Jezebel: marco zanini

Lagerfeld Is Shockingly Vain; Angelina's Stylist Spills Secrets

TatianaTheAnonymousModel — Wed, 20 May 2009 11:30:00 EDT

In a stunning revelation that will surprise no-one, Karl Lagerfeld's ex-assistant says the Kaiser is "an unbelievable narcissist." Who "needs an eternity to get ready in the morning." [Blackbook]

Hilary Swank on the tough reality of Cannes: "I'm starving and the music's so loud I can't hear a thing." [WWD]
In a plan expected to be announced today at City Hall, New York city boutiques will throw a party to kick off the next fashion week, on September 10. Anna Wintour and Mayor Michael Bloomberg are behind the idea; stores will stay open till midnight running promotions and designers will be in attendance. Fashion Week is traditionally an industry event focused on buyers and editors. Maybe this could be a good way to capitalize on an opportunity to target the actual public, and retail? [Cityroom]
Ending a long search, Halston has chosen London designer Marios Schwab as its new creative director. The label had been rudderless since the departure of Marco Zanini in early 2008. [WWD]
Some contend that Michelle Obama's purported magical effect on clothing sales is a media construct. J. Crew's CEO, for example, believes that while the First Lady has given the company vast free publicity by favoring its cardigans, she has not necessarily driven sales. This is a view backed up by JP Morgan's research report on the company. Several J. Crew items the first lady has worn are even on clearance. (Of course, it's entirely possible that many of the younger, less-established designers Michelle Obama has favored would have a different experience to report. Jason Wu and Thakoon have to be feeling her patronage in their sales.) [The Big Money]
That doesn't stop the fashion world from going giddy over Mrs. Obama. [WWD]
French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld: "Fashion is not about clothes, it is about a look." [Guardian]
Anna Wintour's 60 Minutes segment was watched by 10.2 million on television, and drew an unknown number of online viewers. [Folio]
Tim Gunn just got a new apartment "Most of the apartment is aubergine. It's like living in a bruise." In between repainting, he's traveling to promote the new season of Project Runway, and pick designers for the next. He also recommends you read Adam's Navel by Michael Sims. [Blogging Project Runway]
Carolina Herrera, who is often glimpsed in a crisp, white shirt, gets hers at the Gap. Sort of designer friend Patrick Robinson sends her them by the dozen, and she gets them monogramamed. But if you, mere pleb lacking designer friends, want to buy them off the rack, they cost $44. [Style.com]
Manhattan might be getting a Nordstrom Rack. [WWD]
Angelina Jolie's stylist seems surprisingly grounded, for a woman whose most recent splurge was an $1,100 Gucci dress. (Which she is thinking of returning, since she saw a similar style at H&M.) [LA Times]
The New York Times' Cintra Wilson cast her critical-shopping eye on Derek Lam. "There is absolutely nothing wrong with Mr. Lam's desire to create ruling-class finery; it's lovely, top-shelf stuff, and he should make no bones about the fact that his creations are not warm, fun, affordable or sensuous," writes Wilson. "They are formal, uptight gift wraps silk boxes in which women may demurely present themselves, with politesse, deference and flawless snobbery, to a world of rich and powerful men." [NY Times]
First-quarter earnings for Philips-Van Heusen, parent company of Calvin Klein and Van Heusen, among other brands, sank by 47% on last year's numbers. Sales declined by almost 11% during the period. [Crain's]
Key words for this Marks & Spencer commercial, starring Twiggy: "value" nostalgia recession "quality" penny pennies prices trust penny. [Guardian]
Current Marks & Spencer print model Marie Helvin is 56, and and pretty fantastic. "Please shoot me if I'm doing this in my 80s," she tells the Times of London. "Anyway, one day I won't be able to...I've had an amazing life, done lots of fantastic things. I never wanted children, so that's not an issue." She's also open about having had an abortion. [Times of London]

