Terry Richardson Shoots Karlie For YSL, Isn’t Too Skeezy

by Ruthie Friedlander | 10:45 am, May 14th, 2010

Karlie Kloss is the new face of YSL Beauty for Summer 2010. And in an oddly PG-13 installment of his usually X-rated work, photographer and all around skeezy guy Terry Richardson shot the model in Paris for the makeup line’s advertising campaign.

In the ad, Kloss wears a patent leather jacket, which is left open, exposing a black demi-cut bra and Kloss’ decolletage. Though Kloss is just barely 18 years old, we have to admit that this ad is tame by Richardson’s standards, and we’ve seen the all-american model in far sexier images. And while we would have easily expected Terry to focus more on the model’s sex appeal, the makeup remains the focus of the ad — though whether this is the work of the makeup artist, YSL’s art director, or Richardson himself is up for debate.

Makeup ads typically tend to be nothing short of a huge yawn. It’s difficult to make a bronzer seem that appealing unless you see how it actually looks on your skin tone. But Kloss’ blue eyeliner and shadow make her eyes pierce through the camera’s lens. Her cheeks, which benefit from naturally impeccable bone structure, are blushed and bronzed to perfection. And that nail color! That fuscia-purple nail color! I’m pretty sure that will be many YSL fan’s summer shade.

[Ed Note: While Richardson's work here is certainly on the safe side, the fact that YSL hired him is an implicit endorsement of his actions as well as his far more explicit work, which we're certainly not on board with.]