighting underscores the inwardness of the model's demeanour.

At last, we come to the most gorgeous image in the entire video, a perfect encapsulation of the aesthetic of the holiday campaign. With a look of the most endearing vulnerability in her eyes, Kailee gazes into the distance, generating in every viewer a longing to protect her and take care of her. Not all of the lights in the magnificent chandelier behind her are as dazzling as her luminescent fairness. Her facial features appear deliciously full, exhibiting the irresistibly sensual trait of a curve under the chin. Her golden tresses tumble over her shoulders in thick, luxuriant waves. The lacy dress enhances her ultra-feminine beauty. Such soft fullness, such a delicate yet well-fed look--this is the epitome of the timeless ideal.

A second glance is scarcely less captivating. The model's face still appears soft and rounded, a luxurious look that epitomizes every quality that IGIGI describes in its press release. With the chandelier in the background and the appropriately upward-looking positioning of the camera--as if the viewer were a vassal gazing upwards at a princess--the image expresses the aristocratic quality of Kailee's beauty. And bear in mind that the aristocratic aesthetic is the dominant mode of the French capital, so much of its visual greatness having been created in the Second Empire under Napoleon III. Kailee looks regal and lavishly self-indulged, yet youthful and girlish as well, harmonizing past and present in a living being.

Even as the holiday shoot was under way, IGIGI clearly recognized the astounding visual artistry that Miss O'Sullivan was creating for them, especially in the preceding shot, for the very next segment of the video finds the photographer eagerly showing the model her own images, as Yuliya Raquel gasps in wonderment as Kailee's modelling achievement.

In a brief glimpse of bewitching vanity, even the model herself has to smile when she contemplates her own loveliness. Meanwhile, Yuliya applauds, exhibiting the unbridled enthusiasm that makes her one of the industry's most passionate advocates of size-celebration.

In the very next shot, Kailee is still smiling at the thought of having seen how gorgeous she appeared in the IGIGI camera. There is nothing in this world more attractive than a goddess who adores her own beauty, and although ladylike modesty inhibits many models from openly acknowledging their loveliness, when they do take pleasure in their own appearance, they become more beautiful still.

One of the most endearing passages in the video finds Yuliya expressing her enthusiasm for working with Miss O'Sullivan. As the designer explains,

The rapport between the designer and her model, between the artist and her muse, is clearly apparent in the video.

Indeed, their easygoing interaction leads to this lovely, unguarded moment, showing Kailee smiling broadly, exhibiting a luscious curve under her chin and looking utterly angelic.

This disarmingly sweet moment is but a pleasant interlude between takes, following which the video returns to its goddess theme. The second act opens with a captivating image of Kailee being beautified by the shoot's makeup artist, just as the handmaidens of Helen of Troy once would have adorned the princess of Sparta. Note the fair hue of the cosmetics, in keeping with the model's dazzling skin tone.

The next sequence finds Kailee exhibiting the signature item of the holiday collection, a lacy dress with a metallic undertone that is utterly captivating, looking as if someone had taken one of the gold-leaf-adorned statues from a Seine bridge and beaten it into soft fabric. This may be the most beautiful dress that IGIGI has ever created.

The most alluring aspect of the dress is the open neckline, a V so wide that the garment seems precariously perched on the model's soft shoulders and ready, at any moment, to slip off. But it never will, just as the lovers on Keats's Grecian Urn are caught forever in the moment prior to a passionate kiss.

The positioning of the model right alongside a mirror is a compelling visual element, as it externalizes the undercurrent of vanity that a breathtaking dress such as this invites, on the part of the wearer. Even when she is not gazing at her own reflection, the close proximity of a mirror suggests that Kailee's own beauty is never far from her thoughts, that she is captivatingly conscious of the effect that her loveliness is having upon all who see her.

Kailee's most sensual poses are those in which she acts out this quality of self-adoration, seemingly luxuriating in her own gorgeousness, performing her beauty, as if it were a kind of private ballet.

Her arm movements are graceful and poetic, and showcase the fair roundness of her limbs. Observe how deftly the videographer has framed her beauty in the mirror, such that her reflection mirrors her buxom voluptuousness.

But it is through her expressions and emotions that Kailee most vividly conveys the "wondrous love affair" to which the IGIGI press releasse refers. This glimpse of the model will pierce every viewer's heart and captivate them utterly. Miss O'Sullivan bares her soul for the camera, exuding a doe-eyed neediness that will enslave every man's heart. No other model allows herself to appear so delicate and fragile, to reveal a look so vulnerable that it absorbs the viewer in the narrative of the image.

The beseeching gaze in those soft, blue eyes, and the tender part of her pink lips, stir romantic wishes that are part of the collective unconsciousness of mankind--and of course, such unfulfilled Sehnsucht is quintessentially characteristic of Paris itself. How remarkable that Kailee can generate all of these qualities simply through her expressions and her beauty--and, of course, through the manner in which IGIGI has styled her--without the aid of any physical references to the City of Light.

