What I Am Loving Right Now

Though it's easy to pile on chunky costume jewelry at night, sometimes I want an accent piece that doesn't dominate. Barcelona-based jewelry line Bandada makes angular, eye-catching sterling silver and gold-plated jewelry that won't overpower the rest of your ensemble. The duo behind the brand started out as graphic designers, and their geometric creations have an arty, sculptural feel. My current favorite is the Cubeoctahedron ring, a modern, multifaceted piece that works for day or night. The baubles come in small and large sizes, so you can wear one alone for an understated look or layer on silver and gold.

Bandada's Cubeoctahedron silver and gold-plated rings, $65 to $110 each at SupermarketHQ.com.

DesigNYC Pairs Pro Bono Designers With Nonprofits

DesigNYC opened its first public showcase last week at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery, after months of working to connect socially conscious design firms with nonprofits and city agencies. The goal? To put design resources where they're needed most: in the public sector.

The team from Tribeca multimedia design firm TODA stood clustered near its presentation, clutching bottles of Brooklyn Brewery Summer Ale and explaining the significance of their pro bono undertaking for Added Value, a Governors Island community garden. With the "adjustments" in the economy, as creative director of visual communication Marcos Chavez put it, TODA had been reevaluating what graphic design meant to the firm, and arrived at the idea that their work should revolve less around slick graphics and more around doing good.

Other community groups and city agencies that stand to benefit from the pilot project's design partnerships include the Bronx River Alliance, Bed-Stuy Farm Share, the LES Ecology Center, and Crown Heights' Nostrand Park.

Paola Antonelli, desigNYC founding committee member and senior curator of MoMA's architecture and design department, elaborated: “Your brain needs to keep working even though you don’t have work," she said. "So we’re thinking, all of these designers and all these architects were out of work, and there were people in need of design ... We believe that design is not only an embellishment, [but] that it’s really something empowering.”

Toward the end of the evening, Ed Schlossberg, another founding committee member and the chairman of ESI Design, gave the desigNYC mission statement a final summary: “So much about design is the will to make something happen, and so much about nonprofit organizations is the will to make things better. We thought that by putting those two together, we would really create an opportunity for everyone to have a better experience. So that’s what we did.”

Why I Love Anna!

Anna Wintour knows that thing Christina Aguilera used to know — what a girl wants — which would be another handbag for no particular reason. She reportedly gave her entire staff the LeSportsac 4115 Tote ($98) as a summer gift, just because.

Villa Pacri

Every once in awhile, something comes along that just makes sense.

For instance: start with a five-story chateau. Add a yachtload of champagne. Insert supermodels. Light the roof on fire. And set it all up in nowhere else but... the Meatpacking District.

Introducing Villa Pacri, the MPD's latest self-contained metropolis of excess, from the Euro hedonists behind Bagatelle.

You'll get in on the ground floor (not your usual point of entry, we know) when the open-air rustic Italian café, dubbed La Gazzetta, opens next Thursday. Here, amongst formica two-tops, wooden chairs and a colorfully tiled floor, you'll take a panini and carafe of red onto the sidewalk patio as you consider the future: La Gazzetta is only the beginning.

In the coming weeks, Villa Pacri will take it to the next level. And by next level, we actually mean the basement, where a DJ lounge will unleash the sort of afternoon debauchery that made Bagatelle famous—think volcanoes of champagne and downpours of burning sparklers on the heads of brunching Dolce & Gabbana minions packing a week's worth of intoxication into a single afternoon.

Then, later this summer, you can expect a white-tableclothed restaurant on the second floor, a private banquet hall on the third and, crowning the whole creation, a rooftop bar where brunch will evolve into an open-air nightclub.

Which will only occasionally be on fire.

Loose Threads

• Blow by Blow, a play about the life of Isabella Blow (not related to the upcoming movie on the fashion icon), will premiere in New York next month.

