The Society Of The Spectacle

In tough times, it’s interesting to see how Luxury Brands, specifically ones more associated with frivolity and a certain ‘joie de vivre’ (or recklessness, depending on your point of view) have scrambled to reposition themselves with authenticity at their core. Gucci, with it’s latest ad campaign has taken this one step further by recycling  vintage ads with one of the proto supermodels Veruschka and the languid Jetset glamour of Peter Sellers (above – from behind)

It’s a smart bit of thinking from the Creatives at Gucci, serving two roles, establishing an authenticity of product and making you think twice about the longevity of the brand, and the powerful allure of the jetset. Similar to way Louis Vuitton photographs it’s signature bags adorned on the iconic, the famous or just plain interesting, it’s a great way of proving your sticking power when others around you are floundering. It’s a great story, and I wonder if it presages a trend towards other fashion houses recycling their archives in other interesting ways. More ads after the jump. (Source WWD)
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Last month, the fantastic Dance music resource RA reviewed some of the best mixes over of the last decade. The list (here) showed the depth and breadth of Noughties Dance Music, it’s adventuorusness and rejection of the 1990’s superclub cul-de-sac. This was a decade that bought us the filthy fashioness of Electroclash, (anyone who ever went to a Electric Stew event would attest to that) the smooth Germanic innovations of Minimal House/Techno (pioneered by Kompakt, Get Physical et al) and the re-birth of Deep House and Dalston’s blast of Underground Disco. Of all the standout tracks that these genres spawned, there is still one that stands above all others it’s a track that blended the most interesting parts of many of Deep House, Techno and Minimal, that looked back as well as being gloriously futuristic, yet outside of Dance Music’s borders, criminally overlooked. This is Where We At.  Read the rest of this entry »

Super imaginative breakdown of the catwalk looks, from the straight down the line, to the truly bizarre. Fashematics let the air out of fashions more pompous moments. It helps it’s seriously funny. Check out a cheeky selection after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Via the  guys at Ogilvy, here’s a film from Logorama. A magnum opus of Michelin Man coppers chasing Ronald McDonald around a world based around, and on brand logos. There is some imaginative stuff in here, apart from the amount of work that has gone into it, it also acts as quite an eye opener in the amount of logos you recognise, but it is a very interesting re-imagining. Take a peek. UPDATE: Here’s the website, where the it says this has been nominated for an Oscar for short film. Nice.

So with Sundance just round the corner, buzz is already building around the Banksy documentary (over it) and of course numerous films we haven’t got a clue what they are will no doubt bubble to the surface. However in the meantime, Absolut Vodka has jumped into the fray with a 30 minute short film from Spike Jonze (You know his credit list no doubt). Entitled ‘I’m Here’, the film, a collaboration with TBWA/Chiat/Day (Absolut’s agency of record) it’s an idea that has already been done with Mother’s sponsorship of Shane Meadow’s short films for Eurostar as well as the film Somers Town,and always attracts top talent. Read the rest of this entry »

A very relaxing way to end the week.

Trawling through PSFK, I saw this rather strange idea from Swedish designer Ann Sofie Back (and her ad team We Are Group) Spinning the now overused “Pop Up Store” concept (Kingsmill pop up store anyone? Yeah I thought not) into a much more outlandish and provocative concept; the hostage store.

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This is certainly one of the tracks (and remixes) of 2010. Baby Don’t Stop is from the prolific hand of Nu-Disco pioneer Lindstrøm and is the fantastic result of a collaboration between himself and the vocalist/lyricist Christabelle (A.K.A Solale). Their long-player Real Life Is No Cool is a prime slice of 1980’s boogie and nu-disco joy  The album itself has been knocking around the producers mind for a while and came to fruition only after Christabelle took the tracks that make up Lindstrøm’s classic opus You Go Where I Go To and dropped her own vocals and lyrics over the top. A rather chaotic process ensued, but what a good one it is!  (Check out this review here for full album highlights and what not)

With all that good karma knocking around, it’s no wonder Baby Don’t Stop is an absolute dancefloor monster, and not just for disco nerds or hipster dancefloors. It feels like something out of a 1980, a lost acetate from one of Quincy Jones sessions with the Brothers Johnson or George Benson. Don’t be fooled though, this is not a retro re-rub for the sake of it, the Nu-Disco groove that made Lindstrøms’ collaborations with Prins Thomas so compelling and hypnotic is still there, tight yet liquid at the same time.

It’s a great platform then for remixers of certain vintage to get their chops around, which luckily, two of the best have done, Aeroplane takes the track and bolsters it’s cosmic brushstrokes and amps them up, taking a similar approach to their awesome remix of Williams Blood by Grace Jones last year. While Aeroplane fly through the cosmos, the Idjut Boys Re-edit ramps up the groove, bending and twisting an already great dancefloor track into something that a John Morales 12″ might sound like. (More to come on this guy) It’s a track you could put on in an empty room and be pretty sure the dancefloor would be full up soon after. Good work boys. And keep an eye out for more mixes of this one, it’s got the lot.

Lindstrom & Christabelle Baby Don\’t Stop (Aeroplane Remix)

Lindstrom & Christabelle Baby Don\’t Stop (Idjut Boys Re-Edit)

Campaign broke the new global Diesel ad campaign from one of my faves Anomaly. It’s a rather new and refreshing take on the what was becoming a tired old formula. Be stupid celebrates the spirit of stupidity, stupid has the balls to do stuff the sensible wouldn’t. It’s a nice idea that (in the film) re-positions Diesel (and founder Renzo Russo) as a stupid guy who followed his gut, while I wouldn’t be running round to the nearest Diesel store to snap up a pair of faded bootcuts, it’s a good idea executed really well, especially the copy. Check out the full set of ads and film after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

V Magazine have this month dedicated to exploring, in beautiful fashion of course the Plus Size model. Photographer’s such as the indomitable Terry Richardson and the beautifully high concept Solve Sundsbø have shot some great editorial.

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