Having gotten rid of Patrick Robertson, it looks like Gap has given up on the fashion-conscious look the New York Times once proclaimed “either girly and pretty or androgynous in an Oliver Twist goes to a Nirvana concert sort of way”. Bring back the classics we say! If they can’t keep up with trendy J.Crew, why not beat American Apparel at it’s own game? Make us the best T-shirts ever! And so they have.

We haven’t gotten a chance to try out Gap’s new Gap Pure line, but it reminds us a whole lot of the awesome Leslie Fremar for Fruit of the Loom collection (or even our beloved T by Alexander Wang). The cuts seem flattering, the fabric (jersey, pima cotton, and a hint of cashmere) looks soft, and the colors are nice. The price point is also quite lovely  — the tees retail from $24 to $68.

[Gap]

See Really Old Polaroids of Candice Swanepoel, Miranda Kerr, and More [The Cut]

Garance Dore [The Coveteur]

Teen Vogue Editor Amy Astley On Why You Should Keep A Restaurant Job On Your Resume [NYT]

Your Fashion Week PR Company Primer [AdAge]

Could You Edit Your Closet Down To One Rack? Here’s How [Brightest Young Things]

Rachel Zoe Adds Jewelry And Cozy Accessories To Her Growing Brand [FabSugar]

Read the rest of this entry »

Despite what the internet wants you to think, Joan Rivers has not undergone 739 plastic surgery procedures.

As Rivers told Anderson Cooper: “Of course not.” See, look:

[Anderson]

On how she would dress if she were a man:

It’s difficult to answer that because I’m always wearing skirts! But if I had to think about it, I’d probably wear a combination of Tom Ford, some pieces from Riccardo [Tisci for Givenchy], and some very classic pieces from Hermès. And oh, I’d always add a little piece of Rick Owens. That’s very important.

Why all men should dress like politicians:

What I will say is this: If you’re ever worried about whether or not you are chic, go classic. When in doubt, wear a suit. Look at male politicians: You see them in a suit and they look fine. But if you see a picture of them on the weekend or on vacation, there’s a good chance they look terrible and unstylish. The uniform of a suit and tie can be very helpful.

On Steve Jobs:

Look at someone like Steve Jobs. His look wasn’t very special—black turtleneck and jeans—but he had style. He looked the same, and you knew it was him when you saw him. Plus he was a very smart person, which is also very attractive. His style was simple, not distracting, and very strong.

On American style and rappers:

like many of America’s subcultures. For example, I actually love the “rappers look,” with the saggy pants and oversized clothes. It’s very deliberate. But then again, perhaps all the ultra large clothes stem from that American desire to be comfortable and easy too. I don’t know.

[VMAN.]

Read the rest of this entry »

Emmanuelle Alt may have permanently won a place in our karaoke-loving hearts with her rendition of Wham!‘s “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”.

In honor of Vogue Paris relaunching its website, Alt and some of her editors decided to make an ’80s-tastic music video that’s just totally adorable. Bonus: a gaggle of models (including Anja Rubik and Karmen Pedaru) play backsup singers to Alt’s George Michael. Perhaps they got some inspiration from Zoolander?

We knew Alt loved to sing and dance — and karaoke, just like Carine — but we never thought we’d see the day when her skills were on display. Your move, Anna.

[Vogue.fr]

Karl Lagerfeld says the darndest things.

Today the Kaiser is guest editing the Paris edition of Metro, and he sat down with the paper to discuss current events. He has thoughts about the Super Bowl (and MIA‘s middle finger), as well as Syria, Queen Elizabeth, and Greece’s economic woes. Here are some of our favorite bits.

On Russian women:

“If I was a woman in Russia I would be a lesbian, as the men are very ugly. There are a few handsome ones, like Naomi Campbell’s boyfriend, but there you see the most beautiful women and the most horrible men.”

On Lana del Rey:

“I prefer Adele and Florence Welch. But as a modern singer she is not bad. The thing at the moment is Adele. She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice. Lana del Rey is not bad at all. She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She’s not alone with implants.”

On Barack Obama deserving a reelection:

“Yes he does, especially because of Mrs. Obama. I’m a big fan of Mrs. Obama – and her face, I think, is magical. He would not be there without her. Mrs. Obama is not a fashion statement, but she has other things to do. My favorite thing about Mrs Obama was when she was asked if her skirt was not too tight and she answered “Why you don’t like my big black ass?” I want [Barack] Obama to win because there is nothing better anyway, and especially because of her.”

