New Eroticism Artistry | Carrie Leigh's NUDE Magazine | CafeGlow Web Debut

Note: Nudity| Here we are on the eve of another Victoria’s Secret fashion show, televised tomorrow night November 30, 2010 on CBS.

In my life strange confluences are always occurring, and this moment is one of them. My friend Carrie Leigh’s new edition of Carrie Leigh’s NUDE has gone to press, with an extensive interview by yours truly on marketing sensuality to women and my 10 year career at Victoria’s Secret.

I’m thrilled with the work that Carrie Leigh is doing to advance the sensual imagery of women as subjects and also as photographers of nude fashion editorial. 

In my own mind, I am clear what this female-friendly lens means to women, because they tell me they have never felt so beautiful as when they come to Anne of Carversville.

Carrie Leigh brings the same aesthetic to her nude fashion photography and magazine Carrie Leigh NUDE. We work not to titillate, but to celebrate, affirm and beautify the female body.

We also stand for passion at every age.

Tom Ford & Carine Roitfeld | Clarissa & Doug

Tom Ford lenses Doug & Clarissa for Vogue Paris December 2010 issue

Simply stated, we Americans are behind the curve in having a healthy attitude about the importance of sensuality in our lives. It’s my fervent prayer that our international friends will help me reset this American mindset on sexuality and respectability, which are not mutually exclusive.

The image above from the December 2010 issue of Vogue Paris is part of what may become one of the most controversial editorials of the decade.

Yes, Virginia, even old people can feel tremendous passion. Lensed by Tom Ford, who is guest editor with his former partner in crime at Gucci Carine Roitfeld is determined to open up the topic of sexuality at every age.

The total range of our content channels reflects my determination to help women integrate sensuality into the totality of their interests and life priorities. Positive sexuality is not exclusive of good health or a love of fashion, caring about global poverty and philanthropy, or supporting the arts.

The Smart Sensuality women embraces all these aspects of herself in harmony.

Revisiting ‘Revelations’

Alvin Ailey’s ballet ‘Revelations’ is 50 years old this week. ‘Revelations’ has a critical place in my psyche, and I explain why in an updated essay: My Original Sins: Making Peace with Revelations & Judith Jamison, Thanks to Barack Obama.

Judith (who I do not know) has been embedded in my mind and creative imagination since I first saw all 6’ of her come dancing that high-impact, holy-woman, white parasol across the Alvin Ailey stage. Jamison has appeared in my inner world more times than I can count, and she is to me, one of the most gorgeous creatures to ever grace an American stage.

Judith Jamison in ‘Revelations’

In my ‘Revelation’s’ essay, I share the true story of how Judith and her Bible-toting ladies metaphorically showed up in the front row of my July, 2007 erotica-reading debut at Lolita in the NYC East Village. It was my fault for buying those proper-lady fans for our audience, knowing that I intended to heat up the club to an inferno pitch.

The best way to describe the event is that my girlfriend Elsa was there with two gay guy friends. Elsa said that she was black and blue with bruises the next day, because her friends kept pinching her butt with a new gasp of astonishment, as the words rolled off my tongue.

I had quite a confrontation with Judith and her friends that night at Lolita, not over the fans so much, as the finger pointing.  If you watch ‘Revelations’ over in Les Artistes, you’ll see what I mean. Oh yes, we have ‘Sinner Man’ over there, too.

I’ve come to consider ‘Revelations’ as probably the most important American ballet ever produced, with messages that go far beyond race relations in America. As the title suggests, we’re talking religion, when the subject is ‘Revelations’, and my global philosophy is that all roads lead to Jerusalem.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of ‘Revelations’ and the finger-wagging ladies showing up at my erotic writing reading, I intend to publish ‘Friendly Skies’, Part 1 on Wednesday. Just to be clear, once I scooted the Furies out of Lolita, where they did not belong, the evening went swimmingly.