Naomi Rocks Saris In Mumbai; First American Woman In Space Shilling For Louis Vuitton

TatianaTheAnonymousModel — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 11:30:00 EDT

Naomi Campbell stalked the runway like a thoroughbred in Mumbai for a charity show. Last time Campbell blended fashion and philanthropy, the supermodel raised over $1 million for Hurricane Katrina survivors. [Daily Mail]

Mikhail Gorbachev is not enough for some people. The rapacious machine of Louis Vuitton's advertising, which most people don't realize actually sucks its subjects' dignity through the lens of Annie Liebovitz's Canon, has claimed more victims: Buzz Aldrin, Sally Ride, and fellow astronaut Jim Lovell. That's right: men and women who could withstand the g-forces of extraterrestrial flight could not say 'no' to LVMH. [WWD]
British Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman says her biggest concern about taking the position back in 1992 was that it would involve a lot of flying. "I hadn't been on a plane in 10 years," she said at an event in England. "How could I accept a job that would mean that I had to fly all the time? I'm still very nervous on a plane." [Vogue UK]
More bad news for Halston: the oft-revived label, left semi-conscious as of late following the firing of its latest creative director, Marco Zanini, is now down one vice-president of marketing. Atul Pathak resigned two weeks ago, just after the Paris shows. [WWD]
Los Angeles fashion week happened recently. Don't feel too badly if you missed it: the LA Times itself called proceedings "more than an exercise in futility." [LA Times]
Vera Wang's Lavender line is in trouble. Hitting the high end of the price range for a contemporary line is causing some grief, and Saks has dropped it. Neiman Marcus will carry Vera Wang Lavender in only ten stores this season, and drop it for fall. Wang says she's mulling over lowering the pricing, or spinning it off into a license. [WWD]
Lanvin's London flagship store is now open. I suppose that means Alber Elbaz's long contretemps with the architects, related by Ariel Levy in her recent New Yorker profile of the designer, was happily resolved. [FWD]
Kira Plastinina's still got stores a-plenty, too. (Albeit not in the US, where her eponymous pink-themed clothing chain went bust less than a year after her entry into the market.) As soon as she finishes high school in Moscow this spring, the fruit juice heiress intends to take a step that most designers tackle before launching international retail chains going to fashion school. Since Kira Plastinina rather strikes one as the kind of person whose life is the sustained experience of getting what she wants, without regard for talent or even passion, she's expecting acceptance at Parsons in New York and Central St. Martins in London, the Yale and Oxford of fashion design, respectively. [FWD]
Fiona Ellis, who scouts models for the London agency Independent, thinks Tyra's shorties-only season of America's Next Top Model is dumb. The woman who found Alek Wek and Erin O'Connor, among many others, would know. [Vogue UK]
Net profits at Versace fell 30.7% in 2008, but it was largely due to the softening of the Euro against the Dollar. Without the hard shift in the rate of exchange, their profits would have grown by 10%. [WWD]
"Heavy black lines and crisp, grid-like patterns created an Op Art effect in Dries Van Noten's spring collection," says the LA Times. Which is why you should...wear a plaid shirt from Express. [LA Times]
The top 10 new models of the Fall/Winter 09 show season: 90% white, 10% Japanese, 50% not actually "new." [Style.com]
Do. Not. Want. Spanx clothing. No, just...no. [Glamour]
Christian Siriano has picked up one hell of a stockist for his line: Saks Fifth Avenue. The department store will sell his fall collection in a new store-within-a-store for emerging talents. [WWD]
Iekeliene Stange, the quirky Dutch supermodel/photographer, has an exhibition opening in London this Wednesday, following a successful show in Berlin. [The Horse Hospital]

Marc Jacobs To Marry; Louis Vuitton Levels Its Sight On Google

TatianaTheAnonymousModel — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:30:00 EDT

Fresh off his CFDA award women's wear nomination, Marc Jacobs is reportedly engaged to his Brazilian boyfriend of one year, Lorenzo Martone. Mazel tov to the happy couple! [WWD]