The video also shows how different lighting conditions can give Kailee's beauty unique characteristics. Earlier scenes adopted a fresh, morning look or a salon-like, chiaroscuro illumination, but the following segment shows Kailee as a kind of sun goddess, the outdoor radiance veritably setting her tresses alight.

Harsh, "edgy," modern looks are easy fallbacks for too many models in contemporary fashion, but to develop a repertoire of gentler, more feminine expressions is a true testament to the model's art. With her lidded gaze, Kailee takes on a steamier demeanour in these images, well tailored to the more organic hue of this particular IGIGI dress.

The images maintain the campaign's intention to evoke the "vintage glamour of the past," as profile views of elegant ladies were once a popular means of immortalizing feminine beauty, especially among the aristocracy. As she does throughout the video, Kailee takes this Old World trope and presents it in a contemporary context--which is exactly the intention of the IGIGI fashions.

Of her core clientele, designer Yuliya Raquel has this to say:

Kailee embodies this "IGIGI woman" in every scene in the video, and is certainly a muse for our times.

Bravo to IGIGI for a gorgeous new collection. The holiday video, which we have described in this thread, is one of the most attractive depictions of timeless beauty ever recorded, and a tour de force of the model's art, as demonstrated by Kailee O'Sullivan. Bravo to Mark de Paola for the photography, to videographer Aaron Fagerstrom for exemplary camera work, and to Joli de Jackie for exceptional hair/makeup artistry, some of the finest that has ever graced Miss O'Sullivan's beauty.

And above all, congratulations to designer Yuliya Raquel for creating this gorgeous line. The enchanting video is a perfect realization of the designer's beautiful vision. Any plus-size goddess can partake of that beauty for herself, when she wears Yuliya's lovely designs. She can capture the opulent, vintage Parisian spirit wherever she may actually be, and experience a "wondrous love affair" of her own.

(Click images to view larger.)

- Watch video at IGIGI.com

M. Lopez

I absolutely adore the fair look that IGIGI gave Kailee for this campaign. Her image is very mutable, as fans have often said, in terms of hair colour, hairstyle, expressions, etc. - so much so that it sometimes seems remarkable that the same model could create such disparate images. But this particular presentation, the "spun sugar" look, is really lovely on her.

IGIGI also recently posted an album of behind-the-scenes photos from this shoot.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...91925388&type=3

Kailee with Yuliya. I adore how round and full and pretty Kailee's face appears here:



The two seem to have a genuine rapport.



Another shot of Kailee being made up for the campaign.



Pensive expression.



Kailee in her stunning dress.



This is such an intriguing photo! I distinctly remember the IGIGI campaign with opera masks from a few seasons ago, starring Marritt Pike. I wonder if these are the same masks?



Gorgeous campaign, chic fashions, and a truly beautiful holiday video.

HSG

As an extra bonus for Judgment of Paris readers, IGIGI has kindly shared several more pictures of Kailee from its holiday campaign.

The first image currently appears in rotation as one of the cover photos on the IGIGI site, but here, one sees it in its original, brighter form. The model looks decadently buxom, while her complexion exhibits the snowy hue of a fairy-tale princess.

Next is a picture that has not yet surfaced anywhere else. IGIGI has issued several versions of the Kailee-at-the-mirror concept, but this is by far the most captivating. The model exhibits an inward-looking quality which gives the image depth and complexity. The composition skilfully allows for Kailee's contemplative gaze to be viewed from both sides, thanks to her reflection in the mirror. With the gently parted lips and lidded eyes, her expression is highly sensual, all the more because she seems to be in a trance, or frozen in time, truly like a living doll.

By stark contrast, in this image, Kailee directly engages with the viewer, delivering a steady gaze that is penetrating but not aggressive, a look that speaks of keen insight and perception. The wrap style of the dress showcases her buxom contours, while the heavy jewellery adds opulence. The halo effect of the bright lighting around her, as well as her luminescent complexion, creates the impression that her angelic face is materializing out of light itself.

While most of the video footage for IGIGI's holiday campaign finds Kailee alternating between soft, angelic looks and seductive expressions, the previous still, and the next one even more so, show the model with a more authoritative demeanour. In this arresting image, the model invades the space of the camera and boldly asserts her sensuality, demonstrating the compelling power of her curves to bend the viewer to her will. With complete self-assurance, she assesses the overwhelming effect that her luscious figure has upon her audience. The tip of the hat is a coy gesture, while the heavy necklace leads the eye downward from the thick curls of her tresses.

The composition of this image will be familiar from the video stills, shown above, but in the video segment, Kailee was found smiling and disarmed. Given the prevalence of alluring wrap styles in its holiday collection, IGIGI chose its model wisely, as Kailee's voluptuous contours are ideally suited to make the most of wrap dresses of every kind, which hold her figure in a loving embrace.

