Rihanna For Emporio Armani's New Fall Underwear and Lingerie Ad Campaign.

Each year fashion brand Emporio Armani chooses a new celeb to be scantily clad in their black and white ad campaign for underwear and lingerie. Shot by Steven Klein, this year's sexy siren is Rihanna, replacing last year's Megan Fox and David and Victoria Beckham.



Taken in a black Lincoln Continental in New York, Rihanna's photos by Steven Klein (shown below) were just unveiled to the public.






Steven Klein

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott shot Megan Fox and Victoria and David Beckham for the brand's 201o underwear campaign:


Emporio Armani

Madonna Designs Sunglasses for Dolce & Gabbana & A Clothing Line For Juniors

You may have heard the announcement yesterday, via WWD, that Madonna and Dolce & Gabbana, after a very successful pairing for their 2010 advertising campaign, have collaborated on a new line of eyewear called MDG, featuring six designs (shown above).

Three of the six styles are shown below (images courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana and Swide magazine)






The 6 pairs of glasses will be distributed by Luxottica and feature an MDG logo on the temple. The "M" of the MDG symbol is filled with little stars, very Madonna.



The chic shades will be in D&G stores in May. They will retail from 180 to 210 euros or around $250 to $290.

Floating around the net have been some screen stills (shown below) of the upcoming campaign for the new eyewear shot by Steven Klein, who has long worked with Madonna for D&G as well as other projects.



The advertising campaign is said to be breaking in May.

This is not the only fashion design venture Madonna has embarked upon. The Material girl and her daughter, Lourdes, have designed a line of clothes for juniors that will launch at Macy's this coming August.

press release:
"MATERIAL GIRL" JUNIOR COLLECTION TO DEBUT THIS FALL

NEW YORK, March 10, 2010 (PRNewswire via COMTEX) the newly formed joint venture between Madonna and Iconix Brand Group, Inc., (Nasdaq: ICON) announced its first direct-to-retail license agreement with Macy's, Inc. for the "Material Girl" collection. "Material Girl" is a newly created, fast-fashion junior collection that will launch exclusively in approximately 200 Macy's stores and online at www.macys.com in August 2010 for the back-to-school season. As part of the direct-to-retail agreement, Macy's will have the opportunity to launch additional brands with MG Icon in the future.

The "Material Girl" collection was inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, along with Iconix Brand Group's in-house fashion department.

>
above: Madonna with daughter Lourdes

In addition to the back-to-school apparel collection, "Material Girl" will also launch in multiple categories including footwear, handbags and jewelry. The collection will retail from $12.00 to $40.00, comparative with pricing strategies at junior specialty stores. The strategy for growth will include additional categories in the lifestyle and beauty sectors, including fragrance, beginning 2011 as well as a rollout into additional Macy's stores.

Neil Cole, CEO and Chairman, Iconix, stated, "We are excited to announce the first in a series of new brands that will be developed under our partnership with Madonna. 'Material Girl' has a powerful retail partner in Macy's and we look forward to working together to deliver an innovative launch for our consumers."

"We believe that 'Material Girl' will be a dynamic exclusive brand for Macy's, and we look forward to working with Madonna, Lourdes and the Iconix team. Madonna is a fashion icon who can bring a new dimension to our juniors customer," said Jeff Gennette, Macy's chief merchandising officer. "'Material Girl' will enhance the excitement of fast fashion at Macy's."



Be sure to see all the amazing images from Steven Klein's 2010 Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaign with Madonna here:

•Steven Klein Brings Out Madonna's Best For 2010 Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign

Steven Klein Brings Out Madonna's Best For 2010 Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign

above: Madonna with Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce

We've seen the buffed bicepped cougar shilling for everything from Pepsi to Louis Vuitton.

But to see The Material Girl in the latest Dolce & Gabbana ads shot by well known fashion and editorial photographer Steven Klein is to see her in her most appropriate element yet. The newest campaign has the Italian singer exuding Sicilian sensuality, not unlike Italian film legends Sophia Loren, Monica Vitti and Gina Lollobrigida, to advertise their Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

She doesn't look overly styled or even overly sinewy, but instead very sexy and surprisingly beautiful as she does dishes in a kitchen that looks straight out of a small Italian village.

Exclusive in this week's Italian edition of Vanity Fair is the worldwide preview of the Dolce & Gabbanna new spring/summer 2010 campaign:





The following text is from Dolce & Gabanna's blog:
Madonna's private life is seldom out of the papers but this new Dolce & Gabbana campaign is unlike anything you have seen before. Exit the paparazzo, these shots by Steven Klein reveal much more than a grainy stolen picture, they showcase an intimate, real aspect to the ultimate icon's life.





In keeping with Dolce & Gabbana's Spring/Summer 2010 collection's emphasis on Mediterranean heritage and classic Italian sensuality, the mood isn't unlike a film from the days of Italian Neorealism. Madonna herself recalls the strong, raw sensuality of the iconic actress Anna Magnani - showcasing when soft sensuality meets bold authenticity.