• Adriana Lima landed the cover of V’s first foreign edition, V Spain.

• Sir Paul Smith on his spring collection: “I was inspired by my time working with Led Zeppelin when I first started my career. There’s a hint of rock, but it’s not a retrospective.” Also, he declines most design collaboration offers because he believes in “doing things that are right, not easy.”

• Lady Gaga made an appearance at midtown strip club HeadQuarters wearing what an onlooker described as "a transparent jumpsuit with a few carefully placed sequins over her nipples and private parts."

• Before his spring Yves Saint Laurent show, Stefano Pilati will screen a short documentary-style film on Los Angeles tattoo artist Mark Mahoney.

• Artist Jenny Holzer, best known for her LED displays, is designing a pair of Keds sneakers in a project to benefit the Whitney.

• Lindsay Lohan is posing nude to promote her handbag line.

• Joe Zee went on a Starbucks run wearing a furry Chanel suit.

• Some footwear retailers are adding insole kiosks to their stores, where customers receive product recommendations after having their feet scanned.

Beauty Marks

FRAGRANCE
• Mariah Carey and Elizabeth Arden are partnering with Bazooka Candy Brands to launch three new perfumes: Honey, Mine Again, and Ribbon. The scents hit department-store shelves in July.

• Thierry Mugler’s latest fragrance, Womanity, contains notes of fig and, um, caviar.

HAIR
• Amika has introduced animal-print and tattooed styling tools to its line of blow-dryers, curlers, and flatirons.

MAKEUP
• Never one to shy away from color, M.I.A. rocked a bright-orange pout and smoky eyes at a Nylon party last night.

• Beauty brands like Revlon and Talika are introducing lash-growing formulas that can be applied with mascara wands.

SKIN
• Bad news for the Jersey Shore cast: Tanning addiction may warrant medical diagnosis.

Revealed in Remarkable Detail: American Apparel’s Beauty Guidelines

Last week, details of American Apparel's strict employee dress code and casting process leaked. Photos of prospective employees were to be taken and carefully scrutinized; forsaken was he or she who wore Uggs or dirty white Keds to work! Today, Gawker posted two memos from management to store managers detailing very specific grooming requirements for employees. In sum: The cast of Jersey Shore need not apply. A bit of the lady guidelines:

a) Makeup is to be kept to a minimal- please take this very seriously. Liquid eyeliner, pencil eyeliner and eyeshadow are advised against; mascara must look very natural (ie. should not be clumpy or a color that does not compliment your skin and haircolor). Blush must not be overdone- should not have glitter or sparkles. Liquid foundation is prohibited (undereye concealer is understandable if it looks natural- ie. not clumpy or caked on, must match your skin tone). Please do not use a shiny gloss on your lips; any lipcolor must be subtle.
b) Eyebrows must not be overplucked. Full eyebrows are very much encouraged. Please do not dye your eyebrows a different color.
c) We encourage long, healthy, natural hair, so please be advised of the following:
-Hair must be kept your natural color.
-Blow-drying hair excessively could cause heat damage, so this is advised against.
-"Bangs" or "fringe" are advised against. It is not part of the direction we're moving in.

And guidelines for dudes:

a) Hair should look natural. Excessive product to the extent of creating stiffness and an unnatural or greasy appearance to your hair is advised against.
b) Eyebrows should be natural. Please do not dye your eyebrows a different color or overpluck them.
c) Males should not wear makeup.
d) Facial hair needs to be kept clean and well groomed. Any mustache or goatee of a contemporary style are advised against.
e) No gauges allowed whatsoever.

Well, if an AA employee does get fired for a beauty "violation," Opening Ceremony is right down the street.

Loose Threads

• Target has come under fire for selling a T-shirt printed with the Spanish flag as it was during Francisco Franco's “reign of terror.”

• Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts made £3.2 million last year after receiving her bonus.

