Beauty Marks

HAIR

• Brooklyn Decker has chopped ten inches off her hair.

• Katie Holmes's short film for John Frieda's precision foam hair colors is now online.

• Hairstylist Tyson Cutler has launched a new hair "putty" that provides texture without the weight of gel. It's titled Fatboy.

FRAGRANCE

• Photos of Chanel Iman's first ad for DKNY's Be Delicious fragrance have debuted.

MAKEUP

• YSL has a new line of six eye shadows, the Pure Chromatics collection, that are made with water for an easier, thicker application.

SKIN

• Estée Lauder has signed a deal with Unigen Inc., which means Unigen-developed natural cosmetics ingredients will start appearing in Clinique products.

NAILS

• There will be five new shades added to the OPI Shatter line of crackly nail polishes. Two have been designed by Serena Williams in colors inspired by the French Open, and three more come in blue hues – mid-blue, navy, and turquoise.

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana Accused of Fraud, May Face Imprisonment

Have you done your taxes yet? Or do you, like many people (and um, us), jumble all that “Important: Tax Documents Enclosed” mail into a dusty pile until you get tired of your dad bugging you about it? Or, better yet, do you just decide to recycle that mail as cocktail coasters and then toss it gleefully in the trash, since the IRS must have much more important things to do than chase after your piddling salary?

Well, if you fall into the latter camp, you are in very fashionable company, save one detail: Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s salaries are not quite so piddling, and they have been under investigation since 2008 for tax fraud (this is Italy, after all; these things take awhile) and were indicted in November for failing to pay taxes on more than $1 billion in income. It appears now that they may stand trial for criminal charges.

Tax-evasion cases for designers take place all the time, because paperwork is a bother and decidedly unglamorous. It's particularly rampant in Italy, the Times notes, "where tax evasion is regarded by many people, including some in the fashion world, as a national sport." However, this case is a little more serious than most because it appears that Dolce and Gabbana went to great lengths to defraud the tax system on purpose rather than simply being too caught up in their fabulousness to check their numbers. The Times reports:

What sets this case apart is that the designers stand accused of fraud. Papers filed by prosecutors in a Milan court allege a “criminal design” to defraud the state. Prosecutors contend that the Italian revenue service was duped out of taxes on the sale of the brands, which they claim were sold well below market value, and on the income from royalties, which were taxed in Luxembourg at a much lower rate than they would have been in Italy. The brands were sold for €360 million, or $508 million — an amount that investigators say was just under a third of their actual value, according to their own calculations.

So basically, Dolce and Gabbana have been accused of setting up a "dummy company" in Luxembourg to dodge taxes, and then not declaring the income they made from that company. Both designers have been charged, as well as three company executives and their tax advisor.

Authorities will determine this Friday if a criminal trial will take place. If it does, the designers could face a maximum sentence of five to seven years in prison.

Loose Threads

• Alexa Chung has been tweeting some details about her forthcoming second collection of clothes for Madewell: There will be a lot of nineties, a lot of seventies, and apparently some patent bubblegum-colored minis.

• Sean Connery is hosting a Scottish fashion gala in New York next month.

• Giovanna Battaglia is breaking down her daily outfits through the end of this week for T Magazine.

• Hedi Slimane shot Abbey Lee Kershaw for the cover and accompanying editorial of Russian Vogue.

• WWD on the outfit Chris Brown wore during his Good Morning America freak-out: "Pants that are too tight around the thunder thighs create too much attention to the crotch."

• Elle’s Anne Slowey recalls a drunken safari trip she took with “a bunch of Hollywood power players” when discussing this season’s trend of tribal prints.

• Former "Page Six" columnist Jared Stern is launching a new site for Urban Daddy about cars, called Driven.

• Jane Pratt's new website, JanePratt.com, will launch in the next two months. There are a few more details about her separate web project with Tavi Gevinson.

• Jessica Stam was shot by Will Davidson for the cover of Russh magazine.

• Calvin Tran, contestant on Bravo’s The Fashion Show: Ultimate Collection, has closed his downtown boutique.

• Hermès leather iPad cases cost more than an actual iPad.

• Brands like Coach, Rebecca Minkoff, Pamela Love, and Swarovski are increasingly diversifying with new and bigger menswear collections.

Baby Zoe is Here!

Following reports this week that the stylist was in labor, the delivery of Zoe's first child, a boy named Skyler, is confirmed. So congrats to Rachel and her wonderfully devoted husband, Rodger, on not only having a healthy 6-pound, 12-ounce little boy, but also for naming him normally. Baby names shouldn't be trends.

Beauty Marks

HAIR

• Here's another platinum-blonde bowl cut, this time on Sasha Pivovarova, who's covering April's issue of Korean Vogue.

• Katie Holmes stars in a short film, The Decision, to advertise John Frieda hair-care products. It will premiere tomorrow on John Frieda's Facebook page.

• The Daily Mail reports that 32 percent of British women under age 30 have graying hair.

• Claire Danes no longer even knows her real hair color, because she's been dying it since she was 13. She considers her current shade of blonde her natural "base color."

MAKEUP

• Here's a video of backstage prep prior to the fall 2011 Chanel show in Paris.

• This CoverGirl video for the brand's new foundation features ANTM's fourteenth champion, Krista White.

FRAGRANCE

• Another shot from Kirsten Dunst's Bulgari fragrance campaign has been released. She's still sharing the frame with a lion.

• And after numerous teasers, previews, and behind-the-scenes clips, the full film campaign (close to three and a half minutes) for the new Chanel fragrance, Coco Mademoiselle, starring Keira Knightley, is out.

SKIN

• Jane Keltner de Valle, the fashion news director at Teen Vogue explains her self-described simple skin-care routine.

