Fashion News: Sports Illustrated model Kate Upton heads to Vegas

So if you're Kate Upton promoting your Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover, where do you go after launching the magazine in New York? To a beach, maybe? Well, no, you and 17 other models featured in the issue head to the desert. Las Vegas, to be     specific. At least there are some great swimming pools there. But is this photo of her on the plane to Vegas not the cheesiest ever? [Las Vegas Sun]

The choice of Upton for the cover is stirring up more public commentary than the annual swimsuit issue has provoked in years. On the positive side: She marks a return to a more curvaceous, less stick-like model. Negative side: Couldn't SI have sprung the bucks for a bit bigger bikini, some folks are asking. Those asking are probably not SI subscribers -- more likely their wives and girlfriends. The bikini is, as I noted in a previous column, very tiny. [Washington Post] 

We all kind of know that high heels and flip flops aren't really good for us. But neither are flats (they often have too little arch support) or the toner shoes with rocker bottoms that claim to firm leg and butt muscles. Prevention Magazine took all four styles to a high-tech motion analysis laboratory and tested them on real women to see just how bad they are. Surprise! Regular sneakers do a better job than the rocker bottoms at toning leg and butt muscles. And indeed none of these styles -- even flats -- provides optimal walking comfort and all can cause physical problems. [Prevention]

Ellen Olivier over at Society News LA attended a brunch Sunday honoring Les Ballets de Monte Carlo's weekend production of Cinderella at Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and she says the party was abuzz with talk that Prince Albert II and his bride, Princess Charlene, plan to attend this year's Academy Awards. If so, it is believed that it will be the first time a member of Monaco's royal family has attended the Oscars since Albert's mother, Grace Kelly, left Hollywood in 1956 to marry Prince Rainier. [Society News LA]

Twiggy is launching a womenswear line for British retailer Marks & Spencer. The model, one of the super "it girls" of the 1960s, has been the face of the brand since 2005. [Telegraph]

Joe Jonas got the crowd excited when he attended Jeremy Scott's presentation at New York Fashion Week. [The Cut]

You can follow Los Angeles Times Fashion Critic Booth Moore and reporter Adam Tschorn's coverage of New York Fashion Week on our All the Rage blog.  

Miu Miu has come out with the third film in its Woman's Tales series (which Moore wrote about last year) , debuting "The Woman Dress" at a party Tuesday. The plot: Three witches turn a woman into a dress. Why? Don't ask me. I don't get it. And it didn't inspire me to want to buy anything from Miu Miu, either. See what you think.

 

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-- Susan Denley

Photo: Kate Upton en route to Las Vegas. Credit: Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

Banned in Britain: Hailee Steinfeld ad for Prada

See Hailee. See Hailee Steinfeld. See Hailee Steinfeld sitting on a railroad track, dressed in Prada-owned Miu Miu. See Britain's Advertising Standards Authority banning the ad because Steinfeld is only 14 years old and photographed in a "potentially life-threatening situation."

No, it's not a joke.

The star of "True Grit" was photographed by Bruce Weber, a well-known photographer and moviemaker. A Prada Retail UK spokesperson told the Guardian that the ad campaign was  "part of a serious, high-fashion campaign aimed at adult women."

Weber's photographs, the Guardian reported, "were meant to look like the actor had been captured in photographs between takes on the imaginary film."

Several British papers, including the Daily Mail, commented on the fact that it looks as though Steinfeld is crying in the photograph. Prada representatives, the Daily Mail reported, "said Miss Steinfeld was not crying, nor had she been asked to cry or look upset. Rather, they said the ad pictured her with a "wistful and thoughtful face."

"Prada also highlighted the fact that no one was put in any danger because the images, which were shot by top photographer and film maker Bruce Weber, were taken on an abandoned rail track," the newspaper said.

The same board demanded earlier this year that an ad featuring Dakota Fanning with an oversized bottle of Marc Jacobs perfume between her legs be pulled. Fanning is 17.

