• Victoria Beckham put away her Hermes bags and Louboutins and wore shredded jeans and combat boots as she joined son Brooklyn and spent 2 days with impoverished children in Kentucky.

At the link, you can see pix of Posh hanging with schoolkids. Brooklyn is one of Save The Children's youngest celebrity advocates. Posh says: "What I saw in Clay Country was the hope and promise inherent in every child. That's why we have to make sure every single child has a fair and equal start in life. Seeing Save the Children's innovative programs in action, like encouraging healthy eating, I know that we can begin to reverse the childhood poverty crisis. I'm pleased Brooklyn is learning that by helping and joining other children he can play a role in making his generation the greatest yet." [Daily Mail]

• Taylor Swift is on the cover of the new 3D issue (?!?!) of In Style, and inside she talks about meeting Taylor Lautner on the set of Valentine's Day: "He and I have gotten really close," she says. "It would be confusing on the set with two Taylors in the same scene. They were like, 'Taylor, on your mark – no, not you, the other one!' So halfway through the shoot, I said, 'How about you guys call me Swifty and call him Taylor?'" She also says: "I've never thought it was a curse to be single, and at this point in my life, I'm in the mind-set where I choose to be single — like I got to light scented candles and write in my diary and I wouldn't have time for that if I had a boyfriend right now!" [People]
• Oprah claimed that citizens of Dubai get free water, electricity and health care without paying income tax. While it's true residents are not subject to income tax, there is no support for the other claims. Whoops! [Page Six]
• The National Enquirer is reporting that David Letterman's wife asked him to move out; his rep says the story is "wrong." And it appears that reporters from the Enquirer called Dave's mom for a statement, because they are jerks. Her comment: "I don't know anything about that." [NY Daily News]
• This one is real, not a Hortense creation: "Sombre Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie look distant on a rare night out as they join A-listers at art party." [Daily Mail]
• Cops in Germany have searched a home in connection with the Cindy Crawford extortion case. The apartment might belong to Edis Kayalar, the guy who allegedly tried to get Cindy and her husband to pay him not to release a photo of their daughter bound and gagged. [TMZ]
• Vivid Entertainment is trying to buy Carrie Prejean's "erotic footage." [TMZ]
• Diddy's 40th birthday party will be a "fantasy dreamland" with fashion installations, a labyrinth, performance art and light shows. Plus a "very special" musical guest. Who could it be? [Page Six]
• Holy crap, the stills from "Video Phone," Beyoncé's video with Lady Gaga, look weird and amazing. The video should be out this week. [The Life Files]
• Mariah Carey pulled out of a performance on Brit TV show Strictly Come Dancing so she could appear on competing show X Factor. [Telegraph]
• Hayden Panettiere is producing a CW show called HMS — Harvard Medical School — which basically sounds like Grey's Anatomy Junior. [ET]
• Ryan Reynolds will be part of the NYC theatrical comedy show Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words, in which stars read humorous snippets from celebrity memoirs. Ryan will read from Kenny Loggins' The Unimaginable Life: Lessons Learned on the Path of Love. Also reading: Rachel Dratch, Carol Kane, Sherri Shepherd, Michael Urie, and Kristen Wiig. [NY Times]
• Courteney Cox — and husband David Arquette — are looking forward to being in Scream 4. She's not sure about the plot, but imagines that: "He's probably still deputy, and I've had a lot of kids. I don't know. I'm probably miserable, and then I'm sure a lot of murdering will happen." [AP]
• Flavor Flav entered a Doritos commercial contest "randomly and unprovoked" and his spot is "pretty damn good." [Page Six]
• Sigourney Weaver has been named in a £3.1 million lawsuit over a business deal involving Vincent Longo cosmetics, of which she is a part-owner. [Daily Express]
• Eva Longoria Parker has been named Philanthropist of the Year by The Hollywood Reporter. [THR]
• Did you know that Simon Cowell has an older sister named June Cowell? And that she was a child actress? And that she has lived in Majorca for more than 30 years? You do now. [Daily Mail}
• Shayne Lamas was busted for a DUI — she says she had only one drink. [TMZ]
• Did Farrah Fawcett have a "secret lover" in her will? [Daily Express]
• Uncle Jesse John Stamos gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today. [ONTD via NBC Los Angeles]
• Run, Fez, run! Wilmer Valderrrama will join a US Marine veteran on a 100-mile trek across Louisiana. [Page Six]
• If Aretha Franklin wants you to turn the air conditioning off, turn it off! Don't release voicemails and call her a diva. Jeez. [Gatecrasher]
• Hello, random: Donna Mills of Knots Landing is not a fan of Carrie Prejean. More specifically, she thinks the beauty queen should "shut her mouth." [TMZ]
• Black people: Omitted from the Couples Retreat poster in the UK. [Mail on Sunday]
• Lou Dobbs says his departure from CNN was "amicable." [NY Times]
• Yesterday in NYC, while attempting to break up a brawl at a club in Brooklyn, cops shot and killed a bouncer who had once been a bodyguard for Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and Diddy. [NY Post]
• At the link, discover how Led Zeppelin wrote "Stairway to Heaven." [NY Post]
