Today marks the American release of the eagerly-anticipated 22nd film in the James Bond franchise, Quantum of Solace. Following the hugely successful Casino Royale, Daniel Craig steps back into the role of Agent 007, balancing a martini in one hand and a Bond Girl in the other, while single-handedly keeping the bad guys at bay using only the latest technology.
In a parallel feat, Art+Commerce’s renowned photographer Greg Williams captured all of the 007 action for Bond’s latest marketing campaign utilizing innovative new camera technology that sounds like it was created in the Bond labs by Q himself. Experimenting with the RED camera, a device with four times the resolution of “high definition” technology, Greg Williams created two versions of a ‘Moving Poster’ for Quantum of Solace where our favorite tuxedo’d crusader virtually and visually comes to life. The camera records at such great quality that the stills can - and will! - be used as images for the Bond campaign. The moving posters can be seen internationally in the London Underground, New York’s Times Square, and in Hollywood at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
Although we’re cynical, downtown New Yorkers, we’d risk being shaken and stirred by the swarms of Times Square tourists just to catch a glimpse of the poster in action.
To read more about the high-quality RED camera technology, click here!
You may not have been aware, but S/S 2009 Philippine fashion week just wrapped a week ago… and this wasn’t the first season of shows either!
This past season was a very special one for the organizers in Manila for several reasons: First, this year marks the the first time Philippine fashion week will run twice a year. Secondly, the designers focused on creating their collections out of locally produced textiles made from plants that the Northern hemisphere didn’t even know existed. With such rich conditions for agriculture, these fibers are perfect for the weather in the region, and simultaneously support the local climate by decreasing the carbon footprint created during the import/export process of the fabric.
The Philippines also boasts other beautiful blossoms: American fashion designer Monique Lhullier was born in Cebu City, Philippines; Wayne’s World hottie Tia Carrere is a mix of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Hawaiian ancestry; and Imelda Marcos, the widow of former Philippino dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is most known for her shoe obsession (Backstory: After the Marcos family fled Malacañang Palace in 1986, Imelda was found to own 15 mink coats, 508 gowns, 888 handbags and 1060 pairs of shoes!)
Below is a sample of Philippino export Charo Ronquillo’s portfolio. The Cabuyao, Laguna-born beauty is signed with Ford Models after placing third in the 2006 Supermodel of the World competition.
Angelic-faced Marcel from DNA strolled into our offices this morning, and it was such a treat!
Eleven months ago he was just another college student minding his own business in Vancouver, and now he’s booking campaigns from Theory to Kenzo. And all of this without walking a single show in Europe.
PRODn is curious to see where this charming boy is headed. Take a look!
Dame Bethann Hardison, a socialite AND activist in her own right, is unlike any other. As one of the first African-American models of the 1970’s, she became an advocate for diversity in public media.
Recognizing a void in the industry, Bethann founded her own agency in 1984 with an initial roster of 16 girls, with nearly half of them American-African. A very smart woman in a field where a pretty face is seen as a one’s best asset, Hardison has let nothing stand in her way. Now she is focusing on individual management, and her guidance has helped propel a group of very successful models - most notably, Tyson Beckford.
We at PRODn find Bethann more than just inspiring. In Hardison’s opinion, casting for diversity is not an easy task. Wanna know her pick for the next big thing? Well, her money’s on a New York Models standout - Hollis.
In the narrowing gulf between ready-to-wear and the avant-garde, there is a growing inventory of artists and designers who have sought to link aesthetics with utility. The debut of Steven Meisel’s signed, limited-edition jigsaw puzzle marks his decision to officially join these ranks.
We have to admit, we’re pretty excited about it. Not only is this an uncharacteristic move for Meisel, but a clever materialization of the worlds of Art + Commerce! The 1000-piece puzzle is an example of the two coming together to tickle the fancies of fashion fanatics, photography buffs, collectors and puzzle enthusiasts alike.
It pays an indirect tribute to art works such as Felix Gonzalez Torres’ “Untitled (Klaus Barbie as a Family Man)” (1988), in which he appropriated a family photograph and turned it into a jigsaw puzzle in order to invite the audience to engage directly with the creative process. And while Torres’ puzzle is probably sitting somewhere in a museum or private collection, inaccessible to the public, this edition of 1000 is available now on shop.artandcommerce.com.
Photographer: Steven Meisel / Model: Meghan Collison (Supreme)
This past weekend marked the 73rd birthday of Alain Delon. Alain is a French actor who started his career in the 1960’s and worked with many great directors including Antonioni and Godard. His career spans five decades and has included close to 90 films, where he often played a painfully attractive man of corrupt character, who also happened to be a tender lover.
His personal life is just as intriguing as his career; Alain had the fortune of betrothing and semi-betrothing many cinematic starlets of the time: Nico (who is rumored to have mothered his child), Romy Schneider, and has even been linked to Bridgette Bardot.
PRODn’s top 5 fave Delon flicks:
1. Purple Noon
2. Eclipse
3. The Return of Casanova
4. Mr. Klein
5. Nouvelle Vague
Delon not only has a strong presence in film, but in still images as well. If we were to cast a print editorial version of Eclipse, who would we cast as Alain Delon?
So let’s put all the blonde jokes aside for a moment, as we feature a select group of fair haired ladies who we think represent the quintessential specimens of their kind.
Despite the shared color of their manes, these flaxen beauties are all unique : Platinum Colette is an established model who burst back onto the fashion scene after a 4 year hiatus with a tremendous lineup of bookings including an upcoming Bottega Veneta campaign + several Vogue Paris editorials; Katty landed in New York only two short days ago with a soon-to-be-released Givenchy cosmetics shoot in the bag despite not walking in shows this season, and Anya K joined the ranks of the SS’09 Top Ten Newcomers when she landed the highly coveted opening look at Calvin Klein
We’ve been tossing and turning and losing sleep about that BIG question looming on everyone’s mind, but the winner has finally been revealed!
And the winner is… Narciso Rodriguez! Michelle Obama wore the Cuban-American designer on stage at her hubby’s big win last night. <Cue a huge sigh of relief - we’d gone crazy racking our brains regarding Michelle’s difficult decision!> This news is an even bigger deal, as it was only seen on the runway a few short weeks ago… meaning the dress is not currently sold in stores, and was probably custom made for Michelle’s big reveal.
Below is the dress-of-the-moment as seen on the runway by Irina K / IMG. What did you think of the pick?
