Out With a BANG!

Last night saw the grand unveling of Marc Jacobs' new men's fragrance - BANG. And as you can see from the advertising, you could never accuse Marc Jacobs of subtly. I can see this being a big success. Fragrances can often become bogged down in snobbery and seriousness; the contrived names and overly styled images often make the fragrances merge into one. This one has that element of young cool. The bottle is amazing, it resembles a sheet of metal punched with the Bang logo and the advertising, shot by Juergen Teller, is provocative and sexy. The silver reminds you of Warhol's floating silver pillows and the nakedness is pure porn-star era Jeff Koons. The fragrance itself is predominantly based on the smell of pepper, containing black, pink and white peppercorns and is Marc Jacobs' first men's fragrance in nearly ten years.

Exclusive to Harvey Nichols from August 1st and nationwide from August 25th.

To Win a Bottle of Bang - Click Here

www.marcjacobsfragrances.com

www.harveynichols.com

Comment - The Men In Sex & The City 2

I saw Sex & The City 2 yesterday for research purposes only! You work in fashion, you have to see Sex & The City. A couple of hours of camp silliness, it's just a feature length episode. The thing that stood out was the difference between the men and the women. The majority of the female stars had that strange look where too much botox has been injected into the top of the nose and forehead. The cheeks were filled giving the tell-tale cats eyes of plastic surgery. They just looked unnaturally strange. And more and more people from the glossy LA world of The Hills and Desperate Housewives have this similar strange anti-aging look going on. The guys on the other hand looked better. All the old characters made an appearance, Aidan, Smith and Big and they looked natural. It was refreshing not to stare at somebody thinking about what was strange about them. Usually in the world of grooming and procedures, where women go men follow but this is certainly an area we should stay away from.

Men growing old gracefully - See Molton Brown's 'Old Man' - Click here

Molton Brown's Old Man

This is the new marketing image for Molton Brown's men's range. Pictured is a greying man who looks a decent age. Brands often use those 'young' old people, you know the type, they look young except for a few grey highlights. It's even worse in TV advertising when they move like young people, an example is the couple at the end of that depressing "She's always a woman" John Lewis advert, where you expert a coffin at the end saying "Never knowingly Undersold" on the lid!

Hats off then to Molton Brown because this guy is actually somebody whom we aspire to look like when we get old; fit, healthy but without denying our maturity. Like wine, whisky and balsamic vinegar, men get better with age and this proves it!

www.moltonbrown.co.uk

Find out more about Molton Brown's new men's products - Click Here

Alex Katz - The Botox Artist

American artist Alex Katz has just opened a new exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Here is an example of one of his famous yellow portraits. It pictures Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of American VOGUE, and is the first time it has been on display.

The only recognisable feature is her bob. Wintour looks in her early twenties, when it fact it was painted only last year. And this is the talent - and popularity - of Alex Katz. His shallow sunny style includes many portraits, both male and female, that have a timeless quality. His flattering paintings are a shallow record of his friends and social circle. Forget botox or cosmetic surgery, all it seems you need is a few sittings with Katz. Stick it in your loft and enjoy a la Dorian Gray!

Image: Anna Wintour, 2009 by Alex Katz

Copyright: Alex Katz courtesy Timothy Taylor Gallery

15th May - 21st September 2010

www.npg.org.uk