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-- Alice Short

Photo: Hailee Steinfeld in a shot taken by Bruce Weber for a Prada/Miu Miu ad campaign. Credit: Prada

Your Stylist: An easy 1940s style hair how-to

There was a definite 1940s film noir moment for fall, especially seen in Miu Miu’s ladylike glam collection. Even the hair had subtle winged back victory rolls -- a hairstyle that rings of the decade all on its own. 

It’s a cute twist on the half-up half-down thing and can add a polished and ultra-feminine touch to  a simple dress or wipe the grunge out of a maxi skirt and sweater combo.

“I'm a big fan of modernizing a vintage inspiration!” says celebrity hair stylist Gregory Russell, who coifs the hair of Chloe Moretz, Judy Greer and Elle Macpherson.

In order to keep the style from looking too antiquated or costumey, Russell emphasized the importance of giving the hair a modern texture.”I love how undone the Miu Miu look is. It can be worn daytime or for the evening”

Russell breaks down the look into simple steps:

- Start with rough-dried or air-dried hair. Add dry shampoo throughout the hair for a modern-dry texture.

- Then section out the top half of the hair in front of your ears. Decide where you want your part to be (it looks great a little askew, not too clean and perfect) and divide into two sections.

- Add a matte wax to each section and use your hands to create a disheveled roll of hair on each side. Feel free to create the rolls several times until you are happy with the shape and proportion.  

- Pin with bobby pins and set with Elnett Hairspray.

Easy enough. Remember, anything too poufy and perfect will look literal, which is great, if that’s the look you’re going for.

This hairstyle is a good one for the holidays, particularly with a jeweled brooch or snazzy hair clip tucked behind one of the rolls near the side of the head.

--Melissa Magsaysay

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Photos: Top: a look from Miu Miu fall/winter 2011/Monica Feudi; right: The '40s-style hair at Miu Miu fall/winter 2011/Miu Miu

Miu Miu hosts Hollywood bash

 
Miu Miu brought the spirit of its film noir-themed fall runway collection to the Hollywood Hills on Tuesday night, hosting a blockbuster bash at an extraordinary 1920s-era mansion belonging to photographer Michel Comte.

Gloria Swanson would have been right at home behind the imposing iron gate, climbing the tall staircase leading to the swimming pool, and wandering the shadowy rooms with views of the mean city below.

Miu Miu made the scene even sweeter with the help of Oscar-winning set decorator Martin Childs, who emptied out Comte's belongings, and decorated the place to suggest an abandoned noir film set. The fantasy began with a vintage yellow car in the driveway, and old camera equipment and lights strewn about. The house was filled with period furnishings, including a cocktail bar resembling an ocean liner (where Champagne was served in old school coupes, of course), decorative bell jars displaying flora and fauna, and a stuffed wolf standing menacingly in the foyer. 

You might not have wanted to spend the night here alone, but it was the perfect backdrop for the premiere of the Italian fashion house's latest short film, the noir-ish "Muta," directed by Argentine screenwriter Lucrecia Martel. The film takes place on a spooky, abandoned ocean liner, with bird-legged models flitting about in the latest 1940s-inspired Miu Miu dresses, Mary Jane boots and covetable, glittery cat's eye sunglasses.

(In case you're wondering, because of a production snafu, the Noir sunglasses won't hit stores until September, so guests had to settle for trying them on. And the film, which you can see here? Well, it's certainly more compelling than "Powder Room," the first in the "Miu Miu' Women's Tales" short film series, released in January.) 

Miu Miu's current marquee spokesmodel, Hailee Steinfeld, was wide-eyed taking it all in, while balancing like a pro on 4-inch heels despite her 14 years. She looked adorable, as always, in a blush Miu Miu dress with a jeweled collar. And while she might be too young to be well versed in noir films, she isn't too young to appreciate fashion. "I used to just flip through the fashion magazines," she said. "But now, my friends and I get together and actually read them."