Oh, Karl. He’s never one to mince words.

[Metro]

We were introduced to Spangerberg, 30, by UK tabloid The Sun, which should probably be taken with a grain of salt. And while her career is still bourgeoning (we have yet to see her in any actual fashion spreads or magazines), Spangerberg’s measurements are eerily reminiscent of Vogue Italia’s September cover, featuring an eerily photoshopped Stella Tennant. Tennant’s figure was inspired by Ethel Granger, proud owner of history’s smallest waist, a 13-inch circumference achieved by corsetry.

WATCH:

[The Sun via HuffPost Style.]

Ugh, this sucks. Pissed off customers looked on as a young couple filled their carts with all of the Jason Wu items in the store, and then checked out at guest services. The user who posted the video to YouTube wrote that the pair told the other shoppers they were planning to resell the pieces. We were under the impression that stores were supposed to enforce a two-items-per-style policy, but this was clearly not the case at this particular location.

We have reached out to Target for a comment, and will update you when we hear back. For now, read more about the aftermath and watch the video below:

RELATED: Jason Wu For Target Is Almost Totally Sold Out

It’s always refreshing to watch Wintour defend her alleged “bitchiness”, mainly because it clearly works for her.

“I’m very driven at what I do. I’m certainly very competitive. What else am I? Needy? I’m probably very needy, yes. A bitch? …Well, I hope I’m not, I- I- I- try not to be, but I like people who represent the best of what they do and if that turns you into a perfectionist, then maybe I am.”

…I can only say that I have so many people here, Morley, that have worked for me for 15, 20 years, and if I’m such a bitch, then they must really be a glutton for punishment. We’re here to work. We’re here to work and there’s on duty time and off duty time… And if one comes across sometimes as being cold or brusque, it’s only because I’m striving for the best.”

There’s the requisite mention of her alleged $200,000 per year clothing allowance (and the fact that CondeNast picks up the bill for her hair and makeup every day of the week), interviews with Andre Leon Talley and Grace Coddington, and, of course, footage of Vogue staffers trotting feverishly around the Vogue offices. But while some parts are certainly out of date (a segment featuring an adorably young Alexander Wang getting feedback from Wintour on a $1,200 sequined dress, Sally Singer in a staff meeting), others have been notably updated. An interview with John Galliano features a voice-over noting that the designer is no longer at Dior. Helpful!

Watch the whole episode below — Wintour’s segment starts around the 14:45 minute mark.

Despite making a few passes at Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow during her performance, Perry chose to remain sartorially neutral by wearing a jersey-style dress that was equal parts Giants and Patriots themed. She topped it with a cropped and personalized letterman jacket that read PERRY in big block letters across the back and a pair of Marc by Marc Jacobs hightop wedges. The final touch? Giant, red sequined sunglasses, natch.

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Last week the supermodel sent an email asking her friends and family to pray for a Patriots victory, but it wasn’t enough — Brady and the Pats suffered a 17-21 loss to the Giants. As Gisele made her way down to the locker room, she was heckled by Giants fans. Exasperated, she turned to her companions and complained, “My husband cannot f*cking throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.”

Yes, it was caught on tape:

And here’s her reunion with Tom:

'It's okay, I still love you!' (1 of 3)

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We tend to be completely underwhelmed by Super Bowl halftime shows, but Madonna lived up to the hype. She started with “Vogue”, you guys! (Related: how much did Vogue pay to have its logo on the stage?) First she was a gladiator, then a cheerleader (accompanied by pom-pom-toting Nicki Minaj and MIA), and then a preacher (with Cee Lo Green in a sequined robe and studded Louboutin loafers). There was dancing! And a stoner tightrope walker/jumper! And “Like A Prayer”! And gold hightops! And so many sequins! IT RULED.

Check out all the crazy looks below, and scroll down for videos of the performance. (Thanks, SportsGrid!)

All sequined everything. (1 of 12)

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Here’s Madonna’s entrance:

And LFMAO with the tightrope guy:

And Cee Lo in his amazing sequined robe:

BONUS: Did MIA flip us all off?

Clarkson sang the national anthem while sporting blunt bangs and a set of long extensions. We happen to think she totally channeled Kim Kardashian‘s New Year’s Eve look, though her black dress was a bit more lowkey than Kardashian’s white super-mini.

Check out Clarkson’s locks, and watch her pitch-perfect rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, below. (And head over to SportsGrid for all sorts of Super Bowl updates!)

