BALENCIAGA UNVEIL'S FALL ADS STARRING JENNIFER CONNELLY

For Fall 2009, Balenciaga's clothes are still fly. Jennifer Connelly is still the house muse - and I am still confused.

 

Paris - Famed fashion photog Steven Meisel clearly had a busy summer. A quick scan of the top fashion books this month reveals that he's shot covers and fashion stories for a laundry list of international publications from Vogue Italia to W Magazine. We can now add campaigns to the list. Meisel snapped the Fall 2009 Balenciaga campaign starring Hollywood actress Jennifer Connelly. The brunette beauty dips, flexes and bends it like Beckham in Balenciaga's lux finery. (Please spare a few minutes to take in the towering glamazon heels.)  Everything about these shots are perfect: the kinetic clothes which range from subdued wools to mettalic silks; the bold hair and makeup which lends an air of haphazard chic; and even the set which is comprised of pricey antique furniture strewn helter skelter. Oddly,  that the only element that doesnt work so well is Connelly herself. Beautiful though she is, am I the only one that finds her a lack luster choice - literally - for a starring role in a haute fashion campaign? [images and story via fashionologie.com]

LOVE OR LOATHE? TOM FORD EYEWEAR CAMPAIGN, FALL 2009

Tom Ford unveils his Fall 2009 Ads for his eyewear collection starring Anna Maria Jagodzinska and Jon Kortajarena.

usa - how long did it take you to try and pronounce those names? but i digress....mr. tom ford himself snapped this dynamic duo for his latest campaign. nudity is clearly a key part of the tom ford aesthetic. but mercifully, it has yet to wear thin. it works perfectly in this here campaign by drawing the eyes to, well, the eyes. (after you have gazed at everything else of course....).

SCARJO GETS A NEW GIG

Multi-national "Fashion Brand", Mango, taps the actress to star in their Fall 2009 Campaign.

los angeles - although mango is one of the largest worldwide purveyors of fast fashion, there's a good chance that you do not know about them. i myself only recently got exposed to them after studying in london - where they have a huge presence - and moving back to new york city, where they recently opened their first store (good job factory pr!!!!). i have to be honest and say that i am somewhat ambivalent about their "fashions." i consider it one of a laundry list of retail stores who charge too much for too little (i.e. creativity, innovation, or plain old quality fabric.) that said, i do adore their ad campaigns. cue - scarlett johansson. the blond bombshell was photographed for he adds earlier this year in los angeles. famed photog mario sorrenti snapped her and damian sanchez, mango's creative director styled her in looks from this season. in a nod to her hollywood background, the spirit of the shoot and silhouette of the clothes evoke hardcore movie glamor. no? johansson follows penelope cruz who also previously served as spokes model for the brand.

NO MATTER HOW HARD SHE TRIES, DEREON IS STILL DEREON....

www - blaynistas, look at this advertisement for the upcoming season of dereon clothing. what's wrong with it? on the surface, nothing. it's fun, dynamic, and does a good job of presenting the different ways in which their juniors category pieces can be interpreted. in fact, over all, for a label targeted at the teen/young adult set - i think dereon actually provides decent products at decent price points. but am i the only one who feels that maybe if this brand wasn't connected to beyonce it would have a fighting chance (at least with public - or elitist new york city editor - perception?) p.s - did she really do that split? fab!

EMPORIO ARMANI DEBUT NEW ADS FEATURING BECKS AND POSH

worldwide - something about david beckham in underwear....clearly the folks at giorgio armani know exactly how powerful that proposition is and continue to mine it for maximum exposure. behold two images staring becks and posh for the emporio armani autumn/winter 2009-2010 underwear campaign. it was shot in milan by world famous photogs: mert alas and marcus piggott. i'm proud to offer you a sneak peak of it here. you can expect to see the rest in magazines and on billboards starting this month in new york, los angeles, london, milan, rome, paris and tokyo. zandile blay

THESE SUBWAY ADS STOPPED ME DEAD IN MY TRACKS: NAOMI CAMPBELL FOR YSL

new york - so when news spread earlier this year that stefano pilati had tapped naomi campbell to model for yves saint laurent's fall/winter ads i was excited. clearly with good reason. the ads they have come up with are very minimal, yet glossy, sexy and full of tension. they manage to capture the history and spirit of the yves saint laurent label while simultaneously giving us a fresh, futuristic interpretation of the brand. i really love the ads, as does my girl janelle grimmond who blogged about it for vibe.com. kudos to the team that brought them about and the hair stylist who hooked ms. campbell's weave up. where can i buy that hair!?