• "I'm not moving to America, I will sometimes go there. I have to go there to make films. We do make films in England but it's more like a hobby. They're like 'Come along, we can make a film. Oh, and can you make the sandwiches?'" — Russell Brand. [Mirror]
• "I'm hoping the chemistry with Ellen will be great — and a great start to the season." — American Idol's Kara DioGuardi. [Reuters]
• "In hindsight, it was a magnificent thing for both of us in the sense that we got to see, both of us, really commit to this. A lot of marriages, it might take years and years for something to befall the relationship to see what are we made of. Are we gonna stand up when the storms come? And to see that that early on was really, it was life changing for me 'cause I knew I was with somebody that was in this. They're really, really in this. And so, I wanted to be in this, too. We both just stepped up to the plate, and she followed her heart, you know, God bless her. It was all life-changing." — Keith Urban, on going into rehab four months into his marriage to Nicole Kidman. [CBS News]
• "Having Jude Law licking my face for three days solid was a surreal experience. It was for a scene in 2007's Blueberry Nights. My character had passed out on a table and Jude had to come in and kiss some cream off the corner of my mouth. We did the take over and over again, so he kissed me about 90 times. There are worse ways to spend your day." — Norah Jones. [Daily Mail]
• "My life was kind of weird. My mother would cook, but we would get looked after by lots of maids. It felt like we lived in these big, enormous houses with lots of guests." — Carey Mulligan's father was a hotel executive, so she lived in hotels while growing up. [Reuters]
• "I can't answer it. The way I write, it's what makes me happy. Like, I can't write when people are looking over my shoulder. I am a little burned out on vampires right now. I think I need a little break. I might go spend some time with my aliens. I might do something completely different. I've got to cleanse the palate. I may come back to it. I did envision it as a longer series. But I wrapped ‘Breaking Dawn' in a way that I felt satisfied with, so if that moment didn't come, I'd be OK." — Stephenie Meyer on the possibility of a fifth Twilight book. [MSNBC Scoop]
• "My sister has an incredible body. I feel sorry for anyone who would judge her, because she's one sexy lady." — Ashlee Simpson. [People]
• "I hate doing school scenes and office scenes; I hate doing mall scenes… if I could do exciting genre films like this and be covered in blood and vomit for the rest of my life, I would be really happy." — Megan Fox. [Showbiz Spy]
• "I own the rights to (Oscar-winning Gone with the Wind co-star) Hattie McDaniel's life story, and I can't wait to tell that story, because that woman was absolutely amazing. She had to stand up to the adversity of black and white (society) at a time when we really weren't accepted. Mr. Lee Daniels is going to direct it, of course, and I'm going to be Miss Hattie McDaniel. I really hope I can do that woman justice." — Mo'Nique. [Reuters]
• "I love to get on that stage, honey, and make you laugh until you pee on yourself… That's my baby. I will never stop stand-up. I will be 97 years old, with two teeth and maybe a bit of hair, and I will be on that stage hoping they're having as much (fun) as I'm having." — Mo'Nique. [Reuters]
• "I feel bad for kids who are just getting famous now. If Reality Bites had come out now and I had all those people Gawker-stalking me, my life would have been hell. I feel bad for the way pop culture seems to be eating itself alive. It ends up belittling everybody."— Ethan Hawke. [NY Post]
• "When I was very young, I used to see books as the thing keeping everyone from playing with me. So there'd be long stretches in the afternoons when everyone was off in their reading corners, sprawled on couches. And I would go up to them and do this little dance to try and break their concentration, which of course they never did: ‘I'm bored!' ‘Go read a book!' ‘I'm bored!' ‘Go read a book!' And of course, now I dream of having long stretches when I'll be able to read a book." — Olivia Wilde, on being the child of writers. [New York Magazine]
• "My mother was a major fashion inspiration. Though she often wore simple housecoats with penny loafers - and usually had a Pall Mall Gold in one hand and a small glass of Scotch in the other, with an empty Hellmann's mayonnaise jar full of ice water nearby to use as a chaser - she could dress up fabulous when she wanted to. In her wedding photographs she wore a perfectly tailored navy blue coat with an off-white lining that had big, hand-painted navy blue flowers. She paired it all with navy pumps and a pillbox hat with an ivory veil. My mother certainly knew how to make an impression when she wanted to, both in the way she dressed and the way she acted. I definitely inherited those strengths from her." — America's Next Top Model's Miss J, in his new book. Do click and see the lovely vintage photo of his mother. [NY Daily News]
• "I'm like, let me get through the taping of Top Model cycle 3,413… Then I'll move to phase two, but I'm thinking about a perfume for tweens." — Miss J, on what he plans to do next. [NY Daily News]

Though it may be true that Hendricks' "red hair and curvy figure are as integral to the stylish '60s-based drama as bullet bras and scotch," we didn't need a reminder that she, "does not simply walk across a room; she sashays. Her hips pivot and sway while the rest of her body comes along for the ride." It would have been nice to see Hendricks portrayed as just a beautiful woman frolicking in a wedding gown, rather than dwelling on her body shape as if she's the only woman with boobs and hips to ever get married.