• A new skin-care lotion from Sulwhasoo, Snowise Whitening Fluid, contains rhubarb extract, rich in gallic acid, which minimizes skin pigmentation.

Mario Testino Shot Anna Wintour for the Cover of WSJ. Magazine

It's unsurprising that Testino, who regularly shoots Vogue's covers, would be chosen to photograph her. It's also unsurprising that she's wearing sunglasses.

The ‘Bloggers Walk’ at Paris Fashion Week ‘Is Now Completely Out of Control’

Dressing for fashion shows has practically become a farce since the rise of street style photographers. Editors and fashion people angling for their own little rectangle of real estate on the Sartorialist or Jak & Jil went to the shows in the middle of February wearing sheer skirts and sandals. (Hell, even if you're kind of badly dressed you can get some attention, so hungry are the plentiful photographers with fancy enough cameras to make them look legit.) So it's hard to imagine the fashion crowd shying away from these camera people — but apparently some of them have gotten so famous, they are choosing their own well-being over further exposure. Astute Business of Fashion editor Imran Amed has seen things on the front lines of Paris Fashion Week.

But the rapid rise of street photography also has a darker side. The ‘bloggers walk’ in the Jardin des Tuileries, site of many major Paris shows, is now completely out of control. Indeed, it’s become increasingly difficult to tell the difference between the aggressive paparazzi who stalk Hollywood celebrities outside bars and clubs and a few of the bad apples amongst the hordes of photographers that accost editors as they come in and out of shows.

Several street style bloggers told me confidentially that the competition is extremely fierce for getting the best photographs, which can then be sold on to global editions of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar each for as little as $200, but up to $1000 or more.

Amed offers some advice to this scary new breed of street style photographer, like that they treat the women they want to photograph "with a bit of respect" rather than "chasing them around, getting in their way, and coaxing them to come out of their cars." We didn't see anyone who didn't look like they wanted their picture taken in New York. Even when people are in a rush to go somewhere they're happy to stop, strip down to their T-shirt and metal chain harness in 28-degree weather and hang out for a few minutes while people take their picture.

Loose Threads

• Catherine Malandrino’s twelve-piece line in collaboration with Lacoste will be in stores next month.

• Jason Wu showed his fall collection at an event in Washington, D.C., over the weekend, and one attendee bought 41 pieces — basically the whole collection.

• Hedi Slimane’s PR representatives are claiming that a recent interview in the Guardian was deliberately misleading and have reiterated that Slimane would not be opposed to heading a luxury house like Dior.

• Alexander Wang’s footwear designs will be sold in half-sizes also, starting with this fall’s collection.

• The director of a new film about famed Vogue photographer Guy Bourdin says working with him on shoots was probably like having good sex: "A lot of foreplay, mucking around, games, teasing, hard work and then, usually very late at night, a miracle."

• Swatch will open a store on Fifth Avenue, between 52nd Street and 53rd Street.

• Vanity Fair contributing editor Punch Hutton is launching a fashion line.

• Lance Lin has been named the new fashion editor of GQ. Previously, he was the public relations director for Polo Ralph Lauren’s menswear label.

• H&M is moving its Japanese headquarters back to Tokyo, after temporarily relocating to Osaka.

• Irina Lazareanu performed at SXSW last week with her band, Operation Juliet.

• Frida Giannini will be designing Gucci riding wear for Australian show jumper Edwina Alexander to wear at competitions.

• Here is a slideshow of British designers featured in the London Show Room event currently in New York.

International Mussel Pots in the Village

Looks like we’re going to make it after all.

Spring’s here. The weather’s cooperating. And as sundresses descend upon our fair city, you may feel certain ingrained seasonal urges kick in.

First and foremost: getting your hands on some oceany delicacies.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t your first urge, but still, mussels...

Introducing The Mussel Pot, a seafood spot that’s serving internationally intriguing PEI mollusks by the pound, opening next week.

Approach this as if it were the United Nations of bivalves. A breezy, beachy, blond wood enclave with 22 varieties of globally aware mussels (the sweet chili-sauced Malaysian, the codfish and bacon São Paulo) that are each paired with a regional housemade bread for authenticity. And superior sopping.

You’ll want to make waves for this Greenwich Village sandbar during those few precious hours of spring twilight. Forgo the sidewalk seating. Walk briskly past the interior brown leather-bound banquettes. And head straight out the back door, where you’ll find a waiting two-top that’s enveloped in a rock wall garden and adjacent to a cascading waterfall.

It’s here, with the waning sun at your back and a pond of koi fish at your feet, that you’ll separate mussel from shell, making sure at some point along the way to order up a silver pot’s worth of the lobster fondue, pancetta and black truffle Chef’s Best.

It’s about time fondue and mussels collaborated.

Beauty Marks

HAIR

• Hailey Clauson models a pale pink beehive do in a T Magazine editorial.

• Karl Lagerfeld is designing a three-story pop-up salon, café, and shop in partnership with Schwarzkopf. The pop-up will open in Düsseldorf later this year before moving to Milan and Paris.

MAKEUP

• Watch Kate Moss's full 90-second ad for Dior Addict lipstick, directed by Jonas Akerlund.

SKIN

• Emma Watson is the new face and brand ambassador of Lancôme. Mario Testino will shoot her first ad campaign.

• Julia Restoin-Roitfeld gives a rundown of her top skin-care, hair, and makeup products.

• Osmotics Cosmoceuticals has developed a new line of products tailored to sensitive skin, from sunscreens to cleansers.

PLASTIC SURGERY

• Fourteen-year-old Chloë Moretz is already sure she'll get plastic surgery at some point. But she's still scared of needles.

