Calvin Klein's raciest ad yet ires Aussies.

The other night at Marianne Williamson's weekly lecture (yes, this cynical atheist went to hear a woman who talks about miracles and God speak--what of it??), Williamson took time to bring attention to the above billboard--the raciest ad yet from a brand that has built its name on racy ads. Calvin Klein has long sold everything from jeans to perfume to tighty whities with the attitude that sex sells. And sell, despite many controversies over the year, it has. The controversy has even become a marketing tool in itself--recently played up by the brand with a billboard on Sunset Blvd. that showed nothing but a scannable code, through which the user could see the ad's naughty bits from home--implying that the image was too risque even for the Sunset Strip.

Which brings us to the recent hype about this now-censored billboard in Australia--the nation (slash continent)'s Advertising Standards Bureau has decided that model Lara Stone looks like she may be getting raped by three handsome, if expressionless young men and has demanded the billboard come down.

Do I buy it? No, not so much. To me, it looks like her blank stare matches the gentelmen's perfectly and they're all tangled up in a consensual orgy of equal disinterest.

Perhaps, however, I'm being callous and insensitive and should be more of a stodgy feminist about all this.

What are your thoughts?

[via AOL News via Marianne Williamson]

Cassette Playa presented the 1st ever augemented runway.

As if the size zero, 6' tall men and women who walk down the globe's runways aren't a departure from reality already, UK streetwear designers, Cassette Playa, presented the first ever augmented reality runway show earlier this year with their S/S 2011 collection.

Crazy town.

Spring styles to adore from Rojas. [Design Dish]

LA's Rojas can be hit or miss. The lookbook for Spring 2010 just came out and it's looking like a lot of hits. Hits that I want to own. Hits that I want to wear. Hits that I wish were available for purchase immediately/right now/yesterday for sale online. I will have to stop into the Melrose shop this weekend to indulge my Spring shopping fix and fill the season's quota for poofy pants and pastels.

Chambers Clothing Preview Party: tequila + VICE + rabbits' feet [We Like to Party]

Last night, we headed downtown to celebrate the launch of Chambers Clothing, the sharp looking new line of menswear from Matt Goldman (artist & promoter extraordinaire) and Devin Carlson (of Fremont Apparel). The party was held at one of Cedd Moses' (many, many) new watering holes, Las Perlas. Las Perlas is a tequila bar and, to save you the trouble of asking should you go in, they do not serve other liquors. Though they may try to make you believe that certain tequilas taste like other certain liquors. Hmm.

The Chambers collection looks incredible. Incredible enough to make me wish I was either a dude or a much larger woman so that I could sport some of the looks. Fingers are crossed for a women's line to follow...

View the Chambers Look Book.

Amy Winehouse 'designs' a line with Fred Perry. Uh huh.

In case you missed the news, Amy Winehouse (who considers smeared eye makeup and cocaine residue appropriate evening wear) has announced a design collaboration with Fred Perry, the preppy UK brand known for its once trendy polos.

So far, the sketches I've seen look uninspired and the only thing 'Amy' about them is the pompadour. Which last I checked, is more outdated style than design savvy.

Oscar Style - the good, the bad, and the odd.

Last night, the stars came out for the Academy Awards. Some with class and style. Others with, well, see for yourself below...

Get the flash player here: http://www.adobe.com/flashplayer

Design Dish: a behind the scenes with Ai for Ai.

Every time I think I have discovered every talent my friends have, they surprise me with another one. As it turns out, my friends are unnaturally gifted. And if they weren't my friends I'd be jealous. But as they are my friends, I am just incredibly proud.

Elizabeth and Carol Ai are two of the sweetest, sassiest and most stylish ladies I know. Well, because they're so gosh darn generous, they've decided to share their good style with the rest of us. They've just launched Ai for Ai, a women's fashion collection that's feminine, sexy and totally on trend. If you need one word for it...try fabulous.

The girls shared this image above with me--it's a behind-the-scenes sneak peak of the designers' look book featuring the talented and beautiful artist Mercedes Helnwein whose work I covet as well.

Ai for Ai is hitting an impressive roster of stores soon. I, for one, am thrilled and excited and dying for it all at once.

Visit the Ai for Ai Blog.
Follow Ai for Ai on Twitter. (They're always sharing awesome bits.)

Design Dish: Levis + Opening Ceremony + Ryan McGinley = Awesome

Levi's and Opening Ceremony have collaborated on a line. Which I find bizarre and fascinating and wonderful. and photog Ryan McGinley, who's been getting lots of buzz lately (he recently shot Olympian athletes wearing Rodarte for NYT), shot the campaign. Wow. Stunning.

