Brad Pitt needed new hair-cut, better clothes & a sensible script for Chanel 5 ad!

My Comments:

Were the bosses at Chanel drunk or drugged when they approved the new Chanel 5 perfume ad campaign with celebrity endorser Hollywood actor Brad Pitt? The actor looked so unkempt, tired or washed-out or as if he had a bad day!  And he got US$7 million dollars for this ad as the first ever male celebrity endorser for this brand! It's also bad for Brad!!!  

Brad Pitt was also mouthing seemingly incoherent sentences or words which puzzled me about what he meant. What was the point of all those phrases or words? Was he mangling English or logic? Was he lost in his thoughts, tired or in a daze?

Wouldn't it have been better if Brad Pitt wore a fashionable suit or even better-looking and elegant other attire? Shouldn't Chanel the luxury brand be associated with luxury and elegance?

Or was that the original and clever intention all along, to befuddle and confuse the world so that the buzz could spread the Chanel 5 ad globally like wildfire?

Wouldn't the photos below look better for a Chanel 5 ad campaign featuring Brad Pitt?

Below is an article on the new Chanel 5 ad...

Brad Pitt. Chanel Ad. Bigger Holiday Sales. Inevitable: Retail

By Cotten Timberlake and Andrew Roberts

Play

Chanel No. 5 Ad Unleashes a Flood of Funny Parodies

A Chanel No. 5 ad featuring a scruffy Brad Pitt riffing on the meaning of timelessness has divided the globe. Is it simply pretentious? Or is it a bold departure for the French luxury-goods maker?

Brad Pitt Chanel Ad Goes Viral

Chanel via Bloomberg

Actor Brad Pitt appears in an advertisement for the Chanel No. 5 fragrance.

Brad Pitt Chanel Ad Goes Viral

Sam Taylor Johnson/Chanel via Bloomberg

Actor Brad Pitt stands on the set during the shoot for the Chanel No. 5 fragrance advertisement.

Industry consultants are all over the map. Most agree on one point, though: boosting awareness of the women’s fragrance - - especially among guys with an appreciation for Pitt’s fiancee, Angelina Jolie -- probably will spur holiday sales of Chanel SAS’s best-known product.

The black-and-white commercial, which debuted this month, has gone viral, with more than 4.64 million views on YouTube, and spawned a raft of parodies. U.S. television show Saturday Night Live last weekend broadcast a spoof in which an actor sporting Pitt’s long hair and goatee mimics the ad to tout the Dorito-shell tacos sold by Yum! Brands Inc.'s Taco Bell chain.

The campaign “taps into a whole other consumer for whom Chanel No. 5 wouldn’t necessarily be front of mind,” said Jane Kellock, acting managing editor of product and design at researcher Stylus in London. The fragrance is “something that women know about and men don’t,” she said, adding that most women won’t be alienated by the ad because Pitt is handsome, even if using the celebrity is “a bit gimmicky.”

Fourth-quarter marketing is crucial for luxury goods makers as they seek to lure shoppers in the biggest selling period of the year. Fragrances are an important gift item for department stores from Macy's Inc. to Le Bon Marché in Paris, a retail segment that’s heavily dependent on November and December sales.

Men Seduced

The choice of Pitt, 48, “can serve to make guys more comfortable going to the fragrance counter,” said Andrew Sacks, founder of a namesake luxury ad agency in New York. “It makes it both cool and gives confidence to the male gift-giver.”

Film Director Joe Wright, known for his movies “Pride and Prejudice,” “Atonement” and the upcoming “Anna Karenina,” plus two Keira Knightley Coco Mademoiselle commercials, was commissioned to direct several films for No. 5, which “capture the memories, thoughts and dreams of a man being seduced by a fragrance,” Chanel said in an Oct. 15 statement.

Kate Shone, a New York-based spokeswoman for closely held Chanel, declined to comment on the campaign. Pitt was paid $7 million, plus Chanel planned to spend $10 million on U.S. advertising, Women’s Wear Daily reported Oct. 5, citing unidentified industry sources.

Chanel, revived by designer Karl Lagerfeld, doesn’t publicly disclose financial information. It ranked as the fourth most valuable luxury brand with a value of $6.68 billion, according to Millward Brown Optimor’s 2012 BrandZ study published in May.

Visually Unappealing

While Chanel, which sells mainly women’s products, should be applauded for boldly basing the campaign around a man, “I was surprised how visually unappealing he looks and simply don’t understand styling him to look so disheveled,” said Jose Bandujo, president of Bandujo Advertising & Design in New York.

