Essence Editor Defends Hiring A White Woman

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  • Essence editor Angela Burt Murray says the uproar about the hiring of Elianna Placas, a white woman, as fashion director is baseless. Placas, a frequent freelancer, was chosen for “her creativity, vision, [and] the positive reader response to her work.”
  • She says of her magazine, “we remain committed to celebrating the unique beauty and style of African-American women.” Murray also wrote that, “When we run pieces on how unemployment is devastating black men? Nada. When we run story after story on how HIV is the leading cause of death for black women age 18-34? Zilch. The things that really are the end of our world apparently aren’t.” [Fashion Bomb Daily]
  • Justin Timberlake‘s clothing line, William Rast, is doing a collaboration with Target this winter. Men’s and women’s wear will go on sale in December. [WWD]
  • Lazaro Hernandez: “Sometimes I think the people who buy our clothes live in a parallel universe. Hell, we can’t even afford our clothes.” [Racked]
  • “I really like that she was wearing that hat. It shows she has grown from an innocent and is assured of herself as a woman. You can tell she’s interested in fashion because she really fixes herself up,” says a designer who did not design Chelsea Clinton‘s raffia hat. Wait, is this Us or Women’s Wear Daily? [WWD]
  • The people who made The Story of Stuff made an animated short about the beauty industry and toxic chemicals called The Story of Cosmetics. Congress is now considering legislation that would regulate the use of toxic chemicals in personal-care items, which the beauty industry opposes. The FDA currently has no authority to assess the safety of personal care products, and the industry is only subject to its own voluntary guidelines. [Story of Stuff]
  • Mad Men nail polish: it’s happening. [WWD]
  • Gerard Butler is now the face of L’Oréal. [WWD]
  • Angela Missoni, who has run Missoni since taking over from her mother Rosita in 1996, intends for her daughter, Margherita, to take the reins within the next two years. “Whenever Margherita is ready I’d let her take over,” she said. “To be in fashion you need to be young and passionate and have the strength to fight against commercialism. As a daughter I gave the best gift to my mother and I’m proud of that.” [Vogue UK]
  • Marc Ecko, who faced bankruptcy last year before Iconix Brand Group invested in the company he founded, has more than doubled his licenses since the deal. There are Marc Ecko suits, Marc Ecko homewares, and another Marc Ecko fragrance in the works. [WWD]
  • Of all the models we ever thought might sue over a magazine’s decision to publish topless pictures, Lara “Boobies” Stone was not high on the list. But her management is claiming that the shoot that ended up in this month’s French Playboy was unauthorized. [Independent]
  • For his company’s tenth anniversary, John Varvatos collaged together all the rock stars he’s ever paid to be in his campaigns — Slash, ZZ Top, Franz Ferdinand, Lou Reed, Lenny Kravitz — and put them on a poster. [WWD]
  • We learned yesterday that Dolce & Gabbana is dressing Chelsea, now Costume National is designing F.C. Internazionale‘s suits and formal wear. [Vogue UK]
  • Joe Zee bravely hits the summer streets in Chanel’s fur suit. [Styleite]
  • Olivier Zahm‘s main girlfriend, Natacha Ramsay, left the Purple editor for another man. Probably because she woke up one day and realized she was fucking Olivier Zahm. He is now blogging about their breakup. “Right now I’m just a mess,” he writes to his readers. “But I will hopefully recover soon and offer you some more pictures of love and sex.” Chin up, old chap. At least you still have all those nude pictures of her you took and posted all over the Internet. [Purple Diary, Purple Diary]
  • LAMINGTONS ARE NOT AUSTRALIAN. That is all. [WWD]
  • Carla Bruni‘s husband took time off from affairs of state to come watch her filming on the set of Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen‘s latest. [Vogue UK]
  • A woman named Victoria Davidova is now the editor in chief of Vogue Russia. [DFR]
  • Selena Gomez‘s Dream Out Loud juniors line launches at Kmart stores this Sunday, and it’s getting an advertising full-court press. Sales projections for the line are $100 million in its first year. [WWD]
  • Levi’s is now selling six styles of men’s jeans at Brooks Brothers stores. The pants cost $148. [WWD]
  • Tomorrow, Liam Gallagher‘s half-assed clothing line Pretty Green is opening a pop-up store in London. [Vogue UK]
  • Walter and Giovanni Burani, two former executives at a bankrupt Italian clothing company that once manufactured for Vivienne Westwood and La Perla, were arrested in Milan for fraud. During better times, the father-son pair liked to kick back by racing vintage Formula 1 cars, living in a Renaissance castle, and lighting their cigars with 100 Euro notes they lit with 100 Euro notes. [WWD]
 
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