Could the media's fixation on Hendricks' body be why she's reportedly on a diet? "She already looks amazing, but you know, before you get married you want to look the absolute best. I don't know what she's doing," co-star January Jones told People last night, adding, "I think she looks beautiful. Her body is amazing... My only advice is to not go too far, because if she loses her curves it will be a very sad day." So true! And when Betty Draper is telling you not to watch your figure, you'd better listen.

We didn't get to see Joan's wedding on Mad Men, which may be for the best, since knowing she was marrying a rapist would have marred our enjoyment of the ceremony.

In real life, Hendricks is marrying the delightful Geoffrey Arend, who appeared in 500 Days of Summer (and voiced Charles "Upchuck" Ruttheimer III on Daria). They met through a mutual friend, Mad Men's Vincent Kartheiser. Let's hope Hendricks doesn't fall victim to "The Curse of the InStyle Wedding" like so many previous cover subjects.

Arend proposed in their apartment under a newly-installed chandelier Hendricks had been trying to buy from the owner of her favorite New York restaurant for years. They'll be getting married at the restaurant, which she says is "small and romantic and rustic and intimate, like it's in someone's home in Italy," and hiring a gypsy band. None of those details really fit the mag's description of a "retro" wedding. Though the rest of are obsessed with Mad Men, we imagine that for Hendricks that would be like having an office-themed wedding.

Hendricks admission that "before I met Geoffrey marriage just wasn't that important to me," seems to confuse the InStyle Weddings interviewer who marvels, "does that mean you never dreamt about being a bride?" She explains that though she is a lady, she actually hasn't spent the past 34 years obsessively planning her wedding. "At one point, probably in my Goth days, I thought I would throw a big costume ball, something dramatic," she says, "Now I'm like 'Eh... they just did that on Gossip Girl.'"

The rest of Hendricks' interview is in the current issue of InStyle Weddings.

January Jones Hopes Christina Hendricks Doesn't Lose Her Curves [People]
Earlier: Something Blue

• Did L.A. boutique Maxfield drop Victoria Beckham's dVb in favor of Holmes & Yang? Posh's people say Maxfield hasn't ordered the line for three seasons, and the decision had nothing to do with Katie Holmes, who is Posh's friend. [P6]

• Luckily, old bandmate Mel B says she loves Posh's clothing lines. "I'm going out with Geri and Emma while I'm here — and I'll be wearing one of Victoria's dresses," the singer told a crowd in London. [Daily Mail]
• American Apparel is laying off 1,500 workers — more than 10% of its total workforce — because of immigration violations. When ICE raided its factory in downtown L.A. two months ago, 1,600 workers were found to be unauthorized to work in the U.S., and a further 200 were found to have immigration irregularities. Company founder Dov Charney released a statement saying: "Many of you have been with me for so many years, and I just cry when I think that so many people will be leaving the company. It is my belief that immigrants bring prosperity to any economy." This is the latest in a long line of bad news for the company. From being dogged with sexual harassment lawsuits, to the $5 million settlement it had to pay Woody Allen in May after using his image on billboards without authorization, to this week's reprimand from the British Advertising Standards Authority for "sexualising a child," American Apparel can't seem to keep its house in order. [LATimes]
• There are behind-the-scenes shots of Lily Allen working with Karl Lagerfeld on the new Chanel Cocoon bag campaign. [DailyMail]
• We don't doubt that Patrick Demarchelier is planning to shoot 100 top models in Fashion's Night Out t-shirts outside Bryant Park on September 9, but somehow we think someone got confused when noting that "Iman and her daughter Chanel" would be among them. [WWD]
• OMG! Modelfights on Project Runway: Models Of The Catwalk. [P6]
• If you have any interest in beautiful, softly draped leather jackets, deconstructed tee shirts, or vaguely gothic skintight pants — or if you just want to know where that ubiquitous no-closure wraparound sweater, like a high-fashion snuggie ancestor, that everyone from Alice + Olivia to Eileen Fisher has knocked off came from originally — you need to learn about Rick Owens, now. And how his aesthetic is back in a big way just now. [NYTimes]
• Speaking of which, peep Jennifer Connelly in the British InStyle in Rodarte thigh-high boots and Olivier Theyskens' gothic heel-less 8" runway shoes. [Daily Mail]
• Also big for fall, at least in men's wear: Steve McQueen. [WSJ]
  
