Martini Gold by Dolce & Gabbana; The Fellini-esque Film, Ads, Stills & More.

Two Italian flavors, Martini & Rossi and Dolce & Gabbana, collaborated a few months ago to launch MARTINI®Gold, a special edition vermouth with a unique recipe which includes orange, ginger and cubeb pepper, inspired by the fashion duo.

The libation was launched with a Fellini-esque film starring the stunning and sexy Italian actress Monica Bellucci:



Directed by Jonas Åkerlund (shown shooting the movie below), the MARTINI® Gold short film is set in Rome, Italy - a beautiful backdrop for the visually lush story.






Inspired by Fellini's La Dolce Vita, it celebrates Italian lifestyle as well as Monica Bellucci's all-Italian beauty, with surprise appearances by designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana:


Stills from the film:






The print ads:


On the set images:








The special bottle and packaging bear the name of both Martini and Dolce & Gabbana



The Russian issue of Vogue even included the actual video within the pages of their December issue, making it their first video advertisement in a print medium:


MARTINI Gold
Martini
Dolce and Gabbana

Madonna Designs Sunglasses for Dolce & Gabbana & A Clothing Line For Juniors

You may have heard the announcement yesterday, via WWD, that Madonna and Dolce & Gabbana, after a very successful pairing for their 2010 advertising campaign, have collaborated on a new line of eyewear called MDG, featuring six designs (shown above).

Three of the six styles are shown below (images courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana and Swide magazine)






The 6 pairs of glasses will be distributed by Luxottica and feature an MDG logo on the temple. The "M" of the MDG symbol is filled with little stars, very Madonna.



The chic shades will be in D&G stores in May. They will retail from 180 to 210 euros or around $250 to $290.

Floating around the net have been some screen stills (shown below) of the upcoming campaign for the new eyewear shot by Steven Klein, who has long worked with Madonna for D&G as well as other projects.



The advertising campaign is said to be breaking in May.

This is not the only fashion design venture Madonna has embarked upon. The Material girl and her daughter, Lourdes, have designed a line of clothes for juniors that will launch at Macy's this coming August.

press release:
"MATERIAL GIRL" JUNIOR COLLECTION TO DEBUT THIS FALL

NEW YORK, March 10, 2010 (PRNewswire via COMTEX) the newly formed joint venture between Madonna and Iconix Brand Group, Inc., (Nasdaq: ICON) announced its first direct-to-retail license agreement with Macy's, Inc. for the "Material Girl" collection. "Material Girl" is a newly created, fast-fashion junior collection that will launch exclusively in approximately 200 Macy's stores and online at www.macys.com in August 2010 for the back-to-school season. As part of the direct-to-retail agreement, Macy's will have the opportunity to launch additional brands with MG Icon in the future.

The "Material Girl" collection was inspired and designed in collaboration with Madonna and her daughter Lourdes, along with Iconix Brand Group's in-house fashion department.

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above: Madonna with daughter Lourdes

In addition to the back-to-school apparel collection, "Material Girl" will also launch in multiple categories including footwear, handbags and jewelry. The collection will retail from $12.00 to $40.00, comparative with pricing strategies at junior specialty stores. The strategy for growth will include additional categories in the lifestyle and beauty sectors, including fragrance, beginning 2011 as well as a rollout into additional Macy's stores.

Neil Cole, CEO and Chairman, Iconix, stated, "We are excited to announce the first in a series of new brands that will be developed under our partnership with Madonna. 'Material Girl' has a powerful retail partner in Macy's and we look forward to working together to deliver an innovative launch for our consumers."

"We believe that 'Material Girl' will be a dynamic exclusive brand for Macy's, and we look forward to working with Madonna, Lourdes and the Iconix team. Madonna is a fashion icon who can bring a new dimension to our juniors customer," said Jeff Gennette, Macy's chief merchandising officer. "'Material Girl' will enhance the excitement of fast fashion at Macy's."



Be sure to see all the amazing images from Steven Klein's 2010 Dolce & Gabbana advertising campaign with Madonna here:

•Steven Klein Brings Out Madonna's Best For 2010 Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign

Steven Klein Brings Out Madonna's Best For 2010 Dolce & Gabbana Ad Campaign

above: Madonna with Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce

We've seen the buffed bicepped cougar shilling for everything from Pepsi to Louis Vuitton.

But to see The Material Girl in the latest Dolce & Gabbana ads shot by well known fashion and editorial photographer Steven Klein is to see her in her most appropriate element yet. The newest campaign has the Italian singer exuding Sicilian sensuality, not unlike Italian film legends Sophia Loren, Monica Vitti and Gina Lollobrigida, to advertise their Spring/Summer 2010 collection.

She doesn't look overly styled or even overly sinewy, but instead very sexy and surprisingly beautiful as she does dishes in a kitchen that looks straight out of a small Italian village.

Exclusive in this week's Italian edition of Vanity Fair is the worldwide preview of the Dolce & Gabbanna new spring/summer 2010 campaign:





The following text is from Dolce & Gabanna's blog:
Madonna's private life is seldom out of the papers but this new Dolce & Gabbana campaign is unlike anything you have seen before. Exit the paparazzo, these shots by Steven Klein reveal much more than a grainy stolen picture, they showcase an intimate, real aspect to the ultimate icon's life.





In keeping with Dolce & Gabbana's Spring/Summer 2010 collection's emphasis on Mediterranean heritage and classic Italian sensuality, the mood isn't unlike a film from the days of Italian Neorealism. Madonna herself recalls the strong, raw sensuality of the iconic actress Anna Magnani - showcasing when soft sensuality meets bold authenticity.

More images from Steven Klein:





As Dolce & Gabbana's spring/summer 2010 collection returned to its Italian roots, evoking its strong heritage and revisiting iconic pieces such as the corset (the designer's finale was composed solely of corsets) it seemed only fitting that Madonna, who embodies both the strong sensuality of the brand and who shares an Italian heritage with the designers should be the one to showcase the Sicilian inspired collection.




above: the finale of the runway show was comprised of only corsets

In the stills below, from Italian films of the past, you can see the strong resemblance in mood and styling:

above: Italian film beauties Sofia Loren, Gina Lollabrigida and Anna Magnani

above: Monica Vitti is said to be Madonna's favorite actress

In the Vanity Fair Italy feature, Stefano Gabbana discusses the campaign and why Madonna was the perfect match: "She loved the collection," he says, "...she is passionate and impressively knowledgeable about Italian cinema," (Monica Vitti is her favourite actress and we see the resemblance)."

Photographer Steven Klein has worked with Madonna many, many times for editorial shoots, ad campaigns and personal projects. He even has a series of short films that feature her. Be sure to see those and more at his site here.

all Madonna images courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana, Steven Klein and Vanity Fair.