Ottavio Missoni Celebrates 90th Birthday With New Campaign (PHOTOS)

Missoni's latest campaign, dubbed "A Wonderful Life," doubles as a tribute to the label's founder Ottavio (a.k.a. Tai) Missoni who celebrated his 90th birthday this year. The nonagenarian smiles for Juergen Teller's lens, clad in Missoni knitwear.

From the press release:

Shot against the natural and almost metaphysical background of the Alberoni Reserve at the Venice Lido, the campaign features the legendary "Tai," an Olympic athlete but also the founder and icon of one of Italy's most beloved and oldest brands, and models Kaitlin Aas, Valeria Kelava, Kinga and Kristina Salinovic.
Tai continues to bring inspiration through his unmistakably sophisticated and informal elegance and adds a unique quality and intensity to this campaign. He has helped transform the images into a blend of myth and reality, of authenticity and artifice, and of form and content.

Ottavio isn't the only Missoni to strike a pose for this season's ads. 28-year-old Margherita Missoni recently wrapped herself in zigzags for Missoni's upcoming collaboration with Target. And the grandpa-granddaughter duo has also smiled for Teller's other family-themed spots.

Take a look at Missoni's fall/winter 2011 campaign.

Comments

[Mojada]

02:41 AM on 08/10/2011

I am amaze with all the negative comments. This brand is in Saksfive Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom and it sell for over 500 for one item.

1380.00-7570.00

Tullia Knit Trenchcoat, Roulette Ombre Top & Trudy Knit Trousers

495.00-3945.00

Carla Python Motorcycle Jacket & Ruota Ombre Knit Dress

1415.00-9060.00

Perla Maribou Long Cardigan & Natalia Long Dress

2630.00-12000.00

Banded V-Neck Dress

1490.00

Zigzag Cardigan, Shell & Wide-Leg Pants

575.00-985.00

[Farzan]

08:25 AM on 08/09/2011

The near-death posing with the dead. What a match.

[Asuigeneris1]

09:05 PM on 08/08/2011

Dang, those are some harsh looking women...who the hell did there make-up and hair, Morticia Adams? : P

[Nutcase]

08:31 PM on 08/08/2011

I had no idea Italy had that many ugly girls. Ugly doesn't fit well with such juvenile attempts at exhibiting attitude.

[MMMMarilyn]

08:21 PM on 08/08/2011

Mr. M. is wear his Missoni adult diaper cover in a zig zag knit of black and yellow.
"Wait, my earpiece is saying it was black and WHITE when he put it on."

[Jill1975]

12:40 AM on 08/18/2011

You can make snarky comments like that because you will never grow old and even if you do you will have acomplished much more than Mr Missoni who is a medalist in the olympics, a world class athelete ( many decades ago) , a multmillionaire and has a great family.

[dididangerlove]

08:01 PM on 08/08/2011

The ladies need to take a lesson from Missoni who appears to be loving life.

[smastro1]

03:48 PM on 08/08/2011

Nice looking ladies,but aren't they allowed to smile?It looks like an Addams family reunion.

[360Dunk]

02:49 PM on 08/08/2011

Great styles they are wearing...assuming you want to fight a battle somewhere in the Middle East on a camel and blend in with the sand.

[m5d7]

02:05 PM on 08/08/2011

Who are these people?!!

[MMMMarilyn]

08:19 PM on 08/08/2011

You jest keep a-shoppin at Pennys, darlin'

[m5d7]

12:26 PM on 08/09/2011

Obviously my life involves more than fashion designers, which does not make me an illiterate hillbilly which your comment suggests. That was an unnecessary response to a comment by me that did not require it.

[GraniteSkyline]

03:21 PM on 08/10/2011

M5 only shops for formal wear at Penney's. Everyday togs come from Wallie*World or the Dollar Store.

[j-anthony]

01:19 PM on 08/08/2011

Absolutely loved him in "Tales from the Crypt". Good show.

[hossrocks42]

12:48 PM on 08/08/2011

thats just stupid

[Cuyahoga]

12:23 PM on 08/08/2011

For men, we have the beautiful barely clad ladies on your left. And for the women, we have a 90 year old man to gaze at.

PLEASE!!!!!!!!! Give us women something beautiful and under 35 oh and male!

Thank you.

[Char den]

12:09 PM on 08/08/2011

He's cute. But, these ads/pictures makes him come off as an old creepy pimp like Hugh Hefner. LOL! But, then again, it could be our minds are in the gutter. Go figure.

[Cuyahoga]

12:23 PM on 08/08/2011

Cute?

[nermz345]

01:25 PM on 08/08/2011

hopefully... i think she means cute in that grandpa you want to hug sort of way....

[Jill1975]

12:42 AM on 08/18/2011

He is the owner of the company, not a model.

[jewelnyctf]

11:42 AM on 08/08/2011

What gets me is that these campaigns always feature interesting looking, or at least cute young models. But, they rarely find the most handsome, or interesting elder models! It's an unfair, and uneven representation which makes their ads look quite ridiculous.

Get smart ad-world. Find the attractive elder models to match your younger cohort!

Very attractive elders are rare, but they do exist, and deserve as much effort in finding them.

[harcyoung]

10:23 AM on 08/08/2011

looks a bit creepy to me.

[signgrrl]

12:44 PM on 08/08/2011

he looks demonic to me.