It’s been 11 years since smokin’ hot models David Gandy and Bianca Balti swam in the Mediterranean Sea to shoot the campaign for Dolce & Gabbana’s Light Blue fragrance. They reunited recently with photographer Mario Testino to shoot the campaign for a reboot of Light Blue, richer versions aptly called Light Bleu Eau Intense and Light Bleu Eau Intense Pour Homme.
The two-day shoot was captured at the Faraglioni rocks in Capri, Italy, depicting the “Light Blue couple” meeting on the cliffs and in the grotto for a sensual tryst. The “lovers” frolic in the water (“we were very close to each other,” Balti tells Stylish) clad in rather skimpy white swimsuits that show off their sunkissed skin. What did it take to prepare to bare?
“Well, it wasn’t easy,” Gandy tells Us. “We shot the first one 11 years ago. Now I’m 37 and my metabolism has changed.”
Stylish sat down with the pair at the launch of the new Light Blue Eau Intense May 11 to learn all about the spirit of the new fragrances (which contain notes of crisp lemon and apple that mingle with heady jasmine and musk in the women’s scent, while the men’s has watery and woody notes) and, let’s confess, the secret to getting those perfect abs.
Stylish: The fragrances replicate a vacation vibe. What’s your ultimate holiday moment?
Balti: To me the ultimate holiday is just to stay at home! I travel so much, so just staying at home is the best. But I do love the ocean – it’s the smell of having the salt on your skin and in your hair.
Gandy: When she’s at home, she’s by the beach in California… I live in London! It’s gray and dreary. When I was a kid, we’d pack up the car with my whole family and grandparents and drive to Italy, to the Amalfi Coast and Positano. In England, we’re quite strict with our children but in Italy the children are out until 10 p.m. at night, it felt very free. And there’s lots of spirit and noise.
Balti: And gelato!
Stylish: So how does this scent read as more intense?
Gandy: Since it is called Intense, everything about it had to be like next level. Instead of just swimming in the sea, we’re in a dimly lit grotto.
Stylish: How do you prepare for a shoot like this, when you’re in your swimsuits? Do you amp up your workouts?
Balti: Not so much. I really am lazy. After my second pregnancy, I worked out a lot to get back in shape, I was pretty consistent. My daughter was 16 months old when we did the shoot.
Gandy: I’ve had to work out a lot harder. I’ve had to change my workouts. I look at Bianca and she’s had two kids and she looks like she does!
Stylish: Do you change your diet when you’ve got to be bikini-ready?
Balti: I avoid having a big breakfast, if I have to say the truth, I’ll wait until dinner. It’s not that I deprive myself, I just avoid eating a bunch of stuff the day that I’m shooting.
Gandy: Mine is a bit more intense than that. This time I did salt depletion because salt bloats you. I learned about it from a guy who shoots a lot of covers for Men’s Health.
Stylish: Wait, what?! Tell Us about salt depletion.
Gandy: You deplete all the salt two days before you shoot, and then the day before you dehydrate yourself. Literally the day before you drink only one glass of water. And that night you take a boiling hot bath. By the shoot you’ve got no liquid in you whatsoever. (Readers should not try this method at home before consulting a doctor, as it can be dangerous if done without supervision.)
Stylish: And then after the shoot, what’s your big indulgence?
Gandy: It’s, like, anything anyone brings me. That’s the best thing about shooting in Italy – right after the shoot it’s just all about pasta and bread and Limoncello!
