Posts with tag Europe

Katy Perry is taunting us, and we do not appreciate it.

Every so often, we see a US automaker team up with a clothing brand, but usually it's something boring and safe like Eddie Bauer. In Europe, you're more likely to see automakers team up with designers that have a little more sex appeal -- like the latest project in which Fiat has teamed up with Diesel to design a flashy, fashion-forward hatchback. With the Fiat 500 Diesel edition, the Italian luxury brand is taking its lifestyle aspirations to a whole new level.

As you can see, the Fiat (also Italian) '500 by DIESEL' is a pretty sleek and youthful-looking whip, so we imagine this move is probably targeted towards the 20-35 demographic. Still, when was the last time you equated Diesel with affordability? Or even modestly overvalued merchandise. Hmm, hopefully it won't be too pricey. The car will be equipped with exclusive Diesel hupcaps featuring their mohican logo and an interior stitched with yellow threat to remind us of those jeans we love so much.

True to its name, the vehicle is offered with an optional diesel engine. Now, will it be available in the US?

[via Jezebel]

Until recently most Americans knew Smart Cars in the limited context of European vacations. Nearly getting run over in Rome, admiring their ability to navigate medieval cobblestone roads in France. Perhaps a sighting or two in the wilds of Canada.

The cute, practical and energy efficient two seaters finally became available in the states this year, and their popularity in cities is soaring. The waiting list, while not as long as for the fabulous electric Tesla Roadster, it's still pretty long.

We're afraid that this video will make them even more popular, but not in a good way. Imagine the least eco-friendly thing you could do a car. Make it a monster truck, right? Outrageous waste of gas, pointless dirt circling, loud distressing noises to upset the local wildlife. What could be more fun?!

The video appears to be from somewhere in the UK. While the commentary is hard to make out, the accent sounds vaguely English, or perhaps Scottish, going by the "tartan" emblazoned across the sad little Smart Car body perched atop monstrous, ginormous tires.

Looks like we don't have to be quite so embarrassed by NASCAR now.

Thanks to boring styles, plummeting consumer spending, and a tendency to leave their employees with Post Retail Folding Disorder, the Gap has finally been overtaken by as the world's largest clothing retailer. All hail the new #1: Spain's mega fashion retailer Zara, who we've really never even heard of. The chain, based in A Coruña, Spain, has apparently been a dominating force in Europe and Latin America -- but has only a handful of stores in the US.

Zara's parent company Inditex has managed to spread its successful chain of stores far and wide by some kind of weird business model that involves keeping up with the latest trends in fashion -- something that the Gap probably should have been focusing on. Zara's unique model includes in-house design teams and encourages staff members to point out any new trends to keep the designers up to date. Not only that, but Zara apparently spends very little on advertising. Instead, they use their stores as a means of drawing attention to their brands.

We first really noticed Diane Kruger in the movie Troy where she held her own alongside some of our favorite sexies -- Brad Pitt, Orlando Bloom, and Eric Bana. *sigh* After stalking her a little bit we learned that she is a German born model who now dates actor Joshua Jackson (Pacey anyone?), which makes sense since her style is such a great blend of laid back Americana with flirty European chic.

This daring pairing, which she wore at the Longchamp 60th anniversary party, is no exception. She waves her good old US of A flag with nautical inspiration, a slouchy fit and hat and mixes it with a crisp yet daring pair of high waisted trousers and cut off top, courtesy of her heritage across the pond.

Here in the States, Wrangler's image can basically be summed up by cowboy hats and barbeque stains, or cornbread and chicken, or whatever two rural items you want to throw together. Septic tanks and incest -- see how that works?

In Europe, however, the dream of growing up to rope and ride has apparently lost its luster. So, in an attempt to make Wrangler jeans more relevant to the youth of Europe, but still not lose the brand's earthy past, Parisian ad agency has produced this obnoxiously European, avante garde, and confusingly non-macho Wrangler commercial.

As the end of days draws closer and closer you probably find yourself wondering what you should wear. Is it formal? When the chemical warfare starts will the mall stay open? These are important questions, and that's why Diddo Velema has created this conceptual art project using Gucci and Louis Vuitton. There's got to be more to the final countdown than the Final Countdown, right?

Just like the bottles of water, rolls of toilet paper and case of Spam you have stashed in the basement, a gas mask is an important part of a well-stocked apocalypse survival readiness kit.

The thing is, you can't stay underground forever, eventually the Spam will gel beyond means of consumption and at some point you'll run out of shows on the TiVo. That's when you need to don your gear and head to the surface to see if anything besides cockroaches and Starbucks survived. Grab a raid latte and show all the mutants how to look fabulous.

It looks something like this:



Oh, and if these aren't enough, there's always this.

Designer Gas Masks is a conceptual art project. The masks are not real commercial products!
They are designed to be displayed in magazines and exhibited at galleries. They are not for sale.

[via Format]