February 17th, 2012
"If looks and locks could kill"
So there I was just minding my own business trying to read an ArtInfo (now brought to you by Blouin) piece on the 2013 budget proposal for NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) when a Mr. Porter (men’s Net-a-Porter) skyscraper banner caught my eye. Was it the handsome man, the clean art direction, his name, or just the intrusive nature of online display (aka banner) ads? Well truth be told, I should not be bashing banners as they pay the rent – or some of it.
So what’s all the hype? Well the attractive man is Marlon Brando’s grandson who is a graduate medical student and, thanks to Mr Porter, now positioned as a men’s fashion opinion leader. If you scroll over the banner you can play a short embedded video where Mr. Brando (don’t imagine he has a hard time getting a date) whilst on the beach speaks to his younger days with his grandfather and how Marlon taught him that “being comfortable is the best thing itself.” Good advice Don Corleone and nice way to speak to the notion of being comfortable in the clothes you’re in …. right? So it positions Mr Porter, despite being a highly affluent fashion/luxury brand, as quite approachable seeing that the clothes are comfortable to wear inward and outward.
If you do click through to the website www.mrporter.com you arrive at a very attractive, clean and sophisticated homepage that offers nice balance of content and product depending upon what strikes your fancy. I read about Mr Yo Shitara’s office, Paris in the Rain “looks” and even bought a Drake’s Tussah woven-silk tie. So there you go folks, it works and to think I just wanted to read about art’s funding for middle America and I end up with another expensive tie.
