Sofia Coppola Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream

When it came time for Marc Jacobs to choose someone to shoot the television ad for his newest fragrance, Daisy Dream, one name came to mind. Sofa Coppola, his pal and director of dreamy flms like Marie Antoinette, and coincidentally, the frst face of the designer’s original eponymous scent, was the perfect choice. For the ad, Coppola employed her signature aesthetic to document model Antonia Wesseloh doing her thing in the Bavarian countryside— frolicking in tall grass, playing with sparklers, and gazing up at the sky. Here, the indie auteur breaks down the process of working with one of her best friends and capturing the vibe of Daisy Dream. 

What was it like working with Marc on this project? Because we have similar tastes, it was easy for me. I had complete freedom to make something pretty that I hoped captured the feeling that he wanted to portray.

How did the fragrance inspire the concept of the ad? Because of the name, we wanted it to feel dreamy. Fragrance is very abstract, so how you convey it—you know, the feeling that you want or the girl—matters. I like to think of things as a memory, or an impression.

How did you pick the Bavarian countryside? Juergen Teller shot [the print ad], and that was his neck of the woods. Just being there in the hot summertime, the girls running around in the tall felds—we were very into the daisy spirit.

How is your process diferent for this kind of shoot versus a feature flm? I enjoy doing fragrance commercials because they are impressionistic. They're more about a mood, an atmosphere, and a personality, as opposed to a story.

How did you incorporate your signature style into the ad? Antonia has a diferent feeling about her. She has an interesting quality like she’s lost in her own thoughts. There is something dreamy about her lying around looking at the clouds. We wanted to evoke the personality of the girl who would wear Daisy Dream.

Which of your characters or flms would you most closely associate with Daisy Dream? Virgin Suicides. There are similarities in the mood and the imagery of the girls in the felds [shown in the ad]. There’s a connection.