Anna Sui, who is being given the Geoffrey Beene lifetime achievement award by the Council of Fashion Designers of America, talked to Style.com for the occasion about New York's garment district, which has been threatened by rent rises and zoning changes, not to mention the increasing number of designers who outsource their fabric and notions sourcing, and their sample construction. "So much of my work is based on the resources in that neighborhood the lacemakers and the pleaters and so on," said Sui. "I have my design studio here; I drape on a mannequin; we sew our own samples. That's how I know how to make clothes. I can't make sense of a dress without seeing how a fabric drapes, for example...I would just really hate to see the fashion industry go the way of all industry in America, and give up and go totally outsourced. We used to have the most beautiful woolen mills here, and the best denim. There was a sense of craft." [Style.com]
Louis Vuitton, a company whose zealotry in protecting its intellectual property is well-known, is taking on Google in the European Court of Justice. At issue: the fact that the search giant sells ads to companies that make counterfeit Louis Vuitton products, and that those ads appear above the legitimate search results. Louis Vuitton says it's tantamount to copyright infringement, Google says it's up to users whether they click on any ads or not. [The Cut]
Spring at H&M involves a wide-legged drop-crotch zebra-print jumpsuit. Don't say nobody warned you. [Fabsugar]
This otherwise fine profile of Lauren Hutton begins by calling her "fashion's most wondrous wrinkly." Which certainly made me wrinkle my nose. [Telegraph]
Even though he, like Hutton, is increasingly an actor these days, Tyson Beckford wishes magazines would use more models on their covers. [AP]
And as if to taunt him, here's Penelope Cruz, looking sort of like she needs to pee, on the April cover of Spanish Vogue. [Popsugar]
There are all kinds of fashion-y things going on with your television this week. Today is the premiere of CNN International's Carine Roitfeld documentary, which you can watch online, Friday is Valentino Day on Martha Stewart, and Saturday is the debut episode of the newly revived House of Style with Bar Refaeli and Chanel Iman. In case that's not enough, Valentino: The Last Emperor is opening in select theaters today, and soon enough we'll be treated to whatever Morley Safer cooks up on Anna Wintour, too. Phew. [Fashionista]
Speaking of Valentino: his half-dozen pugs might guest-blog on Martha Stewart's dogs' blog, the Daily Wag. I thought the whole point was that on the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog? [The Cut]
Meanwhile, Gwyneth Paltrow (who says those pugs are "not good kids dogs") said at the New York premiere of the film that it had failed to reveal Vava's "naughty" side. "He's the naughtiest [man]-slash-gentlemen in the entire world," said the actress. [WWD]
Catherine Zeta-Jones can be seen moonlighting in a seven-minute advertisement for Unilever's Lux hair product brand, developed for the Asian market. [AdAge]
Nike's sales for the third quarter declined slightly, but there may be worse times ahead: the company largely sells according to futures orders, orders for clothing and shoes scheduled one season ahead of time. And those have contracted by 10% this quarter, to $6.5 billion. [WSJ]
The company that makes Crocs is likely to go under. At least, that's the opinion of its auditor, as disclosed in the business's annual report. Falling revenue makes it all but impossible that the company will be able to secure a new revolving credit line after its current one matures on April 2. [The Street]
Eddie Bauer also says it's at significant risk of violating its debt obligations. After two attempted debt restructuring deals were rejected by creditors, a third amended debt deal was made, under which the company will pay higher interest rates and issue warrants for its stock. Fourth-quarter revenue fell 5.7%, and the company has seen a wave of recent layoffs and store closures nationwide. [Reuters]
The auction of items from Gianni Versace's Lake Como villa netted some $10.3 million far exceeding the original estimate of $3.3 million. And that was after the withdrawal from sale of the 18th century Johann Zoffany painting whose ownership is now in question. [Telegraph]
Hermes beat its profit forecast for 2008, and says it is on track as of right now to meet its expectation of stable sales in 2009. [FT]
Proctor and Gamble-owned Rochas, which in the years since firing Olivier Theyskens has existed only as a perfume brand, is a fashion house once more thanks to Marco Zanini. Zanini was most recently heard from as the guy hired to relaunch Halston. (It didn't go so well.) The new collection looks a little bland, and it's interesting that only now, in the post-shows news gulch, is this a story. [WSJ]
And in news to make you barf, Goyard has a "limited-edition" pink trunk for sale at Colette in Paris. It's large enough to fit a Barbie doll and her accoutrements, and it costs $3650. [Forbes]

