DEBUTING FEBRUARY 8 @ 10 PM, SERIES KICKS OFF DURING SPRING FASHION WEEK, WITH FOUR PREMIERE EPISODES DEVOTED TO EXPLORING THE ORIGINS AND IMPACT OF ICONIC FASHION
New York, January 26, 2011 ? What makes high heels a cultural icon? Why does the little black dress resonate in our culture? And what are the little known facts behind the evolution of the bikini? Sundance Channel’s new original series LOVE/LUST takes everyday items of desire, and deconstructs them to unpack the historical, social and pop culture events that made them the icons they are today.
Each one-hour episode will unravel the origin and evolution of various fashion items that we LOVE/LUST. Blending snappy, evocative visual elements with the perspectives of professional commentators and public personalities, LOVE/LUST delivers an entertaining and definitive account of how life’s cultural innovations progressed from novelty to ubiquity.
Sundance Channel EVP and General Manager Sarah Barnett says, "The Sundance Channel viewer has a magpie eye for shiny new facts. Each episode of LOVE/LUST gives you a whistlestop tour of an iconic object – it’s history, trend evolution and futurism, all wrapped up into one pretty, pop-y package."
LOVE/LUST debuts as part of Sundance Channel’s seven-night fashion programming event; fittingly, the series’ first 4 episodes spotlight controversial and covetable fashion. The inaugural episode stitches up the story of The Little Black Dress, revealing how a series of events ? not to mention the formidable Coco Chanel ? helped transform an emblem of rebellion into a wardrobe warhorse. It’s a fascinating, juicy story punctuated with smart imagery and the colorful commentary of numerous fashion insiders, including designer Vera Wang; author and Barneys New York creative ambassador Simon Doonan; and renowned fashion historian Valerie Steele, the Director and Chief Curator of the Museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT). Subsequent episodes of LOVE/LUST continue the stylish inquiry with episodes devoted to the bikini, high heels and make-up.
The schedule for LOVE/LUST is as follows:
Tuesday, February 8 at 10:00pm
LOVE/LUST Episode 1: "The Little Black Dress" (Original Production/U.S. Television Premiere) ? Common wisdom decrees that no woman’s wardrobe is complete without a Little Black Dress, a garment that can confidently see her from business meeting to seduction. But before it was an icon or an institution, the LBD was a rebel yell?
Tuesday, February 15 at 10:00pm
LOVE/LUST Episode 2: "The Bikini" (Original Production/U.S. Television Premiere) ? It’s far more than a felicitous combination of a few triangles of fabric and some string. Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot ? choose your weapon.
Tuesday, February 22 at 10:00pm
LOVE/LUST Episode 3: "Heels" (Original Production/U.S. Television Premiere) ? When Lady Gaga slipped into her Alexander McQueen lobster heels, she was following in footsteps painstakingly and proudly laid in Paris (of course) in the 17th Century (really!).
Tuesday, March 1 at 10:00pm
LOVE/LUST Episode 4: "Make-Up" (Original Production/U.S. Television Premiere) Beauty may be only skin deep, but makeup has worn the test of time as a staple of everyday life that reaches all the way back to Ancient Egypt. Along with rainbow colors, makeup has rainbow meanings: an expression of conformity and rebellion, class signifier, social commentary and, of course, rite-of-passage.
About Sundance Channel
Sundance Channel is the destination for What’s Next, Now. Showcasing both today’s creative icons and the emerging talent of tomorrow, Sundance Channel tells credible, authentic, and emotionally immersive stories of Invention, Fashion, Film, Travel, Design, and Enterprise. Launched in 1996 and owned and operated by Rainbow Media Holdings, LLC, Sundance Channel provides perspectives dedicated to founder Robert Redford’s mission to celebrate creativity. sundancechannel.com
About Rainbow Media Holdings LLC
Rainbow Media Holdings LLC is a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC). Rainbow Media owns and operates some of the world’s most popular and award-winning entertainment brands, including AMC, IFC, Sundance Channel, WE tv, Wedding Central and IFC Entertainment (IFC Center, IFC Films, IFC In Theaters, IFC Midnight and IFC Productions). Additional information about Rainbow Media’s multiplatform brands is available at www.rainbow-media.com.