Japan Fashion Week Canceled

Prior to organizers officially canceling Japan Fashion Week, which was scheduled for next week, many labels had canceled or indefinitely postponed their shows. With the devastating tsunami having hit just four days ago, the news is expected.

Retail and beauty companies' stocks are tanking with the market, which was down 10.6 percent yesterday. Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing's stock dipped 17.5 percent, and Shiseido was down 9.18 percent.

Retail business has been crippled, also as expected. With rolling blackouts implemented in Tokyo to deal with the power shortage, many retailers are closing early and dimming lights, while some are telling employees to stay home due to the disruption of public transit. And of course fewer people are out shopping.

Loose Threads

• Lady Gaga announced that sales of her “We Pray for Japan” wristband have so far raised $250,000 to support relief efforts in Japan.

• Uniqlo, Theory, and Comptoir des Cotonniers stores will soon be accepting clothing donations in aid of victims of the Japanese earthquake/tsunami disaster.

• The latest issue of ESPN magazine is devoted to style and sports stars’ fashions.

• Barneys new CEO, Mark Lee, may scrap the Barneys Warehouse Sale.

• Members of the Puesch family, who own Hermès, disagree on how to protect the brand from an LVMH takeover bid.

• André Leon Talley called out a guest taking notes on her phone during a talk he gave with Manolo Blahnik at the W Hotel in London last night. When she explained she was taking notes the modern way, he responded, “Darling, we are not of the modern world.”

• See a video of Crystal Renn dancing with a Chanel surfboard.

• Isabel Marant’s fall 2011 collection is available for pre-order on Lauren Santo Domingo's new members-only online trunk show site, Moda Operandi.

• Adidas launches a print and video spring ad campaign tomorrow that includes David Beckham, Derrick Rose, and Katy Perry. The brand claims it is their biggest marketing campaign ever.

• Kate Moss filmed a video for the annual British “Comic Relief” charity event. In the vid, she gets drunk and seduces a teddy bear before going a little Fatal Attraction.

• Project Runway winner Seth Aaron Henderson presented his first post-show collection at ... L.A. Fashion Week!

• Naomi Campbell will open a weeklong designer clothing pop-up shop featuring outfits from her Fashion for Relief runway shows in London’s Westfield shopping mall. Profits from sales in-store will benefit the Prince’s Trust charity.

• Shopbob has branched out into bridalwear, currently offering twenty wedding gowns and 24 bridesmaids dresses.

• Stella McCartney and model Lily Cole are among celebrities who have signed a pledge to help pay legal fees and fines incurred by students currently protesting tuition fee increases in England.

• Footwear brand Jack Rogers opens a store on Madison Avenue today.

• Diane Von Furstenberg has produced a T-shirt, tote, and compilation vinyl album (featuring music by Madonna, Karen Elson, Janelle Monae, and more) to benefit Vital Voices, an organization dedicated to supporting women worldwide.

Good Luck Getting Prada’s Flatforms

If you've been looking to spend $795 on oxfords with a thick striped sole, and also enjoy the feeling of getting to the teacups at Disneyland and seeing the wait is 90 minutes, you're in luck! Because Prada's Creepers — what the Über-hip call flatforms, and what the Post call Frankenshoes — sold out at every Manhattan Prada store last month. We called the Soho Prada store today and were told shoppers can wait-list for the tobacco color, but plenty of the black ones are available. Apparently people have been signing up for the shoes since February.

Saks Fifth Avenue Pulled John Galliano’s Men’s Collection From the Floor

As the main underwriter of John Galliano's namesake label, Christian Dior has said it would continue supporting the line for now — but that is not a guarantee of the label's survival in the wake of his firing from Dior. The label wasn't a big moneymaker to begin with, and the scandal doesn't seem to be helping. A Saks spokesperson tells "Page Six" that while the store will continue selling Dior, "John Galliano's men's collection, of which we had a small presentation, is no longer on the floor of our New York store."

The general manager of the Saks flagship had previously spoken to the website dot429 about whether or not she'd continue to stock Galliano's clothes: "We have values like I hope everyone else has. What happened was not right, and we would not want to carry his merchandise in honor of our customers and my employees that work in the store."

The question remains of whether customers will want to buy clothing bearing the name of a disgraced man. Plenty of fashion people may be hoping for Galliano's return, and his clothes may still be the bee's knees in the hearts of plenty of editors, but a designer has to be able to sell things

Beauty Marks

MAKEUP
• Model Constance Jablonski wears bold red eye shadow and lipstick on the cover of April's German Vogue. She's also styled in a look from the Alexander McQueen spring 2011 collection.

HAIR
• "Eyebrow sculpting" is proving to be a treatment increasingly popular with men. But this service doesn't shape guys' brows, it grooms them.

COSMETIC SURGERY
• In an interview in this month's Elle, Amanda Seyfried says she's already been told to get Botox. (She understands why, too.)

SKIN
• A restaurant in London is serving collagen-infused food, like a collagen Goji berry sorbet.

• Style.com's Celia Ellenberg returns from Paris Fashion Week with a selection of the best French skin-care products.

• Ines de la Fressange on her nighttime skin-care routine: "I apply Dior nail cream and Revitalift from L'Oréal. This is a religion."

HOW-TO
• Artist Paige Thompson explains how she creates her animal lipstick art — although she actually uses face paints.

Kanye West Allegedly Not Invited to the Louis Vuitton Show, Turned Away From Balmain

If you were having a birthday party, or getting married, or having some other big event to celebrate yourself and enjoy some limelight, and Kanye West showed up randomly, uninvited, to get his picture taken and cause a scene, would you let him in? Apparently a few fashion labels had to answer that question this Paris Fashion Week when Kanye did just that at their shows. Balmain was one target, a KCD rep for the show tells "Page Six":

"Mr. West requested to attend and we let him know we would not be able to accommodate him. He chose to come to the door anyway and we kindly let him know we could not accommodate him."

