Balenciaga Channels Patti Smith for Spring 2012

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• From Patti Smith: 1969-1979, Photographs by Judy Linn

It seems like Patti Smith is everyone's muse these days. The 56-year-old just covered the winter style issue of T Magazine, and this week Balenciaga dropped a Smith-inspired add campaign, which stars four relatively unknown models channeling the poet-rocker circa 1970. The Steven Meisel-shot ads were inspired by personal photos published in Smith's 2010 memoir, Just Kids, Models.com reports, and attempt to capture the bohemian-punk spirit of Smith's life in the legendary Hotel Chelsea... albeit in way more expensive clothing, and in a way cleaner room.

Unclear whether Smith herself would embrace the idea of being a Balenciaga muse: on one hand, she's vocally anti-establishment, on the other, she's been known to pop up at Fashion Week and rock her fair share of Prada. But regardless, these images are whetting our palates for the Just Kids movie, which, as demonstrated here, promises plenty of opportunity for amazing set-design and, of course, casting.
· Just Kids [Models.com]
· Patti Smith: A Portrait of the Artist [Rugby Blog]
· Balenciaga [Official Site]