WEAR: Bell & Ross BR 01 Red Radar

Heavy-duty watchmaker brand Bell & Ross have unveiled their newest creation, the BR 01 Red Radar watch. Bell & Ross's reputation of creating watches for fighter pilots, bomb disposal experts, and astronauts has certainly made Bell & Ross knowledgeable of the needs of the man whose life involves heavy risks. The company's professional-grade military watches designed for the most extreme of conditions gets a touch of luxury with the new Red Radar. Its black, sleek square frame and durable band complement the high contrast red dial face that resembles a sonar screen. The watch keeps time with a sweeping movement and possesses high-tech aesthetic. The watch is priced at $5500 and only 999 units will be made available at exclusive stores. So even if you're not James Bond and you're looking for ultimate in timekeeping gadgetry, you'd better have a bank account like his.

READ: Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion, Architecture

If you're a fashion book aficionado like I am, or your coffee table is feeling a little lonely, then waste no time getting your hands on Louis Vuitton: Art, Fashion and Architecture, one of the best books of fashion, architecture, and luxury photography created by the best in luxury, Louis Vuitton. So hopefully as you're reading this you're logging on to Amazon and one-click shopping yourself a copy, right? No, no, that wasn't a question. Every page of this foot-long book archives the breathtaking glamour, sophistication and exclusiveness that has built the Louis Vuitton brand since its start in the late nineteenth century with fashioning its famous trunks. The book features the very best in Louis Vuitton shot by the biggest names in fashion photography, Mert & Alas, Patrick Demarchelier, and Annie Leibovitz. You'll see every stunning inch of Louis Vuitton's international and domestic stores and the masterful bags, suitcases, and attaches will make your heart pound. And if you're one of the people who actually do buy photography books to read them, you'll definitely be impressed by the essays from artchitects, designers, and creatives who all laud and appreciate the craftsmanship, advertising, brand, and luxury goods that is Louis Vuitton. Check out some images from the book after the jump.

DESIGN: The Art of Saul Bass

Many of you may have somehow been influenced by the work of graphic designer Saul Bass directly or indirectly. His famous work for film sequences and titles as well as his relationships with the greatest filmmakers of the time such as Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, and Martin Scorcese and has placed his modern, and abstract works in movies such as Vertigo, The Man With the Golden Arm, and The Age of Innocence. What made me fall in love with Saul Bass's film art as well as his logo works is his clever use of minimalism and negative space.  It takes some kind of person to transform an object as banal as a cutout of a paper arm into a controversial and metaphorical icon. He studied at the Art Students League in New York City and also attended Brooklyyn College before his launch into designing film posters. His big break came in the form of creating a film poster as well as sequence for the film Carmen Jones thanks to its director Otto Preminger. His work captured the eye of Alfred Hitchcock who commissioned him to create sequences for several of his films due to his attraction to Bass' contemplative designs which meshed well with Hitchcock's psychological thrillers. His movie poster work continued for over 40 years and also included his graphic design logo work for famous companies such as Dixie, AT&T, United Way, Girl Scouts, and the YMCA. Bass is also quoted for the powerful maxim that "Design is thinking made visual." And no doubt Bass could sublime his immense imagination into his works. Check out the best of Saul Bass after the jump.

NEWS: Dior Looks to the Future After Galliano's Firing

It appears that although the legendary house of Christian Dior sustained a massive PR torpedo by the hands of its creative director John Galliano when he was videotaped in the midst of a racist harangue towards Paris cafe patrons, they are excited with the new direction they are taking after his dismissal. Galliano is set to stand trial for his remarks which he later recanted in the midst of acknowledging his impropriety. Some would say that this is only a reflection of the blatant inelegance that is plaguing not only the fashion world and the spheres of the Page Six fixtures, but also a large number of public and private figures; the you're-only-sorry-because-you-got-caught phenomenon. For a company that embraced the avant-garde, envelope-pushing influence of John Galliano, it no longer remains to be seen how Dior feels about his leaving or his mark on the Dior brand. Dior wants to move in the direction of a return to the classical, youthful, and exuberant beauty that Christian Dior himself painstakingly created in each fashion show. A very different direction indeed from the somewhat outre and darker hold John Galliano had.