Cat Deeley was also mingling around the enormous fountain outside, along with Ashley Tisdale, Diane Kruger, Emma Roberts, Minnie Mortimer and (in keeping with the creep factor perhaps) Marilyn Manson. 

With all the wonderful scenery and characters, it's a shame the party itself wasn't captured on film. But alas, inside the shuttle bus on the way down the hill to Sunset Boulevard, the scene quickly faded away as talk turned to where to go for dinner, Soho House or Coney Dog.

--Booth Moore

Top photos, left to right: Jaime King, Hailee Steinfeld and Diane Kruger at Miu Miu's noir-themed party. Middle photo: A cigarette girl at the party. Bottom photo: A still from the short film "Muta," directed by Lucrecia Martel. All courtesy of Miu Miu. 

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Morning Fashion and Beauty Report: Justin Bieber breaks sales records. Pippa's bag is back. And Lara Stone strips down to her Calvins.

Helmut Lang, the Austrian-born designer who walked away from fashion in 2005, has shredded his archive, turning 6,000 pieces into fragments used for sculptures that will be on exhibit starting July 22 in a gallery in East Hampton.  [Telegraph]

The Modalu bag Pippa Middleton was spotted carrying the day after the British royal wedding of her sister Kate and Prince William, is going to be available for copycats to buy again. The bag famously sold out after Pippa was seen with hers, but Modalu expects to have it in stock again in August (in black crocodile) with other materials coming online in September, October and November. It's now called the "Pippa," of course! [InStyle]

Calvin Klein's new collection of lingerie and loungewear, Naked Glamour, promises to make women "look even sexier than when naked," and for proof there's curvy model Lara Stone striking a pose in the ad campaign, released this week. [Telegraph]

What is it about Justin Bieber and beauty? The launch last month of his Someday fragrance broke industry sales records, Women's Wear Daily reports. Remember when his One Less Lonely Girl nail polish collection with OPI launched last year and sold out across the U.S.? Remember the stir at Wal-Mart with his unisex My World fragrance line? Remember when teen heartthrobs were just heartthrobs, not beauty moguls? [WWD] (Subscription required.) 

There are parties ... and then there are parties. Miu Miu took over five floors of Shanghai's Park Hyatt Hotel on Thursday night for a glamorous cabaret-themed fashion event. [WWD] (Subscription required.) 

The lawyer for Yves Saint Laurent, which is defending itself in a trademark infringement suit filed by Christian Louboutin because YSL designed some shoes with red soles, says no consumers would have possibly thought the YSLs were Louboutins just because of the red. But Louboutin's lawyer says everyone knows red soles are a hallmark of the brand, "unless you're living in a cave." Back to lawyer No. 1: Louboutin shouldn't have been granted a trademark for red soles, because a designer shouldn't have a monopoly on a color. [The Cut] 

Sephora plans to roll out in-store nail bars with salon services. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

The Council of Fashion Designers of America named the 10 finalists for its Fashion Fund Award this week. They are:

 Antonio Azzuolo
 Joseph Altuzarra, of Altuzarra
 Carlos Campos
 Christopher Peters and Shane Gabier, of Creatures of the Wind
 Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs, of Cushnie et Ochs 
 Soraya Silchenstedt, of Finn Jewelry
 Dana Lorenz, of Fenton/Fallon
 Alexa Adams and Flora Gill, of Ohne Titel  
 Pamela Love
 Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis, of Suno

One winner and two runners-up will be selected from among this group and honored in a ceremony planned for Nov. 14. [The Cut]

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Pippa Middleton, carrying her Modalu bag after the royal wedding festivities.  Credit: Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

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Your Morning Fashion and Beauty Report: Designers recommend California looks for Kate and William's U.S. visit

 

 
-- How fun is this? In preparation for Prince William and Kate (formerly Middleton) Duchess of Cambridge's visit to California in July, Women's Wear Daily asked 14 California designers to come up with appropriate outfits for them. The designers brainstormed everything from Vans shoes and O'Neill board shorts for him; a beach bag (also Vans), gypsy-like Tarina Tarantino jewelry an d elegant Kevan Hall evening dress for her; and Olivier Peoples sunglasses and complete 7 for All Mankind outfits for both of them.

