It wasn’t long ago that I did a post on More Bikes and Babes: Women in advertising and history of motorcycling. In that post was a photo of Keira Knightley filming a Coco Chanel perfume commercial. In this filmed commercial she is clad in a slick beige cat suit custom designed by Karl Lagerfeld, together with knee-high boots and matching helmet as she supposedly rides her retro-looking Ducati. The Chanel Ad campaign was filmed at Place de la Concorde, a large square in Paris, which features a dramatic fountain just west of the Champs-Élysées. The ad looks so real but like much of life it’s an illusion.

The reality is here…

and here…

The commercial is certainly effective as you can view in the finished production film, now on Youtube. “It’s a man’s man’s man’s world” recorded originally by James Brown is performed here by Joss Stone. There is a waft of retro-modern style that is currently so popular in film, clothing and even motorcycles.

I’ll tell you there is some serious suspension of disbelief in the beautifully filmed and edited ad, but look closely as she jumps the stairs. It’s clearly a different motorcycle, one with a very big radiator, but very well edited! I also noticed that she gets on the bike on the right side, which would be very odd for a real rider, as we mount our motorbikes on the left, unless circumstances dictate otherwise. For a moment, I’d almost buy that Keira rides. Almost…

See for yourself.

Now if you want to see a real female Ducati rider with style and panache, check out The Vintagent.