He also dared to try his luck at an even hotter ticket: Alexander McQueen.

"He did not make a request to attend, but he came uninvited," said the rep for KCD, which also ran the McQueen show. West was eventually let in through a side entrance by "venue management, not through the front door," snipped the rep.

He also reportedly wasn't invited to the Louis Vuitton show, despite having had some involvement with making a few pairs of shoes for them, though the KCD rep swears he's still "a great friend" of the label. "Several designers chose to have smaller shows this season and therefore chose to not invite celebs in order to accommodate press and buyers," the rep added. Of course they don't feel like dealing with him this season. With John Galliano's firing, Christophe Decarnin's absence, and all the other stressful things that came up this season, the last thing fashion-show organizers needed to deal with were celebrities like Kanye, who think they can blaze right in with their entourages and their egos and their needs. Well, what about the actual industry's needs? What about the actual industry's egos? They don't fit into these joints as it is.

The Guy John Galliano Got in a Fight With at That Bar Doesn’t Think He’s an Anti-Semite, Just ‘Very Ill’

The fashion industry is on John Galliano's side, a team that seems to get bigger by the day. Its latest member is the guy who accused Galliano of slinging nasty racist insults at him and his girlfriend. Seems he's not that mad. "For me it was a simple bar dispute," Philipe Virgitti explains.

"We were having a beer when he sat beside us. He got aggressive, turned to my friend and said 'Your voice is annoying me, you're speaking too loudly'."

Asked if he had used anti-Semitic language, Virgitti answered, "Yes, although I'm not convinced now that he really meant them. I don't think he is racist or anti-Semitic. I just think he's very ill."

This is great news for Galliano's legal team, who have to prove he's not a racist in the trial brought against him by this bar fight. Really, what Virgitti wants is not for Galliano to go to jail or pay a fine — but to make pretty clothes again!
"John Galliano does not deserve this," Virgitti added, the Times reports. "I would like Mr Galliano to benefit from this unhappy story by drinking a little less and getting back to making the dresses and shows that he did so well."

The way things are going it seems like he will get to do that.

Loose Threads

• Matthew Williamson will design a capsule collection of 30 pieces for Macy’s — it will launch on April 13.

• The AAFA will award William Rast “Brand of the Year” at this year’s American Image Awards.

• The Yohji Yamamoto exhibit opens at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London tomorrow.

• Handbag designer Olympia Le-Tan had all fourteen samples of her new collection stolen from a preview party at Hotel Crillon in Paris.

• Kate Middleton’s weight has become a popular point of discussion.

• The latest lawsuit against American Apparel’s Dov Charney has been temporarily halted by the case’s judge.

• Amanda Seyfried is wearing Chanel on the cover of British Marie Claire.

• Both Bernard Arnault and Francois Pinault made the 2011 Forbes Rich List.

• Only six weeks after giving birth, Doutzen Kroes is back to work.

• The U.S. is importing more textiles and apparel than ever — the equivalent of 4.4 billion square meters of fabrics in January 2011 alone.

Rihanna Goes Jessica Rabbit for Her First Vogue Cover

Gisele covered Vogue's annual April "Shape" issue last year, showing off her naked baby and post-birth body, the shape of which was — go figure — much unchanged from her prepregnancy figure. Rihanna covers this year's issue, and an image of the event has leaked. Her headline: "On Fame, Family & How She Really Feels About Her Curves." How she really feels? Do her curves get in fights with her and finish the last cup of cereal in the box without saying anything, but then take her to the movies to make up for it?

The 13 Laws To A Happy NYC Life

Ah, New York. The City that Never Sleeps. But in this town it can
feel like you are living among some devils sometimes… and
guess what... you are.

While New York has been good to me both personally and
professionally, I realize that I am fortunate. This city can
chew you up and beat you down. I've seen too many people
show up with big eyes and big dreams only to run back to
their hometown with their tail between their legs 6 months
later with nothing to show for it but an empty bank account
and a broken soul.

But this isn't even the worst of it. There is some serious
fucking partying going on in this town (winning?) and hey -
it's a lot of fun. So much fun that it's easy to get sucked in…
and before you know it you could find yourself at 50 years
old still snapping cell phone pics of the sunrise from a
stranger's house in a luxury penthouse on wall street on a random Tuesday morn.
You can't make this shit up.
So, for all of you newbies… and my fellow veterans as well…
I wanted to throw down a few ideas that might help ya keep
your head on straight and heart in a happy place as you
navigate the conveyor belt of life that is being in your 20's
or 30's in NYC.
Disclaimer: I'm no "expert" and have certainly made my
share of mistakes myself (ok, I've made a shit ton). But I do
consider myself fortunate that after 6 years of this shizz I've
found myself better off than where I started both personally
and professionally… so if a jackass like me can progress
following these rules than YOU should be able to do even
BETTER :)
Let's get right into it…
"The 13 Laws To A Happy NYC Life"
1. You Will Be Happiest Going Out 1-2 Nights A Week

I used to feel that I NEEDED to go out 3-4 nights a week just
to keep in touch with my friends, the scene, blah blah blah.
Some weeks I'd go out 6.
But I'd always find myself happiest when I went out 2.
When you go out too much, it becomes routine. Boring.
But when you only go out 1-2 nights a week, you are fucking
EXCITED about those 2 nights a week. And you have a WHOLE
LOT more fun.
Try it.

2. Conquer Your F.O.M.O.

F.O.M.O. Fear Of Missing Out. A disease that can ruin your
LIFE (seriously), but easily conquerable if you think it through.