The final "extra" image is a bit of a departure, as we have seen no other IGIGI photographs showing Kailee in this outfit, against this backdrop. Unlike the more feminine elements seen elsewhere in the images, such as the chandelier, the sofa, etc., this dark-wood wall panelling is a solid, masculine element. Yet Kailee is such a quintessentially feminine model that she still appears soft and girlish, even in this context. The pullover attractively embraces her contours, while her golden tresses trace an undulating pattern as they tumble over her shoulders. The arms-akimbo pose can be an imposing stance, but the model softens the effect with her endearingly vulnerable gaze.

We extend our ongoing appreciation to IGIGI for this stellar campaign and especially for this series of unique, extra images.

Shelley

IGIGI has three new cover images in rotation on the site's home page.

The first is the most memorable, with Kailee looking buxom and appearing lost in reverie.



In the second image, I admire the artistic visual of incorporating a curvaceous object in the corner of the room, as if to visually echo the model's own contours.



A close and intimate view of Kailee.




IGIGI also features a new series of landing pages showing three separate collections of the season. This banner shows Kailee with her most adorably childlike look.



A moment of astonishment.



The San Francisco cityscape stretching off into the distance behind her.




Very fine photos of a lovely model. All of these can be viewed at a larger size on the IGIGI site.

Kaitlynn

IGIGI has also created a special graphic to mark the Thanksgiving weekend in the U.S.



This is one of the most gorgeous images of Kailee in the entire campaign, exceptional even by the high standards of this promotion. I love how the sunlight illuminates her hair. Her expression is serenely gorgeous- sensually passive yet very present. And the wrap dress beautifully embraces her figure, defining her voluptuousness.



The image is in rotation on the cover of the IGIGI site:

http://www.igigi.com

MelanieW

Gorgeous as all of the still images from this campaign have been, I still find that the screencaps from the video constitute the most attractive imagery that has emerged from the Kailee/IGIGI shoot. Those stills capture a wealth of serendipitous moments and show the breathtakingly fair and pretty complexion that Kailee possesses. She really does resemble a Victorian doll come to life.

IGIGI now features two new photos of Kailee on its cover page. Here they are as forum previews, but they simply must be seen full-size at the IGIGI site to take in their full impact.

This passive expression is captivating. The very stillness that Kailee exudes allows the viewer to be complete absorbed, almost hypnotized, by her beauty.



This dreamy, faraway look exhibits her gentle beauty especially well.



Yuliya is right. As nebulous as the term is, there is a "spirituality" to Kailee that comes across in her images. At a fuller-figured size, she could be the most gorgeous plus-size model in the world.

renata

Like everyone else, I'm now regularly visiting the IGIGI site to discover new images of Kailee. Here are two of the newest cover images.

Kailee in her distinctive chapeau, with her fair curls set off so beautifully by the teal top.



I love the full-width view of this image because in previous postings, it had been cropped, so I thought that it had been photographed with Kailee against a window. But actually, it seems to have been shot on the rooftop of the building where the campaign was photographed. The city skyline may be contemporary, but it makes a dramatic impression. Kailee's faraway gaze is very appropriate, because from this vantage point, it's as if she's gazing upon a whole city of people who are looking up to her and admiring her - like Aphrodite looking down from Olympus on worshipping mortals. Kailee looks voluptuous and alluring in this top, which still appears comfortable too.

Hannah

More lovely cover images from IGIGI, which Kailee fans will certainly enjoy seeing.

This photo shows the set where the shoot took place. The indoor tent roof is a very distinctive feature.




One of the new IGIGI covers features two lovely images of the model, so I've broken it up into left and right segments. The left side features a dreamlike close-up of Kailee which shows off the sugary fairness of her complexion as beautifully as do the screencaps from the video. Her skin is immaculate. She looks so delicate, so young.






This cover photos was previewed earlier. Kailee looks very secure in her own beauty here, and the dress is highly flattering at the bust.




A new banner for the holiday collection, with a moody expression from the model.



This shoot is yielding a wealth of stunning photos, each more gorgeous than the last. It's one of the prettiest of Kailee's career, and a stellar success for IGIGI.

Pamela

IGIGI has released numerous photos of Kailee in this seductive wrap dress, but the site's new cover image is one of my favourites.



I simply must display it at its full height. Kailee's pose and expression are very alluring, in a languishing style that exhibits her beauty especially well, and the pose enhances her already buxom physique. This is a remarkably sensual photograph of Kailee.



I also adore the look of wonderment in Kailee's big, blue eyes in this dramatic cover image. She adds a marvellous touch of femininity by caressing her golden tresses in such a captivating way.



IGIGI's wrap styles are the ultimate in flattering fashion for a voluptuous goddess like Kailee. The wealth of images that have come out of this shoot is astounding.



Kailee and IGIGI are a match made in heaven.