EDDIEWONG

I’ve grown to really like Amuro Namie (安室奈美恵) during the past 4-5 years or so. When she was at the peak of her career a little over a decade ago, I didn’t think much of her. Maybe it was because of her style and looks back then. Now-a-days, I find her more mature and much more attractive. But anyway, I won’t go on about her or her music. Instead, I’ll rave a bit about Vidal Sassoon’s recent FASHION, MUSIC, VS collaboration campaign featuring Amuro Namie.

Photo I took back in January at Shibuya

Sometime during the end of last year/beginning of this year, Vidal Sassoon Japan embraced a new campaign bridging their haircare products with fashion and music. This may not be a new thing (since lots of other haircare manufacturers have used pop stars, etc., in the past) but Vidal Sassoon threw out a much bigger budget and did it with style. Instead of just using a pop star with one of their songs for their ads (think, a pop star turning around with free flowing hair), Vidal Sassoon created a series of MTVs, which they also use for their ads, depicting certain styles/fashions at a certain time, namely the 60s, 70s and 80s.

Haircare products

At the center of all this is non other than the ‘queen of hip-hop’, Amuro Namie. And whom better to choose? Amuro Namie is the absolute ideal choice: she looks good, she can sing, she can dance, she adapts to different styles, she has a pretty huge following and she’s hip.

The whole production took place in LA (supposedly, a friend of Erics worked on the MTVs) with Hollywood’s most famous stylist, Patricia Field, at the helm of costume designs, with Orlando Pita working his magic on hair design.

The end result? A collection of three visually impressive, stylish (amid retro) and well executed MTVs: the 60s ‘NEW LOOK’, the 70s ‘ROCK STEADY’ and the 80s ‘WHAT A FEELING’. All of which, not only feature catchy tunes, but also lots of costumes, hairstyles and expensive sets.

Watch the 60s TVCM

Of them all, I feel ’80s WHAT A FEELING’ MTV is best executed in catching the feel of the 80s as a whole. Example: the ’60s NEW LOOK’ MTV, although the costumes and hairstyles are that from the 60s, the way in which the video is shot and the song does not feel very 60s. The exact same can be said for the ’70s ROCK STEADY’ MTV. It just lacks that something to really give it that touch in time. Maybe something as simple as a lens filter would have been enough. I dunno…

Watch the 70s TVCM

With ’80s WHAT A FEELING’, the song sounds like something from the 80s, the settings look 80s, the way the video is shot looks 80s, etc. I guess the argument here could be that the 80s is closer to now than the 60s and 70s hence is easier to execute… but anyway.

Watch the 80s TVCM

And to top off the whole campaign, the website got a new kick-butt make over with interesting content and lots of updates regarding other spin-off campaigns.

Vidal Sassoon Japan – FASHION, MUSIC, VS

The music CD for the three songs came out last Wednesday (2008.03.12). I had been waiting forever for it! Like, ever since I first saw the MTVs back in January. There are two variations available: the CD, which only contains the three singles (and instrumental versions), and the CD+DVD combo with all three MTVs thrown in. Of course, I got the CD+DVD combo (despite having already got the MTVs in lower resolution) because it is the MTVs I’m more attracted to. Also, I got a free poster with it (first pic in this entry). Good stuff.

So, do you like the MTVs? Not your cuppa tea? Yeah, yeah, I know, I know… I’m old hence I like retro stuff… sigh…