More images from Steven Klein:





As Dolce & Gabbana's spring/summer 2010 collection returned to its Italian roots, evoking its strong heritage and revisiting iconic pieces such as the corset (the designer's finale was composed solely of corsets) it seemed only fitting that Madonna, who embodies both the strong sensuality of the brand and who shares an Italian heritage with the designers should be the one to showcase the Sicilian inspired collection.




above: the finale of the runway show was comprised of only corsets

In the stills below, from Italian films of the past, you can see the strong resemblance in mood and styling:

above: Italian film beauties Sofia Loren, Gina Lollabrigida and Anna Magnani

above: Monica Vitti is said to be Madonna's favorite actress

In the Vanity Fair Italy feature, Stefano Gabbana discusses the campaign and why Madonna was the perfect match: "She loved the collection," he says, "...she is passionate and impressively knowledgeable about Italian cinema," (Monica Vitti is her favourite actress and we see the resemblance)."

Photographer Steven Klein has worked with Madonna many, many times for editorial shoots, ad campaigns and personal projects. He even has a series of short films that feature her. Be sure to see those and more at his site here.

all Madonna images courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana, Steven Klein and Vanity Fair.

A Peek At Weird Beauty: Fashion Photography Now

This exhibition, organized by Carol Squiers and Vince Aletti, presents the most innovative fashion photography of the last few years, from photographers who draw on a range of influences, including art, sexuality, narrative, digital media, and youth culture. It also considers the impact of graphic design on the way that fashion photography is presented. Along with original photographic prints, the exhibition features hundreds of tear sheets and magazine covers from both mainstream and independent publications.

Showing from January 16th through May 3rd at the International Center of Photography (ICP) Museum in New York.

Address:
1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036

Some pieces from the show:






Represented in the international group of photographers are the photographers listed at the end of this post. I have found some of their work from the referenced collections in the exhibit and included them here, however, these exact pieces may not be in the show:

Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, a London-based collaborative team that produces haunting stories with a strong emphasis on polished and flawless beauty. In the 44-page story I’m A Marionette (Pop Magazine S/S 2007), the duo designed an eerie set of women-cum-marionettes gazing lifelessly into the distance;
Here are 2 examples from that story:



American photographer Steven Klein, whose Le Gôut des Robes (Vogue Paris, October 2007) depicts manicured housewives roaming the colorful aisles of the local supermarket, as they oscillate between moments of utter boredom and despair;
And here are two shots from that shoot:



Cindy Sherman, who employs her iconic method of costuming in a series of photographs produced for Vogue Paris (Merci Cindy!, August 2007) in order to promote Balenciaga clothing items;
Here are two shots from that editorial:



Sølve Sundsbø, based in London, whose Batty Boy (Arena Homme, Summer–Autumn 2007) introduces a ghostly male figure wearing an oversized square coat and heavy black makeup, as he stands motionless in a dim environment;
Two of the Batty Boy shots:



Juergen Teller, who expands his advertising campaign for Marc Jacobs into a fashion story in Purple Fashion Magazine (Summer 2007), as he captures his models— William Eggleston, Dakota Fanning and Charlotte Rampling— in an array of awkward and brutally honest predicaments;
A 2004 shot of Charlotte Rampling by Juergen Teller:

and one of his 2007 shots of Dakota Fanning:


British photographer Tim Walker, who looks to the memorable Horst P. Horst photograph of Dalí costumes (1939) as inspiration for his story A Magic World (Vogue Italia, January 2008).
Here are two shots from that editorial:



Also featured in Weird Beauty are several photographers not commonly associated with fashion, including Nan Goldin, who contributes regularly to the German children's fashion magazine Kid's Wear, and Collier Schorr, who shoots for fashion publications such as Doingbird, i-D, and Numéro Homme.
Below are 2 of Nan Goldin's rare fashion shots from a French Vogue editorial:




The exhibition is organized by ICP curator Carol Squiers and ICP adjunct curator Vince Aletti.
This exhibition is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Participating Photographers :
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Miles Aldridge
John Baldessari
Coppi Barbieri
Laurie Bartley
Richard Burbridge
Jessica Craig-Martin
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Marcus Gaab
Nan Goldin
Mikael Jansson
Krisanne Johnson
Greg Kadel
Steven Klein
Nick Knight
Karl Lagerfeld
Inez van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin
Peter Lindbergh
Craig McDean
Alasdair McLellan
Steven Meisel
Sarah Moon
Günter Parth
Richard Prince
Terry Richardson
Paolo Roversi
Lise Sarfati
Collier Schorr
Cindy Sherman
David Sims
Hedi Slimane
Mario Sorrenti
Sølve Sundsbø
Juergen Teller
Mario Testino
Michael Thompson
Deborah Turbeville
Magnus Unnar
Sara VanDerBeek
Matthias Vriens
Tim Walker
Bruce Weber