McArby’s.

This new Arby’s ad and its “It's Good Mood Food” line could be any fast – excuse me – fast *casual* brand. It’s tongue-in-cheek vibe is trying less harder than Wendy’s Red Wig did, but it could be for any of them. Ironic given A) The disaster that campaign was for the brand and that it’s part of Wendy's/Arby’s Group and B) Eat enough and you won’t be feeling good long. Back to the spot though. Further proof that brands in this space can’t do anything other than food porn or odd/overly happy characters. Don’t all these places satisfy your need for comfort food? #rhetorical

Burberry ain’t complaining about Christmas.

Not with their stock heading to Pluto. Okay, I admit it, as long as it’s not that Train Coke shake thing I love this little short but sweet Christmas burst from Johnny Borrell of Razorlight for Burberry. One shot and done. The brand had been going through a reimagineering for some time, and I thought the band gives the brand too much of a down and dirty bohemian vibe, but it works. (Borrell didn’t charge for appearing and instead made a generous donation to the Burberry Foundation. VERY BOHEMIAN, again.)

Our Fall edition will be amazing.

“The formula most commonly used by the magazine's art directors and photographers: dark-haired, white-skinned model, centered.”

No, it’s not Photoshop gone awry, but an entire year’s worth of Vogue covers run on top of each other, sans type (mostly). Eerie as it looks, the quote sums up the type of model the Vogue art directors seem to look for in their covers, and in a larger sense, maybe even what the audience subconsciously expects.

(Via.)

They want your Bod, man.

Oh sure, I walk around Super 8 hallways like that ALL the time. WHAT’S WITH BOD MAN’S INDUSTRIAL ARMOR ALL SPRAY BOTTLE PACKING? That’s some serious spray trigger action. They also have an amazing effect on dressing room attendants. ONLY ONE IN THE ROOM AT A TIME PLEASE. The packaging? Action hero comic lite! The scent?

“The essence of crisp verbena is highlighted by wild bergamot and a bright citrus zest accord. The masculine impact is revealed in the midnote where white sage, orange blossom, and a cool oceanic accord create a sense of modern seduction. The background is sexy and a bold blend of tonka bean, sandalwood, and amber intensifying the exotic charisma of this fragrance.”

Suitsupply - For men who know what they want.

And the room they want it in. That’s about the safest shot you’ll find espousing any sense of gender equality in the NSFW SHAMELESS campaign from Suitsupply in Europe. IMAGES BANNED FROM THE FACEBOOK BUT NOT THE TWITTER! The other reaction? Yawn. So edgy using nekkid women in compromising positions to satisfy the male beast. The imagery is nicely shot by Carli Hermès, whose style is typical of the industry’s current love affair with a coldly-lit, disconnected HD world of tomorrow, where models shiver on cold counters as men have their way with them. (I sense though that one of our heroes has regrets over his treatment of women. Can’t you smell the shame oozing from his averted gaze? He wants to rescue her but knows he has to live up to the role society has written for him. That, and if he bails, there goes his day rate.)

Matthew McConaughey lost a shirt button again. Or two.

Another nearly shirtless Matthew McConaughey ad, this time from Dolce & Gabbana. He heard you Matt, he heard you.

Cuteus Interruptus.

Do you want to smack them or give Chloe a hug? I DON’T THINK SHE’S OLD ENOUGH FOR A LICENSE BTW. Aww, the ending is cute, admit it. The Hilfilgers and their Wes Anderson Utopia are back for the holidays with Feastus Interruptus and a smashing – I said smashing – track with Vampire Weekend’s Holiday. YouTube, help a blogga out:

“only gang members wear [Tommy Hilfiger] + their smell ghetto cologne. Can’t really tell who ‘still wears’ Tommy Hilfiger. Feel like preppy bros just wear Polo / Northface”- Carles. I know this commercial was supposed to do some branding face-lift, but it might be too late. Ralph Lauren is really owning this market right now, with Purple Label (luxurious), RRL (rugged), and of course the classic Polo. Good luck though, Tommy.” – Liarsenic777

A brand retreats as social media nation cheers.