Here's the deal:

LA has a LOT going on.
There is a new club opening weekly, and every club has 3-4
"grand openings". There are awards parties, maxim parties,
fake album release parties, and it seems like every day it's a
different friends' birthday.
It is sooo fucking easy to get dragged away from real life into
nightlife and this holds true EVERY freaking night.

But the upside to this?
There Will ALWAYS Be Another Party.

I don't care how good the party is you are considering missing.
Hottest promoters in town opening a brand new club? They will
do the same exact thing next month. Jay-Z's concert after part party?
Zac Posen's Fashion Week party is the next week. Friend's birthday party?
Heck, they'll probably have 3 or 4!
This isn't Tulsa, Oklahoma. In LA you should NEVER sweat
missing a party, because there will ALWAYS be another just
as good.

3. Thou Shalt Workout 3X+ A Week

If you are reading this, you are probably a young, sexy mofo.
In your prime, or close to it.
And guess what?
Your clock is ticking.
You will NEVER ever ever again in YOUR LIFE have the chance
to look this sexy EVER again! The time to take care of your body
and look your best is not next year, not when you hit 30 or 40
and your body stops metabolizing… it is RIGHT FUCKING NOW.
So eat right, hit the gym and TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR PRIME.
Getting in the best shape you can now also keeps you looking
sexier LONGER… so when you are old and gray you'll have a
big advantage over the fools who waited to start.
Do it.

4. Limit "Serious Raging" To 3x a Year

Remember how we just talked about being "in your prime"?

Well I personally feel that your "prime time" is also the time in
your life when you should RAGE!
But only on special occasions, and certainly not every night.
If you find yourself poppin' Mollie's and racking lines on random
club nights out, my friend, I don't need to tell you that is not good.
It's no secret this beats THE SHIT outta your body (probably
more than we like to admit)… and even though we are young…
it takes some time to recover.
If you do feel the need to rage, limit your raging to a maximum
of 3 times a year, and schedule it out.

New Year's Eve, your birthday, 4th of July. Maybe even NASCAR.
I tell myself to make sure it's something special, because I only
get 3 times.
Try it out.

5. Do Not Douche

So you've finally kind of "made it" in NYC… and you're either a
connected-enough guy or a hot enough/connected-enough
girl that you're partying with celebs, flying private, or you've
got yourself a new Benz (or got someone to buy you one).
And now, you want to show all of your friends from back home.
Well please, for the love of God and your NYC reputation, send
them a personal email with these pics of you doing this instead
of throwing them all over your Facebook… because to your fellow
NYC folk who are at the same parties and on the same plane and
doing the same shit… you look like a megadouche.
Consider yourself fortunate for being able to do this fun stuff,
and be humble.
I think you'll find it feels even BETTER.

6. Advance Yourself In Things You Love

Hey, remember those 5 nights a week I suggested you don't go
out?
I know what you were thinking… "What the fuck am I supposed
to do now?"

It's easy - advance yourself in something you like.

Take a dancing class, go down to Blick and teach yourself to
paint (it can't be that hard!), buy a recipe book and learn to
cook something amazing, or go to Borders and buy a non-
fiction book on something that interests you.
You can still have your American Idol night, but make at least
one "Advancement Night" for yourself each week and you'll
have a happier soul.

6. For The Ladies - Do Not Star-Fuck/Gold-Dig/Climb-Fuck

So you're from Idaho and the guy from XYZ show wants to bang
you. You've seen him on TV and I know it's exciting but DON'T
DO IT.

Because guess what? That super rich guy who just dropped 50K
at the table next to you also wants to bang you. I know if you do
you might get to ride on the jet and get taken shopping on
Rodeo but I STILL suggest YOU DON'T DO IT.
Because guess what? That model broker from Ford that will get you a modeling contract and into all of the hottest parties and events ALSO wants to bang you.
DON'T DO IT.
Why not?
Well, because word gets around.
Yeah, you could probably get away with banging one of these guys
and not get labeled as Star-Fucker/Gold-Digger/Climb-Fucker…
but you never know. But here's something I DO know…
One of these days you're gonna get a little sick of the party scene,
and decide you want to meet a good guy to have as your boyfriend.
But unfortunately, no good guy wants to date seriously a present or
former Star-Fucker/Gold-Digger/Climb-Fucker.
Yeah, the good guy might bang you also. But think about what you
really want.
**NOTE: I know a few rich guys, famous guys, and real, legit model brokers
who are truly awesome dudes. But I don't feel you should have sex
with any of them for the wrong reasons either.

7. For The Guys - Do Not Drug-Fuck

So, you heard if you carry around a bag of blow and a bunch of E
you'll have a better chance of getting some action in this crazy
fucked up town.
Well sadly, you might be right.
But you, senor, may also want to settle down someday… and guess
what… word gets around.
No girl wants to seriously date the "drug fucker guy"… but more
than that… giving people - especially young girls - drugs is fucking
DANGEROUS… to them and to you.
I know of a few lives that have been ruined this way, which is sad,
because a guy can get just as much action without this crutch, and
(obviously) higher quality girls.

8. Get The Fuck Outta Town

I think everyone hits a point living here where it just becomes OLD.
The same people, same places that were fun weeks ago now want
to make you barf.
Take a trip outta down. Doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.
Head down to Atlantic City or the Hamptons.
And do this AT LEAST once a month.
It'll clear your head out, and make NYC fun again.
Trust.

9. Do Not "Bigger, Better"

So you've been here 6 months and you are now SUPER dialed in.
Every night of the week people are hitting you up with fun things
to do.
Well don't insult them by saying, "I'll try" when you are really just
waiting for something better to come along.
Those who do this are painfully obvious, and this gets old REAL
fast.
Sure, you'll keep getting invites to stuff from club promoters and
cheeseballs, but nothing scares off your REAL friends and QUALITY
people than someone who constantly "Bigger, Betters".