Karl Relaxes His "Fatty" Fatwa, Chills On His Stoop With Style Critic

TatianaTheAnonymousModel — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 11:30:00 EDT

Is former overweight person and current size-o-phobe Karl Lagerfeld changing his Hedi Slimane stripes? Beth Ditto, who in addition to being very talented, weighs somewhat more than 100 lbs, is playing a Fendi party. [FWD]

Agyness Deyn's 17-year-old sister Emily is starting a t-shirt company with a chum named Aliyah Hussein. Their first offerings feature images of the girls' icon, Queen Elizabeth II, whom Emily called "the original gangster!" [Blackbook via Nylon]
I have no idea why this writer seems to think female models all have drivers that might be true of the dozen top girls who walk in every show, but, trust me, the rest of us ride public transport. But it is correct that even the top-earning male models are always paid significantly less than their female counterparts. Russian Matvey Lykov, for instance, walked 34 shows in Europe, and only made enough to buy a ticket to the Dominican Republic to relax for a spell afterwards. [LA Times]
And the indignities just don't stop: Doutzen Kroes, the model and Victoria's Secret angel, was treated to a super-original pick-up line on the Caribbean island of St. Maarten. At a bar called Tantra, a drunk stranger cooed, "I thought you couldn't go out without your wings." Barf. [NYDN]
The Daily News also has this horrific model blind item: "Which top model's plastic surgeon is in big trouble? He accidentally spilled acid on her chest while they were having sex in his office." That, right there, is fodder for nightmares. [NYDN]
Caroline Trentini, the elfin, freckled Brazilian whom Anna Wintour puts in every issue of Vogue, has been less omnipresent this show season. In fact, people were wondering where she was models of her caliber don't normally just skip the shows. Well, mystery solved! She was on exclusive for Yves Saint Laurent, whose show she closed just yesterday. [Fashionista]
More forthcoming about his schedule is Valentino. The retired Italian designer has announced he'll be in New York on March 17 to tape an episode of The Martha Stewart Show, just ahead of the theatrical release the documentary modestly titled Valentino: The Last Emperor. I hope they bake amazing cookies, or do collage in tones of red together. [The Cut]
According to Women's Wear Daily's "sources" who can be pretty spot on about these things Halston is sizing up the London designer Marios Schwab to become their new creative director. The revived Halston has struggled, and is still trying to replace Marco Zanini, the designer they let go after just two seasons last year. [WWD]
Cathy Horyn, whose life is more fun than your own, describes what it's like to run into the people she's savaged ("I said hey to Anna...") and then hangs out with Karl Lagerfeld on his doorstep on the eve of the Chanel show. [On The Runway]
Jil Sander might be back. After being dumped from her namesake label and then begged to return, and then fired again following its purchase by Prada, Sander has been a fashion orphan. Attending an industry textiles fair might mean she has a new project. Or it might not. [WWD]
Feministing is surprised an article in H&M's in-store magazine on dressing like a tomboy ignored any hint of a queer perspective despite using Samantha Ronson as one of its examples. Remember, girlie, it's OK to steal from your boyfriend, just remember to add that feminine touch! [Feministing]
Beth Ditto, meanwhile, is enjoying her first fashion week in Paris. Coming off her cover spot in the first issue of Katie Grand's Love magazine, the Gossip songstress has the keys to the carrousel du louvre. And mark no fear of queer connotations on her part: Ditto's favorite thing about the Jean Paul Gaultier show was "the butch clothes! I mean that in the best way. Masculine is hot!" [FWD]
Three different women designers get this respond differently to the question of how to clothe, and by extension, represent, the female body. Imagine, there's not a 1:1 correlation between being female and making feminine clothing! [International Herald-Tribune]
Buyers at Paris fashion week aren't sure exactly what consumers are going to want to own in six months. Handbags are a sure bet in the Middle East, says one, because they can be toted freely in public despite women's clothing restrictions. Russians will still want to buy, well, everything, says a buyer for one boutique. London might be about jewelry and scarves; Paris stores aren't sure whether to under-order for a fall in demand, or bet on a surprise recovery. Left unsaid is the fact that almost nobody in retail could stand to see a repeat of last fall's choked-off sales. [Reuters]
American Apparel, which had to recently renegotiate costly new financing of both their $75 million Bank of America revolving credit line and their $51 million loan from private equity group SOF Investments, now is approaching the March 21 deadline for both loans. [WWD]
L.L. Bean's revenues were down $1.5 billion, or 7.8%, over the last financial year. The company expects to be making layoffs. [The Street]
The Italian brand Tod's finished out a difficult year with enough money to give $1,700+ bonuses to all its employees, including the people who make their goods in Italy. [WWD]
A small American fashion brand that sells its wares in France reportedly included the message "We are sorry that our president is an idiot, we did not vote for him" on the care tag. Obviously they meant Bush. Reminds one of how the teenaged Alexander McQueen stitched "I am a cunt" onto the interlining of a suit for Prince Charles when he was apprenticed to Savile Row tailors Anderson & Sheppard. [InventorSpot]

