sexy

Flaccid Prices at Phillips de Pury's Sexy Art Auction

Art auction house Phillips de Pury has learned that sex sells. Pushing erotic-themed contemporary works, the house brought in $2.1 million at a London sale on Saturday night at a sale called simply "SEX." Of the 271 lots that went under the gavel, including art, design and photography, 69 percent sold. Unfortunately, the auction's revenue only hit 78 percent of the presale estimate: competition wasn't exactly stiff for the hottest works on the block.

The highlight of the evening was a painting by UK pop artist Allen Jones. His 1966 "Soft Tread" featured a pair of legs in stockings and adorned with stiletto heels. The sultry effort aroused at least six bids and enough action to thrust the selling price to 361,250 pounds. With a presale estimate of 60,000 pounds to 80,000 pounds, the action surely justified the art world's equivalent to a post-coital cigarette.

Apparently the erotic and sex-themed art market is hardening ... and it's turning on billionaires. A piece by Otto Mueller featuring two nude female bathers fetched 2.1 million pounds at Christie's last month, three times the high estimate.

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Tags: art auction, art auctions, art market, billionaire, billionaires, erotic, london, phillips de pury, sex, sexy

XOXO Rebrands Itself, Website Too Sexy for Minors

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Apparel, Video

*WARNING* The above video is NSFW.

XOXO is growing up. The once bubblegum-sweet label I think I wore to my Freshman homecoming dance in high school has updated its image with a new, very risque appeal.

The above video, shot by John Urbano, is age-protected on the new XOXO.com, as it's not considered appropriate for children under 18. The provocative rebranding began this past holiday season with models stripping in the window of their 5th Avenue boutique in New York City, and has now extended across the entire label. "XOXO is the brand every boyfriend wants their girlfriend to wear," said Carol Powley, creative director of XOXO's "window theatre."

The campaign's goal is to define a new generation of XOXO girl, one who is "body confident" and "powerful and sexy, but always fun." Despite this lusty new marketing foray, the brand continues to claim to be "retailing at the top tier of the junior market."

What do you think?

Has XOXO become too sexy for teens?
Yes. This is totally inappropriate for the Juniors market.	172 (55.3%)
No. This is okay by me.	92 (29.6%)
It's fine, just not for my daughter.	47 (15.1%)

Tags: John Urbano, sexy, XOXO

Four Seasons Beverly Hills Offers Sexy Couples Massage

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spas, Cosmetics and Fragrance

Treatment Room at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills Spa

The newly renovated Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is offering a sexy massage for couples that could be the perfect way to give the object of your affections something you can share.

The Lover's Duet Couples Massage is a 60 or 90 minute treatment in a private suite for two. Champagne elixirs infused with dark chocolate and passionfruit will be given to you in your rose petal-adorned room as romantic music plays, lulling you and your honey into sweet relaxation. At the end of your massage, you'll be given bath salts and custom blended massage oil to take home.

If you'd like to know how to use that massage oil, you can have a 30 minute training session with one of the spa's leading massage therapists (for an additional $105). Now that's an everlasting Valentine's Day gift ($380-$90 without the massage training).

But wait. From February 12-14, your Valentine's Day indulgences can be even more comprehensive -- The Everlasting Valentine's Day package ($535) includes a cocktail and breakfast for two, accommodations, and a private meeting with custom perfume specialist Kedra Hart of Opus Oils' Jitterbug Perfume Parlour. Couples will be guided on an "aromatic journey" and create their very own fragrance, which will be given to them in the form of a 2 oz Eau de Parfum spray and a travel sized roll-on (formula will be kept on file, refills available).

Even if you don't normally splurge for Valentine's Day, don't you both deserve a little pampering? You could split the cost and get it for each other. Visit the website or call (310) 273-2222 to book an appointment.

