Mirror, Mirror: Fashion's latest tease: Online strip shows

Exploiting the family jewels to sell precious gems seemed like a good way for Scott Slobotkin to get recession-weary customers into his Bucks County store.

After all, sex sells.

But when Slobotkin, owner of David Jay Jewelers, launched a Web site where viewers could undress models Maya and Bobby by clicking on their clothing, he didn't know he was part of the latest trend in fashion advertising: interactive disrobing.

Beginning last fall, a handful of popular labels including Wrangler, Puma, Calvin Klein, and Victoria's Secret have been vying for our online attention by teasing us with strip shows.

"Putting ads in magazines or running commercials on television wasn't enough," said Slobotkin, 33, who is actively trying to attract a younger demographic. Besides, when you have to log in for the privilege at www.davidjayjewelers.com, the benefits for the company are great. "We wanted to build a database and acquire e-mail addresses as well as get fans on Facebook."

I'm not saying that skin is new to fashion advertising. Remember those entangled limbs of teens in early-millennium Abercrombie & Fitch catalogs? But the latest technology that allows you to believably strip someone of their clothes right on your computer screen updates the experience, making it far more titillating. And because we are such voyeurs, what better way to get us to come (and linger) on a Web site than by promising nudity - even if it's just a hint. (When you take off the models' clothes on David Jay's site, their bare essentials are camouflaged by big bling.)

"People are spending 5, 10, even 15 minutes on these sites," said Steve Red, president of Philadelphia-based advertising company Red Tettemer. "To get that kind of engagement in a brand is priceless. . . . Not to mention, it's viral. People just have to pass it along."

I did.

When I went to the Web site advertising Wrangler's Blue Bell collection (http://eu.wrangler.com/bluebell/#/collection), I peeled off a few layers worn by a bearded, Patrick Dempsey-esque model. And then, I was able to drag him to and fro across the screen. I didn't understand the point, but it didn't stop me from forwarding the link to a few friends, one of whom said it was "empowering" to have such control over a man.

Have you seen the Calvin Klein X-marks-the-spot commercials? Even more risque, four models - including Mehcad Brooks, the hottie from HBO's True Blood - look in the camera, pull at their undies and ask, "Do you want to see my . . .?"

Puma took the concept even further. By downloading a free app on your iPhone, users can watch a model undress depending on the success of the stock market: When the market is doing well, the model is dressed. But when things go south, so do most of his (or her - you get to customize your model) clothes. He ends up wearing his Puma Bodywear. If you show the Puma Index app to a Puma sales clerk, you get 20 percent off the price of your purchase that day.

It's a stretch, of course. Are naked people on your phone enough to cheer you when the stock market plummets?

I didn't think so.

Still, the trend isn't limited to Web sites. The go-to gimmick is invading all of pop culture, forcing people to sit up and take notice. When J-Lo wanted to make a comeback earlier this year, she put on a see-through jumpsuit. In March, Erykah Badu released a new video for her single Window Seat. After being absent from the music scene for a while, what was the hook? She walked down the street stripping off her clothes until she was naked.

And Kate where-has-she-been-lately Moss is on the cover of French Vogue this month, crawling along the beach in her birthday suit.

I wanted the nudity trend to be about something deeper, perhaps a symbolic stripping down of our metaphoric selves, trying to rebuild what's important, whether it be our financial institutions, media outlets, or health care industry.

But it's just about sales.

When Slobotkin launched his $10,000 Web site in early April, he got more than 1,000 hits on the first day. Once customers register online, they get a 20 percent coupon. Within three weeks, about half a dozen people used it - in the jewelry world, that's considered an impressive response rate to an advertisement.

"It has worked for us," Slobotkin said. "We are pushing the line, but that's what it's all about these days."

MIRROR, MIRROR

ELIZABETH WELLINGTON