POOR GWYNETH PALTROW! PETA AND HER VEGAN FRIENDS ARE UPSET OVER HER NEW AD CAMPAIGN

usa - am i the ONLY ONE that thinks PETA needs to get a life!? i get their point, but i don't get how forceful, extra and excessive they are in making it. in order to stop animals from becoming victims, it seems like the make victim's of the people they are trying to convince. well, actress gwyneth paltrow is their latest one. paltrow was minding her business trying to make money to make money from some ad campaigns when peta got their panties in a bunch. (by the way, peta is people for the ethical treatment of animals). paltrow is draped in fur in the latest campaign which has the organization in an uproar. they've sent her several letters and videos documenting inhumane treatment of animals - but they've had no response. paltrow's close friend, stella mccartney, is reportedly up in arms over the ad too.

photo: www.tods.com

ACTUALLY, THIS TRULY IS A MESS: ANTM'S NEW ADS

usa - so the next season of america's next top model (which i adore by the way) is upon us. over the years, i've actually come to look forward to seeing the ads for it and this year is no different - but then again, it is. whereas ads for previous seasons, in my opinion, have been sleek, creative and cute. this is messy and somewhat fug. but on the bright side, it is creative. what sayeth you?

BLAYNISTA'S, IS THAT JOURDAN DUNN IN BENETTON'S FALL AD CAMPAIGN?

worldwide - glad to see benetton is putting some oomph into it. me? i'm no retail maven. numbers confuse me. but i just have this feeling that benetton has fallen off of late. no one's really been buzzing about them. but their fall ad's are certainly getting some attention. they look like classic benetton: bright, beautiful and the epitome of diverse color (in clothes and skin). now do my eyes deceive me or is that model-of-the-moment jourdan dunn at the end of this pic? i'm not mad at these young girls raking in the coins! oh to be six inches taller....

photo source: frillr.com

"A WOMAN CANNOT SUBSIST ON DAVID BECKHAM ALONE" SO DIDDY GIVES US NELLY FOR SEAN JOHN

worldwide - oh me, oh my, oh yes!!!! by now i am sure you've heard the news. sean john, the clothing line of rap mogul sean combs, has enlisted american rapper - nelly - as their new spokesmodel for their underwear division. ( now i didn't even know they had an underwear division, did you?) i just spied a promo pic and boy, oh boy do i love it. and i am not even talking about the underwear, which i am sure is equally brilliant.


photosource: nymag.com

WHEN KEEPING IT NICHE GOES WRONG...

usa - so i remember seeing the recent batch of nike ads in new york city on west fourth and thinking...interesting. it was a combination of the sexually charged poses they had male players/models in combined with phrases like "that aint right," written boldly across the ads. truth is, it reflects reality. anyone whose seen street basketball knows how in your face/touchy/and aggressive it can be. nike was spot on in its interpritation, but not exactly spot on in its execution. as it turns out, they offended a few folks in the states with their ads and have now decided to pull them. in a press release they cited their, "history of supporting athletes regardless of their sexual orientation" as a primary reason for withdrawing their ads. check them out on the left. what are your thoughts?

EVERYONE IS BUZZING ABOUT VALENTINO'S NEW FALL CAMPAIGN...WHAT DO YOU THINK?

worldwide - here's a shot. i beg your forgiveness as i can't figure out which website i got it from. i gotta tell you, i love. and i especially love the use of a plum-pink as oppossed to the classic rich red which the label/mr. valentino always favored. fresh and young. (p.s super random note to my reader chicnoir: thanks so much for all your comments! adding you to my blog roll too girl......)

YEAH...I KNOW SHE LOOKS AMAZING IN THESE ADS, BUT EVA MENDES STILL GETS THE SIDEYE FROM ME

worlwide - so the ads for eva mendes' calvin klein underwear ad campaign are finally out. cute. but i am sorry, i am still thrown by her rehab stint and alleged coke binging incidents. i can't see past it. thank god i am already a fan of calvin kline underwear, cause this campaign would have had a hard time moving me. am i the only one side-eyeing?


photosource: egotastic.com

AND THE COINS KEEP COMING...RIHANNA NEW FACE OF GUCCI'S AD CAMPAIGN

worldwide - i swear, it's really good to be rihanna right now. on top of dominating the charts, hair trends, and popstar chris brown, it looks like she's now coming for the world of luxury fashion. gucci just tapped her to star in their new ad campaign - which promotes gucci's collaboration with unicef. the campaign is titled "tatoo heart," and will feature rihanna in limited edition gucci pieces. twenty-five percent of proceeds from the sale of these clothes will go to unicef. in an interview with women's wear daily, frida giannini, creative director at gucci said,
"when we decided to dedicate a full ad campaign, more than just creating products, to really come out and show our commitment to UNICEF, I felt a musician and a beautiful woman was the perfect icon for this campaign." clearly, rihanna is equally honored. she gave a quote i'll always love in regards to this new deal, "we've come a long way from Miss Bisou (her first endorsement deal) to Gucci..."

