Quotes of the Day

Instead of throwing that aluminum beer can in the bin, you might consider wearing it. Or so suggest the curators of "The Adventures of Aluminium, Jewellery to Jets," at London's Design Museum through Jan. 19, which polishes up the familiar stuff.

Today a symbol of our throwaway culture, aluminum was not so long ago a precious metal. When a French scientist first extracted tiny pieces of it in 1845, the earth's most abundant metal was as valuable as gold and used in jewelry and precious objects. But only 10 years later, a new chemical extraction process made aluminum more easily obtainable, and from then on its lightness and durability was put to some surprising uses — such as an aluminum violin from the 1930s and the statue of Eros in London's Piccadilly Circus, the world's first aluminum public sculpture. It also became the material of choice for products from coffee pots to vacuum cleaners. But aluminum seems to find its most frequent expression as seating. There's an eclectic range of chairs in the Design Museum show, including Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona chair, designs by Charles and Ray Eames, and Philippe Starck's pale green barstool made for German film director Wim Wenders' house. The most eye-catching is Australian Marc Newson's Lockheed Lounge, a sensuous plastic shape covered with riveted aluminum panels.

The metal has even worked its way into fashion. Spanish design iconoclast Paco Rabanne made a 1968 minidress from aluminum rectangles held together with wire loops. He was so enchanted with the result that he announced he had abandoned his needle and thread for pliers and a blowtorch. The latest use for aluminum is in automobiles. New car designs from Audi and Jaguar use the lighter material instead of steel for body panels that reduce weight and thus fuel consumption. As designers explore other uses, recycled beer can handbags can't be far off. — By Kate Noble

ADVERTISING
A Naked Bid for Attention
Break out the champagne, get out the party lights, strike up the band — the last taboo has finally been broken. Yves Saint Laurent, under creative director Tom Ford, has produced the world's first advertisement with full-frontal male nudity. The bits in question belong not to Ford but to former martial arts champion Samuel de Cubber. Ford calls it a "very academic nude," and says it is meant to pay homage to the landmark 1971 Yves Saint Laurent ads featuring a naked Saint Laurent sitting with his legs demurely crossed. Mainstream American magazines like GQ have opted to run a modest, genital-free version. Edgier titles including French Vogue and Visionaire will go for the Full Monty. Lacoste is also launching a fragrance campaign starring a naked man, but the Herb Ritts photo uses that old crossed-leg trick again. The real reason behind the debut of these bare boys isn't artistic, of course. It's pure shock value, a naked play for controversy. But it could be worse. At least there is no scratch 'n' sniff. — By Lauren Goldstein

ENVIRONMENT
Production Line Homes
Bricks and mortar are so 20th century — why not assemble entire homes in a factory and slot them together onsite? That's what affordable housing provider Peabody Trust is doing at Raines Dairy in North London. The block of apartments and live/work units is quicker and cheaper to build and will look better for longer than traditional blocks, says manufacturer Yorkon. The steel-framed modules, smartly clad in zinc panels and larch strips, come with doors, windows, bathrooms and kitchens, and each apartment will have a balcony. Models and plans can be seen at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) alongside other forward-looking waterside developments, towers and mobile homes currently being planned or built. — By Lucy Fisher

• Recycle? Why not restock your wardrobe?