• There's a rumor going around that Peter Som is set to become the first creative director of Tommy Hilfiger. [WWD]
• Thom Browne is launching two new lower-priced lines for Spring 2010. [WWD]
• Mark your calendars! She by Sheree, apparently some design offspring of a Real Housewife, is coming to Fashion Week. [People]
• Juergen Teller, who shoots all of Marc Jacobs' campaigns, reports that only one set of images has ever caused any particular controversy — and it's not the ones of a then-12-year-old Dakota Fanning, which even the photographer calls "very hard-core." In Fall of 2006, Jacobs chose makeup artist Dick Page and his partner, James Gibbs, to star in the campaign, and Teller shot the couple making out in the woods outside their home. There was a furor: Men's Vogue even refused to run the ads. [The Moment]
• Kenny Chesney says his new clothing line, Blue Chair Bay, is designed to reflect his life off the stage. "I would wear these clothes in Malibu, East Tennessee, where I'm from, or on my boat in St. John," the singer explained at MAGIC, the apparel trade conference that just ended in Las Vegas. Chesney's apparel partners had an airstream full of clothes and purposefully-weatherbeaten blue wicker chairs parked in their booth at the show. [WWD]
• Daisy Lowe's jewelry line with Swarovski is said to feature pieces inspired by the stars, moon, and planets. [Elle UK]
  
• Derek Lam's CEO, Jan Schottlman, denies the anonymous reports published by Page Six that the company is haemorrhaging money. [The Cut]
• Dooney & Bourke are going back to models for their campaigns after seasons of using actresses. Hayden Panettiere is getting thrown over for Maggie Rizer. [WWD]
• Georgia May Jagger, in her new denim ad: "Hudson jeans. Soft...and blue. And very tight." Descriptive! [TDB]
• Richard Chai is doing a line with Keds. Chai's sneakers, which are canvas and leather in white, grey and black, have silver zippers between the rows of eyelets. They hit stores in January of next year, and pricing information isn't yet available. [WWD]
• Someone painted an entire Spanish Colonial-style bungalow in Louis Vuitton's signature logo print. So long as Britney Spears doesn't use it as the set for her next video, we imagine these folks in Mexicali might be safe from LVMH's lawyers. [BoingBoing via hazmeelchingadofavor]

Are we getting a little weary of jewel satin WNTW "reveal" coctail ensembles? Yes. But Rebecca Mader's emerald still pleases on a visceral level.


Jessica Weixler is not afraid of pattern. Or evoking Roxy Quiksilver circa '97. I am.


Rutina Wesley goes slightly Medieval on her frock - or at least Arts and Crafts.


I can't tell you how much I love that this color's hot, whatever that means. It even allows me to get over my ambivalence over Jessica Lucas' fit!


Is 90210 still an issue? Cause Shenae Grimes' sleeves, kind of are.


I'm just gonna say it: I thought Rosemarie DeWitt was totally miscast on Mad Men. And her retro-modern number's my favorite thing at this event.


I like Busy Philipps. She seems down to earth, I said with no evidence save a brief jumpsuit.


Do I like Yvonne Strahovski's getup? Not as such. But I like any chance to reference the "Ascotte Gavotte."


When the fairies gathered around her cradle, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon was given the gift of "pulling things off." Believe me, it's a good one.


Can you find all the ugly things in Eliza Dushku's dress? I counted five! It's like Hilights!


As if we needed more proof that booties need to go: they make Gabrielle Union look frumpy!


If Kat Deeley were instead Marianne Faithfull, getting married, in the late 60s, this would be amazing.


Maggie Grace's belt and brocade combo is so odd that I really love it.


Jennifer Morrison's color is not easy to pull off - and she goes way beyond that, IMO.


Wait, did I say that Midge's dress was my fave? Cause Sanaa Lathan's might be, actually.


Yeah, maybe I do love Freaks and Geeks. But I also genuinely love Linda Cardellini's pretty, easy number.


Would I maybe like to see Kat Dennings move away from "Madame X?" Sure. But I get it.


I wanna love Mindy Kaling's frock, but I suspect it may be unflattering.


Ashlee Simpson-Wentz: Miss Hannigan called. She wants her seduction suit back.