Tags: Four Seasons, FourSeasons, Lost Angeles, LostAngeles, Massage, Sexy, Valentines Day, ValentinesDay

Definitely Not the Girls Next Door: Fraulein by Ellen von Unwerth

by Deb West (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Books

Who better to capture the carnal beauty of some of the most stunning women around than Ellen von Unwerth . She has been one of the world's premier fashion photographers for many years and Taschen is publishing a collection of her photographs. A former model, before stepping behind the lens, she worked in front of it for 10 years and it shows in the sensuality she elicits from her own subjects. Her photos have been featured in the editorial pages of Vogue, Interview and Vanity Fair and she has been hired to create many advertising campaigns for some of the biggest names in fashion from Chanel to Guess and Victoria's Secret. Her work has also been shown in numerous exhibitions internationally including at MoMA in Queens.

This collector's edition features sexy photographs of Claudia Schiffer, Kate Moss, Eva Mendes, Lindsay Lohan,and too many more to list. The images are in both black and white as well as color and present a very different impression of women as sensual beings than the stereotypical "men's" magazine. While the photographs often feature their subjects nude or in lingerie the women are never objectified but rather seem to be expressing some aspect of their own femininity. Many images are previously unpublished and have been part of the photographer's personal archive for the past 15 years.

The limited edition series of 1,500 numbered and signed copies is a 482 page hardcover book in a clam shell box and retails for $700. Taschen will also be releasing 100 Art Editions which include one of two silver gelatin photographic prints by Ellen von Unwerth and will retail for $1,800 each. Pictured above we see a sample of Ellen Von Unwerth's work featured in the book, a photograph of Claudia Schiffer, titled: TEDDY London 2006.

Gallery: Fraulein by Ellen von Unwerth

Cover Art for Fraulein by Ellen von Unwerth

Tags: Claudia Schiffer, ClaudiaSchiffer, Ellen Von Unwerth, EllenVonUnwerth, fashion photography, FashionPhotography, photography, photos, sexy, Taschen

The Most Glamorous Jobs

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Do you love your job? Do you sometimes wish you were in a position that was a little more glamorous or sexy? We all have our daydreams, so in yours what makes a job glamorous? Probably things like money, along with traveling to exotic and luxurious locations, meeting celebrities, and getting invited to exclusive upscale parties. And then there are some job titles, like "brain surgeon" and "rocket scientist", that get a certain level of respect and esteem even though the daily working conditions aren't necessarily that glam.

Salary.com recently surveyed over 800 people and came up with the top 5 most glamorous jobs (check it out below). ...Surprised at all by what made the list?

Gallery: The Most Glamorous Jobs

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Tags: career, careers, elite, employment, glam, glamorous, job, jobs, most glamorous, MostGlamorous, sex, sexy

The Ivy Hotel Gets Sexy In San Diego

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Sex sells, and in the land of upscale hotels designers are taking advantage of that in a bolder way than ever before. Although photos of women in fishnet stockings, scantily-clad workers, and red patent leather furniture isn't a new idea in hotels and restaurants, it hasn't been something commonly seen in the luxury market. But the Ivy Hotel in San Diego isn't letting that discourage its new style: sexy sexy sexy. Michael Kelly, one of the Ivy's co-owners, was quoted as saying "We were looking for something a little voyeuristic, a little seductive."

See-through shower overlooking the bed: voyeuristic? Check. Plunging v-necks on the hostesses and black lace on the waitresses: seductive? Check.

Not my thing, but seems like they got what they were aiming for! Rooms start at $450/night.

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Tags: hotel, ivy, ivy hotel, IvyHotel, san diego, SanDiego, seduction, seductive, sex, sexy, travel, voyeurism, voyeuristic

The World's Sexiest Penthouses

by Gustad Mody (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

Lavish bedrooms, the city's best views to gaze upon, and largest of bath tubs to soak are just a few of the perks of the World's Sexiest Penthouses. Our buddies at Gadling shows us Condé Nast Traveler's list of these ultra penthouses. Take the Skylofts at MGM Grand in Las Vegas for instance, at $10,000 per night, which includes the room-sized "immersion chambers" (large showers dousing you with waterfalls, steam, and rain). There is also the Presidential Suite in Intercontinental Hong Kong at $11,215 a night, where you can rest in infinity pool while staring at one of the most beautiful skylines in the world.

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Tags: hotel, las vegas, LasVegas, luxury hotel, LuxuryHotel, penthouse, sexy, skyline, vacation, Zhang Ziyi, ZhangZiyi