We’re launching a new erotic writing initiative in January 2011 on AOC and Sensuality News, so I will take the plunge into public baptism by fire. I have a habit of leaving parts of myself strewn around the world like wilted lilies. It’s time for an Anne gathering, so that I, too, can move forward in my self-development.

The powers of the universe are clearly in alignment on this initiative, based on today’s events.

New Eroticism Waits for the Phoenix

Fashionography posted a new video today that brings my life full circle, since I left Victoria’s Secret. The video from CafeGlow blends fashion and erotica, in a new website debuting soon.

I had a few heart palpitations watching the teaser film, because I lost over $50,000 working on a high-end, erotic venture two years ago. My web team was fully paid and dropped the ball in ways I still struggle to comprehend, being such a taskmaster for myself. Accepting defeat was not one of my finer moments in executive management, I assure you.

Maycee in No More

Maycee in No More [trailer] from CafeGlow on Vimeo.

Watching the CafeGlow video, my heart became very tight for another reason. The music is from the first Victoria’s Secret Fashion show, my first show as the Fashion Director.

This woman Maycee in the CafeGlow film teaser doesn’t wear wings. She joins an intersection of art, female sensuality and erotic photography — or nude fashion photography, as my friend Carrie Leigh prefers calling it — that has strong roots in Europe.

Maycee expresses real sensual desire, without the showgirl stuff. We see sensual depth and intimacy, not ostentatious splendor that is borderline gauche and definitely passé.

Attaching Annie Lennox’s ‘No More I love You’s’ to what I will call a New Eroticism Maycee video the night before the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, with my interview breaking in Carrie Leigh’s NUDE magazine, and deciding to publish ‘Friendly Skies” after updating my ‘Revelations’ essay today … sorry, but I need a martini.

New Eroticism Waits for the Phoenix

For the last 10 years I’ve been a fight for my own sensual soul, determined to kick down the door that I couldn’t break through at Victoria’s Secret.

I remember the day I tried wrapping ribbons around the wrists of mannequins in our “Belle de Jour” windows. The moment was scandalous, and the ribbons were ripped off, shortly replaced by wings.

You can make the argument that wings work in sync with America’s increasing religious Conservatism, but I’ve always felt that the wings can be very heavy for good girls to carry. Wings have come to symbolize the role that religion plays in subjugating women worldwide, not liberating them.

I’m sorry, but even Victoria’s Secret can’t rewrite the Old Testament. Jimmy Carter and The Council of Elders are on my side.

In all honesty, I never thought I’d meet a pair of wings that I could embrace as a liberated women, until I saw Selita Eubanks in Kanye West’s ‘Runaway’. When the fine feathers belong to a Phoenix like West’s ‘Runaway’, I’m in.

Predictions are my specialty and gifted instincts rarely steer me in irrelevant directions. CafeGlow and the rapidly resonating voice that I’m building on Anne of Carversville; the deeply sensual photography of Russell James and his V2 art book of the season; Carrie Leigh’s NUDE magazine; and the wise voice of Kanye West, who is being taken very seriously these days, in spite of his antics —  all point in the same direction of New Eroticism.

We are tired of pure porn and show girls, what I call a frat boy approach to female sensuality. And we are preparing to fight off the Mama Grizzlies and Sarah Jessica Parker, who has announced to the world that she is happy that she’s a prude.

I, too, believe in discretion but not one that sends a message to women that  sensuality and sexuality are naughty and shouldn’t be celebrated. I’m with SJP on the topic of cocaine. but believe that the biggest accomplishment of “Sex and the City” was to convince American women that clothes and shoes are replacements for sensual awareness and some serious muscle lust — meaning a healthy body.

Carrie Leigh’s NUDE cover model Lesya, photographed by Carrie LeighSarah Jessica Parker can celebrate that fact that she never actually had sex on “Sex and the City”, but I would not be proud of this accomplishment. For replacing intimate, loving sex with stilettos and designer fashions in women’s lives, I say ‘Basta!’

The sensuality-affirmative crowd honestly believes that liberating women fully is our only hope for the future. I’m on this team, and hopefully you will be, too.  Anne