Besides Beyoncé and the Clydesdale, there was something else eye-catching during the Super Bowl: Calvin Klein's first-ever Super Bowl commercial. Calvin Klein Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH Corp, hired creative director Fabien Baron of Baron + Baron to create the 30-second spot, shot by Steven Klein and starring zero-body-fat-having model Matthew Terry. It was supposed to be a "man versus machine" narrative, inspired by the 360-degree seamless technology construction of the underpants, but really, it was an ode to Terry's remarkable abs and muscle definition. Whether the ad worked on men who were watching while shoveling nachos and chili into their mouths remains to be seen. [WWD]
BTW, some feel that the spot was very similar to David Beckham's H&M underwear ad, which aired at the Super Bowl last year. [Glamour]
Natalia Vodianova is in Stella McCartney's new spring campaign, shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. She looks startled. [WWD]
HRH Naomi Campbell is on the February issue of Vogue Italia. In this behind-the-scenes video, she says words, but it's unclear WTF she's talking about. Is someone showing her Rorschach test ink blots? [Fashionista, Vogue Italia]
Adam Levine has a scent. "I didn't want it to be another bulls—t celebrity fragrance that I was hocking, that I didn't believe in," he says. He also claims he wanted to do something like Tom Ford would do. Okay. The fragrance for women is a "floral woody eau de parfum done with Givaudan, has notes of spice, Indian jasmine petals, Australian sandalwood and rose petals, with a drydown of creamy vanilla." Men get mandarin, grapefruit and lemongrass accented with amber, sandalwood and cedarwood. The bottle is supposed to look like a microphone. [WWD]
The Christian Louboutin spring 2013 ad campaign turns shoes into freshly caught fish? Does this mean they stink? [The Life Files]
Here are Pantone's top colors for Fall 2013. On the list: Lichen green, Mykonos Blue, Açai and Vivacious (pink). [Glamour]
Alber Elbaz pops up in the Lanvin spring campaign in a little Skype window. [WWD]
- W Magazine will reduce frequency, going from 12 issues a year to 10. "But by reducing frequency, Condé can squeeze more profits out of a magazine that, after four decades, is not the powerhouse it once was." Translation: Paper is expensive and people don't buy magazines as much as they once did. [WWD]
- A day with Zac Posen: Croissants, Boney M, Norwegian waffles, dachshunds, Downton Abbey. [NYT]
- Kim Kardashian's sixth fragrance, Pure Honey, will debut in September. SIXTH. [StyleBlazer]
- 500 people are getting laid off at Time Inc. [WWD]
- Americans are spending less time shopping and browsing. [WWD]
- Urban Decay is doing eyeshadows inspired by Oz: The Great and Powerful, which, frankly looks terrible. The movie, not the makeup. [StyleBlazer]
- John Galliano was reportedly in court today for a hearing in his his suit against former employer Christian Dior Couture. [Fashionista]
- What's that you say? A newsstand version of Net-a-Porter? [NYT]
DISCUSSION
That ad really demonstrates how even when men are displayed for the viewer, they are displayed for the male viewer. The focus on strength, the association with the techno-whatever-that-was, the sprint - those are all displays of male -defined masculinity. Very different from how women are portrayed when they are in underwear.