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Read the rest of this entry »

Is There Female ‘Silicon Valley Style’? [The Jane Dough]

Michelle Williams: A Lesson In How To Fashionably Evolve With Class And Grace [The Gloss]

Can Modesty And Modeling Mix? Enter New Muslim Modeling Agency, Underwraps [Fashionista]

Happy Super Bowl Sunday: What Vineyard Vine’s NFL Ties Would Look Like On Actual NFL Players [Racked]

Courtney Love Contains Multitudes: One Woman, Two Dueling Twitter Accounts [New York Observer]

Kelly Osbourne Gray Hair ‘Something I’ve Wanted To Do My Whole Life’ [HuffPost Style]

Let’s break down the look:

• We can’t ID her dress, though the detailing reminds us of Madonna‘s Reem Acra Golden Globes gown.

• Her necklace rules. Her necklaces always rule, but this one is a little funkier than usual, which is a good thing. (She also appears to be wearing a coordinating brooch. We’re not so sure how we feel about that.)

• She got a little edgy with her bag choice. Yes, that is an Alexander McQueen skull knuckleduster!

• As always, we cannot endorse her shoes.

• Her hair seems to be more brown/less blonde than normal.

Oh, and she’s super smiley! It’s so odd! Maybe it’s because she received the HRC’s Ally For Equality award?

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First of all, the collection went live on the Target website at midnight, despite no official announcement from Target or Wu. That’s right — shoppers weren’t told when exactly the items would become available online. This may have helped Target avoid an enormous strain on its server during a particular window, but it also made a lot of customers very unhappy. Who wants to stay up all night refreshing their browsers?

Those who assumed the collection would be available on the site beginning at 8 a.m. EST (that is, when the first stores were to open) found that the majority of items were sold out as they had already been on sale for eight hours. As of Sunday afternoon, only 11 out of the 49 items offered on the website were still available.

Interestingly, Target is only marking online exclusives whose stock has been depleted as “sold out”. Items that are also sold in stores but are sold out online are marked as “available in stores”. If you click on these items, you can check the inventory of said item at a Target near you. This is a helpful feature, but most stores also seem to be sold out of the pieces in question. Of course, you could hedge your bets over on eBay — 4,681 items match a “Jason Wu for Target” search.

UPDATE: As of Monday morning, only four items were available on the Target website. As per the Target Style Twitter account, they will be restocking select items from the collection online, but brick-and-mortar stores will not be replenished.

How did shoppers fare? According to Target fan blog Target Addict, the website was not without its issues: “One woman said she had tried to order online in the wee hours, only to have items ‘disappear’ from her cart, much like what happened to many online shoppers with Missoni.” While many customers were happy with the collection, commenter Cara wrote: “The sizing was all over the place, as were the materials.” The sentiment was echoed by Pat elsewhere in the comments: “I’m small in stature but a 10/12 and was amazed by how large the sizing was.”

Our readers also told us that some stores were more heavily stocked than others, and that most enforced a 2-pieces-per-style purchase policy. There was also a purchase limit on the website, in an effort to curb reselling. We don’t know how sucessful that strategy was, as 11,419 items marked “Jason Wu for Target” are now being sold on eBay.

Did you manage to snag anything? Tell us all about your shopping experience in the comments, or email us at tips@styleite.com.

We’d love to see the Saturday Night Live cast go full-on Downton Abbey (Kristen Wiig as the Dowager Countess/Lady Mary/O’Brien/anyone?), but last night’s mash-up clip will do for now.

SNL reimagined Downton as if it were part of Spike TV’s brotastic programming, and it’s kind of perfect. While we disagree that the Dowager looks like a chicken (DO NOT DISRESPECT DAME MAGGIE), the bit about eavesdropping is…well, very true. And the Crawley sisters are renamed “hot”, “way hot”, and “the other one”. And Cora is a MILF! And O’Brien is a super bitch! YES!

Please do watch Fancy Entourage:

Beckham fronts the glossy’s Whatever The Weather issue in a sleeveless black dress (or is it a top?) and hat, while flashing her enormous engagement ring and sipping coffee from a straw. We could do without the goofy chapeau, but overall we like it! The image is playful, which helps to counteract Beckham’s icy persona. She also spoke to the magazine about her work:

“When I started it was all about the corset dress. That’s what people associated me with, and possibly if I’m honest a sign of my own insecurities as well. But the older I get and the more comfortable I am in my own skin, the more I realize that to look great and feel great I haven’t always got to wear something tight.”