“It’s as if he came to the set after shooting a movie all day,” he said. “Maybe it was an attempt to continue the idea of being different, but it just doesn’t seem to fit the sophistication and elegance of the brand.”
Daniel Spinosa, a 25-year-old medical student at Columbia University in New York, was puzzled by the script.

In the ad, Pitt says: “It’s not a journey, every journey ends but we go on. The world turns and we turn with it. Plans disappear, dreams take over. But wherever I go, there you are. My luck, my fate, my fortune. Chanel No. 5. Inevitable.”

“Maybe I am a simpleton,” Spinosa said. “It was unclear to me what was ‘inevitable.’”

Money’s Worth

Pitt’s monologue has no relevance to the product, said Tom Julian, a retail expert and brand consultant with a namesake firm in New York. The campaign would have worked better if Pitt had voiced over a montage of images showing more of the world of the brand and the fragrance, he said.

“Right now global brands should be telling some type of story,” said Julian, who is skeptical the campaign will boost Chanel holiday sales. Still, “they are certainly getting their money’s worth with eyeballs.”

The debate spawned by the Pitt ad has “been featured by practically every major U.S. and U.K.
publication, far exceeding the original projected reach of this campaign,” said Jessica Matthias, an account director at PR consultant Wordville Ltd. in London. “This coverage, when measured against the advertising rates of these publications, would most likely run into the hundreds of millions.”

Get Lucky

Chanel No. 5 is the world’s most famous fragrance, and made its debut in 1921, Chanel’s release said. Coco Chanel asked the perfumer, Ernest Beaux, to create a fragrance that reflected her “very modern fashion philosophy.” Five was her lucky number and it was the fifth submission presented to her on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year, hence the name of the fragrance, it said.

Ultimately, the ad will work if guys consider No. 5 when they’re looking for a gift to please their significant others for the holidays, said Doug Harrison, chief executive officer of Harrison Group LLC, a Waterbury, Connecticut-based luxury research and consulting firm.

“If Brad Pitt can keep Angelina Jolie happy and satisfied, so can other guys,” he said. “Guys think, ‘It is going to be great for me.’”

Fashion Tips! ALPHA MALE: 3 Style Rules For Going Out

  ***   Note:  I just wish to share this random article below, while still preparing myself to share more fashion ideas and researches.   ******    

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Rob Babigian, GoLocalWorcester Men's Style Expert

 

Whether it's a night out with the guys, movie night with your mate, or a formal fundraiser, make sure you've got your look on lock.

Ever wonder what you wear for a night out on the town? GoLocalWorcester Men's Style Expert Rob Babigian fills you in.

When in doubt, be the best dressed guy in the room

Whether you are going out for Happy Hour or have a dinner date with your significant other, never be afraid to be overdressed. That does not mean throw on a suit to go to the bar with your buddies. But if you have a job and you wear a suit daily, take off the tie, throw on a pair of clean, white canvas sneakers and meet up with your friends.

Your friends know what you do for a living, so do not be ashamed to take your look from day to night without taking off the whole ensemble. And dinner with your mate? It never hurts to know what they are wearing ahead of time and dress accordingly.

More casual dinner? Ditch the dress trousers and grab some dark denim jeans to pair with that tie and blazer. Going uptown? Compliment your partner's look with a shirt or pocket square in their favorite color.

Date night at the movies is casual, but still cool

Admit it, you still love going to the movies. Who doesn't? As a father of three, I personally still get excited when I get to to catch a flick without a big Disney insignia lighting up the screen. But chances are, you still dress like dad even when the kids are at home with the babysitter.

It is ok to go casual and comfortable without looking like soccer practice just ended. Take a moment to grab a clean pair of slim, straight chinos, and a perfectly fitted crew neck sweater or even marled wool or cotton sweatshirt.

Chilly night? You are still just going from home to car to building, so throw a great denim trucker or cotton Harrington jacket on for the short trip. And a scarf is always a good accommodation to share with your partner when she inevitably gets cold halfway through the movie.

And for my money, this is where that suede Chukka boot can reign supreme and finish off your look from head to toe.

The formal event is the true chance to show off

OK, once in a great while many of us really do like to get dressed up. Whether you have a weekend evening wedding, box seats at the theater or tickets to opening night of a new museum exhibition, this is where you can really shine. In these occasions, it may not be as much about feeling overdressed (how can you really?), but rather it is an opportunity to score with details.