Shop the collection online.

[via Cool Hunting]

Beautiful things: Tim Walker's fantasy photos.

The photography of London-based artist Tim Walker makes me want to walk through a mirror and come out the other side into his world. Because I'm pretty sure there'd be unicorns there. And probably calorie-free milkshakes too.

[Images all by Tim Walker]

Design Dish: Sonia Rykiel [doesn't really] design for H&M. Again.

While the behind the scenes of the creation of Sonia Rykiel's new collection for H&M (the last was a tacky Bebe-esque lingerie line) is cool-ish enough, it proves my sneaking suspicion that the big name designers H&M (and other mass stores like it) partner with to bring luxe to the masses, have little to nothing to do with the real design work. Which would explain why the final collections are always a far cry from the actual brands' feel, fashion and quality.

Do watch til the end of the video though to catch the snazzy presentation of the line. Models riding their hearts out on bikes that don't go anywhere. Fantastic.

[via New York Magazine]

Skin Deep: American Apparel recalls its new nail lacquers. Oops.

It feels like just last week that American Apparel's own collection of nail lacquers hit stores. Ah, perhaps that's because it pretty much was.

The polishes are available no longer as there were 'quality' issues with the glassware. Oops. I guess the brand that's so accustomed to creating flimsy, barely there clothes couldn't create a functioning glass bottle.

[via New York Magazine]

Culture Jam. Innovative social media start up. Music marketer. My new employer.

In a perfect world, I'd lay on a beach all morning, hike in the afternoons and break for yoga and pasta lunches in between. In a slightly less than perfect world, I have to work to put the gluten free bread on the table. But in this slightly less than perfect world in which I am apparently not a woman of leisure, I have found an incredibly perfect job and for that I am grateful. I have begun work this week as the Marketing & Editorial Director at Culture Jam, a new social media start up in...wait for it...Santa Monica. I know I've never been a West Side girl. But...I am now.  

Culture Jam is a collection of groundbreaking concepts centered around creating a new value proposition for digital content creators and their fans. If you create culture for your fans, or if you are a fan of culture, Culture Jam will soon be your online destination of choice. Launching in 2010, Culture Jam will change the way content is distributed and consumed online.

PromoJam CMS is a versatile enterprise-level Twitter promotion builder and content management system that allows you to easily build branded viral marketing Twitter campaigns for your company, client, brand or artist on your own. PromoJam creates “tweet-of-mouth” campaigns that optimize the potential reach of each end user by leveraging the collective power of every user’s sphere of influence. Our intuitive plug and play technology makes creating and launching Twitter promotions as easy as one, two, three.

Recent PromoJam Clients have included Pearl Jam, Alicia Keys, Diddy, Rihanna, Muse, Live Nation, Regina Spektor, and TRV$DJAM. And upcoming projects we're working on include clients in film, fashion, sports and consumer products.

Check out our latest promotion with Pearl Jam and get a FREE download of the band's live version of 'Just Breathe'.

Follow Culture Jam on Facebook.

Follow Culture Jam on Twitter.

And stay in touch as Culture Jam brings online content to the next level.

Design Dish: Unhee's Suzy Yun on Fashion and the Future

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Unhee designer Suzy Yun for Style Section L.A. In a city inundated with aspiring young fashion designers, Yun stands out as smart and self-aware and her 2010 Spring/Summer collection, fresh and inspired. This will mark the LA native and Echo Park designer's first foray back into fashion after a brief hiatus in production and so far I'm terribly fond of what we see. Yun shared her thoughts with me on L.A.'s sense of style (comfy), her fave spots for food and fashion, her admiration of FIDM student style, celebrity fans of Unhee (Selma Blair's been spotted in her jumper) and the merits of 'side boob' (she's a fan). I'm looking forward to seeing more side boob and other striking fashions from Yun in 2010 and beyond.

Read the full piece on Style Section LA.

Design Dish: Video killed the print ad. Dior goes viral with Marion Cotillard.

A few years back, Nicole Kidman starred in a dramatic short film that passed as Chanel No. 5's TV ad campaign. Pop star Britney Spears is hocking Candies' ugly mules on the side now. And Beyonce sang about upgrading to Direct TV service in a recent ad. These days, celebs are taking money for pretty much any and all endorsements. And brands are getting savvier with their ad dollars, employing big names to sell their stuff and taking their campaigns to the web where consumers can spread their gospel for them.