 
I'm pretty sure the only things we can count on them wearing for sure are a polo uniform for him, (when he plays in a charity match at the Santa Barbara Polo Club on July 9) and an elegant evening gown for her that evening, at a black-tie dinner hosted by the British Academy of Film & Television in Los Angeles. Maybe that Kevan Hall dress, left, would be a good choice. A host of locals (such as actor Ryan Reynolds and vintage store owner Cameron Silver) also made recommendations about what the couple should see and do while they're here. [WWD]

-- The much-touted exhibit "The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk" has opened at the Montreal Museum of Art, and it is not a retrospective, the museum says, since the designer is very much alive and thriving. The exhibit includes 130 outfits plus accessories, and includes corsets designed for Madonna's "Blonde Ambition" tour. The faces of those close to Gaultier -- and even his face -- are projected onto the mannequins for a far-from-boring display. The exhibit goes until Oct. 2 in Montreal and then goes to Dallas and on to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, where it is scheduled March 24 to Aug. 19, 2012. [StyleList]

-- Meanwhile, Gucci has brought its 90th anniversary celebration to Japan and is putting on an exhibition in Kyoto. [WWD] (subscription required)

-- Vogue's September issue -- always the biggest of the year -- is to feature supermodel Kate Moss on the cover and an inside spread of her upcoming wedding to rocker Jamie Hince, to be shot by fashion photography star Mario Testino. [Styleite]

-- Recently engaged Kim Kardashian paid a visit to Vera Wang in New York City -- with a camera crew in tow. It seems a pretty good bet that the reality star will be wearing a Vera Wang gown at her wedding. [OK]

-- "True Grit" star Hailee Steinfeld, at age 14 already notable for her just-right red carpet appearances, stars in Miu Miu's fall ad campaign, and -- no surprise -- a shot has leaked out online. She's shown standing near a rural rain track, wind in her hair, dressed in a swallow-print skirt and matching top. [Telegraph]

-- MAC has signed Olympic skater Johnny Weir as the face of its holiday advertising campaign, Glitter and Ice, this year. Seems weird till you consider that the cosmetics giant has previously had Elton John and RuPaul as brand ambassadors. [New York Post]

-- One of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher's Asprey handbags sold for $39,800 at a charity auction Monday night. [WWD]

 -- Susan Denley

Images: Sketches of clothes that would be just right for Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge on their California trip, from top: 7 for All Mankind's casual looks for both; O'Neill's board and walking shorts for the prince; Kevan Hall's off-the-shoulder jersey gown with silk satin-faced organza skirt. Credit: Women's Wear Daily

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Your Morning Fashion and Beauty Report: Gilt Groupe goes Gaga. Hailee Steinfeld fronts for Miu Miu. Anna Wintour speaks up for gay rights.

Vogue's Anna Wintour is the latest New Yorker to participate in the Human Rights Campaign’s “New Yorkers for Marriage Equality” initiative, which supports gay marriage. “As far as I’m concerned, having the right to say ‘I do’ is as fundamental as the right to vote,” Wintour says in a clip now posted on the campaign's website.   The list of notables who've spoken out in support of the initiative includes Marc Jacobs, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Sean Avery, Julianna Margulies, Mario Batali, Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Barbara Bush, Russell Simmons, Joan Rivers, Julianne Moore and Kenneth Cole. [WWD] [The Cut]

Members-only flash sale site Gilt Groupe has teamed with Lady Gaga for some special promotions in advance of the release of her "Born This Way" album Tuesday. Beginning at noon Friday, Gilt.com and GiltCity.com will offer a curated selection of men’s and women’s merchandise by Gaga’s stylist, Mugler fashion director Nicola Formichetti. There will also be tickets to the Mugler fall 2011 fashion show in Paris and VIP access to a Lady Gaga concert in New York City. [WWD]