Check out the cover below. What do you think?

[i-D]

Mara, who was nominated for an Oscar for her performance in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, showed up wearing a sculptural green cocktail dress from Louis Vuitton‘s pre-fall collection. Woodley, who’s gotten major snaps for her turn in George Clooney‘s The Descendants, rocked a blue leather shift by Phillip Lim. They both were recognized for their respective films, but only one of them can win best dressed here. And with the same sort of elements going on (rich, deep color, similar length, simple styling and what have you), it might be a tough choice. Take a gander at both looks below and tell us who you think did it better.

Rooney Mara in Louis Vuitton (1 of 2)

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Sketch to Still: The Iron Lady Prosthetic Nose That Could Help Win Two Oscars [Vanity Fair]

Once Upon a Time, the Color Blue Was Permissable for Baby Girls [Jezebel]

Halle Berry, Gabriel Aubry: Judge Rules In Custody War [TMZ]

The Seven Kinds Of Self-Portraits Posted By Bloggers [The Gloss]

Michelle Obama Wax Statue Could Use A Makeover, No? [The Huffington Post]

Drew Barrymore’s J.Crew Dress Now On Sale [FabSugar]

The Daily Telegraph reports that Her Majesty’s black patent leather handbag (from British leather goods house Launer) is stuffed with the kinds of things that regular, non-royal people use on the daily. She only carries cash on Sundays (a £5 note for the collection bin at church). She has reading glasses, mints, a fountain pen (ball-point pens simply wouldn’t do for all those royal edicts) and a small mirror and tube of lipstick. Because even the queen likes to do a quick touch up after dinner.

But the most peculiar item in her purse has to be a suction cup hook that she uses to hang the bag underneath tables.

A dinner guest at the Berkshire home of Jean Wills, the Queen’s cousin, is said to have been surprised to see the Queen spitting into a plastic suction cup before attaching the hook under the table.

“I watched the Queen open her handbag and remove a white suction cup and discreetly spit into it,” the guest is quoted as saying.

“The Queen then attached the cup to the underside of the table. The cup had a hook on it, and she attached her handbag to it.”

If you think this behavior is somehow unqueenly, let us remind you of this: The basic reason that Her Majesty carries this hook around is so her personal property won’t be besmirched with the indignity of having to touch the floor. And if that’s not worth a little spit, we don’t know what is.

[The Telegraph]

The mag’s senior editor Will Welch told USA Today on Saturday that even though Brady is married to supermodel Gisele Bundchen, one of the most stylish women in the world, her taste hasn’t rubbed off on him enough to make a huge difference in the way he dresses off the field. Quoth Welch:

The most obvious effect Gisele has had on her husband’s style was his longer surfer-dude hair, which Tom has since cut. But there are other signs of her influence. You really see it at big events. Since hooking up with Gisele, he’s learned — or been told — how to clean up for glossy fashion functions like the annual Met Gala in New York. Every time he’s turned up at that event, he’s looked so cool. … He looks iconic.

On a more everyday level, though — when he’s still dressing himself — he mostly just looks like Tom Brady, quarterback. Not particularly stylish. When Bob Costas interviewed him at halftime of the Pro Bowl last week, his suit was all wrong — all the proportions were out of whack, with a giant collar that was swallowing his neck. Frankly it can be a relief that sometimes the guy looks a little schlumpy.

Emphasis ours. And we’re not going to disagree with that last bit — Brady doesn’t always wear the best fitting stuff, even if it is high quality. (The suit Welch is referring to is Tom Ford, though Brady is wearing it like it came from the clearance section of a Men’s Wearhouse.) Still, Brady’s never been billed as a style star, so we almost just want to give the guy points for trying instead of taking him to task for an oversize shirt here and there.

Check out the offending suit in the video below and tell us what you think.

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

[USA Today, NBC Sports]

Grand says in a new interview with Grazia Daily that things are moving along swimmingly for the next issue of LOVE, the experimental quarterly that she’s been helming these past few years. Recently she’s been working Vuitton’s much anticipated exhibition in Paris, but that doesn’t mean she’s skimping no the details for the next issue of the magazine. In fact, just the opposite — she’s piling as much art and fashion onto it as she possibly can.

“The cover is a screen-print of Linda Evangelista in full-colour fluro, which cost a fortune,” Grand said. “The issue is split into two halves: the first section is very angelic and the second is Technicolor. It’s like ‘The Wizard of Oz’ again.”