[Images via Getty]

• Helena Christensen told InStyle magazine that she's never lived with a man — although she was actually married for five years. [Daily Mail]

• Bill Clinton made a surprise appearance at the Tribeca Ball, an event that benefits the New York Academy of Art. A fashion crowd including designer Jason Wu mingled with performers like Liev Schreiber and Justin Timberlake, hotel impresario Andre Balazs, and socialites. The event was filled with student art; Timberlake and Schreiber reportedly took a lot of interest in an exhibit that included two live models whose bodies guests were invited to paint and decorate with eggshells. At the end of the night, Bill Clinton's security detail was also overheard muttering, "That man is a chick magnet." [WWD]
• Speaking of politico-sartorial news, Sarah Brown, wife of the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, met with Michelle Obama for more than an hour during her husband's state visit. Brown's gift to the First Lady was kid's clothes from TopShop for Sasha and Malia; like Michelle Obama, Sarah Brown sometimes likes to mix inexpensive chain-store items in with her wardrobe. I know, right! [Telegraph]
• Arena, the British men's magazine, is another casualty of the recession. The April, 2009, issue will be its last. Arena Homme Plus, the twice-yearly fashion magazine spinoff, is supposedly not affected, and nor are the six international editions, all of which are published under license. [WWD]
• Tracy Feith for Target doesn't get into stores until May 17, but lookbook images have already surfaced. The clothes are — not great. (There's a romper with bloomer shorts.) But one of the models is Allie from The City, if that makes any difference to you. [Racked]
• That other, slightly better, Target designer collection — Alexander McQueen's McQ line — is now available online. [Racked]
• Badgley Mischka's spring campaign, shot by Annie Leibovitz, features Anjelica Huston, Brooke Shields, Lauren Hutton, Eva Longoria...and Carrie Underwood. [WWD]
• I really hope that Agent Provocateur, the lingerie label, won't be hurt by all this press about their "racy" and "saucy" new ad campaign. I mean, what if The Sun were to determine it "crosses" the line"? I imagine that'd be just terrible. [The Sun]
• An ad for Olay's Regenerist wrinkle cream has been banned in England for being "offensive and demeaning to women" — because the makers, Proctor and Gamble, lied about the results of a study of the cream's effectiveness, and implied that cosmetic injections were an inevitable step in as any woman aged. [Telegraph]
• In Milan, Roberto Cavalli showed an 80s-heavy collection that was so small the LA Times wondered if all his samples had arrived. Could the cash bleed of his diffusion line, Just Cavalli — whose licensee, Ittierre, went bankrupt, and then sued Cavalli this week for angry statements the designer had made to the media about his losses — be affecting his main line? [LA Times]
• Scarlett Johansson, face of Dolce & Gabbana cosmetics, was the inspiration for the makeup at Dolce & Gabbana. Pat McGrath recreated "modern Hollywood glamor" with false lashes, liquid eyeliner, and red lips, not that anyone's ever done that before. [WWD]
• The booker of Auguste Abeliunaite, the Lithuanian 16-year-old who cried on the Jil Sander runway, says Abeliunaite won't be going to Paris, despite walking four top shows in Milan, because she's too young. But Paris sets — and actually does a good job enforcing — 16 as the minimum age for runway work. (Milan has no age limit.) And a girl who'd walked any show cast by Russell Marsh, let alone Prada, would be sent to Paris yesterday if she were really 16. My guess is this pale-eyed schoolgirl has a passport that makes her out to be 15 or younger. [WSJ]
• There's good news and bad news on the retail front this morning. First, let's do bad: The Body Shop is cutting 275 jobs. [WWD]
• And Kenneth Cole's fourth quarter loss has increased, to $12 million. [WWD]
• Liz Claiborne's fourth quarter net loss also widened — to $828.9 million. The company also declined to provide an earnings forecast for 2009. [WSJ]
• Adidas, meanwhile, increased its fourth quarter profits by 151%, or to a net of $74 million. [WWD]
• And all the designers are cutting costs — by rooming together at the Ritz for the Paris shows. Alexander Wang, Brian Reyes, and Victoria Bartlett are reportedly sharing digs, which sounds like the most awesome sleepover, ever. [The Cut]
• There's an unusual juxtaposition of stories in WWD's brief items this morning: first up is Simon Doonan, who was asked about the fashion industry's troubles at an AIDS benefit auction he co-hosted with Tim Gunn, which is all standard fare. But then next is a paragraph about an ultrarunner who spent five years running across six continents, all of which was filmed by his wife for a documentary, and in so doing raised $400,000 for an Alaska-based charity. The fashion content of the latter story is unclear; the reporter, in being dragged so far from his realm of expertise, also seems to have gotten a little confused. Something about the sentence, "His wife was held with a knife to her throat for more than an hour at the Morocco-Gibraltar border," strikes one as off. Perhaps because there is no "Morocco-Gibraltar border" — only some 7.7 nautical miles of sea. [WWD]
• Paris Hilton's perfume will exist for another five years. Sigh. [WWD]

• Mischa Barton goes on record about that epic headband launch we mentioned! Quoth the actress formerly known as Marissa Cooper, "People want to see that you can deliver and do, like, a good job.” [WWD]

