Arezzo has been a client of Skep360, the marketing agency I collaborate with in Miami. At the time, Tati Devesa, who was the brand’s director in the U.S., had a meeting with us where she shared her vision for Arezzo’s very first campaign produced in the United States. It was a bold challenge, because Arezzo is one of the biggest brands in Brazil, maybe the biggest, and their campaigns have always been created by their internal team in São Paulo. This was the first time an international team would take on the responsibility of creating a campaign for the brand abroad, and it needed to be aligned with the international market while staying true to Arezzo’s DNA.

During our brainstorm sessions, Tati brought up the idea of Leighton Meester. She felt strongly that Leighton would bring an emotional connection to the American public, a sense of familiarity and memory. She was absolutely right. When the campaign came out, it quickly became news across many outlets, partly because the 20-year anniversary of Gossip Girl was generating a lot of buzz at the time. Choosing Leighton was a perfect decision.

Skep360 handled the negotiations and I, along with the creative team, worked on shaping the direction. Arezzo’s tradition in Brazil has always been tied to famous actresses. For decades, the brand featured the biggest TV stars in its campaigns, often photographed in iconic and innovative ways. For this first U.S. campaign, we wanted to translate that heritage into something that felt international and timeless. The brief was clear: create photographs that would never feel dated, portraying Leighton not just as Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl, but as a respected actress in her own right. The styling played with the essence of Arezzo, almost like imagining Blair in a modern, reimagined way without repeating the past.

We moved the entire production to Los Angeles. It was my first time photographing an Arezzo campaign in L.A., and the studio was fully prepared for the day. Leighton arrived with her own trusted team for hair and makeup, both of them wonderful professionals who brought warmth and precision. Before she came, her team let us know she would need to bring her daughter, Arlo Day, because of a personal situation. The only requirement from her agent was that no one on set could take photos of her daughter with a phone.

From the moment she walked in, Leighton broke every stereotype of what people expect from a celebrity. She came in kind, calm, naturally beautiful, and with a grounded energy. Time has been incredibly generous to her. She was stunning when she played Blair, but today there’s a depth and elegance that makes her even more striking. Photographing her was fluid and effortless. You understand why someone is a true professional when they don’t resist the process, when they trust direction and simply deliver. She gave herself fully to the shoot, and the results speak for themselves.

Meanwhile, Arlo brought lightness and joy to the set. Our executive producer, Regina, played Taylor Swift on the speakers, and Arlo danced and laughed through the day. She didn’t touch a phone once — she was simply being a child, enjoying the moment. At one point I asked Leighton if she wanted me to change the music, since it was Taylor playing all afternoon. She looked at her daughter, smiling and carefree, and said, “I think this is perfect.” It was such a genuine moment of motherhood, a reminder that what matters most isn’t always the set or the production but the people we bring with us into those spaces.

Toward the end of the shoot, I asked Leighton if she would like me to take a few photos with her daughter. She looked at me with surprise, smiled instantly, and asked if I really would. I told her it would be my pleasure. I took a few portraits of them together, and they turned out beautiful. Those photos I never published and never will, because they belonged to that private moment between them. After the campaign was released, we had one of the portraits printed and sent to her as a gift. I believe she must have appreciated it.

For me, photography has always been about marking a moment, freezing something that continues to feel alive years later. I often look at old photographs and admire how certain images don’t feel dated. They could have been taken yesterday or decades ago, and they still hold the same power. That is what I wanted with this campaign — timelessness. Looking back at the results, I believe we achieved exactly that.

This shoot was more than just another campaign. It was a turning point in bringing Arezzo into the international market, but it was also a moment of personal growth for me, photographing an actress whose image is part of cultural memory, and capturing her in a way that goes beyond the role everyone remembers. It was a celebration of elegance, presence, and authenticity.

Credits

Executive direction @tati.devesa

Creative Director and stylist @liandraliandraliandra

Photographer @tongomes__

Executive Producer @reginacorderom

Photographer assistant @gerardgute

Hair @amber_duarte

Beauty @bethanymccarty

Equipment @syncrental

Studio @theraminstudio

Retouch @telharetouch

Art Direction @pribarp