If you watch the behind-the-scenes video from Lady Gaga's September Vogue cover shoot, three things become apparent. One, the color of that Marc Jacobs dress really is in the eye of the beholder (or the lens of the camera or the settings of the computer monitor): is it purple or is it pink or what? Two, Lady Gaga's waist magically shrank from "a believably human size" to "less than the width of her head" during the post-production Photoshopping (and her knees became about the size of twigs). And Three, those poufs of fabric around the hips of the dress are just as strange-looking in motion as they are on a still cover image. [BuzzFeed]
Carolyn Murphy and a bunch of mannequin heads are on the September cover of Vogue Italia. [FGR]
Uniqlo's latest ad campaign features football player Joe Montana, choreographer Benjamin Millepied, Man Repeller blogger Leandra Medine, Mission Chinese Food co-founder Danny Bowien, entrepreneur Brit Morin, skateboarder Zered Bassett, and singers Goapele and Amanda Warner. [WWD]
Medine says that the commenter backlash she experienced when she announced her engagement on her blog — apparently some weirdly literal-minded Internet people thought Medine should have remained repellent to men forever like some kind of vestal virgin in the temple of blog-fashion — made her question her decision to marry. "I was really upset. I was like, ‘Should I not be getting married?' It was to that point," says the blogger. "I was so upset that people on the Internet could be angry at me for getting engaged, you know what I mean. And I felt bad that I was upset about that." But, adds Medine, "When you're a personal style blogger you are begging for people to criticize and ridicule you. So, it's fine." [Fashionista]
Here is 32 seconds of Lara Stone gyrating in her underwear to "Push It" by Salt N Pepa. [YouTube]
Oh, by the way: all the stuff that Kanye West made Kim Kardashian get rid of, "for charity," in the Great Kardashian Kloset Kleanout of 2012? It's up for auktion on eBay — but only 10% of the proceeds are going to charity. Stay klassy, Kim. [Fashionista, eBay]
Here is the trailer for the upcoming documentary about Iris Apfel. [Vimeo]
"Lesbians! They're everywhere," notes Style.com in its preview of fall fashion trends. Syd the Kid is referred to as a "lesbian it-girl" and there's a blind item about two of New York fashion's "high-profile ladies who ditched their marriages and started dating women" (that'd be...Jenna Lyons and?). Style.com suggests that increased lesbian visibility in fashion will mean a) straight ladies will start dating each other because it's the cool thing to do (and all the guys in fashion are gay) and b) ladies will start wearing "combat boots" and Air Jordans, like lesbians do. "I think when you see girls running around in Air Jordans and baseball caps, then yeah, something's moved," says the stylist Mel Ottenberg. That settles it: let's all go lesbian for fall. Sexual orientation tourism: so hot right now, according to Style.com. [Style.com]
Laetitia Casta says shooting with Choupette, Karl Lagerfeld's very pampered cat, for V magazine was really weird: "So we are shooting on this balcony in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris and I was so fucking scared that Choupette would step back and fall off and that Karl would hate me forever because I killed his cat," she tells Harper's Bazaar U.K. "The cat was like, 'maaaiooowarrgh' and I was like, 'gasp.' I did everything with that cat. We even shot on the bed. The whole thing was about Choupette. And she has two nannies ... It was a weird job, when I think about it." [Telegraph]
The latest in the legal battle between J.C. Penney and Macy's over the right to sell Martha Stewart homewares: a judge has ruled that J.C. Penney can go ahead and set up Martha Stewart shops as planned next January. A trial date for the breach of contract lawsuit and counter-suit has been set for November. [WWD]
Tim Gunn says one weird look from Diane von Furstenberg years ago at Parsons was all he needed to prompt him to update his wardrobe: "She was looking at me in my office like there was cauliflower cooking or something," he says. That made him realize, "I need to do something about my look." [P6]
Rihanna and Henry Holland's fashion-music reality show, Styled to Rock, has been experiencing poor ratings in the U.K. Jezzies from across the pond: have you been watching? Is it any good? [Telegraph]
BB Cream. We'd never heard of it, but apparently it is the latest thing (that pushy associates at Sephora are pushing to get you to spend your hard-earned $$$ on). The Gloss gets to the bottom of this beauty product. [The Gloss]
"From very early on in my modelling career it became apparent to me that it wasn't going to be forever, you have a shelf life," says Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. "I wanted to make sure I had some form of security that didn't just depend on my appearance. I wanted to use my brain, explore it in different ways and try new things." Which is why she found...acting in Michael Bay movies. "I see myself as a businesswoman. My work is just that: work. I'm here to work, and I've got this business — I'm very responsible with my career." [Vogue UK]
BCBG signed licensing deals for a new line of hats and outerwear. [WWD]
Speaking of accessories, here's a first look at a handbag designed by Hedi Slimane for Yves Saint Laurent. It's on Gwyneth Paltrow's arm, it's custom, and it's...a grey shoulder bag. [Grazia]
Abercrombie & Fitch and its subsidiary Hollister have faced hard times in recent years. There was a long run of declining sales during the recession, the closure of its Ruehl chain, and continued poor performance even as competitors have thrived. Now, says BusinessWeek, its whole naked-young-people, sex-sells aesthetic may be behind the times:
Today's teens are underwhelmed by the half-naked models and blaring, dimly lit stores. They're also less inclined to wear Abercrombie's longtime uniform of pricey denim and graphic T-shirts.
During the first six months of 2012, net profit at Hermès rose year-on-year by 15%, to $434.9 million. The company also noted that if you adjust for the gross capital gain of $41.4 million that came from last year's sale of its stake in Jean Paul Gaultier, its net profit would have risen by 28%. Hermès has raised its guidance for the rest of the year. No mention was made of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy or its ongoing attempt at a hostile takeover. [WWD]