10. Do Not Flake

'nuff said. If you want to repel the good folks from your life this is
the best way to do it.

11. Find Non-Party Activities That You Enjoy

It sounds silly… but I remember a 3 month period of my life when
I was partying so hard every Friday and Saturday night that my
beautiful New York City weekend days were spent IN BED.

Sad, but true.
These days I go for a hike and I look back on that period as
pathetic… because it was.
We live by the THE BEST CULTURAL SITES IN THE WORLD! We have canyons to hike and museums to see and you can play sports and ride a bike and surf and skate and
go wine tasting and food tasting and who doesn't LOVE tearing up
a mall?
Sure, party all night once in awhile. But sometimes when you have
the day off the next day it's a great reason to go to bed EARLY so
you get up early and make it YOURS.

12. Keep Your Real Friends & Family Close

When you move to New York City you're going be doing some big city
shit that your hometown homies aren't into… and heck… probably
wouldn't even believe.

But even though they are back home married with kids or whatever,
make sure to keep 'em in your life.
Same goes for your folks.
A phone call or Facebook message is all it takes to stay connected
with the people who loved you pre-NYC and will keep loving you no
matter what.

Make sure they know you still love them back.

13. Get To Know Your "High-Five" Friends

"OMG, NYC is filled with douchebags and sluts and scumbags and
uggggh!"
But how do you know this?

Because YOU are here to see them!
And you're not that bad, right?
And that's the true beauty of New York. Because while we have
our fair share of rodents and scum… we have MORE than our fair
share of GREAT PEEPS.
I think it's safe to say that Angelenos are some of the best people
IN THE WORLD.
Take advantage of this, and make some real friends.
Meet that person you rage at the tables with out for lunch.
Go to the same yoga class every single week.
Or the same dog park.

Who knows… you might just meet your new best friend… or the
love of your life.

And maybe… just maybe… you'll realize the *other* love of your
life will always be…
The City Of NYC.

Beauty Marks

HAIR

• Kate Winslet covers the April issue of British Vogue with a drastic new platinum-blonde hairdo.

FRAGRANCE

• Marc Jacobs is releasing a capsule collection of fragrances next month, the Splash Cocktail Collection. The three scents are cranberry, ginger, and curaçao.

SKIN

• In celebration of International Women's Day, L'Occitane is selling a limited-edition soap made by their female-staffed shea butter cooperative in Burkina Faso. All proceeds from sales will benefit Burkinabe women.

• Model Melissa Tammerijn shares the beauty products she uses to keep sensitive skin in good condition. She also recommends oatmeal baths.

MAKEUP

• To promote the upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean 4 movie, Disney has partnered with cosmetics brand Duwop on a makeup range. The line is called Isla Sirena.

NAILS

• A salon in California is offering a snakeskin pedicure, with pieces of custom-cut snakeskin placed between two layers of long-lasting nail gel.

Sarah Burton Wins Raves for Her Second Alexander McQueen Collection

The house of Alexander McQueen will have a harder time convincing the world they are not designing Kate Middleton's wedding dress, as rumored, now that the fall 2011 collection has walked in Paris. The closing dresses were quite white and quite frothy and quite stunning. "Kate Middleton, I love you but if you don't have Sarah Burton design your wedding dress, you're making a big mistake. HUGE," Elle creative director Joe Zee tweeted from the show. Shown in famous Parisian prison La Conciergerie, the runway collection was only Burton's second since succeeding McQueen after his suicide a little more than a year ago. The black harness worn by one model hinted at the late designer's signature sadistic edge. Burton opened with wool suits, accented with zippers and pleats, but then out came the gowns. Christina Binkley writes for The Wall Street Journal:

As though building to a denouement, the looks became more theatrical until there was no denying that there really is alot of Mr. McQueen’s DNA left in the brand ….or perhaps there was always a lot of Ms. Burton’s in it?

She concludes:
It’s worth taking a moment to give a nod to the executive team at Gucci Group and the Alexander McQueen brand. It was they, after all, who had the foresight to put Ms. Burton in the job when bigger names were being floated.

Burton's success in her new role — not just designing clothes but replacing he who cannot be replaced — is significant in a time when Christian Dior, one of fashion's biggest label's, searches for a new head designer. When today's show ended, Binkley reports, "the room erupted in cheers."

Derek Lam Is Working on His Own Diffusion Line Separate From eBay

Derek Lam's diffusion line for eBay has been a convenient way for the designer to reel in potential clientele for a forthcoming lower-priced line under his own label, it turns out. The sixteen-piece Derek Lam for eBay collection was shown last month during New York Fashion Week and has now been narrowed down to five dresses based on votes from eBay customers. The slick part? Part of the voting process asked eBay users to give their e-mail addresses so that they could be notified when the dresses go on sale, and Lam might have designs on using the same e-mail list to reach out to potential customers when launching his own diffusion line in a few months.

Reports Women's Wear Daily:
The timing [for the eBay line] was fortuitous, said [Derek Lam CEO Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann], since the designer is launching a diffusion line in the second half of the year. Sample making is under way for that line, and the beauty of the eBay project is that it has already given the company more than 20,000 e-mail addresses of people who follow Lam’s work but may not be able to afford the collection.

Meanwhile, the eBay collection will be available for pre-order starting April 11 and is slated to start delivering on May 10. Prices fall between $175 and $295, far cheaper than the $800 to $2,000 range of Lam's main collection, and hopefully Lam's own diffusion line will follow suit.