• Later this month, Karl Lagerfeld will act as editor-in-chief of Libération for a day, while in September he'll guest edit an issue of Figaro Madame.

• Abbey Lee appears on the August cover of Japanese Vogue wearing a red flamenco dress.

• Calvin Klein's men’s show will air on a giant LED screen in Milan’s Piazza Duomo on Saturday evening, so the public can get in on the fun, too.

• Designers who show in Paris won't show in the Louvre anymore.

• Justin Timberlake ate at Ralph Lauren’s new restaurant, Ralph’s, in Paris, which is booked solid for months. This sort of thing is less of a problem, of course, if you're Justin Timberlake.

• Sam’s Club is expanding its apparel offerings in order to compete with Wal-Mart.

• Brigitte Bardot has collaborated with Lancel on a handbag made of natural materials.

Beauty Marks

HAIR
• Even professional football players aren’t immune to the shaggy charms of Justin Bieber’s haircut. Tom Brady recently stepped out sporting a Bieber-esque mane. We wonder if Gisele approves.

• A new business called Wigs at Home sends wig stylists to the homes of those who are too anxious to shop for wigs in public.

NAILS
• Serena Williams on her backup plan: “When I was 14, I did my nails twice a day … Like for me, if things don’t work out, I can always go do nails.”

MAKEUP
• Julia Roberts stars in Lancôme’s latest ads for Definicils mascara.

• Smashbox Beauty Cosmetics has named Beth DiNado its global general manager.

SKIN
• Kiehl’s partnered with four young explorers to test its new line of men’s products under extreme conditions. The "Cross Terrain" collection hits stores today.

Loose Threads

• Sonia Rykiel will stage resort and pre-spring presentations in New York this week, marking the first time the label has shown in the U.S.

• Coach CEO Lew Frankfort hinted that the company may collaborate with JCPenney on an accessories line, although the collection would be under a different label.

• Maryna Linchuk will appear in Sofia Coppola’s latest film; she seduces the main character.

• Adriana Lima posed with her husband and daughter for the cover of HOLA! Brazil’s debut issue.

• Jimmy Choo's Tamara Mellon will receive an OBE from the Queen.

• French actress Anna Mouglalis plays Coco Chanel in the designer’s latest biopic, Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky. Mouglalis on Chanel: "She is recognised as a huge feminist, but most of the things she did, she did for herself and not for women in general. I would even push it further, thinking she was more of a misogynist than a feminist, since she only had male friends."

• Franz Ferdinand will perform live at Pringle of Scotland’s spring menswear show.

• Iman’s CFDA award has a new home above the back bar of the Standard Hotel's eighteenth-floor lounge.

• At a cocktail party for the Digital Content NewFront media conference, Doutzen Kroes joked about towering over Jason Bateman, Zach Galifianakis, and Seth Green.

• Teens are sick of surf and skate fashions, thanks in part to the cheaper, more fashionable wares available at H&M, Zara, and Forever 21.

Britain’s Next Top Model Judge Julien MacDonald: ‘If You’re a Size 14 in a Room Full of Size Eights — You’re in the Wrong Room’

Designer Julien MacDonald is a new judge on Britain's Next Top Model, which will soon premiere in the U.K. with Elle Macpherson as its new host. MacDonald is hyping the show by panning plus-size models, proving that not everyone in fashion is keen on curves these days. "There were no plus-size models," he said of the new season. "This is a serious show." Julien, the ex-creative director of Givenchy, added, "You can’t have a plus size girl winning — it makes it a joke."

Tyra Banks, who gave plus-size model Whitney Thompson the grand prize in this country some seasons back, might disagree. However, MacDonald implied that with a new format and Macpherson hosting the show, Britain's Next Top Model is undergoing a high-fashion makeover not unlike that of Banks's U.S. show, which is now sponsored by Italian Vogue.

MacDonald also said of plus-size girls:

“It’s not fair on them — you’re setting them up for a fall — I know what would happen to them afterwards,” she said.

