Online Shoppers Break More Spending Records; Black Swan Is Making Tutus Happen

Photo: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

• Online shopping for the first 56 days of November and December set a new spending record of $30.81 billion. {WWD}

• Tutus, feathers, and cobwebby knits are gaining momentum, thanks toBlack Swan. {On the Runway/NYT}

• Textile magnate Roger Milliken died yesterday at age 95. {WWD}

• Memphis middle-school principal Bobby White found a creative punishment for students who wear saggy pants: He hikes them up, Urkel-style, and then photographs the kids for the school’s wall of shame. {Refinery 29}

• Queen Elizabeth is dishing out OBE's and MBE's to several fashion folks this year, including British designerAlice Temperley. {WWD}

• Owen Wilson wants Lady Gaga to appear inZoolander 2. {Monsters and Critics}

• Breaking: Vinny fromJersey Shoreis launching a T-shirt line. {Too Fab}

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Myf Shepherd Returns to Modeling with an Australian Vogue Spread

Photo: Courtesy of Australian Vogue

After walking a ridiculous 62 shows last fall,Myf Shepherddecided to take a break from modeling to study set design in Sydney. The model recently announced that she's back to work, and already booking editorials in AustralianVogue. As for her hiatus, Shepherd explained,"I wasn't really ready for how competitive and everything the real world is, so I just needed to take some time to be a regular teenager. Modeling can be really stressful. You have to look after yourself."{Fashionologie}

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Meet the New Girl: Luisa Bianchin Talks Lady Gaga With Marc Jacobs

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Photo: DNA Models

Fashion justluuurvesa great ginger-haired model. LikeKaren ElsonandLily Colebefore her, the strikingLuisa Bianchinis on the rise. The 18-year-old Bergheim, Germany, native was scouted at a fair in Berlin in 2008. After a strong push by her agent at AM Model Management, Bianchin was sent to Milan a year later, where she quickly became an editorial darling at ItalianD. She juggled assignments while finishing high school, and in 2010 came to New York. Now represented by DNA Models, the flame-haired beauty openedMarc Jacobs's spring 2011 show. With that feather in her cap, and the support of powerful casting director Michelle Lee, Bianchin was a big presence in London, where she walked forMark Fast,Topshop Unique, andGiles Deacon. Though her catwalk bookings in Milan and Paris slowed— with the exception of a memorable appearance atJean Paul Gaultier— Bianchin had caught the eye of Steven Meisel, who, you will recall, also boosted the careers of fellow redheads Elson and Cole. Click ahead to read a Q&A withBianchin, and then visit her new model profile to see loads of on- and off-the-runway pics.

How did you get discovered?
Two years ago, I was scouted at a fair in Berlin, Germany.

You opened for the spring 2011 Marc Jacobs collection in New York. What was that process like?
I first met Marc at the casting, and then the night before the show I did a hair and makeup test at which we got to speak a bit more. We had a great conversation. I’m a huge Lady Gaga fan, and he had actually met her. I found out I was opening the show 30 minutes before it started!! It was amazing! I’m glad I didn’t know sooner; it was a nice surprise, and I was so honored.

If you weren't modeling, what would you be doing?
I don’t have something specific in mind, but I would like to do something else in the creative field.

What's the craziest thing you've ever seen while modeling?
To be honest, I’m not sure anymore! There are always so many different crazy things happening that nothing can shock me anymore.

You just woke up, late for an appointment, and you have ten seconds to get dressed. What would you wear?
I take my highest Topshop heels and my favorite Marc Jacobs blue dress and RUN!

What's the hardest thing about modeling?
The stress when you have to be at several different appointments at the same time.

What's your diet like?
It’s pretty normal, but my favorite food is sushi!

Share with us some of your beauty secrets.
Just a simple moisturizing cream for the skin, sleep a lot when you can, and some gym.

What’s your ultimate goal in modeling? Is there a contract or campaign you’d just love to have?
My dream job is to do ItalianVoguewith Steven Meisel. Otherwise, I just want to be a model for as long as I can, and be the best that I can.

