inADvertently

"In August [2007] Mr Gorbachev became the unlikely face of Louis Vuitton, following in the rather more elegant footsteps of Uma Thurman. In one advert he is photographed by Annie Liebovitz sitting in the back of a car as it drives past what remains of the Berlin wall - a reminder, no doubt, of his historic role in dismantling it. On the seat beside him is a classic brown LV bag. But wait, what is that tucked into the top of the bag? It's a magazine, and if you blow it up it shows a headline on the front cover that reads: "Litvinenko's murder: They wanted to give up the suspect for $7,000."

What coded message was Mr Gorbachev seeking to send around the world through that well-known underground messaging system of glossy fashion magazines? The magazine turns out to be the May 28 edition of New Times, a liberal Russian weekly that regularly criticises Vladimir Putin's Kremlin. In this article New Times contentiously alleged that its reporters were approached by Russian secret agents offering to tell them in exchange for $7,000 the whereabouts of Andrei Lugovoi. He is the chief suspect in the radiation poisoning in London of Alexander Litvinenko, and the British government wants to extradite Mr Lugovoi to stand trial.

Mr Gorbachev has generally been quite supportive of Mr Putin. But it would be hard not to conclude that by posing for Vuitton, the final Soviet leader wanted not only to make money for his family and his foundation, but also to give his successor a bloody nose."(www.guardian.co.uk)

Fashion advertising meddling in politics. Sex sells. But Gorbechev packs a punch.