I had blocked this from my memory, but in the past year, Julia Roberts wore Givenchy to two major events. She wore this terrible half-tuxedo Givenchy to the premiere of August: Osage County and then she wore this awful black lace monstrosity to the Oscars earlier this year. Considering that “Givenchy” is synonymous with “passive-aggressive crap from Riccardo Tisci” these days, there was some concern as to why Julia choose Givenchy for two major events. Turns out, she was positioning herself for an ad campaign!

Julia is the new face of Givenchy. Which is nonsensical to me – Tisci has been trying to take the label to a younger audience and Julia will not help there. I’m including the three new images from Julia’s campaign in this post. Very… minimalist. The images are striking, for sure, but that’s mostly because it’s Julia rather than the clothes. When Julia’s campaign was announced yesterday, they also did an interview with Yahoo. No, let me rephrase that – Tisci did an interview and then Julia deigned to speak about why she would ever agree to this. Here are some highlights from the interviews:

Why Tisci chose Julia: “Julia was my first choice for a few reasons; I think that she represents such a mature woman. With each campaign for Givenchy, I’m always trying to make a difference. A lot of people see Givenchy as only “haute couture,” or only “street and urban.” For me, Julia is many things. She has this strength as an actress, but she’s also this beautiful American woman. She’s a big star, but she’s not a paparazzi or a blog monster. It’s going to be my tenth year at Givenchy in March, so I wanted to represent the woman who is more mature, beautiful, talented, but also unpretentious.

Julia on meeting Riccardo: “It’s funny because I had never met him before our first day together shooting the campaign. I was so nervous, and I was expecting this very kind of chic man in a suit and a white shirt and a tie. I come walking in and there’s this good-looking man in a plaid flannel shirt and some work boots. I’m like, “This is Riccardo?” He’s so sweet. He’s in an industry that I find very intimidating and elusive—just like the good-looking girl in high school. The whole fashion industry is that to me. And then you meet these people who are so kind, love what they do, and are very interested in the personal aspects of it. You know, the way you look, it’s so personal. Riccardo put me very much at ease. And Mert and Marcus are just the most fun people to spend a day with.

Julia on the Givenchy clothes: “Well, they were so beautiful, and they’re all so impeccable. Trends and I never shall meet; I just can’t quite pull it off! That’s why I love a suit. That’s why I love impeccable tailoring and really perfect fabrics. He did it all. That black, flowy blouse? It’s heaven on a hanger. It’s like a piece of artwork.

Julia’s style rules: “Well, the corny ones are the true ones. When you’re comfortable and you feel good in what you’re wearing, you’re going to look good. If you’re wearing something that’s so contrived and you look like a trussed up Thanksgiving turkey, you’re not going to look your best. For me, the older I get, the more I realize there are some major errors people make when it comes to what’s appropriate for their age.

Why she’s not on social media: “Social media would just be another thing that I’d neglect. There just aren’t enough hours in the day….For me, it’s a daily impossibility. I just have to approach it with a sense of effort and humor because by 11 o’clock, there are 17 things that I have not, will not, and cannot get accomplished during the course of the day. Especially for working moms, there’s so much pressure to do it all and be it all and have it all, and I think the best thing to do is to give ourselves a break and say, let’s put forth our best efforts. As long as everyone is tucked in, happy and healthy at the end of the night, we’ve crossed the finish line.

[From Yahoo]

When Tisci called Julia “unpretentious,” I actually snort-laughed. Sure, dude. Whatever you say! So, do you think Julia signed on for this ad campaign because Tisci asked and she thought, “Eh, why not?” Or do you think she did it for the money? I doubt it! She’s not poor and she doesn’t need this. I think she just did it for the hell of it.

Julia also says she’s become obsessed with mahjong, which amused me. I play mahjong online and I love it! It’s actually a great game to just play when you have some free time, because it’s easy to put away and not think about. You know? Like, some games are obsession-bait, like you just want to play them for hours. Online mahjong is just something fun to do occasionally.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Givenchy ad photos courtesy of Mert & Marcus for Givenchy.