Explore other rising stars (plus all the big names) in our extensiveModel Manual, featuring runway pics, glamorous editorials, model bios, career time lines, and more.

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Maria Sharapova Looks Pretty Good for Having Spent the Night on a Plane

Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images

Maria Sharapova arrived at New Zealand's Auckland International Airport today for the ASB Classic, and although she looks a bit bleary, you would too if you were jet-lagged and spent the night on a plane. She's wearing a comfy-looking travel outfit of loose wool pants, a big black sweater, and a long scarf that looks like it could double as a wrap for in-flight snoozing.

Do you think Sharapova should have cleaned up more before landing, or do you think her airport ensemble looks comfortably chic?

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Stores Are Making It Easier for You to Return All That Crap You Got for Christmas

Because presents should make us THIS happy.Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

Good news for those of you with generous-yet-misguided relatives who, year after year, mail you a big box of kid-size clothing for Christmas: Many retailers are easing up on return policies thanks to new software, Retail Equation, that allows them to weed out"serial returners,"or people who regularly buy merchandise with the intent to return it after using or wearing it. This process, which retailers have given the boring nickname"wardrobing,"caused stores to lose an estimated $14.8 billion last year. Since Retail Equation helps to keep tabs on people who regularly return items, some stores like Macy's and Best Buy have relaxed their policies with the intention of keeping an eagle eye on folks who make the rest of us look bad when they try to exchange their deoderant-streaked New Year's Eve outfits on January 1st.

Which seems like a good thing for everyone, because studies have shown that consumers actually buy more overall when they feel like they have the option to return things later. ReportsThe Wall Street Journal:

V. Kumar, a Georgia State University professor who has studied the impact of return policies on sales, said chains underestimate the toll that restrictive policies take on retailers' reputations. In a study published in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan Management Review last spring, he concluded that while retailers with looser return policies experience far higher return rates, they also have better sales, profits and word of mouth than stricter competitors."It is about time retailers started realizing they need to relax return policies,"Mr. Kumar said."Psychologically, people perceive less risk in buying from retailers with more relaxed policies. It makes people buy more."

A few questions about this software remain unanswered, though. Now that stores have the technology to smoke out serial returners, what exactly will they do to them? Will those who"wardrobe"regularly be banned from shops or given different return privileges from other shoppers? In any case, you'd best keep track of those gift receipts.

Retailers Loosen Up on Returns{WSJ}

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Slideshow: Twelve Plush, Cozy Faux-Fur Accessories

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There were some balmy-ish"is it really going to get cold?"days in November, but it is quite definitely winter now, and when that icy wind slices down the avenue, it's good to be prepared. Wrap at least one body part in a fluffy fake-fur accessory, and you'll look like youwelcomewinter as an opportunity for cosmopolitan glamor. We rummaged through our favorite retailers to find the scarves, hats, and feet-warming boots that will keep the chill drafts at bay.

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Jessica Simpson’s Fashion Empire Is About to Break $1 Billion

While many celebrity clothing lines come and go like dead leaves on the sidewalk, at least one is making so much bank it's practically depressing: Jessica Simpson. Retail sales of her fashion items, which now encompass shoes, accessories, outerwear, bathing suits, fragrance, and watches, totaled $750 million this year. This makes her that rare diva that is, in at least one category, outperforming even Madonna."People look at her as a style icon,"explains Vince Camuto, the main licensee for Simpson-branded merchandise.

Some more facts about Simpson's clothing empire:

• Jessica Simpson Sportswear and Jeanswear are expected to do from $150 million to $200 million in retail sales within the next two years.
• The Jeanswear collection can be found in 650 department store doors, including Macy’s, Dillard’s, Belk, and Bon-Ton.
• Six hundred people once lined up to see Simpson make a personal appearance at Belk.
• Simpson's net worth is estimated at $100 million.
• Jack Gross from the Jones Group, which licenses her Jeanswear, says,"Fifteen-, 16-year-olds and 40-year-olds like her. Sometimes she has missteps, and they identify with her."
• The latest addition to her empire— sportswear— is inspired by Isabel Marant, Theory, and Sportmax, but with a"younger"attitude. Presumably one also suited to 40-year-olds.

