The 4 Dreams of Miss X

A new photo book featuring Kate Moss romping in filmy lingerie by global retailer Agent Provacateur (AP), originally of the UK, proves that the line between art and advertising is thinner than a G-string. The tome, along with an enclosed DVD, is the brainchild of film director Figgis (Academy Award winner for Leaving Las Vegas), who uses four hallucinogenic dream sequences to showcase the diaphanous undergarments that have made AP a fashion favorite. Moss's own introduction explains how pleased she is with the ""eerie atmosphere that is reflected in the photographs,"" but the volume's wealth of sexy, arresting images make it hard to focus on the style icon's introduction, much less the nonsensical text scattered throughout. While some of the photography hits kinky, ethereal, Brassa?-like notes-most notably in the use of oddly realistic, carefully posed mannequins-the majority exhibit a playfully sexy tone, with a few half-hearted stabs at genuine provocation (a woman with a gun pointed at her, a ""murder victim"" outlined in chalk); less successful are a smattering of heavily pixilated digital stills seemingly meant to evoke arthouse grit. Though Moss is at her sensual best, lesser-known models hold their own-their lack of celebrity baggage lets the expensive lingerie shine, proving itself an art form that's equal parts cutting-edge fashion design and delicious excess.