Escada's Honored by Sarah Palin's Patronage...Because She's "Attractive"

Sadie — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:30:00 EST

After Palin names Escada as her fave brand, the creative director is gracious: "If she does wear Escada because she likes it, I mean, I’m honored actually. It’s not politics; it’s clothing, after all. No? She’s an attractive woman, so why not?" [New York Mag]
Fashion's totally in the tank for Obama — but we knew that. [WWD]
Halloween update: Blake Lively was Cleopatra, Martha Stewart was Medusa. [Sassybella]
Andre Leon Talley: "Fashion may not be the most important thing in life, but it definitely helps you get through it," [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Adidas launching high-end SLVR line. It'll include sportswear, accessories and shoes — but no activewear. [WWD]
Stella McCartney introduces kid-friendly windows. "Using just colouring pencils, Gary Card will create over-layered drawings of animals, dinosaurs, superheros and fantasy inspired characters on children's wardrobes in his typically naive and charming signature style." Just what you want to see on your six-year-old's Christmas list! [VogueUK]
SJP's new "Twilight" perfume: just a coinci-dink that it jibes with the teen vampire flick? Synergy! [Fashionista]
Georgia May Jagger's "style" includes derby hats, shiny leggings. [ElleUK]
Prada's costume jewelry is gorgeous, as expensive as real jewelry. [Fabsugar]
Goodwill tries to change its image for the recession; but why? [NY Times]
Not shockingly, Anand Jon's defense lawyer says he's innocent. [Breitbart]
Suits make the man. [Forbes]
Timberland moves into video blogging to woo young men, who allegedly like that sort of thing. [Business Week]
The first YSL retrospective is kicking off in San Francisco and sounds amazing: "The clothes, displayed in a gallery with low lighting and the feel of a giant walk-in closet, are stunningly beautiful: A 1988 Van Gogh "Irises" jacket embroidered with 40 pounds of sequins and beads. A 1997 garden party of a gown with a thicket of pink and green organza flowers, leaves, semiprecious stones and satin ribbons. A 1990 coat flocked with flame-colored rooster, pheasant and vulture feathers. The black wool dress with satin collar and cuffs worn by Catherine Deneuve in the 1967 film "Belle de Jour."" [LA Times]
Supermoddle Jacquetta Wheeler comes from a huge Tory clan! [Daily Mail]
These descriptions of the Australia costumes are totally overcoming our initial resolve not to see it: "Ms. Martin did extensive research for the costumes. She studied archival images and newspapers from 1930s and ’40s Australia and interviewed descendants of the original ranchers around Darwin. 'Whether an indigenous stockman'— or drover — 'wore socks with his boots when he rode a horse, that’s something you either get through a snapshot,' Ms. Martin said, 'or something you have to go talk to the people who lived there about.'" [NY Times]
The new Chanel Unlimited bags, in a "glossy gray canvas material," sound grotesque. Opines Fashionista: These are totally Karl's answer to Prada's nylon bags. But worse, because they're plastered in not just one, but many logos." [Fashionista]
Yeah it's barely past Halloween, but if you have "questions" about Holiday attire, The Washington Post will help you out. [Washington Post]
Rosetta Getty expands her line, beloved of her celeb friends. Nice work if you can get it! [WWD]
Is it just us, or are these new Helena Christensen ads for Agent Provocateur really unsexy? (Oh yeah, prolly NSFW.) [Daily Mail]
Rochas names Marco Zanini creative director; he'll show his first collection for the the fall/winter 2009 season. [WWD]
Princess Di's threads go under the hammer for charity. [VogueUK]

