New Campaign Celebrates Fashion Icons

PITTSBURGH, May 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Stylized caricatures of tastemakers in iconic Halston designs – Liz Taylor, Liza Minnelli and Jackie Kennedy – play pop-art homage to Andy Warhol in a new advertising campaign from MARC USA heralding the "Halston and Warhol: Silver & Suede" exhibition at The Andy Warhol Museum. 

The ads chronicle Halston designs that continue to have influence. One shows an outline of Liza Minelli's face and her figure wrapped in Halston's signature red sequin dress.  The tagline: "Her life was a cabaret. He provided the color."  Another outlines Jackie Kennedy in the Halston pillbox hat. Its line: "She was the queen of Camelot.  He provided the crown."  The third shows Elizabeth Taylor, with only her famous mole defined, wearing Halston's wrap dress. To view the ads, visit: http://www.marcusa.com/work/

"Halston and Andy Warhol traveled in the same circles and influenced each other's work," explained Michele Fabrizi, President/ CEO of MARC USA and Chairman of The Andy Warhol Museum board.  "This campaign pays tribute to their relationship while showcasing the significant contributions Halston made to fashion. While Halston dressed these icons, Warhol painted them and was friends with all three. It's the perfect platform to introduce this exhibition."

"Silver and Suede" will be at The Andy Warhol Museum from May 18 through August 24.  The name references Halston's innovative use of Ultra Suede and Andy Warhol's Silver Factory studio. The exhibition will also visit Des Moines, Iowa, Halston's birthplace, and the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina

The exhibition coincides with the restaging of the museum with Warhol's work now hung in chronological order.  Visitors can experience how Warhol's work evolved by beginning at the top and journeying down, moving from early work to later.

"The celebration of Halston's influence as a fashion designer and tastemaker of timeless trends is a perfect fit for The Andy Warhol Museum," said Eric Shiner, director.  "The campaign captures the whimsy and fun of Halston and Warhol and is certain to attract fashion and design fans."

The advertising will be seen throughout Pittsburgh and surrounding markets in newspapers and magazines such as Cosmo, Elle and InStyle.  Ads will also wrap two-story buses, dominate Pittsburgh subway stations and digitally greet visitors to Pittsburgh airport where Liza Minelli's eyelashes wink and Liz Taylor's head tilts.

MARC USA is a full-service integrated marketing communications firm known for uncovering surprising insights that incite powerful reactions through a deeper understanding of whole-brain behavior. With offices in Chicago, Miami and Pittsburgh and 250 employees, it is one of the country's largest independent agencies. Services include advertising, strategic planning, research, PR, media planning, buying, digital/social, CRM and sales promotion.  (www.marcusa.com)

The Andy Warhol Museum, located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the place of Andy Warhol's birth, is one of the most comprehensive single-artist museums in the world. It is one of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. (www.warhol.org)

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140519/88852

SOURCE MARC USA