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]

There's a special on mindfulness at Fred Segal in Aisle 4.

I generally don't step into Fred Segal unless I am experiencing urges to torture my inner shopper and punish my wallet.

But as it turns out, Fred Segal's just reopened one space in its Santa Monica location which I can enter with peace of mind and only the lightest of grips on my billfold--the Fred Segal Yoga studio.

And while classes won't be free, the studio is hosting a complimentary workshop this weekend--An Insight with Matthew of One World Academy.

Enjoy your breakthrough experience sans the breaking of the bank, courtesy of Fred Segal Yoga tomorrow. Nama-freaking-ste.

[via Vital Juice]

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.

Emily Factor designs eco-fashion that's actually fashionable.

Eco-fashion has gotten a bad wrap. When most of us think of green clothing lines, we think of neutral color palettes--hues that evoke muddy swamp water and hippies with hairy underarms--shapes that are less shape and more sack.

Emily Factor, the youngest of a long lineage of Factors (yes, that Max Factor-Factor), has changed all that as illustrated in her S/S 12 collection, shown this past Saturday in Hollywood.

The colors are bold. The necklines are low. The silhouettes are interesting. The pants and maxi dresses are to die for. This is eco-fashion I'd proudly traipse across town to the recycling center in. Um, on my fuel-free bike of course.

Two Months Off, A Photo Exhibition by Shane Redsar.

If you're not coming to my good friend, Shane Redsar's, show on Friday night, you're missing out. His work is incredible. And there's an open Asahi bar.

Thank you and goodnight and see you there.

Jeremy Piven & Audrina Patridge & Me at the PUMA Social Club.

The other night, my pals at PUMA invited me to join them in celebration at their awesome new PUMA Social Club Los Angeles--a pop-up occupying the old One space in Weho. Let me explain why the space is awesome in ways that are easy to understand.

* Open bar provided by Patron. And you know what they say. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila...let's start the freaking party.

* Hot dogs courtesy of Pinks. Though I don't eat meat, I don't mind the smell. No, I don't mind it at all.

* Foosball. Ping pong. Chalk boards. In other words, the space contains all the elements of my childhood dreams come true.

* A photobooth that makes everyone--and I mean everyone--look 10x better than real life would have it. Case in point below. My skin is not really this good. (Though, please NB--Ed and Paul really are this handsome.)

* Neon signs with sassy sayings that get us thinking...

swapping partners is encouraged
sometimes victory is a phone number

...about how we really wish someone (anyone) had asked for our number.

* Go go dancers. Dressed in PUMA gear. Obvs.

* Jeremy Piven and Audrina Patridge. Enjoying said Patron.

Peep the schedule of events that will be happening during the rest of the pop-up's lifespan. Starting with tonight's Vice Mag party, a Dance Right night coming up, and more. Click here for the calendar.

Geoffrey Mac kicked off LA Fashion Week...

And did so without the wild and often latex outfits he's known for dressing celebrities, most notably Lady Gaga, in. The NY designer presented his slightly more muted, but still fun and avant garde collection to an LA crowd on Tuesday night at Skybar at the Mondrian. And with the flowing fabric, gowns made to be worn down red carpets, and fun cocktail frocks, there wasn't a more fitting city to show in.

I especially loved these seemingly conservative pieces that featured surprise hints of the unusual.

[Photos by Josh Reiss]

A new LA Fashion Week I almost wanna go to.

[Supposedly] LA Fashion week begins...I don't know...it's vague. Maybe today? Maybe this Thursday? Ever since the end of Smashbox's domination over the runways of Los Angeles, it's been a little hard to keep track of if/when/where LA Fashion Week is taking place.

But here's a new collective that looks to be showing indie designs I almost want to go see! Fun While It Lasted will be hosting events from the 14th - 16th. And I think I'll actually go.

Viva la independent designers! Viva LA Fashion Week/Weekend/Day!

Courtney Love, a Birkin bag & her magical journey through stop-motion.

Because Courtney Love doesn't share quite enough with us and the media. And she loves a good, controlled message to her adoring public. We now have 6 plus minutes of an animated film portraying Love's transition from 'kook' to Birkin carrying, upstanding member of style, song-singing society.

Except Michael Mouris' short is more disjointed Scanner Darkly meets Heatherette ad than enjoyable film. It weaves in and out of sense (more out than in) and, though colorful and fun to watch, doesn't tell much of a story.

Which is to say the film sort of mirrors its star herself...

[via WWD]

Kids. In Nazi uniforms. With guns.

If the young psychotic tyke from The Bad Seed and the leaders of the Children of the Corn gang had love children, they might be the subjects of Gottfried Helnwein's current show, I Was a Child, up now at the Friedman Benda gallery in New York.

The below images are not fun. They are not pretty. But they are magnificent and chilling.

Also, they may make you rethink procreation

Gottfried Helnwein: I was a Child

@ Friedman Benda

515 West 26th St

New York, NY

Through October 23

[via Flavorwire]

My mother vs. my astrologist.

Last night I sent my mother my astrology report with some urgency. I either must purchase the furniture I've been needing for my home office set up this weekend or wait until November 18th. Any time in between just wouldn't be right according to astrologer Susan Miller. If this specificity on the part of my trusted foreseer does not indicate wisdom and insight I don't know what does. And at such a timely interval when I had just been discussing a furniture purchase.

My mother's reply to my email went something--no exactly--like this:

"What the heck is Venus retrograde, & where did you get all this bull-shit from?!? I hope you didn't pay "your astrologist" for all this info. re: office furniture!"

Which leaves me in a pickle I'm sure you'll agree. Trust the stars? Or trust my mother?

What would Jesus do!? He'd run to IKEA asap. That's what I think he'd do.