Fit is a big factor in looking your best. At the theater, you may be one of 100 guys in a navy blazer, but that your cuffs hit just right, the chest is not a size too big for your frame and the length is proportioned to your body type, you know you took that next step above the 99 other guys.

I had a black tie wedding this Summer and the best choices I made were my perfectly fitted shirt and tux, hand-tied bow tie and homemade cuff links. I did not look out of place amongst the other penguins, but I stood out because I know my body type and how it should look in garb fit for even the most formal of settings. The pocket square to match my beautiful girlfriend's dress (and her favorite color) did not hurt things in the bonus points department either. The point is I paid attention to the details.

The type of occasion may dictate the level of sophistication and propriety of the look you choose for a night out. But regardless of what level that beer with pals, dinner with your spouse or formal gala event calls for, remember it is your effort that counts.

It is always ok to feel comfortable and dressed appropriately for an occasion. It is never ok to be lazy about doing so. Though I may just allow for dinner and a movie in sweatpants at home on the couch as an exception. After all, rules are always made to be broken.

Robert Babigian is owner of WHARF Clothing & Wares, a menswear retail boutique located at 212 Westminster Street in Providence, RI. A native Rhode Islander, Rob started WHARF after 2 decades in marketing and sales to fulfill his desire to combine his loves of consumer branding, small business and style that would fulfill a niche for desirable men's clothing in the Providence market. The apparel and accessories found at WHARF reflect Rob's own personal aesthetic—a combination of traditional New England staples mixed with modern fits, construction and fabrics blended together with a touch of European style. For more tips or to shop the store, stop in and see Rob and his staff or reach them online at shopwharf.com.

Who won the fashion competition in the last USA presidential debate among the wives? Agree or not this assessment below?

So who won the presidential debates' fashion face-off? Michelle Obama comes out on top as style set deal their verdicts

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 16:57 GMT, 23 October 2012 | UPDATED: 17:49 GMT, 23 October 2012

Last night marked the third and final presidential debate, where, on the sidelines of policy disputes and quips on Big Bird, binders and bayonets, a fierce First Lady fashion face-off has been taking place.
From their power suiting debut, to bolts of hot pink, and finally, last night's easy, elegant comfort, Michelle Obama and Ann Romney have gone head to head with their mirroring outfit choices in the race to the White House.

At Florida's Lynn University Monday night, the First Lady stepped out in the same lace-detailed Thom Browne dress she wore a month ago to the Democratic National Convention, while Mrs Romney opted for her third White House-ready Oscar de la Renta frock.

Easy elegance: At the third presidential debate, Michelle Obama wore a Thom Browne dress she stepped out in last month (left), and Ann Romney chose Oscar de la Renta as her designer of choice for the third time (right)

Mr Browne, the 2012 winner of the National Design Award for Fashion Design, honored by the First Lady at the White House award ceremony, proudly tweeted last night: 'Honored to see First Lady Michelle Obama wearing our Spring 2013 dress at the final presidential debate'.
Mrs Obama added a fresh touch to her second run of the designer's grey and black dress; with a large crystal bow pin and a black belt, the 48-year-old radiated her youthful, no-fuss take on First Lady dressing. The website Stylist commented: 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'.
Mrs Romney, on the other hand, wore a printed green Oscar de la Renta dress, with one of her usual statement necklaces - an accessory that is quickly making its name as her signature.
The 63-year-old's big skirt, cinched in at the waist with a matching green belt, and teamed with her teased head of blonde hair, seemed to be on the wrong side of classic.
The Daily Beast's Isabel Wilkinson commented: 'Unsurprisingly, it was not as fashion-forward as Obama’s choice, and with a big, pleated floral skirt, it was a little frumpy.'
Mrs Romney's look, while pretty and polished, 'defiantly recalled the look of a 1950s housewife,' Miss Wilkinson wrote.

Recycling: The proud designer tweeted last night: 'Honored to see First Lady Michelle Obama wearing our Spring 2013 dress at the final presidential debate,' after she wore Thom Browne dress for a second time

Pretty in print: Mrs Romney wore a green Oscar de la Renta dress cinched in at the waist, with one of her usual statement necklaces - an accessory that is quickly making its name as her signature

