Karl Lagerfeld has an incredible knack for picking the right ad campaign stars, and once again we feel like he’s nailed it.

Kaiser Karl has tapped the beautiful Joan Smalls to be the smouldering face (and incredibly body) of Fendi’s autumn/winter 2012 ad campaign – and apparently she was his one and only choice.

“I said to myself backstage during the show, ‘It’s her and her alone. No other girl — or boy — no child, only her,”’ Karl told WWD. “She had this incredible golden, glowing skin that made her look like some Etruscan beauty. She is also a great girl to work with, and we had great fun.”

It’s a good job Karl usually gets what he wants then, isn’t it? As if anyone would ever say no to him!

Akin to Dolce and Gabbana, Karl was keen to embrace the brand’s Italian roots, which is why the campaign was shot in the gorgeous Chianti. “I wanted an Italian landscape — but not a summery one,” he said. “We had bad weather, but it was exactly the mood and the colors I wanted. We had to wait that the rain stopped but that was also what gave us the right light.”

Phew – we’re glad Karl was happy! Look out for the campaign from July 15th onwards!