Caroline Polachek gets festive with Bimba y Lola

Last year, Bimba y Lola enlisted photographer Petra Collins for its AW22 campaign. Crashlanding in the remote town of Lolaville, Texas, the post-apocalyptic campaign starred podcast host and influencer Enya Umanzor. Now, just in time for Christmas, the Spanish brand has once again tapped the American photographer to capture it’s latest holiday campaign. 

In the imagery and video, shot and directed by Collins, we see New York-born pop singer Caroline Polachek as Bimba y Lola’s holiday muse. Set at a high-school prom, the campaign blends Collins and Polachek’s avant-garde spirit and redefines festive aesthetics.

The campaign introduces the Spanish label’s brand new edition of the Hobo Pocket Bag, this time adorned with Swarovski crystals. Featuring double carry handles, a leather shoulder strap, and front pockets, the bag made from leather is illuminated by classic heart-shaped Swarovski crystals. The bag is available in six different colourways including black, red, burgundy, bone, moss, and pear green. Elsewhere, the ready-to-wear collection itself showcases dresses with the heart motif as a central aesthetic theme, featuring fringing, asymmetrical straps, twisted sleeves, capes, and puffed silhouettes on draped necklines for the perfect slip dress.

Here, we speak to Polachek about appearing in the campaign, her own prom experiences, and her plans for the festive season.

What was working with Petra Collins like?

Caroline Polachek: I've been an admirer of her work for years, so it was a thrill to finally get to watch Petra behind the camera. She’s so fast, so precise with light, so focused but flexible, and she whips up everyone’s energy on set into a high-intensity froth of hyper-positivity, shouting ‘YES! YES! GORGEOUS! SO PRETTY!’ the whole time – when she says it, you can’t not believe her!

The shoot was prom party-themed. Did you go to prom? What was it like?

Caroline Polachek: I did go to prom, three times (the perks of having an older boyfriend). My first time going, I had the best dress, it was giant black and white squares of satin like a chess board. My school was massive, so there was no chance in hell I’d be prom queen, but my friends and I still did the whole corsage and limousine thing, and made sure to get myself into just the right amount of trouble.

How would you style the Hobo bag in your own day-to-day personal style?

Caroline Polachek: With a baby tee adorned with a random brooch, and slouchy trousers tucked into wide boots.

Which Hobo Pocket bag is your favourite?

Caroline Polachek: The beige, although the red one is a VERY close second.

What’s on your holiday wish list?

Caroline Polachek: The Prefab Sprout discography on vinyl.

How do you celebrate the holidays?

Caroline Polachek: I visit family and eat lots of lovely food, watch films and go on walks. Being the musician in the family, I’m usually handed the aux cable, so I end up ambiently DJing for a few days straight. Bach’s ‘Christmas Oratorio’ is a classic banger, it makes drunkenly handwashing a sinkful of dishes especially pious. 

If you could have five people, dead or alive, at your holiday dinner who would they be?

Caroline Polachek: I’d revive a selection of ancestors at 500-year intervals, so from the years 1523, 1023, 523, 23AD, and 477BC. Each person has to bring their favourite dish and wear their best look. Translation would be dicey but I’m sure we could get by if the food is good enough. 

What would a Caroline Polachek Christmas single sound like?

Caroline Polachek: It already technically exists; AG Cook made a very fun rework of my song ‘So Hot Your Hurting My Feelings’ but with lots of the lyrics swapped out to Christmas-themed ones, making it ‘So Cold You’re Hurting My Feelings’. It came on the playlist at a gay sports bar I was at in October, which obviously means it’s entered the canon.

Which three artists would you go carol singing with?

Caroline Polachek: Celine, Whitney, and Mariah would get pretty crazy. I’d be too shy to actually sing with them though.