Reports Flying on Twitter That Riccardo Tisci Will Replace John Galliano at Christian Dior

Last night former Style.com and current Harper's Bazaar scribe Derek Blasberg tweeted: "I was just told backstage at the @KatyPerry concert (of all places!) that Riccardo Tisci is CONFIRMED at Dior." That tweet, dashed off in the glitter-boob Katy Perry frenzy, remains unconfirmed by Dior but has exploded since it was posted last night. Many other fashion people are tweeting that the Givenchy designer is in at Dior as well, but it's unclear if they're going off Blasberg's tweet or their own information. Tisci is a front-runner in the race to succeed John Galliano, who was fired last week for allegedly making anti-Semitic remarks. However, Style.com tweeted yesterday that "people in Paris are asking, why has the Lanvin team been in tears all day?" — suggesting that Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz got the job. The increasingly feverish rumors will hopefully expedite an announcement from Dior.

Loose Threads

• Haider Ackermann’s backer says she would continue to support and mentor him if he was recruited by another design house. (Ackermann is viewed as a candidate to succeed John Galliano at Christian Dior.)

• Erin Wasson on her capsule collection for Zadig & Voltaire: "I’m not trying to come out with a capsule that’s going to blow anyone’s mind and change the world of fashion. What I’m trying to do is just make clothes that are easy and that have an edge. It’s like designing that piece of clothing that you’ve gone to 15 thrift stores looking for that you could never find — I’m trying to design that one piece."

• Times critic Cathy Horyn likens the red carpet outside Paris Fashion Week shows to a walk of shame. She doesn’t like being asked questions.

• In the Jean-Charles de Castelbajac front row: Katy Perry, with blue hair and a fan.

• Luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, and Gucci are joining China’s Twitter equivalent, Weibo.

• To celebrate a decade in business, Marc by Marc Jacobs is releasing a capsule collection of dresses in prints and styles from the label’s ten-year archive.

• Brad Goreski started a blog and called it ... Brad's Blog. He writes about styling for Details and InStyle.

• Topshop will open in Canada, starting in Toronto, then Vancouver and Montreal. "In three to five years, we could have as many as 30 to 50, with probably the majority being shop-in-shops," a store executive says.

• Pilar Guzman is the new and fourth-ever editor-in-chief of Martha Stewart Living.

• Before walking the Givenchy show in Paris, Natalia Vodianova ran a half-marathon to support the Naked Heart Foundation.

• Refinery 29 compiled a dossier of fashion catchphrases.

• Amanda Seyfried covers this month’s Elle.

Is the Slow Death of the Skinny Jean Responsible for Urban Outfitters’ Losses?

Yesterday, Urban Outfitters' stock tumbled 17 percent following disappointing earnings reports for the second quarter in a row. Analysts wonder if part of the problem is that shoppers are tired of skinny jeans — which are on the way out anyway — and that it's unclear what's on the way IN to replace them. One analyst, Jennifer Black, accused Urban of lacking "a clear point of view."

"It used to be you'd walk into Urban Outfitters and it was all about the dress or it was all about military," Black said. "Now I don't know what it stands for. I just see a lot of stuff that's unflattering."

It's hard to feel too concerned about them when American Apparel is still standing.

LVMH Bought Bulgari for $2.6 Billion

The family-owned luxury brand Bulgari SpA announced last night that they had agreed to sell their 50.4 percent stake to LVMH for 1.86 billion euros, or about $2.6 billion. As part of the deal, the Bulgari family will retain a strong leadership presence in the company: They will be allotted two spots on the LVMH board of directors, and Paolo and Nicola Bulgari (formerly the chairman and vice-chairman of the company respectively) will remain chairman and vice-chairman of the Bulgari board. Meanwhile, Bulgari CEO Francesco Trapani will join the executive committee of LVMH and take over the group's watch and jewelry division, replacing Philippe Pascal, who "will be given new responsibilities within the group," according to LVMH. In his announcement about the merger last night, Bernard Arnault stated, "The alliance between my group and the Bulgari family is a perfect combination from all points of view as we share the same culture in terms of respect for identity and roots of the brands, quest for excellence, creativity and innovation."

Loose Threads

• Gisele’s spring 2011 H&M campaign is here.

• Laure de Sade, previously of Isabel Marant, has been named the new designer of See by Chloé, Chloé's lower-priced line.

• After a spat on Twitter with designer/clothing-store owner Dawn Simorangkir, Courtney Love was forced to pay $430,000 in libel charges.

• A luxury line of Ugg shoes and handbags is coming.

• Anna Sui has produced a collection of fifteen dresses in a new partnership with website TheOutnet.com.

• Emmanuelle Alt doesn’t need to go to a hairdresser because she gets her hair cut at fashion shoots.

• New men's retail site Mr. Porter is selling an exclusive collection called Mr. Bathing Ape, which is a collaboration between Tokyo label A Bathing Ape and Japanese label United Arrows.

• At this season’s Comme des Garçons show, Rei Kawakubo reduced the seating — the front row was cut from 80 to 30, the remaining space from 300 to 160.

• Clothing store Zara has taken over the old NBA flagship store on Fifth Avenue for $400 million.

• A columnist at The Guardian responds to a reader's question on whether it’s okay to wear Dior: “Simply, no no no.”

HauteLook Launches a Footwear Site

Members-only e-commerce site HauteLook debuted a spinoff today called Sole Society, which sells only shoes. As part of the sign-up process, Sole Society gives all registrants a short quiz that determines their "Style Bio," as indicated by their answers to multiple-choice questions like, "What's your go-to shoe for the office?" and "What 4 words describe your sense of style?" Based on the results, each member then receives a personalized monthly selection of on-trend shoes that fit their "Style Bio" and are priced at $49.95 a pair. (Though there's no monthly obligation.) The site is also launching with an exclusive line of Italian-inspired shoes, Marco Santi, and plans to add further exclusive collections in the near future.