It's kind of nice that this is working out for her after so many things— and so manyoutfits— haven't.

Jessica Simpson: Fashion's Billion Dollar Baby{WWD}

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Natalia Vodianova Seems to Care a Lot About Soccer

Photo: Sebastian Derungs/AFP/Getty Images

Natalia Vodianovawas one of Russia's delegated representatives to help snag the bid for the 2018 World Cup, which was declared yesterday. She rolled up to the announcement ceremony in a tight leopard-print dress and looked genuinely overjoyed when her country was called out. She'll reportedly take part in a nationwide effort to prepare Russia's cities for the event. {Modelinia}

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Lea Michele’s Giorgio Armani Dress Looks Difficult to Sit Down In

Photo: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

Lea Michele attendedBillboard's Women In Music awards in New York last night, where she wore a strapless whiteGiorgio Armanidress with futuristic ruffles orbiting the skirt. The stiff tiers look like they would be crushed easily, so we hope Michele didn't have to do too much sitting that night.

What do you think of her architectural frock?

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Behold: Sally Singer’s First T Issue

Photo: Courtesy of T magazine

For her debut issue at the helm ofT, Sally Singer put Mick Jagger on the cover, explaining that the magazine is less fashion-focused now:“Not everyone who gets T is a devout follower of fashion,"she toldWWD. Even though it's the magazine's holiday issue, a title that's usually an excuse for jam-packing a publication full of products to buy while raking in advertising dollars, Singer will not be a slave to such inanities.

"If one were to strip out those elements of T that you find new or noncommercial, then what are you left with? You’re just left with stuff,” she said, pronouncing“stuff” with some disdain..."It just becomes a catalogue. Who wants that? You flip through it and you’re done. When I do a magazine, I want people to live with it.”

Not that this means there won't be any"stuff"or other fluffy things in the magazine, because that would sure be dry.

“There are an awful lot of extremely pretty people in it and lots of wonderful things to buy and cook,” she said.“There is lots of fun in it.”

Oh, phew. And speaking of fun, she spoke about how photographer Max Vadukul and features director Jacob Brownhad to stalk Julian Assangearound England and Sweden, paparazzi-style, to get a picture forT's article about WikiLeaks:“Max and Jacob chased him— well, not chased him, but followed him throughout Europe,” she said. In what's surely a blow to Assange's ego, she assured that his blow-off wasn't that big a deal, since the piece was more about WikiLeaks than about Assange himself.

Sewing a New Pattern for T{WWD}

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See Halle Berry in a Brocade Balmain Suit

Photo: David Livingston/Getty Images

Halle Berry attended the premiere ofFrankie and Alicein Los Angeles last night wearing a flashy brocade suitfrom Balmain's fall 2010 collection.

Lots of actresses seem to be going out in menswear-inspired looks lately, but how do you like this on Berry?

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Gilt Groupe’s Full-Price Men’s Site Slated to Launch in July

Gilt Groupe realizes that men, who approach shopping with the utmost effort to get in, get out, and get on with life rather than dig and dig for a great find to brag about later, will just as easily pay full prices as sale prices. The site's ten full-price men's sales (or non-sales, as it were) held over the past six months were a"tremendous"success according to John Auerbach, who is heading up Gilt's full-price men's site, which is scheduled to launch in July and offer things by 75 to 100 brands. The one million men registered on the site constitute a third of the site's business, so it makes sense to finally give them their own Shopbop rather than force them to shop flash sales in some frantic fashion, as though they actuallycareabout clothes. God forbid they display any eagerness toward fashion in the least.