Design Muse: Tom Ford

I don't think that any designer has been as successful at breathing life back into fashion than Tom Ford has. His dedication to fashion that has a character, mind, and movement of its own has brought the attention back to what true design should possess and convey. His infusion of masculine sexuality into fashion has given him great strides in territory left untreaded. He's not afraid to be pictured in W magazine nude slapping a towel against the rears of two male models in a shower, or to massage a derriere with a car buffer. His insistence on male objectification has given more thought and appreciation of the allure and power of the male form stripped away from the oversexed connotations oft associated with it. In his interview with Interview magazine he stated on the male form, "I’m very comfortable with naked bodies. Full frontal male nudity challenges us. It makes men nervous. It makes women nervous. Other times in history, male nudes have been regarded in a different way. The Olympics were originally held nude."

Lady Gaga for Vogue March

There are many reasons the world has paid so much attention to the antics, the style, and the brand that is Lady Gaga. Her modus operandi of constantly breaking set within fashion and pop culture and synthesizing them into new forms and ideas is a skill she has beautifully mastered. Like most great artists, her work often evokes misunderstanding, perplexity, and fear to those who do not understand it. But I feel that the greatest thing about Lady Gaga is she does exactly as she thinks. She is one of the few people who know how to turn the dreams and ideas in her head, no mater how scandalous or surreal and turn them into realities. It is this magic that shows in her feature spread in Vogue's March Power Issue. And a subject to choose indeed. Her otherworldly creativity and desire to unite completely with popular culture can be nothing short of magical. With her single "Born This Way" released earlier this month, Gaga is beginning to unveil to the world her newest creation. Check out the photos of this little monster from the spread after the break.

Model Madness: Brandon Espy

Ah, the power of Google. Who knew such technology could be used to find out som much about beautiful people? Well we certainly snagged a big one this time and he comes by the name of Brandon Espy. A rising star who prefers to selectively solicit his beauty rather than settle for overexposure, he strikes your eyes with that "Where have you been all this time?" thought. Also, through my Google exploits, our model of the week, a native of Diamond Bar, California, played football for the University of San Diego in 2005 to 2007 where he majored in Communications. He was a three-sport high school performer in football, basketball, and track, hence the impeccable Spartan physique. It's interesting how Brandon's history has led him to the world of fashion modeling but he's definitely smart enough to know he's got the looks. Check out why he's out model of the week and you'll see why we're mad for him.

The Elegant Animus

The universe of fashion is a place where ideas are constantly being created, changed, thrown away, recycled, and picked up. In this infinite manufacturing of creativity, one person's trash is another's treasure and subsequently becomes someone else's trash or treasure. And as we come into contact with these ideas in fashion, whether old or new, we are inevitably changed by them. Suddenly a light of inspiration in a dark tunnel becomes clearer, or perhaps a new path suddenly springs up from the other new path we just took. To document this amazing and wonderful phenomenon, I created a new blog, Elegant Animus, to document all of the inspiration that hits me and how it has and continues to change me.

Guerre de Style

If fashion really is everywhere, as Coco Chanel once said, then Karl-Edwin Guerre, creator of the men's fashion blog Swagger 360, can find it. His site's slogan, "Where Lifestyle and Attitude Connect", sums it up perfectly; fashion isn't just made up of what we wear or where we wear it, it's made of how we live and how we think. His reputation for maintaining a Wildean-crisp style has earned him attention from many fashion watchers especially his impecable impresario skills. It's especially pleasing to me to see so many images of men of color, for these are oft scarce in other blogs. It's wonderful to see a culture of stylish, ambitious, and refined men using their creativity and showcasing their style. Check out Swagger 360 here.

The Eyes of a Dandy

I love scouring the web looking for people who love fashion as passionately as I do and who have found ingenious ways of expressing their creativity. When I came upon DapperLou, the blog of notoriously stylish urban dandy Ludget Delcy, I knew I had found my style soul brother. His effortless classical American style and his eye for catching it is what attracts me most to his blog. He could certainly have composed a blog just on his own personal style but Ludget chooses to use his erudite taste to feature gentlemen both young and old who are mastering the art of dressing the man. I first noticed Ludget's style on LookBook.nu, my favorite haunt for fashion inspiration but I had no idea the man had such an impressive portfolio of street personalities. I also noticed his blogroll is quite short, especially when many fashion bloggers including myself tend to prefer to give their readers a great deal of places to find other great content. But then again, Ludget understands that too many cooks spoil the broth. Most of all Ludget gives me what I want: pure, unadulterated sharp-dressed people. See all about Ludget Delcy and his site here.