Whoa. We can’t wait to get our hands on that issue. To read more about Grand’s work for Louis Vuitton, check out her interview here.

[Grazia]

The magazine, which just underwent a huge redesign for its March issue, collaborated with Chinese artist Liu Bolin on a series of images in which designers like Lanvin‘s Alber Elbaz and Angela Missoni are covered in paint so that they fade into the background of the very clothing they’ve created. (Bolin normally paints himself into his own pictures, but we imagine it must have been a cool change for him to work with other artists.)

Take a look at a few of the images below. If you want to see them all, you’ll either have to pick up the March issue of Harper’s Bazaar or click here to see them online.

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[Harper's Bazaar]

Being a designer today isn’t easy. But being born into slavery in 1818 and literally sewing your way out of servitude, into the White House and surviving the experience well enough to write a book about it is an immeasurably more difficult task. And yet Elizabeth Keckley, who used her intelligence and skill for design to gain her freedom and her fortune, did just that — and she picked up First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln as a close personal friend along the way. Keckley chronicled her life and adventures in her memoirs, Behind The Scenes, or Thirty Years A Slave and Four Years in the White House.

Keckley was born in Virgina in 1818 to a colonel’s family. Her mother, Agnes Hobbs, was a talented seamstress who worked making clothes for the colonel’s family. The family taught Agnes (and by extension, Elizabeth) how to read and write, even though it was illegal to do so at the time. Keckley saw herself and her family bought and sold to different areas of the country. Keckley had a son, and she and her mother eventually ended up in St. Louis working for relatives of their original owners. It was here that Keckley’s skill at dressmaking developed, and even before she bought her freedom her eye for design attracted a full roster of wealthy clients.

Keckley negotiated and arranged her freedom (and that of her son), paying it off in 1860. By 1861, she had a full atelier (which she refers to in her memoirs as “rooms”) in Washington, DC, where she got famous making dresses for politician’s wives and other socialites. Sooner than later, she was called to the White House.

And Keckley didn’t just fill orders for the first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln. She advised Mrs. Lincoln on everything from how to wear her hair to best compliment the custom dresses she made (many of which featured bare shoulders, necklines trimmed in lace and floral finishes) to her relationship with the president. She even helped the president and first lady get through the deaths of her sons William and Tad. Keckley’s interactions with Abraham Lincoln remember him as a doting husband who could tell a sly joke, and a leader who looked heavenward for counsel in a time of war.

But while President Lincoln was administrating the Civil War, his wife was racking up debt trying to make herself look like a real first lady. This is what she told Keckley toward the end of her husband’s first term:

I owe altogether about twenty-seven thousand dollars; the principal portion at Stewart’s, in New York. You understand, Lizabeth, that Mr. Lincoln has but little idea of the expense of a woman’s wardrobe. He glances at my rich dresses, and is happy in the belief that the few hundred dollars that I obtain from him supply all my wants. I must dress in costly materials. The people scrutinize every article that I wear with critical curiosity… To keep up appearances, I must have money — more than Mr. Lincoln can spare for me. He is too honest to make a penny outside of his salary; consequently I had, and still have, no alternative but to run in debt.

Keckley and Lincoln traveled together, gave each other advice, and over the course of several years built a lasting friendship. After President Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Keckley was one of the few people Mrs. Lincoln would talk to.

Their relationship faded after Mrs. Lincoln left the White House, and it ended almost altogether when Keckley donated some of the clothes Mrs. Lincoln wore on the night the president was shot to Wilberforce University, where Keckley’s son went to school.

But while they may not have ended as friends, Keckley’s memoir is an important historical text for the fashion industry. It includes countless examples of the way the women of Keckley’s time bought and consumed fashion, and it tells a story of just how powerful clothing can be. More than anything, Keckley’s story tells us that it’s not what you put on your back that matters. It’s where it takes you.

To learn more about Elizabeth Keckley, we suggest reading her book. What’s better than a primary source? You can purchase it here.

Mayim Bialik Recreates Her Sassy American Flag Cover [xoJane]

Willow Smith Shaved Her Head [The Gloss]

Liu Wen Makes GQ’s Lust List [GQ]

15 Stylish Ways To Look Your SuperBowl Best [FabSugar]

David Beckham: I Don’t Need To Stuff My Pants [HuffPost Style]

Crystal Renn Is Still Being Pestered About Her Weight Loss [The Cut]

How’d she fare?

(Also: feel free to sound off in the comments if you can’t stand her. It’s as irrational as our love for her. We’re open-minded.)

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