Diesel is the Target of a Malicious Spoof

It’s a brand known for outré advertising, but Diesel’s latest campaign seems to have taken its Live Stupid motto a little too seriously. A new website called Diesel for Women appears to be the latest in the Italian label's ongoing Successful Living campaign. But the proposed secret to success this time? Abortions.

The shocking and well-produced site imagines a world called Misopolis, where sex reigns free and female factory workers are given “the same rights as successful people.” The press release brings up legitimate women's issues (“[they're] marginalized, abused, raped, impoverished and exploited by the garment industry”) before veering into tastelessness (“we are giving them recognition, dignity, the right to have a safe abortion and fun”). That sentiment is echoed in over-the-top slogans: "Abortion Pill, A Gift from God," "Immaculate Contraception," and "Say Goodbye to Coat Hangers."

Fashion’s politics have always leaned left, but this is not your average pro-choice message. In fact, the ads are not real, according to a Diesel spokesperson, who tells the Huffington Post, "We will ensure all steps are taken to hold the person(s) accountable for this fake campaign activity."

Though no one is claiming responsibility yet, Twitter users have collectively determined the campaign was created by the Amsterdam-based Women on Waves. The pro-choice group apparently believes that, in their opposition to abstinence-only education, it's okay to make light of a traumatic experience for millions.

• Posted Feb 03, 2012
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Video Fix: Kate Bosworth for Vanessa Bruno

Kate Bosworth goes to the moon in this sweet and perfectly weightless short video for Vanessa Bruno, directed by Stephanie Di Giusto and using the French designer's spring collection... 

• Posted Feb 03, 2012
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Video Fix: Prada Spring Campaign

It's all about Prada envy in the house's 50s-inspired spring campaign video, shot by Steven Meisel... 

• Posted Feb 02, 2012
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Dirty Dancing, Now a Book

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner." Drop that quote in casual conversation and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who didn't get the reference. After all, Dirty Dancing pretty much owned 1987. Since then, all coming-of-age schmaltz masterpieces have stood on its buff shoulders. Sappy and formulaic though it was, the film struck a chord with movie-goers and left an indelible mark on pop culture forevermore.

Fans of the kitsch classic can now relive the story, and we're not talking about the dreaded remake that, when it was announced several months ago, was met with jeers. No, we're talking about a book. To commemorate the film's 25th (!) anniversary, Lionsgate and Rizzoli have teamed up to release Dirty Dancing: A Celebration. With more than a hundred stills, quotes, recollections from the cast, and a foreword by screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein (on whose life the movie is loosely based), it's like another steamy summer at Kellerman's resort.

Start practicing your moves now; the book arrives in March. Visit Rizzoli

• Posted Feb 02, 2012
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Video Fix: Die Antwoord for T by Alexander Wang

Die Antwoord, the unclassifiable rave-rap band from Capetown, South Africa, is at it again. This time they're trotting out their gold teeth, menacing sneers and Afrikaans slurs for the spring T by Alexander Wang campaign, including this video. Directed by Dan Jackson, they sing—or rather, sputter—the track Fatty Boom Boom from their new album...

• Posted Feb 01, 2012
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Johnny Ramone Goes Commando One Last Time

Like the breakneck songs they furiously strummed, The Ramones were a burst of energy that ignited the New York punk scene in the late 70s. But while the band never sought the limelight through antics or outfits—leather jackets and jeans were the extent of their fashion statement—they nevertheless informed the look and feel of the aggressive new rock 'n' roll making noise at CBGB. Just as quickly as their signature tempo, all three members (who were not related) passed away within years of disbanding. Johnny Ramone (John Cummings) was the last to go.

Opinionated until the very end, Johnny began compiling his autobiography well before losing his battle with cancer in 2004. Out in April, Commando (Abrams) is both the story of The Ramones, from start to finish, and Johnny's own story, on and off the stage. Taken from decades of meticulous records and notes, the memoir promises an unflinching inside view of The Ramones and the punk scene, as well as his eccentric Top Ten Lists and previously unseen personal photos. Here's hoping it's as intimate, raw, and chafing as the title suggests.

• Posted Jan 29, 2012
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Deck-Brained

New music for the one-track-minded...

The Golden Filter - Age Of Consent (New Order cover)

Covering a New Order song is pretty much impossible. Whenever it's attempted, invariably it feels like a cheap knock-off. But leave it to The Golden Filter to achieve the impossible. Their just-released remake of 1983's Age of Consent, with its unmistakable bassline, starts as a soft, barely recognizable slow burn. Then it moves into the haute-synth sound the New York duo is known for, before finally morphing into a good two minutes of driving ethereal pop—uplifting, not lifted.

More from The Golden Filter...

• Posted Jan 29, 2012
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Contest!

Three lucky subscribers to our Daily Email (only 3-4 times a week, really) will be randomly selected to win the Big Kahuna men's skincare set from Ursa Major, containing full-size Fantastic Face Wash, Stellar Shave Cream, and Essential Face Toner. We've been using these all-natural prods for a while now and wouldn't last long without them. Anyway, Ursa Major is based in Vermont, which pretty much says it all. (Retail value: $69 at Ursa Major)

If you're not already subscribed, enter your email address before 12 am, January 31, for a chance to win:

• Posted Jan 26, 2012
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The Rise and Flush of Maurizio Cattelan

Maurizio Cattelan made waves when he declared he would retire from art following his solo show at the Guggenheim, which just wrapped. How could he let down his legions of fans and fellow lovers of satire? He wants to focus on his art-themed magazine, provocatively titled Toilet Paper. Pass the tissue; actually, no thanks.

In the meantime, the culty bookstore Printed Matter has launched a small exhibition of three books by the former artist's orbit of friends and supporters. (Published by Three Star Books, they are: Die/Die More/Die Better/Die Again, The Three Qattelan and The Taste of Others.) Starting today and running through February 11, the mini-show is conceived in the spirit of Marcel Duchamp’s boîte-en-valise, or a suitcase that opens up into a kind of shrine.

But the books aren't just for show; they're also for sale. The complete set—which comes in a handcrafted cardboard box with embossed and foil-stamped text—retails for $1,550, suggesting Cattelan really, truly is pursuing a career in publishing. Until he makes a mockery of that, too.

• Posted Jan 26, 2012
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Mood Board

Inspiring us right now: Willi Ninja and the other limber voguers photographed by Chantal Regnault between 1989 and 1992, who are now immortalized in a new book: Voguing and House Ballroom Scene of New York. Following the success of Paris Is Burning, in which Willi Ninja features prominently (after being discovered by the director in Washington Square), he went on to choreograph videos for Malcolm McLaren's Deep in Vogue and Madonna's Vogue. He also dabbled in music and walked in a Jean Paul Gaultier show before succumbing to complications of AIDS in 2006.

• Posted Jan 26, 2012
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