You're looking at the loneliest Prada store ever built. Its big opening was in 2005, but there was no party, and Miuccia Prada did not show up. Though behind the glass walls you will find shoes priced in the high three-figures, no money has ever changed hands here. Not a single swipe of an American Express card. That's because this Prada store — Prada Marfa, located in Marfa, Texas, on an empty stretch of Highway 90 — is not a Prada store at all.

It's a work of art — or, to us, a publicity stunt — from Berlin artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset.

Made of earth-friendly earth, this biodegradable adobe building will slowly melt back into the landscape once the looters have removed the merchandise. The slow fade to oblivion will provide countless hours of conversation for motorists driving through West Texas. Starting with simple questions like "What the hell was that?" it's sure to inspire more thoughtful dialogue - like "When is advertising art?" or "When is art advertising?" Or (for really long trips) "What is art, anyway?"

[Texas Escapes]