DEYN DROPPED BY BURBERRY

london - as you may/may not have read model of the moment agyness deyn has been dropped by burberry for their upcoming fall campaign. i read a catty quote from burberry's go-to campaign photog: mario testino who claimed it was because deyn was "overexposed." he's since backpedaled from that comment saying: " Agyness' fame and exposure are not a problem for me. I don't think like that . . . As for Burberry, it was just a case of wanting a different concept for their forthcoming season. I love Agyness." hmmmm sounds like the p.r. department got to him. either way though.....i am sort of glad. i for one do think she's overexposed. she is a great model and has a great look and if she's really to be around for the long haul (ala the kate's and naomi's of the world) i'd love to see how she bounces back from this.

BUT I MEAN....WHY? AMY WINEHOUSE CLEAR INSPIRATION FOR NEW CHANEL AD CAMPAIGN

worldwide - i am no fan of amy winehouse' addict chic and so i am no fan of these ads which draw inspiration from it. am i the only one wondering why chanel -specifically kaiser karl - did not take a more original and less derivative inspiration for this ad campaign? for all this, they shoulda just gotten winehouse out of her stupor and shot her for these ads.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN TO RELAUNCH HIS BELOVED AD CAMPAIGNS, THIS WILL BE THE FIRST SINCE 2003: THIS IS THE MODEL HE CHOSE FOR IT...

worldwide - her name is alice gibb. she's british. she's seventeen and she actually opened his spring/summer 2008 rtw collection. that's her above. whatcha think? i loves! 

OCEAN PACIFIC REALLY, REALLY WANTS YOU TO CARE

rumer willis, in black and white, is one of the "celebs" who will be in op's new ad campaign. (stilettosecrets.wordpress.com)

usa - so blaynista's, i'm a nice girl. warm, friendly, sincere. and honestly, when i talk about brands on this blog, i try my darndest ( darndest is a word only really nice people use as opposed to damndest used by meanies) to stay positive about them, but ocean pacific is testing me. yes, ocean pacific. have you heard of them? chances are you haven't. and chances are even slimmer that you wear it. but if you do i still love you. in any case, i digress....ocean pacific which is sold at wal-mart is rolling out an ambitious new advertising campaign which they believe will draw in lots of customers. it includes rumer willis, wilmer valderrama (isn't this a down grade?), christina milian, kristin cavallari, josie maran, pete wentz and corbin bleu. wow. this isn't enough to convince me to flip through op's look book, let alone buy the pieces. but you know what would? well made, quality garments that will last me season in and season out. why don't companies try more of that instead?

LOOK WHAT HANES GOT ITS HANDS INTO NOW!? THIS SHIZZ IS BEYOND JUICY! LETS TALK ABOUT IT BLAYNISTAS!

wow. wow. wow. where did hanes get the heart to do this!? and what is the ad agency behind this? (jaywilonbelieves.blogspot.com)

worldwide - blaynistas, i am buzzing right now over these new ads. it's not anger at all, but just excitement that something this fresh, raw, on point, political, controversial exists - and are you ready for the head crack? - it is from hanes! (hanes of the mellow, laid back, feel good commercials.) furthermore, i am wondering if an ad like this would actually make it in the united states? sadly, i don't think so. i am been researching online and it looks like it is already getting heat from countries like the u.k and india where it is featured. but i digress...i am talking about hanes' new "faggot, paki, nigger" ads for it's "tagless underwear." the tagline being...."because the world gives you enoug labels." as you can see from the illustration, it features a person from each respective "race," dragging around images that correspond to the slurs. this shizz is so raw and real! ofcourse they could have done the lame cheerleader, ditzy blond, dumb joke stereotypes that people are more comfortable with. but outside of a sitcom, what are the labels that are truly hurled!? the ones they mention in the ads. as for me? i love it! i think its advertising at its best. what do you guys think!? tell me! tell me now! i can't be the only one tingling over these ads!!!

JUST HAD TO SHARE: LANVIN'S NEW AD

worldwide - spotted these on makefetchhappen.blogspot.com. love it. love it. and really, really love it.