80-year-old de la Renta, who has dressed every First Lady for the past three decades bar Mrs Obama, has become a favourite of Mrs Romney's, who first wore his designs to the Republican National Convention in Tampa last month.
And when she took her seat at Hofstra University in New York for the second presidential debate last Tuesday night, Mrs Romney's Schiaparelli-pink Oscar de la Renta shift with capped sleeves was certainly a crowd-pleaser.
Just a few seats away, Mrs Obama was wearing the same searing hot pink hue, much to the public's amusement. The colour coincidence of the First Lady's tailored Michael Kors dress with matching cropped jacket, and Mrs Romney's knee-length shift, may have been a dual nod to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Miss Wilkinson added: 'It was a Jackie O moment for Michelle... an ensemble that played to American nostalgia: a feminine first lady in a retro silhouette and a string of pearls.'
And earlier this month at first presidential debate, the pair chose a power suiting theme for their debate debuts.
Mrs Obama opted for a vibrant indigo Preen dress and matching jacket from the fall 2011 collection,  an ensemble she has also worn twice before.

Crop tactics: Mrs Obama wore a fuchsia Michael Kors dress with a matching shrunken jacket and a strand of pearls at the second presidential debate in New York last week

Color-blocking: Mrs Romney's similarly-hued Oscar de la Renta shift at the second presidential debate was accessorized again with a statement necklace of glass beads

She first stepped out in the brand's Lavender dress and Mia jacket in May 2011 while traveling to London with the president, where the designer Thornton Bregazzi is based. She wore it again eighth months later in January this year, while giving a talk at the U.S. Department of Labor
Mrs Romney, meanwhile, wore a fitted ivory skirt suit from a relatively unknown but well-established Boston designer Alfred Fiandaca.
Both women looked pristine and poised, staying true to First Lady conservatism rather than entertaining anything that could be clarified as risk taking - unless you count Mrs Romney's choice to wear white after Labor Day as daring, that is.
Mr Fiandaca recently revealed that the possible First Lady in waiting chooses her outfits with her husband in mind, and is actually 'edgier' than people realise.
In one of his first ever interviews, the designer told WWD: 'She’s always thinking about what Mitt would like her to look like. She definitely dresses for him. Mitt likes her to wear red and pink, to have a defined waist and to show her figure because he’s very proud of her.'

Power suiting: For the first presidential debate on October 3rd, the First Lady opted for a vibrant indigo Preen dress and matching jacket from the brand's fall 2011 collection,  an ensemble she has worn twice before

Ann Romney style: According to Alfred Fiandaca, Mrs Romney likes to have Mitt consult on her outfit choices, is 'edgier' than people realise, and almost always buys her clothes directly off the rack

During the debates, and on the campaign trail, Mrs Romney has certainly looked polished. But with that certain je ne sais quoi, Mrs Obama has a knack for looking vibrant while adhering to strict First Lady dress codes - regardless of the colour she is wearing.
Valerie Greenberg, an entertainment and lifestyle commentator, explained to Fox News: 'Michelle brings such a unique, vibrant and youthful style and the average woman can see herself wearing many of her outfits.'
David Zyla, an Emmy-winning stylist who has outfitted political figures such as Hillary Clinton, agreed, saying it is hard for anyone to measure up to Mrs Obama, 'who roused the industry after the eight years of the simple style preferred by former First Lady Laura Bush'.
So far, at least, Mrs Romney has stood her own next to the First Lady; proving, in fashion terms, her White House worthiness. But whether she would be able to 'rouse' the public that same way Mrs Obama effortlessly continues to do, seems unlikely - but not impossible.

Is Italy's Armani ( Emporio & Giorgio) the No. 1 best men's fashion brand in the world today?



Armani suits







Football star Cristiano Ronaldo in Giorgio Armani underwear and jeans in images below

Sorry girls, it's us GUYS who are driving fashion as the fastest-growing segment in online commerce!

 

I'd like to clarify that first of all, I'm the least fashion-conscious man on earth, serious. Not that I'm sloppy or anything like that, it's just that I'm so busy and preoccupied with many more things like business concerns or intellectual pursuits and saving the world, etc. which I feel are so much more important than how I wear clothes, choice of footwear or how I style my hair.

Seriously, I came across a fascinating news report from Bloomberg---you are right, it's the seemingly boring news site which I find highly interesting and very reliable for world news on all topics---which made me pause to think that maybe it's time for me to be more fashion-conscious?

This is the rationale behind this new blog on fashion by a fashion-curious guy.

So, let's exchange fashion informations, trends, news and opinions here? Deal?





There are so many male fashion brands, it's not true only women are vain, perhaps guys are truly more vain!







Let me share this news article by Sarah Frier:

Male Shoppers Outdo Women as Web Offers Haven From Mall

By Sarah Frier - Oct 16, 2012 12:01 PM GMT+0800

Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Men shop at a clothing store in New York City.

