In fashion, backstages are way better than campaigns

Even though the second season of And Just Like That is still airing on HBOMax, most fans of the Sex and the City sequel series have already heard many details about the episodes. The fault, however, does not lie with a leak that revealed the plot well in advance, nor does it lie with a cast member who let one too many details of the story slip through the cracks. The blame, if we can call it that, lies with leaked photos from the set during filming that was taken and posted online long before the show went live. The photos in question teased not only Carrie's outfits, as in the case of the JW Anderson pigeon bag worn by Sarah Jessica Parker's character, but also the return of Aidan Shaw, the character played by John Corbett, who was "forced" to return to the scene after Mr. Big's farewell in the previous season. Normal when filming in a city like New York, where at least 11 thousand permits are required each year for filming of all kinds: from film to television, even reaching commercials. In short, filming in New York City is so common that there is even an Instagram account (@now_filming_nyc) that collects notices of parking bans related to the filming of Law & Order, The Blacklist, or Billions, a phenomenon that predictably attracts as many paparazzi as simple onlookers who want to try to take a picture of the star on duty.

Something similar happened last April during the filming of a commercial starring two cinematic heavyweights, Timothée Chalamet and Martin Scorsese, who was engaged in New York for what would later turn out to be a commercial for Chanel. Even before the ad went live, social media was filled with photos, videos, and memes (especially the one of Chalamet punching the camera) anticipating the official launch of the Oscar-winning director's campaign. But while such a leak would be a problem for many productions, never before has the online distribution of the campaign's behind-the-scenes footage resembled a table set up to go viral before it even hit the web. Between a giant image of Rihanna for Louis Vuitton and one of Scarlett Johansson posing for Prada, celebrity campaigns by major fashion brands are now the order of the day in a market so saturated that it seems to be forcing brands to play it by ear and end up publicizing the production of their own ads.

The most recent example was just a few days ago when Jennifer Lawrence, back in the spotlight thanks to the success of No Hard Feelings, was photographed in New York walking three dogs for what turned out to be the production of a commercial for Dior, the brand for which the actress is an ambassador. It matters little, however, because what got people talking was the quietly luxurious look the actress was sporting, especially The Row bag, which was promptly concealed once the clapperboard was given. Leaving the confines of New York, however, does not change things. Last February, Just Jared published photos of Sidney Sweeney out and about in Rome for what would later turn out to be a Tory Burch campaign, while these days Brad Pitt has been spotted on the French Riviera shooting a commercial for an Italian brand whose name is still top secret. Going back in time, the examples multiply, as in the case of Dakota Johnson, who was spotted in Los Angeles shooting a Gucci commercial, or Katy Perry in Capri with Dolce&Gabbana for the commercial directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Of course, not everyone gets the same media attention as JLaw. But one thing is for sure: when they do, they get something much more valuable than a spread in the latest issue of Vogue.