Gilt to Launch Full-Price Men's Site{WWD}

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Jonathan Saunders Is Doing a Capsule Collection for Escada

Jonathan Saunders with Liya Kebede.Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Another BFC/VogueFashion Fund nominee broke news today:Jonathan Saundersis collaborating with Escada Sport on a capsule collection for Resort 2012, which will consist of approximately twenty pieces, including clothes and leather accessories. According to the press release, Saunders's pieces will be sold at Escada stores worldwide at normal Escada Sport price points in November 2011.

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Alexa Chung’s MTV Show Canceled

Photo: Patrick McMullan

It's On with Alexa Chunghas been canceled after just two seasons on the air. London mourned the loss of one of their favorite style icons when Chung moved to Williamsburg after accepting the gig, and it remains unknown whether she will move back. But there is a bright side: After the finale airs on December 17, MTV will have an open time slot forJersey Shorereruns, after-shows, and spinoffs, airings of which there might never be enough. {Live Feed}

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The Fashion Show Recap: In Which One Man Attempts to Sacrifice Himself So That a More Deserving Candidate Can Enjoy Further Reality-Television Humiliation

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Photo: Courtesy of Bravo

The Fashion Show

Season

2

Episode

3

Complete Series
Coverage»Vulture TV Recaps

While the theme of last night’s episode ofThe Fashion Showwas femme fatale, the hour also allowed designers to establish their various levels of drag queen–dom. Rolando models his own tulle skirt as though he has spent his adolescence preparing for the moment, and Calvin manages to stuff his feet into huge stilettos, limping around before correctly determining that the shoes are the wrong decision. Isaac tells Tamara,"I've never done drag in my whole life 'cause I think I'm such an ugly girl.” But back to the point of the show: The contestants arrive at Galapagos Art Space, where Iman reveals three muses to inspire their femme fatale nightlife looks: Mata Hari, Barbara Stanwyck, and the vampire. Iman adds a helping of shock, informing the designers that they have only 24 hours to finish their collections this time.

Back at the workroom, Isaac calls in each team to present their storyboards with his now catchphrase,“Hi, darlings.” The House of Emerald (now with Cesar) presents a take on“disco vampire.” Mizrahi gives Emerald’s board a De Niro–like confused expression and professes his displeasure with their fabric choices. He fuels their competitive spirit by telling them they need to beat their former team member turned opponent who's now at the House of Nami, Calvin, the show’s main source of crazy. The House of Nami sells Isaac on their dark side of the forties-temptress concept, and when Calvin leaps into complaints that Dominique’s idea is too ambitious given the time limit, Isaac puts him in his place with a vote of confidence for her. Yet he gives Calvin a vote of confidence when he offers to sacrifice himself and go home instead of would-be loser Tamara. Review those looks and Eduardo's winning one in the slideshow.

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Transgender Model Lea T Will Appear on One of Oprah’s Last Shows

Lea T is second from right.Photo: Courtesy of Givenchy

Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci's ex-assistantLea T, who became his muse and then became one of the most talked-about models working today, will appear on a segment ofOprahairing in February. The 28-year-old transgender model has been doing all the things Tyra Banks probably wishesher transgenderANTMcontestantcould have done, from modeling couture to starring in major ad campaigns to appearing nudein FrenchVogueand, more recently, appearing on herown magazine covers. {Elle}

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Best Bet: Mixed-Herb Wreath

Photo: Courtesy of Sur la Table

Though holiday décor often verges on cheesy— glitter-shedding cards, plastic mistletoe, gaudy ornaments— Sur la Table’s mixed-herb wreath offers a fresh, fragrant home accent. Each wreath is made of bay, sage, purple oregano, oregano, lavender, and chile de arbol from California. The assortment makes a thoughtful gift for the kitchen-savvy: You can wash and use the herbs for cooking while they’re still fresh, or let the wreath dry out to preserve it for next year.

Mixed-herb wreath, $49.95online.

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Prada Profits Triple Over Nine Months

For the nine months ending October 31, profits reached $206 million compared with $69.3 million in the same period last year. Revenues in the period grew to $1.82 billion, while retail sales were up 44 percent. So good for them as always! However, theirdebtwas still $1.4 billion last month— there's no word on where that stands.