Dior is the latest brand to channel major Hollywood star power to move large leather bags. And the star is Marion Cotillard, the young actress who's been winning hearts and Oscars in Tinseltown lately. Cotillard is not a new ambassador for Dior. She has already appeared in shorts on ladydior.com, with an upcoming installment directed by David Lynch, and in print ads. But now the brand will take it next level with the making of a music video. Franz Ferdinand penned the music and lyrics, giving the project music cred.

The video will go public on January 14th. Watch for it floating around Cyberspace somewhere.

[via WWD]

Le Tigre plays on words but will Tiger sell you tee shirts?

Le Tigre, the brand better known for its stitched logo than its actual product, has launched a new campaign. It references today's most scandalous star athlete, encourages a focus back on to the sport of golf, and even includes a charity angle.

But do we really need Tiger Woods right now, Le Tigre? And is it possible to 'get back on course' and away from Tiger's recent scandal when you're calling attention to him in the very same ad? And, greatest on the irony scale, does a charity that aims to 'promote character development and life-enhancing values' really need to associate itself with golf's biggest, ahem, player?

I would like to officially cast my vote on Le Tigre's new ads (because I know they were waiting on my input): FAIL.

[Via WWD]

Shop: Whatever you do, don't buy these pants.

I peeked into Black Friday sales this weekend. Online. Because no handbag/denim/stiletto heel is worth live and in-person pushing through sweaty mall shoppers still smelling of pumpkin pie and turkey gizzards.

And on Intermix's website, I found these pants. If there is one thing I'd like to implore you not to buy this holiday season...or ever...it is these pants.

These Elise Øverland Metallic Stretch Pants Were: $1,495.00 and are Now: $1,049.00.

The item description reads as follows...

The ultimate in slim pant/leggings chic. These skinny beauties from EO are styled in heavy knit with pieced knees, and are completely overlaid with a coat of matte gunmetal metallic. The black backing does peek through somewhat here and there. The waist is 1 1/2" of heavy black ribbing and they have a side zipper. Unlined. In silver, which is really a more muted gunmetal.

a. I don't care how 'ultimate' these pants are. Unless these pants are overlaid with 24 k gold, anything over $100 is retail robbery.

b.Does a price reduction qualify as a sale if the cost of the leggings are still over a grand?

c. Does designer Elise Øverland know that American Apparel sells these same pants for $49?

Shop: Temperley London (aka, my favorite new store on Melrose Place)

On a little street called Melrose Place and through a little alleyway that screams whispers delicacy and fancy-pants activity, is LA's Temperley London boutique.

I met John, the store's enthusiastic, adorable and well-heeled manager, the other night and had promised to drop by. So I did. And I am so glad for it.

The bridal collection--to die for. To all my lovely girlfriends who have recently become engaged, you must visit. To all my gent friends who've proposed, go rent a tux instead of buying and invest the difference in your bride-to-be's Templerley gown like a good boy.

For the non-betrothed, there's the original ready-to-wear collection that goes from flowy to fierce. With gigantic belts to tie it all together in between.

And good news for those of us who are neither planning weddings, nor sitting on trust funds (because the price points here are nothing to scoff at)--there are rumors of a lower priced line from Temperley (ala the house's 2007 collaboration with Target) to come this Spring. And though we adore the real thing, we do love, love, love lower prices.

Temperley London

8452 Melrose Place

Los Angeles, CA 90069

Get Direction

323.782.8000

P.S. - There may (or may not) be an amazing sale starting in-store this weekend. Shhhh....

For all the beautiful, lonely people.

Daul Kim, a Korean model-just 20 years old, killed herself the other day. On her blog, she'd recently written...

i just know

the more i gain

the more lonely it is

In a previous entry, she had posted this cartoon version of one of my favorite books from childhood, The Giving Tree, which I never knew existed and am happy now to know exists.

Farewell to all the lonely, beautiful people.

Ms. Kim.

Mr. Silverstein.

The tree.

The boy.

Design Dish: Comme des Garçons & The Beatles, a questionable collaboration.

I wanted so badly to like this collaboration. I have great love for Comme des Garçons. I have great love for The Beatles. I have gratitude for a major design house's willingness to produce a leather-free collection. But if the rest of the collection looks anything like this first bag I've seen, I just cannot get behind it. It would be an assault on my personal style.

[via Hypebeast]

Obsessions: Barbie + Christian Louboutin create a new modern classic.

Barbie is classic. Christian Louboutin is classic. Together, they are a force beyond reckoning with.

Next month, the world's most celebrated shoe designer and famed bobblehead beauty will release a collaborative doll that trades out Barbie's usual blond tresses and good girl looks with a red do and a leather ensemble on the verge of X-Rated.

For more info on this Barbie doll you'd be best to keep away from your children, visit Barbie Collector.