Fashion is the fastest-growing segment of online commerce, and it’s being propelled by an atypical source: men.

 

Thrillist founder Ben Lerer (Scott Eells/Bloomberg)

Thrillist Founder Ben Lerer

Men who have had to live with department stores designed primarily for women are flocking to websites such as Bonobos and Thrillist that push convenience and a fast shopping experience. And these sites are capturing a growing part of the $41 billion fashion e-commerce market by providing services like recommending items based on personality or shipping trunks of clothes to a guy’s home so he can pick.

“Men don’t hate fashion, they just hate shopping the way it’s designed for women,” said Ben Lerer, founder of Thrillist, which gives men tips for activities or products and then sells them. “The young generation of guys love to shop, they love to talk about the brands they like and they really care about how they look.”

While women’s share of the online clothing market is still more than double men’s, the men’s market is growing faster, at a 13 percent annual rate compared with 10 percent for women, according to NPD Group, a consumer tracking service. And that growth gap is seen by many as about to get wider.

“It’s an area of e-commerce that companies are only just now starting to really figure out,” said Joshua Goldman of Norwest Venture Partners, who specializes in retail deals.

Competing for Share

Male-focused online fashion startups are competing with established brands like Gap, Inc.'s Banana Republic and J Crew Group Inc. for a slice of the fashion e-commerce market. The market for clothing and accessories is expected to grow 78 percent to $73 billion by 2016, according to EMarketer. That’s faster than categories like electronics or music.

Frank & Oak, a Montreal-based men’s site that gives personalized recommendations each month, said last week it raised $5 million from investors. The site launched in February. Thrillist raised $13 million in August from venture capitalists, valuing the company at $150 million in its first round of funding.

Lerer, founder of Thrillist, acquired clothing site JackThreads to get in on the trend. Now, he said, his users snap pictures modeling new clothes and post them on Twitter, bragging about getting them delivered to their doorstep.

The boom in men’s fashion follows by a couple years the success of companies that started out catering to women, like Gilt Groupe and Rent the Runway. Men may be a better target because they are more likely to make big purchases in one swoop to get shopping done quickly, while women often browse recreationally and may not buy, said Jeremy Liew of Lightspeed Venture Partners, which invests in Bonobos.

“Because of that relatively high basket-size, that makes it quite an attractive transaction if you’re talking about several hundred dollars,” Liew said.

More Income

Men are also staying single longer, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, meaning they have more income to spend on themselves during their early careers. Gilt Groupe, a high-end sales site that started out focused on women, added a men’s section in 2008. The typical shopper is 35 years old and single, living in an urban coastal city and making a bit more than $100,000, said Keith George, who heads up the division.

Still, there are risks. And not every idea pans out. Frank & Oak first tried out the market as Modasuite, which made personalized men’s clothes. Gilt has stopped investing in its separate men’s site, Park & Bond.

Yet there’s been enough success for the companies to attract investments from Silicon Valley’s venture capitalists. Brian O’Malley of Battery Ventures said he’s attracted to a more stable revenue stream than most technology startups, like ad- supported social networking companies.

Shipping Clothes

The menswear sites are testing business models like personality-based recommendation or shipping clothes to a guy’s home so he can pick, a service offered by Trunk Club, Inc. Although they’re not typical technology companies, investors like O’Malley are attracted to the growth potential.
“Day one you’re getting real revenue from the product,” said O’Malley, who invests in J. Hilburn, which sends representatives to measure men at their homes and make customized clothes. “A lot of the other companies are reliant on venture capital and don’t make a lot of money from advertising until they have a ton of users.”

‘Finance Guy’

Andy Dunn, the founder and CEO of Bonobos, says after one or two questions his retailers can tell whether a customer fits into one of six categories, which include “metrosexual or gay,” “finance guy” and, more recently, “hipster.” Depending on the label, they’ll be pitched a different kind of pants.
“I hear about a new menswear e-commerce thought every day,” Dunn said. “But to know that this could work in 2007 was really a leap of faith.’
Because they don’t require intensive computer engineering to start, many of the companies are based outside of the San Francisco Bay Area. Thrillist and Bonobos are based in New York, where they can take advantage of its fashion network.
“Think of the computer programmer, and then think of the banker,” Lerer said. “Fashion is much more likely to be a top focus here in New York.”


To contact the reporter on this story: Sarah Frier in New York at sfrier1@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nick Turner at nturner7@bloomberg.net