Rock & Republic doesn't do things quietly. To fête its first-ever ad campaign, the six-year-old, L.A.-based label scaled the emblem of the French Republic: the Eiffel Tower. Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, who served as artistic director for the ads, made some commotion of her own in a revealing R&R stretch black dress ("I keep wondering which side is going to pop out first," she laughed, giving it a quick tug before posing for photographers). She paired it with a black headband borrowed from the Givenchy runway ("I'm lucky to have friends there"). Of her vision for her debut campaign, which stars her brother Vladimir, Restoin-Roitfeld explained, "We wanted the kind of guy you like hanging out with. We looked at some models, but then we just went for a real man. It's great to see how it translated." As for the brand itself, it seems that the stalling economy hasn't put a crimp in its plans. President Andrea Bernholtz said that fans can look forward to three new shops in the next few months, starting with L.A. (November) and continuing with Las Vegas (December) and Greene Street in New York City (February).

— Tina Isaac