Move Over Taylor. Madonna & Daughter Lola's New Material Girl Is Kelly Osbourne.

Madonna and Lola Unveil Their Spring 2011 Material Girl Brand Marketing Campaign Featuring Actress, Television Host and Musician, Kelly Osbourne.

The press release:
Madonna and Lola are back for a second season and have chosen actress, musician and television host, Kelly Osbourne, as their new celebrity muse [Taylor Momsen was the first celeb they launched the line with] for their Spring 2011 Material Girl collection.



The campaign brings us back to Madonna’s roots in New York City’s East Village and was shot at iconic venues Lit Lounge and Mars Bar. Photographed by fashion photographer Brooke Nipar, Osbourne is seen posing against graffiti-covered walls, standing on the bar and on the streets of the East Village. Additional images were captured at Bathhouse Studios in New York with a set inspired by the East Village of the 80s with chain link fences and historical images.

The ads:



Madonna commented, "Kelly represents a true Material Girl. She is edgy, cool and has a unique sense of style that Lola and I love.”


above: madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon aka Lola

“It’s such an honor to be a part of this campaign and it was an amazing experience to work with Madonna and Lola. Material Girl is incredible because its high fashion but it is accessible to everyone at Macy’s,” stated Kelly Osbourne. Commenting on her style, Osbourne added, “I take so much of my style from Madonna in the 80s and I really admire how Lola dresses and that she stays true to herself.”



Kelly and some of the clothes from collection:





The multi-media campaign will debut in April issues of fashion and lifestyle magazines such as Seventeen, Teen Vogue and Cosmopolitan, in-stores, outdoor and online at macys.com. Material Girl is available exclusively at Macy’s and macys.com in the United States and is launching this spring in Canada exclusively at the Bay and thebay.com.



Osbourne will make personal appearances on behalf of Material Girl this spring. The campaign follows the highly successful Material Girl launch with actress/musician Taylor Momsen. To stay up to date with the latest news from Material Girl follow @MaterialGirlCol on Twitter and become a fan of Material Girl on Facebook. 

  UPDATE: The Clothing Line is defunct now.

Sculpted Chanel Bags & Bipolaroids: 21st Century Worry Beads By Lindsey de Ovies

above: Chanel's iconic handbag sculpted and cast in bronze by Lindsey de Ovies

Modern sculptor Lindsey de Ovies approaches her artwork from a dual perspective. An American born artist, living in Paris, she uses her diverse cultural experiences and surroundings as a bifocal vantage point for her material.

Her work questions all things conventional, from life stages to cultural icons and stereotypes.



At present, she is working on these wonderful and hilarious 21st Century Worry Beads she calls Bipolaroids. The two-sided handmade stamped bead bracelets feature ecstasy-like pills with imprints of icons and words that we affiliate with contemporary concerns and cultural trends.










Also worth noting are her "Hi Concept" fun bronze and marble cast quilted Chanel bags:




above: sculptor Lindsey de Ovies

These are only a small sampling of her wonderful sculptural work, be sure to see more of it at her website here.

Willem Dafoe Ponders Life Choices In A New Anthem Spot for Jim Beam.

"Bold Choices," a new anthem spot beautifully shot by director Dante Ariola for Jim Beam, features actor Willem Dafoe as he ponders 'what might have been.' The 1:30 second spot from Strawberry Frog is meant to imply that the choices you make, make you.


above: Dafoe ponders his future; Milwaukee or New York?

The commercial opens with the young Dafoe at a pivotal turning point. Does he leave his small Milwaukee town for the dream of becoming an actor in the "Big City" or stay where he is and let life unfold?


above: One of Willem's possible futures includes becoming a trapeze artist

The spot has Dafoe reflecting on the possible futures had he made different choices- factory foreman, aging punk rocker, a trapeze artist, a successful businessman, limo driver, a fashion designer, a chess champion, even a sumo wrestler - but as Dafoe notes, in the end, there is really only one choice.



“All choices lead you somewhere,” Dafoe notes. ”Bold choices take you where you’re supposed to be.”



Credits:
Agency: Strawberry Frog
Chief Creative Officer: Kevin McKeon
Creative Director: Josh Greenspan and Jason Koxvold
Creative Team:
Todd Beeby
Brian Platt
Jed Cohen
Karl Haddad
Agency Producer: Sherri Levy
Director: Dante Ariola
Director of Photography: Emmanuel Lubezky
Editor: Adam Pertofsky @ Rock Paper Scissors
Visual Effects Company: The Mill, NY

Amazing Outdoor Playhouses For Kids Inspired By Modern Architecture.

When I was a youngster, the only available "playhouses" for us kids were leftover boxes from kitchen appliances or if you were lucky enough to have a handy dad, he might actually build a rough hewn one. Worst case scenario, we draped blankets over the backs of chairs and created a fort. Years later, some of my more spoiled friends had large plastic ones, often pink with ornate gingerbread-like trim in which we had tea with our dolls. There were some that resembled barns with the split front door, but there were nothing like these.




In 2009 David Lamolla Kristiansen, who studied Architecture at the Politechnical University of Catalunya, founded SmartPlayhouse. Inspired to create a place for his first born daughter to create and discover without the direct intervention of her parents, David created a company who designs and manufactures beautiful outdoor [and some indoor] child-sized playhouses that are inspired by modern and contemporary architecture.




The four models [the Illinois, the Forum, the Hobikken and the Kyoto] are authentic pieces of design work created to be safe and stylish environments that provide kids with a comfortable and safe space in which to develop their creativity and social skills.




Special consideration to details like methacrylate impact-resistant windows which do not chip or break like glass and door jams that don't crunch little fingers are designed following strict guidelines that exceed the European Safety Standard requirements.



All of the outdoor playhouses are built on a platform to keep the flooring from getting wet. Crafted with high quality materials [predominantly birch marine wood], that they are resistant to all sorts of weather conditions and the roof has thermal insulation and precast waterproof EPDM rubber material with a water drain pipe incorporated from warehouse, so that no welding or attaching materials is required.

The playhouses can be personalized with accessories like various door handles, different flooring and a wide range of colors to choose from. Curtains, indoor lighting, and soft pavement are also available.

The Illinois:
Inspired by mid 20th century architecture, the Illinois has sliding doors and a platform deck.









The Hobikken
A warm contemporary wood cottage available in three sizes; the mini, the junior and the maxi, as well as an indoor version.

The Hobikken Maxi:




The Hobikken Mini:



The Hobikken indoor:



The Kyoto
Like the Hobikken, the futuristic looking Kyoto is also available in three different sizes and an indoor version:




The Kyoto Junior:


UPDATE- The two story Kyoto Maxi:
with stairs safe for both children and adults to climb and room for friends to sleepover!






The Kyoto is also available in an indoor version:




The Casaforum
Perforated steel panels with leaf designs make this outdoor garden playhouse both durable and stylish.





And the big bonus for parents is that the SmartPlayhouse playhouses are delivered pre-assembled from the warehouse and are very easy to set up.

For pricing, size and delivery options visit SmartPlayhouse.