• Belstaff is designing Harry Potter's latest wizard robe. But isn't that dictated by millennia of magical tradition? [WWD]
• We get the whole "haha 'lipstick lesbians'" thing, but still...L Word lipsticks? Anyhoo, choose between Bette, Kit, Alice, and Shane. [Bellasugar]
• A Brooklyn administrator claims the many grands she stole for a Victoria's Secret habit was for the benefit of the school's Fifth Graders. The judge deemed this one of a "rich array of implausible excuses" [New York Post]
• The Lanvin/Acne collaboration is as pricey as everyone feared. [Fashionista]
• This holiday shopping season is "the worst in memory." [WWD]
• Model and homeless-style enthusiast was burgled - while at home. The bold thieves marched in and lifted a bunch of designer tags. [New York Post]
• Azzaro launches an e-commerce site. Maybe for all those bashful richies practicing futive consumption? [WWD]
• The ElleUK staff's New Year's resolutions seem to involve a lot of expensive skincare products. [ElleUK]
• Celebs' Christmas lists: expensive stuff. [Fabsugar]
• Speaking of living it up: check out the "sweet room" at Asprey's Christmas bash, "filled with Christmas trees made from pink and green Ladurée macaroons, miniature cupcakes and chocolate fountains." [WWD]
• "There's nothing sexy about bread lines." So begins this kinda tasteless but still terrific ode to "depression-era" glam. [Style.com]
• Dutch artist Thomas Voorn makes "textile graffiti" that says stuff like "Cosmic Christian Ceremony." [Sassybella]
• Eilidh MacAskill, managing editor of InStyle, takes the helm as EIC of British InStyle. [FashionWeekDaily]
• Pret a Portea, London's "cult afternoon fashion tea" now has a Vespa that delivers to fashionistas' doors. [VogueUK]
• Blair Waldorf cover theft! [Fashionista]
• Here's a slideshow of celebrities in their own designs. They look as embarrassed as we feel. [Daily news]

Be a free spirit
match your necklaces and bracelets
mark your calendar and race to a store





Forgo the grand flourish
keep the colors up top subdued
choose a gown boasting more yardage than anybody else's





Stand up straight
moisturize as you cleanse
add further funk with contrasting tights





Join the costume party without losing your shirt
you don't have to spend a fortune
cheap shoes will bring the whole look down





Brush black powder from the lash line to the brow line
coil remaining hair into a loose bun
fill it with red gum balls!


Think you can do better? Got another magazine or website you want to try the found treatment on? Poetry is what comments were made for! Have at it.

I've never really understood the thinking behind this kind of piece. I mean, I do, people read them, but they're fundamentally idiotic. Would I like to look like Audrey Hepburn or Jackie O? Um, yeah. Do I? Six inches and an empty bank account say No. That said, I totally get the attraction to the idea of taking something really complicated, like self-expression, and breaking it down into a few simple rules.

A few people have written to ask if I have some tips along these lines. This has prompted me to dole out the one piece of practical fashion advice I will ever attempt to dole out, ever. If you don't want to read something kind of FashMag, avoid the bracketed portion below. Because, as it happens, I do have a tip. Wait for it.

Know your era. Learn this and you've done half the work.

If you go through the major fashion eras of the 20th C, you'll see that different silhouettes and body types were in vogue. Find the one that matches you. (I guess if you want to wear a toga or something that's your prerogative too, but I'm limiting this to the past century.) I'm not saying go around in costume; rather, modern fashion is so friggin' PoMo that every shape is referencing some era anyway, and it's possible to come across virtually any shape in the current marketplace. Skinny? 20s and 60s. Curves? Go for 50s, sexy 70s or 80s. It's not rocket surgery, as my beef would say, but it's foolproof.

I, for one, am a 1940s and a 1970s. The high-waisted trousers and fitted shapes of those eras just work for me. (And sure there are multiple styles within an era: I'm talking more Network than caftan.) I'm too short for the volume of the 50s and too curvy for mod or flapper. What's more, my curly hair and glasses works with these shapes. This is not to say this is the era to which I'm most attracted: if I could do some streamlined Jean Seberg thing, I'd do it in a second. But two little things called breasts have always gotten in my way. In any case, I like the limitation; it makes choices way easier. I'm not saying you can't experiment, but if you want a formula, that's the best I know. ]

I also think it's a pernicious myth that everyone needs to cultivate some earth-shattering 'personal style' look. You don't, any more than you need to excel at archery or confectionary. Very few people have the skill. Unlike these things, however, everyone does need to wear clothes, so you might as well find what works for you. It's hard nowadays because there are so many cut-rate versions of every absurd high-fash trend, each one presenting the appearance of fashion virtuosity in a mass-marketed $15 package. And ironically enough, this preoccupation with fashion icons, and modeling ourselves upon them, seems to have grown apace with the galloping low-end ready-to-wear market, that's done as much to homogenize our aesthetic as McDonald's has to ruin our diet. No wonder InStyle's lame quizzes sell. I remember being totally overwhelmed when I was younger not just by the pressure to look okay but to somehow express my interestingness and creativity via what I wore, and the best advice I can give anybody in my capacity as former horrible dresser, bespectacled woman and retail professional is to ignore what my mother calls 'the herd of independent minds' screaming at you to define yourself, choose an era and keep your head down. Fashion is not particularly accessible, but clothes are. So begins and ends my glorious career as service piece writer - but I do hope that helps!