Middle-aged (or older) women dressing "appropriately" for their ages is the trend of the moment, declares the Telegraph. Case in point: Carole Middleton at her daughter's royal wedding, who looked chic and un-frumpy at an event where "in general the women in their fifties and upwards far outshone the girls." [Telegraph]

Hailee Steinfeld, nominated for an Oscar for "True Grit" and lauded for her on-target fashion sense during all the hoopla that ensued, has landed her first major fashion campaign at age 14: she's to be a new face of Prada's sister brand, Miu Miu. [FabSugar]

Issey Miyake has appointed Yoshiyuki Miyamae as its new women's designer, starting with the spring-summer 2012 season. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

Diana Ross' youngest daughter, Chudney, has opened a Santa Monica store, Books and Cookies, for kids and parents alike. While the children look through books and play, the adults can grab coffee and a bagel. [PopSugar LA]

This sounds like a really good idea: Mine for Nine is a new website that allows pregnant moms to rent maternity clothes. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

--Susan Denley

Photo: Anna Wintour at the American Ballet Theatre Spring Gala in New York on Monday. Credit: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images

Currently Coveting: Miu Miu summer sandals

 
Strappy flat sandals are ubiquitous these days, available at every price point from Target to Christian Louboutin. But the curving, Art Nouveau-meets-glam rock cutouts and acid colors on the Capretto sandals from Miu Miu are something special. (They're surprisingly soft and comfortable, too.)

The sandals, $490 to $595, play a starring role in Miu Miu's spring-summer ad campaign. And now, at last, they are stepping into stores, including the Miu Miu boutique on Rodeo Drive and online at Net-a-porter.com.

-- Booth Moore

Photo: Capretto sandals. Credit: Miu Miu

Online shopping: Miu Miu, Rachel Pally, Cynthia Vincent open e-stores

Lots of new fashion brands have opened e-commerce sites in the last couple of weeks, including MiuMiu.com, where you can a larger selection of shoes, bags, belts, jewelry and apparel than I've seen at any of Miu Miu's bricks-and-mortar boutiques, including the tiny one on Rodeo Drive.  

Two Los Angeles designers have also launched e-shopping businesses. Just in time for summer, Rachel Pally's fluid, jersey maxi-skirts and dresses, jumpsuits and pants are all available in one place at RachelPally.com. (You'll find the plus-size White Label there, too.)

And Cynthia Vincent, who recently opened her first bricks-and-mortar boutique in SoHo, is now open online too. Her flutter-sleeve dresses, wedge gladiator sandals and Navajo print sweaters can be found at Shop.CynthiaVincent.net.

Happy hunting.

-- Booth Moore

Photo: The "Emmyloo" maxi-dress. Credit: Rachel Pally

Paris Fashion Week: At Miu Miu, the girl is ready for her close-up

"I am big! It's the pictures that got smaller!" "Sunset Boulevard" kept running through my head while I was watching the Miu Miu show. So did the image of Joan Crawford in that mink coat in "Mildred Pierce."

I wonder if the starlets in the front row -- Mila Kunis, Hailee Steinfeld, Jennifer Lawrence -- recognized the style references to their distant cousins. The coats with supersize shoulders, and pretty 1940s-style dresses embroidered with delicate flowers or birds. The pencil skirts with flounce details at the hips and vampy suede pumps. The cat's eye sunglasses, fur stoles and barrel curl updos. They were all period pieces.

The total look is probably too costumey for most, but it made me homesick. It was the last show of the month-long runway season, and I was ready to head for the Hollywood Hills. 

-- Booth Moore in Paris

PHOTOS:

Miu Miu fall-winter 2011 runway collection photo gallery

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Photos: Looks from the Miu Miu fall-winter 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.