Pissed-Off PETA Gives Giorgio Armani A Pinocchio Nose

Sadie — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EDT

PETA apparently can't get over Armani's betrayal. Their latest devastating riposte? They've made these posters of Giorgio with a Pinocchio nose. [Towelroad]
And in case that was over your head, that's "the puppet whose nose would grow when he told lies." [UPI]
They should be happy with Henri Bendel; the department store's no longer carrying fur! [Nylon]
Karl Lagerfeld cares about animals, too. Or at least that freaky teddy bear. “I was instantly seduced by the idea. I very much like animals. Above all when they are stuffed with cotton or plastic!” [Fashion Week Daily]
Sean Connery looks super silver-foxy in his new LV ads. [Telegraph]

The honeymoon's over: Narciso Rodriguez and Liz Claiborne officially part ways. [WWD]
The "antiques buyer" from Anthropologie's getting his own show. Which is, I'm sure, very exciting for those of you who watch the Sundance Channel. [Fashionista]
And if that sounds fun, you might be fascinated by the knowledge John Galliano's going to be speaking at some gala next month. [WWD]
Avon forced to yank ads that claim its creams stop aging or something completely reasonable. [Daily Mail]
Apparently in the current economic climate, women "plan" to spend less. Mice, men etc. [Reuters]
Charlotte Ronson's doing a line for J.C. Penney. This in addition to, at last count, her eponymous line, her stuff for Urban, the collaboration with Shoshanna, and, you know, being a socialite. [WWD]
Old Navy finally chooses an ad agency. We hope they'll make them bizarre again — I miss Carrie Donovan. [BrandWeek]
Thanks to a new backer, Rochas pulls (another) Lazarus. [WWD]
Marco Zanini may design for them. [ElleUK]
The Pussycat Dolls are looking for a wardrobe assistant. Those with vinyl allergies need not apply. [The Sun]
Nina Garcia's neuroses: "I wasn’t nervous about being in front of the camera, but I was nervous about seeing myself on camera. My husband makes me watch the show. I cringe the whole time." [Babble]
Everybody's used to "Orgasm' blush. So Nars ups the ante: Super Orgasm Blush! Take That! [Nylon]