Beauty Marks

SKIN CARE
• Nivea is celebrating its 100th birthday this year with an ad campaign that features their new spokesperson, Rihanna, who posed nude for the shots.

NAILS
• Lady Gaga's manicurist, Deborah Lippmann, explained how she did the "parasite" nails for the "Born This Way" video.

PLASTIC SURGERY
• Fortunately, "vampire face-lifts" have nothing to do with the Twilight saga. They involve blood platelets being drawn from your arm and injected into the face to stimulate collagen production.

MAKEUP
• Four top makeup artists interviewed at the Makeup Show in Los Angeles share some style and grooming tips.

• Lisa Libreton, beauty manager of the Parisian store Colette, lists some of her favorite products that the shop currently stocks.

HAIR
• The lock of Justin Bieber's hair Ellen DeGeneres listed on eBay (for charity) sold for $40,668.

Look of the Day

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy hosted a dinner to honor South African president Jacob Zuma at the Élysée Palace in Paris last night. She wore a black one-shoulder shift, dangly earrings, and simple black flats, which she spiced up with patterned black lace

Loose Threads

• Steven Klein shot Alessandra Ambrosio and Ashton Kutcher for Brazilian label Colcci's new ad campaign.

• “Pure Threads,” the collaboration between Alberta Ferretti and Emma Watson, is just the beginning in the designer’s plans for collaborations with “sensitive people.”

• Nicola Formichetti styled Orlando Bloom and Charlize Theron for an ad campaign for Uniqlo’s Chino and Cargo collection.

• Elle’s Joe Zee got left off the seating plan at Zac Posen.

• E-commerce site Asos has set up a store on Facebook.

• More on Orlando Bloom: He brought his mom to the Balenciaga show.

• Here are some tea bags with Kate Middleton's face on them.

• Anthropologie has opened a store just for shoes in London.

Chanel Iman Says She’s Gained Thirteen Pounds by Eating ‘Everything From Steak to Mashed Potatoes’

Chanel Iman told Us Weekly yesterday that she "eat[s] to gain ... everything from steak to mashed potatoes; People hate me!" The 20-year-old said that with hard work, she's put on thirteen (completely invisible) pounds. "It's very difficult for me because I'm naturally skinny ... I have to put on a lot of weight and work out to gain muscle. I love curves and being sexy

Loose Threads

• A pregnant Eva Herzigova covers the April issue of British Harper’s Bazaar.

• According to Jezebel's breakdown of the runway stats from New York Fashion Week, 84.8 percent of the models at the collections were white.

• Britney Spears's V magazine cover has leaked. Tagline: "The Bitch Is Back and Better Than Ever."

• Natalie Portman and Michelle Williams have filmed a mock fragrance advertisement as part of an art piece by Francesco Vezzoli. It’ll be on display at the Musem of Contemporary Art’s website.

• Alexander Wang relaunches his website today.

• Anne Hathaway was rumored to be paid $750,000 to wear Tiffany jewelry during her Oscars hosting gig.

• Manolo Blahnik has designed a custom pair of shoes for the new Broadway show Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. On his own experiences with drag, Blahnik said, "I’ve been told I did a mean Sophia Loren in London at a ball in the 1970s.”

• To promote her new line of Longchamp bags, Kate Moss shot a short film, Faraway, in Marrakech.

• Alexa Chung on her British Fashion Award for Style Icon: “It might be premature.”

• Emmy Rossum has collaborated with Elie Tahari on a handbag, called the Emmy, which will hit stores this spring.

• Johnny Weir "doesn't believe in fake fur."

• Tina Turner attended the Giorgio Armani show in Milan yesterday. Her own music played as she arrived.

Beauty Marks

HAIR

• Saskia de Brauw covers both French and Italian Vogue issues this month; on the Italian version, she's wearing shiny makeup and her knuckles appear to be smeared with blood.

• Anne Hathaway's hair colorist, Clairol color director Marie Robinson, talks about how she prepped Anne's hair prior to the show.

SKIN

• Salma Hayek is working on a line of skin, hair, and beauty products. The collection, Nuance, will include products based on recipes by Salma's grandmother and will be sold at CVS stores.

MAKEUP

• The hair and makeup from Lady Gaga's newly released "Born This Way" video, broken down scene by scene.

NAILS

• Here is a roundup of some of the best polishes from this spring's "crackly nails" trend.

• Deborah Lippmann created the blue-gray glitter nails for this season's Narciso Rodriguez show. She explains how to remove the polish successfully, without leaving the gritty glitter residue behind.

HOW-TO

• Here's how to deal with the aftermath of zit poppage.

John Galliano Will Still Show on Sunday

Despite being fired from Christian Dior a few hours ago following accusations of verbal assault, racism, and anti-Semitism, John Galliano has not announced any plans to cancel his eponymous label's show, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. this Sunday in Paris. This morning, a Galliano representative e-mailed media outlets to ask for the names of those planning to attend the show, and told British Vogue that the label was planning to proceed as normal. The rep was not able to confirm if Galliano himself would present the collection.

In Dior's official announcement to the press this morning, the label confirmed that their show will still take place at 2:30 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating that the fashion house and its parent company, LVMH, have wanted Galliano out for some time now, and that the past week's incidents were merely a last straw (or, even more scandalously, a setup). There's also been speculation on Galliano's replacement: Some believe that Bernard Arnault would tap someone from within LVMH's cadre of designers, such as Celine's Phoebe Philo or Louis Vuitton's Marc Jacobs. Givenchy's Riccardo Tisci, Lanvin's Alber Elbaz, and Hedi Slimane are also regarded as front-runners.

Penélope Cruz Is Clutching a Sheep on Elle Japan’s April Cover

Well, technically it's a lamb, but more important: On the spectrum of fashionable animals, how do ovines compare to puppies and cats?