Valentine's Day Surprises for Him, Her and You

Valentine's Day–there, we said it. It's a freaky holiday that can be utterly sublime or incredibly ridiculous, depending on your partner's taste (or lack thereof). Two dozen red roses? No thank you. Chocolates? Perhaps–but only if they come from La Maison du Chocolat. Red silk undergarments? Not our thing: but while we're talking underwear, we wouldn't say no to a sexy little something from Armor-lux, Zimmerli, Roberto Cavalli or Missoni (please, no baggy plaid boxers or ugly briefs with logo waistbands). For the woman in your life who's partial to lingerie, we recommend Sabbia Rosa (which essentially requires a trip to Paris), La Perla or the super-chic ERES. If a bit more oomph is required, try Agent Provocateur (which just opened its second New York store, on Madison Avenue).

But there's no reason to stick with chocolates or lingerie. For your chic boyfriend, anything from Balmain's men's collection, Lanvin, or, if he's on the preppier side, Alexander Olch (not to mention Band of Outsiders) will make him smile. Your chic girlfriend? What could be nicer than devastating pumps from Christian Louboutin? Finally, if price is no object, something extraordinary–like the Cassel Pink Diamond (4.71 carats), set in an antique ring, above, and currently available at Rau Antiques in New Orleans–is the way to go. Especially if your Valentine happens to be...yourself. Fashion is fleeting, love burns hot (and may die,) but diamonds are everyone's best friends.

Pay For Performance Webinar

Thank you for attending today's webinar.

For those that attended you can email questions to davidm@profitsystems.com.

Per the request of some attendees, I've posted links to my slides. Here are you go:

PFP Webinar
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We Sing the Body Electric (and Fashionable)

Here at FA2L, we understand that fashion is about more than clothes: it touches every aspect of human culture, from architecture to furniture design to trends in cooking, art and parenting. Spookily enough, it also affects how the human body itself is perceived and presented. At the turn of the 19th century, for example, fashionable women's bodies were encased in corsets to produce the era's most-preferred,"S"-shaped form. By the 'teens, those same bodies (sans corsets) looked more and more tubular; and by the '20s, so-called waistlines had dropped to the hips, hair was cropped short and busts were often bandaged flat.

But women aren't the only sex to struggle with body issues: the male form has also been subject to fashion's changing whims. In the 20th century alone, men went from being celebrated as sleek, Art Deco icons (think Gary Cooper) to broad-shouldered, married-with-family types (William Holden, perhaps) to slim-hipped, long-haired rock & rollers like Mick Jagger. Then, in the early '80s, Bruce Weber trained his fashion-conscious lens on a specific breed: guys who were just as photogenic as girls (and just as pretty), but exaggeratedly masculine at the same time. This combination proved so powerful, it's been used to sell everything from Calvin Klein underwear to Gillette razors. Its current brokers are Milan's fashion elite–brands like Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani and DSquared2 (whose Spring '11 campaign, above, features the Adonis-like Diego Miguel, photographed by Mert & Marcus). Of course, digital retouching has also upped the ante, rendering fashion's young gods and goddesses virtually perfect. So–are you ready for your close-up?