Like A Good Republican, Nancy Reagan Wore Red

Jennifer — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 10:00:00 EDT

An exhibit of Nancy Reagan's wardrobe? Fashion Week Daily titling its item on the exhibit "First Lady of Fashion"? Everyone knows that the First Lady of Fashion was a Democrat! Jacqueline Kennedy! [Fashion Week Daily]
Time to puke: Accessories designer Gina Alexander is creating a line of Jimi Hendrix tribute bags. [Vogue UK]
Further evidence of impending apocalypse: Portfolio fashion blogger Lauren Goldstein Crowe gives a shout-out to our Gawker brethren. [Portfolio]
But don't worry, then Goldstein Crowe swiftly slams both Halston designer Marco Zanini and the Halston brand itself, in all of, like, two sentences. [Portfolio]

Over at Macy's things look grim. Very, very grim. [New York Business]
Estee Lauder, however? Kicking some major ass! [Reuters]
J.C. Penney's is also doing pretty well. They credit lingerie and back-to-school sales. We think this is the most awkward combination ever. Unless you are Humbert Humbert. [WSJ]
Stupid-thing-that-we-really-want of the day: MAC limited edition blue nail polish. Ok or rather, we want the inevitable Cover Girl or Wet 'N Wild knock-off of the MAC limited edition blue nail polish. Same difference. [Coutorture]
Stupid-thing-that-we-think-is-really-stupid of the day: The sweater vest. And reports of its return. [FabSugar]

Halston Taps Design Head At Last, Nepotism Surprisingly Not At Play

Jennifer — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:53:49 EDT

A star is born? Halston has at last named its new creative director (and it's not Harvey Weinstein GF Georgina Chapman), Versace senior women's and men's designer Marco Zanini. Good luck, buddy. May the ghosts of Roy and Jackie O bless your journey. [WWD, sub req'd]
Hermione Granger herself, actress Emma Watson, has been signed by really, really big-deal agency (they rep Kate Moss, yo) Storm and now rumors are abuzz that she's about to become the next face of Chanel. [Vogue UK]
Maybe we're just tired, but we literally cannot stop giggling aloud at the idea of the forthcoming Karl Lagerfeld: The Fragrance. Top notes of anorexia with an undertone of narcissim! [WWD, sub req'd]
Former Cover Girl Josie Maran is taking her name somewhere else to her own eponymous line of organic cosmetics. She thinks the products are really good blah blah...but they're not going to do any national advertising on them. So, uh, they can't be that good right? [WWD, sub req'd]

Today's winner for using our (uh, we just decided) word of the day, re-branding!, is Lorac cosmetics! They're "re-branding" themselves as Lorac: The Red Carpet Authority and debuting a color palette developed with indie It Girl fashion line Miss Davenporte. [WWD, sub req'd]
For the pageant girl in all of us, Freeze 24-7's newest product is sprayed on over makeup to prevent fine lines and wrinkles... and freezing on your pageant-perfect smile? [WWD, sub req'd]
It's just like freshman year of college all over again! Animal testing is once again a hot issue as the EU's and the US's regulatory agencies try to find alternatives to current testing methods involving animals. The EU has developed 4 alternative tests (out of the 8 tests currently done on animals_, but the US only approved 2 of them. In the meantime, we continue to use our favorite make-up and look the other way. [WWD, sub req'd]
Gucci designer Frida Giannini is now moving her rebel ways into fragrance, with this fall's Gucci by Gucci being the first fragrance she herself has developed since starting her tenure with the label. Her goal? For it to be the next Chanel No. 5. Don't underestimate yourself, Frida! [WWD, sub req'd]
Smug central at L'Oreal HQ, surely, today: Their second quarter earnings are up by 10.4% [WWD, sub req'd]
The performance being held to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of Gianni Versace's death is this Sunday night: "I can already see Gianni shaking the crystal chandelier and directing the ballet," says Donatella Versace. Aw! And we can already see our favorite tanorexic cutting the coke! [WWD, 3rd item]
Lauren Goldstein Crowe decides that it is her blog that has directed the state of modelling regulation in Britain. Humble! Hey, is the URL "Solopsista" still available? [Portfolio, Inc.]