Star Style Profiles [InStyle]
Related: Getting Back In Style [WWD]

• "I think he's a great-looking guy but I think his suits don't fit him very well...I wouldn't say he's badly dressed, but he could sharpen up his look a little better." —Tom Ford on Barack Obama. [Vogue UK]
  
• Holy. Fucking. Shit. Comme des Garcons for H&M? Start lining up for this now. [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• Jude Law is set to be the face of a yet-to-launch men's fragrance from Dior. It will invariably smell douchey. [Cosmetics News]
  
• Your cell phone does not need its own pair of Crocs. [Sassybella]

• The Murakami-Louis Vuitton show at the Brooklyn Museum is kind of a big "fuck you" to counterfeiters. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Liz Claiborne CEO WIlliam McComb took a 2% paycut this year, making only $8.9 million for 2007. Poor guy. [Crain's]
• Word on the street is that Alessandro Dell'Acqua wants to be the new creative head of Malo. [Vogue UK]
• Two resignations from Harper's Bazaar in under a month? And both of them to go to InStyle? Ouch. [Fashion Week Daily]
• This just in! Fashion has just discovered a new-fangled contraption that lets people communicate, transmit information, and buy expensive shit with the greatest of ease. It's called the Internet. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Kate Moss acting? Uh, stick to modeling, tootsie. [Sassybella]
• Dude, how crazy is it that American Apparel will be selling American-made clothes in China? [LATimes]
• The new St. Ives campaign focuses around the slogan "Get a happy face." Because loving your wrinkles should be a positive experience, they say. [Brandweek]
• The Greeks buy more designer clothes than any other country. Who knew? [WWD, sub req'd]
• Another reason to love Patricia Clarkson: "You will never guess where I bought these earrings: Sears! They came free with a washer and dryer." Love. [WWD, sub req'd]

Women Of Color In The January Fashion Magazines:

W :
Total number of ads: 30
Total number of black women: 2 (1 celebrity; 1 young girl for Marc Jacobs)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1

Total number of fashion spreads: 2
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

InStyle:
Total number of ads: 61
Total number of black women: 4 (no celebs)
Total number of Asian women: 1
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Total number of fashion spreads: 0 (not counting Katie Holmes)
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Allure:
Total number of ads: 50
Total number of black women: 5 (3 celebrities)
Total number of Asian women: 1 (a "real woman" for Proactiv)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 2 (1 celebrity)

Total number of fashion spreads: 1
Total number of black women: 0 (but Rihanna is on the cover!)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Vogue:
Total number of ads: 54
Total number of black women: 8 (3 celebrities)
Total number of Asian women: 1 (1 celebrity)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1

Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 1 (Chanel Iman, in the accessories spread)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Harper's Bazaar:
Total number of ads: 29
Total number of black women: 1 (1 celebrity)
Total number of Asian women: 1 (1 celebrity)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 2

Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 1 (Liya Kebede, in an actual fashion spread!)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Elle:
Total number of ads: 49
Total number of black women: 2
Total number of Asian women: 1
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1

Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 1 (Miss Universe, Riyo Mori)
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Lucky:
Total number of ads: 43
Total number of black women: 5 (1 celebrity, 1 "real woman")
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Total number of fashion spreads: 1
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Cosmopolitan:
Total number of ads: 59
Total number of black women: 5 (1 "real woman")
Total number of Asian women: 2 (1 "real woman")
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Total number of fashion spreads: 1
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Marie Claire:
Total number of ads: 31
Total number of black women: 5 (1 "real woman")
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 2 (1 "real woman")

Total number of fashion spreads: 2
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Glamour:
Total number of ads: 46
Total number of black women: 6 (2 celebrities)
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 1 (Jessica Alba?)

Total number of fashion spreads: 3
Total number of black women: 0
Total number of Asian women: 0
Total number of women of ambiguous race: 0

Earlier: Merry Christmas, Black Models, Wherever You Are
Where Are All The Black Models? Let's Start By Asking Anna Wintour
Is Prada To Blame For the Lack Of Black Models?
We're Still Looking For Black Models
Men's Vogue: Not Afraid Of Black People
What's The Message Behind A Black Man In Heels On The Cover Of Vogue?