Yea! everyone *passionate* about social media! (Least that’s what their Twitter profiles say.) Fist bumps all around for making a difference! See, behold the awesome power of social media! (Hope I’ve covered off the requisite number of social media exclamation points!)

I’m one of those @holes however, who thinks the Gasp Gap should’ve told everyone to chill because they’re sticking with their logo. If you believe that a logo change or rebranding isn’t the answer for a company with other problems, then it really wouldn’t matter, right? Sure collectively, a lot of people hated it — I thought it was generic, no hate — but were you going to not shop at the Gap anymore because of it?

Really?

You don’t say “No, no, no” to Megan Fox.

It’s in her contract. Apparently, the waiter didn’t need a tip, for he had already gotten his *reward* here at Hotel Armani. Megan though isn’t sure how to react because she turns you down — never the other way around. Or if you prefer a little Cristiano Ronaldo jeans action, they have you covered there as well. Either way, I won’t judge you, nor will I will ever say no, no, no.

CK goes D&G.

Look at CK X jeans!* Pretty boys on top of pretty girl. Although it’s more like D&G Lite™ because I don’t think her heart and soul were really into the pseudo group sex montage. Certainly, she wasn’t as anywhere near as happy as Krystal punching her way through a Japanese businessman pixelation fantasy. Rebels!

*Wait, are we cuffing that high this season?

“Come as we follow the rock star bounding across the plains as he eyes his next cause.”

Bono and the Mrs. jump in front of Annie Leibovitz’s lense on her I Owe The Man tour for Louis Vutton. It’s actually for LV’s Core values campaign promoting Bono’s eco-ethical-friendly Edun line, part of Vutton’s ongoing Recognizing legends work. With an ‘Every journey begins in Africa’ tagline, further underscoring Bono’s work with developing countries and an Africa Rising exhibit from Paris Fashion Week, not to mention a theme echoed in some of U2’s songs. Confused yet? You should be–it’s not easy keeping rock star causes straight. BUT I DO IT SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO.

(Via.)

John Varvatos Turns 10 by celebrating with 100-year olds.

IT’S ALL PART OF HIS ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY. (That was Bad Company, right? *whew* Just checking.) Celebrating his 10 year anniversary, Varvotos gathered up many of the same rock gods who have graced his ads for a gianormic spread channeling the ghost of Sgt. Pepper’s. (If you need help spotting them all, fear not, there’s a handy behind the scenes legend after the jump. LEGEND, get it?) The collective ages here could actually celebrate 1,000 years of rock royalty BUT THAT’S JIMMY PAGE—the coolest grandfather you’d ever have. I’m not hating. Dude’s doing what I would if I had money and could have parties with every rock god I grew up with.

Beyonce’s fierce silver tears.

Each new piece from Beyonce’s House of Dereon’s fall line comes with real silver secretions. Or not.

Lacosted by flapper mallets.

Mallets for anyone who decided the roaring Twenties needed to come back in Ellen Von Unwert’s Spring Summer 2010 campaign for Lacoste. Okay, well, a few say the economy is as bad now, but flappers people? Flappers? They won’t bring us out of this mess. THEY JUST WON’T.

Art or exploiltation?

Can I have both please? Do hot models covered in oil and social commentary go together like... oil and water? Steven Meisel apparently doesn’t think so. He shot a series of spreads with Kristen McMenamy for Vogue Italy’s August issue.* While I’m all for bringing attention to environmental causes, this ain’t that. With cleanup operations still ongoing, maybe wait a few months before trivializing environmental disasters. Note the carefully poured oil across her legs as she lay there wearing the latest from Ralph Lauren.** (Well, wool is good for cleaning up oil.)

Forget what happens when you actually get covered by a spill, we’re making art here.

Not that it has to be 100% authentic, but fashion once again shows the world they live in and the one you don’t. That would be the one where tragedy is mined for its broader themes of art, mystery and commerce. Can a magazine take on causes? I’m not saying it can’t, but this doesn’t look like any fund to help the Gulf. Exploitation is nothing new for fashion though. Self-indulgence and images intended to shock are de rigueur. Diesel is about Diesel. Then you have D&G with S&M fantasies exploiting women’s issues.

Sex sells? Shock doesn’t do too poorly either. Latex ftw.

