Bar Refaeli Gets in a Fight With the IDF

Bar Refaeli is the face of a new ad produced by the Israeli Foreign Ministry to promote the country. But a spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Force has criticized the casting of Refaeli because she dodged her compulsory military service. (The model married a family friend, because married women are exempt from the draft. She divorced after receiving her exemption.) Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai wrote in a letter to the Ministry:

“The choice of a representative who did not serve in the military as an official presenter on behalf of Israel, conveys the message that we ignore and forgive evasion of enlistment, and encourages identification, among youths of both sexes, with the success of those who did not enlist.”

Refaeli replied in Hebrew on her Instagram, “You can use the clip for the Foreign Ministry or drop it, but my Instagram feed has more readers than Israel’s most popular newspaper.” [HuffPo]

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Vogue Paris dedicates its new issue to the nation of Peru. The cover model, Isabeli Fontana, is Brazilian, but the issue boasts plenty of content from Peruvian photographer Mario Testino and an interview with Mario Vargas Llosa. [Vogue.fr]

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Eddie Redmayne and Brit Marling star on the cover of the new W. Fellow actor Emayatzy Corinealdi joins them for the editorial photos inside the magazine. What, the black girl wasn’t good enough for the cover? [W]

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The Spring Breakers merch at Opening Ceremony is obviously bananas. [The Cut]

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Ten dresses worn by Princess Diana, including the black velvet gown she wore when she danced with John Travolta, are up for auction in London. [Telegraph]

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• Karl Lagerfeld is making a Chanel admoviething about the opening of Coco Chanel‘s first boutique in Deauville. He has cast Kiera Knightly to play the young designer. [Telegraph]
• Noticed that the ladeez of fashion have lately been kicking their stilettos aside in favor of, well, kicks? Perhaps because of the overall trend for men’s wear influencing women’s style, perhaps because Phoebe Philo always looks so hot when she takes her bow in her Nikes, perhaps because those Isabel Marant sneaker wedges opened the door, sneakers seem to be back. “I really do believe those Isabel Marant highly stylized excuse for a street fashion shoe were a gateway drug for women concerned with ‘looking fashion cool’ to start wearing more comfortable shoes again,” says Leandra Medine of the Man Repeller. [Fashionista]
• Topshop let PETA design one of the windows at its Oxford Street flagship store in London. PETA put cute stuffed animals everywhere and wrote “Keep wildlife out of your wardrobe” on the plate glass. [Refinery29]
• Neiman Marcus and two smaller retailers, DrJays.com and Revolve clothing, have settled a lawsuit with the Federal Trade Commission over their mislabeling of fur products as faux fur. [WSJ]
• J.C. Penney stock, which has been tanking lately since the company reported almost one billion dollars worth of losses for 2012, rose 6% after the introduction of the Joe Fresh brand. The Joe Fresh roll-out is the first major test of newish C.E.O. Ron Johnson’s vision for J.C. Penney, which he wants to transform into a store-of-stores. According to analysts, Wall Street reacted less to the Joe Fresh brand specifically than to the fact that the launch occurred on schedule and without any major snafus. [WWD]
• A Telegraph reporter asked Zahia Dehar, the underaged prostitute-turned-lingerie designer, if any of her former clients (which included members of the French national soccer team) had come to her fashion shows. Dehar began to cry. [Telegraph]
• Frederick’s of Hollywood, which had been looking for investors to fund further growth, has sold a majority stake to the investment firm Five Island Assets for $10 million. [WWD]
• Matthew Williamson is launching a line of handbags in September. [Vogue UK]
• And now, a moment with Diane von Furstenberg. Diane, how do you deal with the negative energy of others around you?
• “The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself. You have to build from within and you will have control. Be honest with yourself, accept who you are. Once you do that, you can improve yourself and like yourself. YOU are the solution! Look for the light and build around it. You have the keys to your happiness. Let others be negative, your light will shine on them! It also helps to surround yourself with amazing women.”
• [The Cut]