“They are looked down on, they’re frowned upon. A catwalk model is a size six to eight.

“If you’re a size 14 in a room full of size eights — you’re in the wrong room.”

Sounds like his contestants are set to feel really great about themselves!

Plus size girl will never make it as top models, says Julien Macdonald

Beauty Marks

HAIR
• Kim Cattrall traded in her wavy locks for a blunt bob with eyebrow-grazing bangs.

MAKEUP
• Georgia May Jagger sported glossy hot-pink lips, teased hair, and graphic smoky eyes during her photo shoot for her latest Rimmel campaign.

PLASTIC SURGERY
• Don't feel bad if you have a big nose — according to a bizarre new study this makes you healthier, since a huge schnoz inhales 7 percent fewer pollutants. I should know..LOL!

FRAGRANCE
• Avril Lavigne’s new fragrance, Forbidden Rose, will contain notes of “red apple, winepeach, black pepper, lotusflower, heliotrope, shellflower, praline agreement, sandalwood, and vanilla.” But no rose.

• Coach’s newest fragrance, Poppy, will be the brand’s first scent to be sold at department and specialty stores.

A World Without Tom Ford

Last week, three major European houses announced the appointment of new designers. Emanuel Ungaro hired Giles Deacon to replace Lindsay Lohan and Estrella Archs; Alexander McQueen hired Sarah Burton to replace the late Lee Alexander McQueen; and Hermès hired Christophe Lemaire to replace Jean Paul Gaultier, who will focus on his namesake label. Suzy Menkes saw this as a trend that meant "the era of the star designer picked to create buzz and shake up the system in a venerable house is over."

She believes:

The rise of interseason sales and of product diversity is putting into question the role of the designer superstar taking a bow at the end of a twice-yearly catwalk fashion show. Instead, the luxury industry wants to turn down the volume on big names, use a designer as global ambassador and focus on overall brand development.

But Cathy Horyn went out of her way to blog on Memorial Day weekend to disagree with her colleague. She believes the trend of hiring low-key designers isn't necessarily a conscious decision houses are making to stifle the runway's most eccentric walkers, but rather just what's available right now.

You can’t beat the star power and energy of a Tom Ford, the ultimate multitasker, or a Christopher Bailey, who worked for Mr. Ford at Gucci before he went to Burberry, where he has gradually assumed more creative control as the British label has changed. The problem is there are just not enough of such hard-working, all-seeing individuals in the industry. With a number of companies now being run by equity-market managers, you can bet your bottom dollar that they would love to get their hands on an experienced design maestro — if more were available.

Is it true? Have all the best eccentrics gone lazy? Perhaps either emerging designers spend too much time fostering personality quirks in lieu of working hard, or too much time working hard in lieu of fostering personality quirks.

Loose Threads

Show Studio's entire two-hour Q&Q with Lady Gaga is online, in case you missed it. Sample of her wisdom spouting: "I need fashion for my music and music for my fashion."

• Street-style blogger Garance Doré is shooting a campaign for Love Moschino.

• The annual Central Saint Martins B.A. show is tonight in London. Here's a look at some of the school's top graduating design talent this year.

• Model and ex-City star Adam Senn stars in the fall campaign for Australian label Industrie.

• A Facebook group wants Dolly Parton on the cover of French Vogue.

• Shaun White is teaming up with Target on a line of sneakers for men and boys.

• Philip Treacy has re-created some of his most famous hats for a new exhibition opening at the Museum of London.

• Late designer Oleg Cassini is the subject of an upcoming Vanity Fair piece.

• Rumors about Baptiste Giabiconi getting into music persist thanks to a single shot of him holding a guitar.

• British parents now buy an average of seven dresses and five pairs of shoes for their daughters each season, while their sons are given ten new shirts and five pairs of jeans. Retailers are calling this increase in spending "The Suri Cruise Effect."