Watch Giabiconi and you'll get the drift... He has got quite a sexy voice and he appeared just a bit self-assured, but not arrogant, I believe...
Excerpts via Oh La La Mag:
Baptiste was not modeling he was working in a factory (assembling electronic part of planes) and was scouted at the gym in Marseille, he also reveals in this interview that he does not understand why his success with girls did not picked up since he is now one of the most popular model...
Baptiste is just explaining how everything started with Karl and how he never left Karl's side ever since the day he stepped into his studio in Paris but that we knew ...
[ Click to view larger version ]
[ Image via models.com ]
Well, what do you know? I mean, I know French actors (read: Louis Garrel, Gaspard Ulliel, Romain Duris, Melville Poupaud) are also not afraid to get naked, but on film! For Monsieur Giabiconi, being photographed for a fashion magazine is already reason enough to get naked... With Karl Lagerfeld doing the shoots, of course!
The problem is, there is a big difference between doing a nude scene for a movie by Jacques Audiard, Catherine Breillat or Francois Ozon and doing it via an editorial. No matter if it's for Wallpaper or V Man or any other top men's fashion magazines, full frontal nudity is a one time thing... or two or even three, and then what's next?
While it would be insane to assume his edits might someday become wrapper for fruits and veggies or (God forbid) fresh fish from the market, the thing is... a film with you appearing naked on it is much better (or should I use the word preferred?) than getting naked via paper, even if it's glossy...
Yeah I know, he's not even an actor. But then again, how about fellow male model Fu'ad Aït Aattou who appeared naked too in Catherine Breillat's Une vieille maîtresse? That's more like it!!!
What's the point in all of these? I think Monsieur Giabiconi is simply over-rated and now, over-exposed.. To rank him at #1 appears to me to be quite unbelievable. While he has grabbed a list of prestigious campaigns, I just think it's still not enough to award him the #1 slot...
[ Click on any image to view | Wallpaper editorial by Karl Lagerfeld ]
Says the Fashionisto:
Do I hate with delight because Baptiste has been forced upon us or does he have talent that we overlook?
Madonna and Jesus Luz may have heated up the tabloids this year, but they do not hold a candle to the inseperable pairing of Karl Lagerfeld and current muse Baptiste Giabiconi. While some may turn items into gold upon touching, everything Lagerfeld touched this year happened to include Baptiste. Whether starring in an editorial photographed by Lagerfeld or appearing in the foggy background of a womenswear campaign, Baptiste made the rounds this year. Now one can only wonder if 2010 has enough room for Kartiste. [ read more ]
[ Click on any image to view | Photos courtesy of Harumi @tFS ]
Says Lagerfeld himself:
"This place was used to keep ashes around the year zero. But it was a place full of joy and life. I photographed a boy there naked to show life in a place of death"
Really? In all honesty, I think Mr. Lagerfeld just want to see Baptiste naked, via an editorial versus, say inside the privacy of a chalet or palace or hotel or whatever... We are, after all, voyeurs... but to shoot him wearing high heels? I think Mr. Lagerfeld is guilty of inspiring lesser-known (and incompetent) photographers to do the same. I saw newcomer River Viiperi doing the same thing and it was .... ghastly!
As I said before, it seems male models are now supposed to wear high heels, as if it's de rigueur... Crap!
Is Baptiste Karl Lagerfeld's angel or is it the other way around... you tell me!
So, who is Giabiconi?
Three years ago, when Baptiste Giabiconi was working at a helicopter plant in southern France, his big dream was to save enough money to buy his own pizza truck. The son of a Corsican mechanic, Giabiconi had never been to Paris and had certainly never considered a career in modeling. But then someone noticed him at his local gym and referred him to a photographer, who introduced him to a Paris agent, who got him booked on a couple of small magazine jobs. Then someone else noticed him in one of those magazines and called him in for a test shoot.
That last someone happened to be Karl Lagerfeld, which goes a long way toward explaining why Giabiconi, 20, is arguably the world's No. 1 male model, and why the former metalworker shows up for an interview in Paris wearing Dior jeans, a Comme des Garçons shirt, a Tom Ford shearling coat and a Chanel scarf. In the year and a half since his first shoot with Lagerfeld, the two have worked on dozens of projects together, from short films for Chanel runway shows to a nude cover of Wallpaper. Editorials and campaigns shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and other top photographers have further crammed Giabiconi's schedule.
"There is no other model in the business like him," says Lagerfeld, who calls Giabiconi an "inspiring" collaborator due to a rare ability to "act and transform himself." Physically speaking, Lagerfeld adds, he's a male version of Gisele Bündchen: "Perfect when dressed and stunning undressed."
Giabiconi says his new life feels like a waking dream. He now lives near Lagerfeld in Paris and is the most visible member of the designer's entourage, though he retains his twangy Marseille accent and insists he's not much for parties, preferring to stay home and watch Alain Delon films. Still, Giabiconi, who clearly loves performing, doesn't hide his ambitions for a big career beyond modeling. He has thrown himself into acting and singing lessons, and he talks of "conquering Hollywood" someday: "I have a lot of plans. I know what I want in life, and I go for it." And what about that pizza truck? "I still like that idea," he says. "But now, why not have a whole chain of them?" [ read more ]
I applaud Mr. Giabiconi for his audacity in appearing naked for certain fashion editorials, but I would have admired him if he did it on film. But that's just me...
At the end of the day, how long he stays on top depends on what he'll do next (surprise us Baptiste!). Since he already appeared naked, I wonder is there anything else for us to see?
