Isabella Rossellini on making a modelling comeback in her 60s and why she's embracing colour

Until recently, Isabella Rossellini only wore black.???I belong to that New York fashion generation of the 80s and 90s when we were always wearing black.It???s so easy to wear,??? she laughs over the phone from L.A.But then the legendary actress and model met Sander Lak, the designer behind the label Sies Marjan which is shaking up the NY fashion scene with its vibrant colour palettes and modern cuts.

???When I saw Sander???s collections, there were exactly the colours for someone used to wearing a lot of black.There is a real statement of joyfulness and wanting colour back,??? she observes.???Now, I put an incredibly bright pink sweater with black pants.???

After being introducedto65 year-old Rossellini through a friend, Lak was- unsurprisingly- charmedso decided to ask her to star in his autumn/ winter 2017 advertising campaign which was to be photographed by Bruce Weber.???The first person I kept thinking of was Isabella Rossellini.Bruce Weber and Isabella have such anamazing history together and it was my dream to revive that,??? says Lak of the duo, who createdpared-back yet spirited photographs together during the 80s and 90s.

Sies Marjan FW17 Campaign by Bruce Weber from Sies Marjan on Vimeo.

The result- seen for the first time today- is a refreshingly happy set of images, akin to a modern spin on Benetton???s 90s ads.Rossellini, whose gamine beauty is as radiant as ever, stars alongside a brilliantly varied cast of faces which includes her son Roberto, Russian supermodel Sasha Pivovarova and her five year-old daughter Mia, model Lexi Boling and her boyfriend Ben Allen.Their delicious combinations of fuschia, peppermint and Cadbury purple areenough to persuade anyone wedded to their black staples to experiment with a blast of colour.

Rossellini says that it was an ???instant yes??? when she was asked to do the campaign.The Sies Marjan images offer an alternative interpretation of the diversity which has, to varying extents, been embraced by the industry of late.???It has been the quest for many people in fashion, how to include everybody???? she says.???Sometimes it can be seen as a political statement which is a bit of a turn-off.But Bruce???s artistry and Sander???s joyfulness in fashion and colour made the campaign and photos feel right; they???re joyful, glamorous and attractive.???

???The pleasure of working with Sander is that he is defining himself right now as a young person,???Rossellini, who is the daughter of director Roberto Rossellini and actress Ingrid Bergman, enthuses.???He understands the definition of male and female is blurred.Age?He doesn???t care.And race, he doesn???t even see it.???

It is rather a different proposition to her work with Lancome.Famously, Rossellini became the highest paid model in the world when she was signed to the beauty giant in 1982 but was rather unceremoniously fired in 1996 because she was feared to be too old to be able to sell customers the beauty dream.When she was rehired last year, it was the most potent signal yet that big brands understood customers wanted to see positive and inspirational examples of women who were aging, yes, but looking good with it.

???They haven???tput me in an advertisement campaign but I think the will is there,???Rossellini says of her work with Lancome now, acknowledging that a company steeped in heritage cannot be quite so nimble as the start-up set-up enjoyed by Lak.???There must be a reason but I???m not an executive, I don???t see the market research.There is a real discussion about it but there is also a tradition.???

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For Lak, the Sies Marjan campaign- which includes pieces from his debut menswear capsule collection, set to hit Matchesfashion.com in November- had a purposefully relaxed feel.???Fashion is a serious business and a lot of the timeit can get quite heavy, especially these days, but I never forget the joy that it brings to me and the people around me,??? he says.???The campaign is a bit of this celebration of the joy that fashion can be, and should be!Let???s not forget it"s just clothes, and I see that as a beautiful thing, it"s the reason why I do what I do, the clothes!???

The inclusion of so many models of different ages and looks is worn lightly and naturally.???It"s not so much a consideration as it is a reality of the world.Our customers are female, male, young, old, small, big, every color skin tone existing and of so many nationalities - it would be a shame to not find a way to represent that.???

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