Fangs, Bathtubs, and the California Thing

The California label Wildfox Couture—founded by designers Emily Faulstich and Kimberley Gordon—ran its early promotional shoots through a very specific fantasy: sexy vampires, girls in claw-foot bathtubs, lips very red, all of it draped across models wearing soft graphic tees. The client list at the time included Miley Cyrus and Fergie.

I’ll be straightforward: the tees themselves barely registered. The promotional material was doing all the work, and the work had nothing to do with cotton blends or print design. A friend pointed out that shoots this provocative distract entirely from whatever product they’re supposedly selling—which is a fair critique, and one I couldn’t fully engage with because I was too busy being distracted. That’s a coherent business strategy, even if it isn’t honest design. You’re selling the fantasy; the garment is just the souvenir.

The vampire thing is a cheap trick. It works every time. Somewhere in those photos there are shirts. I assume they were nice.