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Anna Dello Russo’s Fragrance Video Made Possible in Part by Kanye West

Anna Dello Russo wears the same dress by Peter Dundas that she wore to the FrenchVogueparty during Fashion Week for a new video she made about her fragrance. In a post on her blog, she thanks the designers who made her clothes, including Dundas and Roberto Cavalli. She also thanks fashion enthusiast Kanye West, who let her set this commercial of sorts to his jam"Runaway."Watch her frolic about in her apartment exuding her own fabulousness in the video.

VIDEO of ANNA DELLO RUSSO's SCENT{AdR}

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Shoppers Spent As Much on H&M Lanvin As They Might Have on Real Lanvin

Photo:www.wwd.com

On SaturdayLanvin's H&M collectionwent on sale in 24 stores across the country. More than 300 shoppers had lined up at the H&M on Fifth Avenue in New York when Alber Elbaz pulled up in his town car to make sure therewasa line."I can’t believe it. I was sure there would be no one. I was a bit panicked,"he said, watching from the security of his car rather than going in where he didn't want to case aKim Kardashian-esqueriot. At least one shopper, Peter Park from Flushing, waited 13 hours to get into the store. Naturally standing out in the cold for this long could lead anyone to do crazy things.

Nicole Eng, a 27-year-old graphic designer, said,“It was this collection that really introduced me to Lanvin.” Eng ended up spending $1,700 on Lanvin (Hearts) H&M. She said it was‘’the most I’ve ever spent in my life.’’

Even not wholly satisfied customers forked over a paycheck or more.

Caitlin, who declined to give her last name, said the quality was good, but the sizes“itsy bitsy.” She still managed to spend $1,800.

And amid the frenzy, controlled by a wristband admittance system to prevent overcrowding, there were the touching moments that could only conclude a Lifetime movie, like this one:

Most shoppers didn’t hold back. Wensen Ho, a 30-year-old who works in advertising, spent around $3,000 buying virtually every item from the women’s assortment for his wife.“She is pregnant and can’t be here, so I am doing a run,” he said.

Lanvin (Hearts) H&M's Shopping Frenzy

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Ke$ha’s Towering Mohawk; L’Occitane’s Expansion Plan

HAIR
• Ke$ha gelled her hair into a mohawk forUs Weekly's Hot Hollywood party last night. {Bella Sugar}

• Anne Hathaway usually goes for simple hairstyles, but at last night’s American Museum of Natural History gala she twisted her locks into a swirly updo. {The Girls in the Beauty Dept./Glamour.com}

MAKEUP
• French beauty group L’Occitane en Provence wants to up the number of stores in the U.S. to 300 from 170. {WWD}

• Sales of prestige beauty products in American department stores have increased by 3 percent since last year, and MAC andChanel’s makeup lines have been selling particularly well. {WWD}

• Krysten Ritter layered neutral shades of eye makeup and punched up her mouth with a translucent red shade of lipstick at the GQ Men of the Year party last night. {Bella Sugar}

HOW-TO
• Check out these tips on how to even out the dark spots that may be left behind when your tan starts to fade. {Beauty Counter Blog/Style.com}

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Calvin Klein's Beach Improvement Program

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A taste of CK summer.Photo: Courtesy of Greg Kessler/Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein's spring 2011 CK presentation last week was a vision of minimalist-is-sexy perfection, as models with slicked-back hair and glowing skin lounged around the showroom in a tableau of concrete benches over a sand-covered floor. Designer Kevin Carrigan's sleek black tanks (for women) and briefs (for men) were a vision of what next summer's beaches could look like, in a perfect world. Trim, tailored jackets and and slithery silk shirts put an edge on office-appropriate clothing, and CK's famous denim was pale blue and stonewashed to velvety softness.

CK continued its prescient casting by featuring Wes Phillips, the breakout star of spring's men's shows whose bedroom eyes look like they would fit right into any one of the company's legendary ad campaigns from the nineties. Best accessories: desert boots for guys, flat Greek sandals for women.

