“I am an artist,” Lady Gaga tells Harper’s Bazaar in the interview that accompanies her May cover, “and I have the ability and the free will to choose the way the world will envision me.” The way the world will envision her apparently includes Practically Buck Naked On A Mirror-Tiled Piano. And here she is, talking about her rather visceral reaction to Hollywood and fame: “I had all these number-one records, and I had sold all these albums, and it was sort of this turning point: Am I going to try and embrace Hollywood and assimilate to that culture? I put my toe in that water, and it was a Kegel-exercise vaginal reaction where I clenched and had to retract immediately… I ran furiously back to New York, to my old apartment, and I hung out with my friends, and I went to the same bars.” [Racked]
David LaChapelle shot Katy Perry in a variety of period hairstyles for a GHD hair tools campaign. [Celebuzz]
Richard Burbridge captured Magdalena Frackowiack in a surprisingly vintage-looking cover of Vogue Italia’s beauty supplement. Her face is covered in little pieces of green tulle, and yet this has to be one of the most beautiful fashion covers we’ve seen in a while. [FGR]
The new Marie Claire cover features three actors from Glee. [Marie Claire]
The Advertising Standards Authority in the U.K., which bans ads following public complaints with relative frequency (Beyoncé‘s ad for her Heat perfume and a Rimmel ad for mascara where the model was actually wearing false eyelashes have recently gotten the banhammer), has declined to ban this Miu Miu ad. Two people complained that Kasia Struss, 23, the model in the ad, appears “dangerously underweight” and that the campaign was therefore irresponsible. But the ASA decided the ad “was typical of those used for fashion products” and not irresponsible. [Telegraph]
Here’s Stephanie Seymour on the cover of the new Town & Country. Inside, she tells the magazine that a magical Native American blanket, which her husband had loved but which she was jealously guarding during their very ugly divorce, brought peace between them. She gave back him the blanket, along with a conciliatory note, and then they called the whole thing off and walked into court arm-in-arm. They are in therapy. [FFG]
So, it turns Alex Wang lives in a really ugly apartment. We’re talking Gothic-Roberto-Cavalli levels of ugly. To each his own, we guess! [W]
- Beyoncé might wear Givenchy couture in the music video she’s shooting right now in the Mojave desert, according to one very out-of-focus photo. [Red Carpet Fashion Awards]
- According to a much clearer set of pics, she also wears a golden crown, belt, and black hot pants. Make of this what you will. [GG]
- Amar’e Stoudemire is collaborating with Rachel Roy on a clothing line. Here, he describes his style: “I was never a designer or anything like that, but as far as putting together what I was going to wear, I was a fashion rebel, always mixing it up. As long as I remember, I always did something with my clothes. I would slice up the bottom of my jeans so that they would look different. I would change the design of my shirt and add an extra layer. I would wear two different tennis shoes.” [WWD]
- Dutch model Doutzen Kroes: Going to space in 2014. [Dance4Life]
- When designer Peter Soronen hears from Michelle Obama‘s office, he just starts making a dress — and he can’t tell a soul about it. “I get an idea of color, I get an idea of a size, and I make sure that it can be altered. I have a more secure feeling knowing that it can be either let out or taken in…I had an idea of what she’s feeling on wearing. If it’s going to be an easy skirt, and not a fitted skirt. I’ll send a swatch sometimes. Other times I was just given a direction, like ‘I want a true red,’ or ‘It’s got to be the most beautiful blue.’ But they trusted me in a lot of things, which was great.” [The Cut]
- Meanwhile, Robin Givhan brings us the shocking news that Michelle Obama wears things she likes. “The choices Mrs. Obama makes about her attire are inherently personal-and by her own admission are driven by nothing more than her own mood, preferences, and sensibilities. As she has said so often, she is motivated solely by what she likes.” [TDB]
- The state of California wants to level an injunction against the makers of the Brazilian Blow-Out, the “formaldehyde-free” hair-straightening process that is actually formaldehyde-laden. A judge will rule in May on whether this injunction will stand. By failing to disclose that its products contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, and by falsely marketing its straightening chemicals as formaldehyde-free, Brazilian Blow-Out’s makers allegedly broke five different state laws. [WWD]
- J. Crew C.E.O. Mickey Drexler — who recently signed a contract that will extend his tenure at the company into his mid-70s — told Bloomberg TV that creative director and company president Jenna Lyons (she of the pink nail polish fame) and executive vice-president Libby Wadle could both be potential successors. [P6]
- Drexler — who’s been known to re-merchandise racks during store visits — also says he’s unapologetic about his micro-managing. “We micro-manage the heck out of our business. We look at every style. And we do that. Some people were speaking at a business school last year, and they say we’ve been accused of micromanaging. I said, you show me someone who does their job well who’s not micromanaging every detail of what a customer feels…I took it personally because someone wrote about 20 years ago that it’s not good to micromanage. And then I looked at all the people out there who run their companies — and I’ve had the honor to be on the Apple board for 12 years. A lot of micro-managing going on there. No one’s complaining about the results.” [Fashionista]
- Three bidders are still under consideration to acquire Jimmy Choo, and the Malaysian-born shoe designer Jimmy Choo is not among them. Current owner TowerBrook Capital expects to sell the brand for £400-500 million, more than twice the £180 million it paid for its majority stake four years ago. Jimmy Choo was forced out of the company and received £10 million in 2001. [Elle UK]
- Perhaps Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon — who has been made vastly wealthy thanks to the sale to TowerBrook — can sense other people might think she ought to feel a tad guilty about the difference in hers and Choo’s fortunes, because here she is telling British Vogue that she’s the only reason anyone has ever even heard of Jimmy Choo: “I used to go down and I used to get Jimmy to make things for shoots. I’d go down to his studio in Hackney and I’d say ‘Okay I’m doing a Grecian story and I want a gladiator sandal with studs, and I want it in metallic silver.’ He’d make it; I’d photograph it and give him a credit in Vogue.” Mellon was a stylist at the time. “There were other editors doing this as well. But that’s how his name became known — because I was doing that for five years.” [Vogue UK]
- In other fashion M&A news, Puig — the company that owns Carolina Herrera, and which just announced a big uptick in annual profits — has some competition in its bid to acquire a 45% stake in Jean-Paul Gaultier. Shiseido and Fung Capital also have their eye on JPG. [Vogue UK]
- Coach is suing Jo-Ann Fabrics — that terrible yard goods chain that put your local store out of business — for selling some fleece with “a pattern of elongated Os” that allegedly resembled Coach’s signature pattern of Cs. [WWD]
- Stella McCartney is doing a 27-piece collection for the fast-fashion chain C&A, but it will only be available in Brazil. [TFS]
- Finally, beauty advice we can use. How to Hide A Hangover With Makeup. This, and a swig of pickle brine, and it’ll be like Tuesday night never happened. [StyleList]
- This summer, Levi’s is launching a new brand in the U.S. with Target. Called Denizen, it’s lower-priced and has been successful in Asia. [WWD]
- Christian Louboutin is opening boutiques in Beijing and Shanghai. [WWD]
- Garance Doré is in fine form, translating fashionspeak into regular English: “Right now I’m on this fresh fruit juice cleanse and I’ve such incredible energy! = I’ve gotta drop five pounds before fashion week.” Industry pro-tip: Never trust anyone on a juice cleanse. [Garance Doré]
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