That’s not to say others don’t try and tackle deeper issues. A Benetton or American Apparel will take on causes like the death penalty or immigrant workers’ rights. The broader discourse and awareness, while nice, is still only a means to an end though. At the end of the day, regardless of what cause you’re pushing or issue you’re trying to bring attention to, brands still need to move product.

After all, we’re not making art here people. Or are we.

*A behind the scenes vid can be seen here.

**I’m sure Mr. American Collection will love having to explain why his name is associated with an Amercian tragedy. Donation to the Gulf ftw.

Anatomy of a brand protest.

“Before their show, the sisters explained that a long drive from El Paso to Marfa, Texas, got them thinking they might like to explore their Mexican roots. From there, they became interested in the troubled border town of Ciudad Juárez; the hazy, dreamlike quality of the landscape there; and the maquiladora workers going to the factory in the middle of the night. And that, according to the designers, who certainly know how to romance a pitch, led to this conclusion: They’d build a collection off the idea of sleepwalking.”

Sexy! Get you some! That was February of this year as fashion brand Rodarte introduced a new fall line by designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy, obviously evoking memories of Thelma and Louise and road trips to mysterious, brooding places like Juárez, Mexico. Oh, you mean the city with an insane amount of murders?

FF >> to earlier this month and the outcry over the cosmetics line from Rodarte, one that was based on the city’s characteristics as much as its characters. Apparently many in the MAC community didn’t quite go for the ‘Sleepwalking’ theme.

The collection’s product names like Bordertown, Factory or Badlands come off more like Springsteen songs than anything. But then, context being context and suddenly those names take on a new meaning to the people living there. Imagine a line of beers named after failed American cities.

The brand has now issued a major mea culpa and pledged to donate money for programs to help the women and girls of the troubled city.

But leading up to that, opinions were mixed when you read the comments. Women from Mexico and elsewhere who love MAC and will keep using it. Other women from Mexico seem ready to boycott, calling on their fellow sisters to do the same. Not that women from Mexico have any more right to be offended, but we tend to look to the group most likely offended to gauge how upset they are. If it’s one or two, no problem! Still others threw down the Holocaust in their anger at MAC.

The Holocaust, really? On the surface, this is another story about consumer outrage and the effect a vocal minority can have on your sales. Crowd screams. Brand reacts. Crowd happy. Profits return. But it also shows how stuff ends up flying under the radar for brands.

This collection was first announced over six months ago, where nobody beyond the fashion trades thought this was anything more than another designer collection, one evoking themes of (insert dreamy landscape here). Fashion lives in a place you and I don’t. Even though the outlandish looks found on Paris runways eventually trickle down to your local Target, does flyover country really read WWD?

Fashion’s seen it all, so unless a designer planned for its models to club live seals on stage, I guarantee that any ghostlike imagery of a faraway town flew under the radar. It’s not any more complicated than that. Sex sells and so does controversy. If they could build controversy out of sleepy bordertown themes, then don’t you think they would have?

Look at how they embraced the idea openly:

“The show ended with a quartet of ethereal, unraveling, rather beautiful white dresses that alternately called to mind quinceañera parties, corpse brides, and, if you wanted to look at it through a really dark prism, the ghosts of the victims of Juárez's drug wars.”

Designers draw inspiration from everywhere, especially places they’ve visited. Play up the good, forget the bad (or at least romanticize it), that’s what we do. Hmm, maybe it is like Springsteen. Perhaps they even viewed it as a celebration of women and an adventurous time. After all, it’s not like they named the lipstick Corpse.

The point is, uproar doesn’t all of a sudden happen one day. It’s a launch that gets buried in the story of yet another fall fashion line that you won’t see for months. You might say well, the brand knew all along. The brand may have had a potential problem all along, but that’s not the same thing as being aware of it.

In product development of any sort, you get this tunnel vision as you become singularly focused on launch. Nothing else matters. It’s the orange juice package redesign that you spent months on internally, only to find out what the real reaction was when the public saw it for the first time. Surely someone at Tropicana in a focus group knew this would happen, right?

Yeah, right. Just like the thousands of other products out there now getting ready to launch.

(Tip to neergharas.)