Noted Perfect Person Gwyneth Paltrow Says Her New Job Is 'Perfect'
LatestGwyneth Paltrow shot another set of ads as a face of Hugo Boss perfume. Here she is on how being a celebrity brand-endorser is such a “perfect” gig:
“It really is such a perfect job when you have kids. I can only really do one film a year now because of my family and how it all works out, so it’s so nice for me to be able to work for a great company and, you know, I’m going to Spain next week for two days so I still get to travel and meet really interesting people and have a work interaction. But it’s not like I am out of the house for three months.”
“…and, you know, I’m going to Spain next week.” Thanks, G, for being you. [WWD]
Fendi is hosting an exhibition in Paris dedicated to Karl Lagerfeld’s sketches and photographs of Roman fountains, because why not? [WWD]
• Dissatisfied with how long it is taking other brands and the Bangladeshi government to coordinate compensation payments to the thousands of survivors of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, and the families of the 1,127 people killed, the U.K. retailer Primark is setting up its own compensation fund. Primark has been providing food aid to around 1000 families since the disaster. Now it will provide six weeks of financial compensation to the survivors of the tragedy and their dependents. Primark says it will provide these payments to everyone who worked in the building, whether it was for Primark or a competing brand. For garment workers who were making Primark clothes, the company is working on finalizing long-term compensation and damages. [WWD]
• Meanwhile, Gap Inc. is still reluctant to sign the global accord on fire and building safety, which is intended to address the lack of safety standards and oversight that led to the Rana Plaza disaster and numerous other deadly industrial incidents in Bangladesh. Gap is worried that under the terms of the current agreement, companies agree to enter binding arbitration without recourse to the legal system of their home countries. This possible enforcement of decisions made through arbitration seems to make Gap nervous, but without provisions for enforcement, labor-rights advocates say the agreement would be toothless. [BoF]
• After a couple Times subscribers wrote to the public editor expressing concern for the health and youth of the model on the most recent cover of T, the New York Times style magazine, public editor Margaret Sullivan and T editor Deborah Needleman unwittingly started a discussion about photo standards at the newspaper. (The model, not that any of the letter-writers seems to care, is named Julia Nobis. She is 20 and in fine health.) T is the only editorial product of the Times where retouching is an acceptable practice, and even then, the magazine says it only does it in fashion photos, not profiles or travel stories. Sullivan recommends that the magazine add a disclaimer alerting readers to this departure from Times photo policy, which forbids any kind of image manipulation, including staging events depicted. (All fashion photography, by definition, is staged.) [NYTimes]
• When the International Herald-Tribune becomes the International New York Times later this year, Suzy Menkes will get the fancy-sounding new title “international fashion editor.” [Fashionista]
• Leonardo DiCaprio reportedly hit on Cara Delevingne aggressively during a party at Cannes. At one point, he “even lunged at her,” says an alleged witness. “He was begging her to go back to his hotel room, but she declined.” Somehow we would have thought Leo had a bit more game. [P6]
• Vera Wang is delivering the commencement address at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence College. [WWD]we
• A group is suing the city and Lincoln Center for renting Damrosch Park, which is adjacent to Lincoln Center, to New York Fashion Week and to several circuses, effectively limiting public access to what is supposed to be a city park. [NYTimes]
• Saks Fifth Avenue’s shares surged by 18% in after-hours trading after a rumor spread that the company has enlisted Goldman Sachs to prepare for a possible sale. Any such sale would significantly enrich Mexican telecom billionaire Carlos Slim and Tod’s Diego Della Valle, who each own about 15% of the company. [WWD]
• WSJ. has a fascinating story about the uncertain fate of Anna Piaggi’s wardrobe. The late fashion editor collected everything from priceless Paul Poiret antiques to McDonalds uniforms — and she wore most of it, so the curators and specialists who have been to see the clothes since her death are worried about the condition of many of the pieces. Right now, the clothing, which was inherited by the childless Piaggi’s brother after her death, is in storage. [WSJ.]
• Target’s profits fell year-on-year by 28.5% during the first quarter, to $498 million. Unlike competitor J.C. Penney, however, Target still has profits. [WWD]
• Hannah Bronfman has launched an app that seeks to connect users to last-minute, unbooked beauty appointments. Unlike existing competing services, like SpaFinder’s Last Minute, Bronfman’s app does not tout discounts on any of the services. [WWD]