Related: Black Men Add Color (Green) to the Holidays for Major Men's Magazines [AdAge]

• PETA will be protesting outside of Nicole Miller's Fashion Week show because of her use of fur. And in a (failed) preemptive strike, Miller has issued a statement promising that only 12 of 150,000 pieces to be manufactured from the Spring/Summer 2008 collection being shown will contain fur trim. She also promises to be fur-free starting with her Fall/Winter 2008 collection to be shown in February. [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• MySpace continues its foray into fashionmania, partners with InStyle, airs release of Paris Hilton's clothing line at LA's Kitson. Oh yeah: This is definitely what the road to success looks like. [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• Paper magazine has hired thirteen developmentally-challenged artists to create a window display for Barneys interpreting the Fall/Winter 207 collections. [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• Crocs: The clothing line? Noooooooooooooooooooooo. [WSJ]

• Uniqlo! Contest! T-shirt design! $866,290 (approx) prize. Dude, we've never designed anything, but sure as hell are gonna try now. [Vogue UK]
• A bunch of designers — including, um, Scarlett Johansson — have created charms for a limited-edition charm bracelet on sale to benefit Cancer Research UK. [Vogue UK]
• We sorta love the idea of a clothing lined named "To Sir With Love." [Vogue UK]
• The CEO of Perry Ellis says they're trying to catch the trend first and go green with their designs. Uh, hasn't Stella McCartney been doing this for like the past 7 years? [NYT]
• Case in point: Purchase of organic clothing and cosmetics are up by 20% this year in the UK. [Telegraph]
• Kinda barfy fashion news of the day: Lancome's chief make-up artist Gucci Westman designed a signature lipstick for designer Thakoon to showcase during his upcoming Spring/Summer 2008 collection. And it's called Pout-a-Porter. Ew. [Sassybella]
• Pee-your-pants quote-of-the-day: Designer Lela Rose on her favorite look from her upcoming Spring/Summer 2008 collection: "One of my favorites is a sporty taffeta anorak paired with a sweetheart dress made of guipure lace over burlap linen." [The Fashion Informer]

At the very end of Charla Lawhon's last name, the final stroke of the "n" flies out high into space, a sign of a tremendous desire for attention and personal praise. If she does a good job she needs strokes and rewards for it. She requires someone to assure her how well she is doing.

The slant of the writing is somewhat to the right, an indication of a
personality that is friendly and appears to be outgoing. The final ending of Charla is strong, an indication of a person not timid about making decisions and taking action.

The writer is analytical ("V"-shaped letter formations) and she can research and probe for facts upon which to base her decisions.

There are enough needle-points in her writing (the "r" in Charla and the "w" in her last name) to signal a person who is a top-percentile fast thinker.

There is a left-side loop in the "a" of her last name, a signal that the writer is capable of fooling others because she is capable of fooling herself.

This writers' imagination operates primarily in the abstract (a loop in the "l" formation in her last name), which could be philosophical, perhaps religious. Her signature has a nice rhythm and flow, which may also be true of most of her thinking and movements.

"I like women who look like me. Generally, you're attracted to women who look like you, because the most beautiful thing in nature is your own reflection."

"If a relationship is built on sexuality, it won't last long. Now I'm completely chaste through a relationship unless I get married. I don't believe in premarital sex. It enabled me to date three or four women at the same time, because as long as I wasn't having sex with them, I could always just walk away. There were some [past girlfriends] who pushed for sex, and sometimes they won. Afterward, I would feel unclean, like I'd compromised my own values. So I would have to let them go because they didn't help me to be a stronger person."

On his deal-breaker:

"Toilet paper - and no baby wipes - in the bathroom. If they're using dry paper, they aren't washing all of themselves. It's just unclean. So if I go in a woman's house and see the toilet paper there, I'll explain this. And if she doesn't make the adjustment to baby wipes, I'll know she's not completely clean."

"I was in love with her, but she was not in love with me. I can't be upset because she doesn't find me the most beautiful thing on the planet."

Howard's Zen [Elle]

The thinking behind Cosmopolitan Style & Beauty seems to go something like this: Women like celebrities! Women like to look like the celebrities they like! Women like celebrities who look like celebrities and wear celebrity-like outfits!

Given how this market has been tragically underserved by the media, which has been occupying itself with in-depth coverage of sub-Saharan poverty and disease, the good people at Hearst rushed to fill an unoccupied niche.

Cosmopolitan Style & Beauty [Magazine Rack]
Related: 10 Sex Cravings All Guys Have [Cosmopolitan]

Elle readers seeking pages of fashion and style advice might be turned off by another Lohan arrest and pending court date, which will take place just days after the magazine hits newsstands... sources said Elle's interview and photo shoot took place prior to Lohan's stint in rehab, so it's likely the story doesn't include any discussion of her most recent run-in with the law.

Old News [WWD]

Answer: A lot!

According to a source at In Style, the first item Alice sold was a Burberry bag for which she asked — and received! — $900. Why didn't she sell it on eBay like all the other editors? When's she going to come out about her blog? Will Payne's ex-wife Sandra Oh play Alice in View From The Fourth Row, the critically-fellated indie film chock-full of self-absorbed, merlot-hating fashion world misanthropes? Developing!

Earlier: 'In Style' Accessorian And Champion Bluffer Alice Kim Leaving For Omaha