Former Soviet Union President Mikhail S. Gorbachev landed a new gig: Louis Vuitton model!! NY Times' Eric Wilson explains:

The Vuitton ad, however, is part of a campaign to emphasize the company’s heritage in luggage and travel accessories. Photographed by Annie Leibovitz, the ads include other celebrities using Vuitton bags: Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf cuddling in a hotel room, their bags not yet unpacked; Catherine Deneuve resting on a trunk in front of a steaming locomotive; and Mr. Gorbachev in the back of a car with a duffel bag on the seat next to him. Of the group, Mr. Gorbachev appears the least comfortable. He is holding on to a door handle, as if the bag contained polonium 210.

This isn't Gorbachev's first foray into the wild world of advertising. The 76-year old Nobel Peace Prize winner formerly appeared in a Pizza Hut commercial. His modeling career's obviously moving in the right direction.

As Wilson points out, however, L'Oreal probably won't be courting Gorbachev, nor his legendary birthmark. Unless it's for a new cover up, perhaps…