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Emma Watson Wasn’t Allowed to Wear Bras That Make Her Boobs Look Big, Until Now

Free at last!Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images

Emma Watson on her post–Harry Potterfreedom:“I have Hermione to thank, in a weird way, for my sense of style,” she said.“Playing this role, fashion was my way of expressing myself away from that school uniform. When I got the chance to dress myself, I was so thrilled to be able to be Emma and show a different side of myself. Maybe I would never have been this interested in fashion if I hadn’t played that role for so long and sometimes felt so constrained by being identified with her so much."She became visibly excited as she continued,“I mean, I just wasn’t allowed to do anything: wasn’t allowed to cut my hair, put on nail varnish, tan, wear a bra that made my boobs in any way look {larger}, have any flesh showing, wear any makeup when I was playing Hermione. I always had to back-comb my hair—‘She looks too pretty, take down the blush or the mascara, take it off.’ Fashion was my rebellion.” {WWD}

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Good Luck Buying Kate Middleton’s Blue Issa Dress

Photo: Mirrorpix/Splash News

Within 24 hours of Kate Middleton strutting before the press with Princess Diana's sapphire-and-diamond ring on her left ring finger wearing a matching blue dress byIssa, the£385 frock sold out at Harvey Nichols, where everyone has gone Issa mad. Store-buying director Averyl Oates said the store has"been inundated with requests"about the label since the photo op. So all you Issa-interested folk, do enjoya complete runway slideshow of Issa's latest collection. {Vogue UK}

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Let the Kate Middleton Wedding-Dress Speculation Begin

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Photo: Splash News

Now that Kate Middleton and Prince William are finally engaged, the media has a whole season and a half to speculate about what her wedding dress will look like and which lucky designer will get the enormous pressure of creating it. The British press currently thinks that Kate will wear something by the label Issa, which is designed by Brazilian Daniella Helayel, who is based in London. But is a dress by a Brazilian based in LondonBritish enoughfor the first royal wedding since Charles and Diana?

Who knows. But we do know that Kate, who is 29, really likes Issa's jersey and cotton-printed dresses. We also know that although Kate spends lots of time on romantic yacht vacations or atop fancy Swiss mountains or at upper-crust polo matches, she is not a flashy person. She eschews Real Housewife style— Vueve spilling out of a Judith Leiber parrot purse, cleavage puckering out from a bright red lycra dress— for the understated look perennially favored by old money: jeans and boots, maybe with a tailored jacket, and a modest shoe. (Although it must be noted that she can really work a fascinator.)

That may change. We'll be seeing a lot more of Middleton's outfits as the Big Day draws near, and there will be more fashion pressure on her. As longtime royal reporter Judy Wade says:

“I don’t think anyone could be prepared for what’s going to happen now. Kate thinks she’s prepared, but from now on, when she goes out in public, there will be chaotic madness ... From now on, it’s life with the royals.”

Kate likes to keep out of the public eye and thus is not photographed much. But the pictures we've assembled from the past couple years do give an idea of what England can expect from its new princess.

Kate Middleton, Royal Fiancee{WWD}

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Katy Perry Is Hawking Her New Perfume Out of an Ice-Cream Truck Today

Photo: Fred Duval/FilmMagic

Katy Perry will be riding around Manhattan in an ice-cream truck today to promote her new fragrance, Purr, which drops in the U.S. this morning after beingsold exclusively at the U.K. department store Selfridgesfor four days. Perry will be tweeting the location of the ice-cream truck throughout the day (which, sadly, does not actually seem to be selling ice cream). Her first location was announced just a few minutes ago:"The #PURR PARADE will launch @ Greeley Square in NYC @11am! Check www.katyperry.com for ALL the details! SEE YOU THERE!♥MEOW♥."{Twitter/katyperry}

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Kelly Osbourne:‘I Don’t Care What Anyone Else Says, Working Out #$&@* Sucks!’

Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images

Kelly Osbourne may look svelte and happy after her stint onDancing With the Starsand a new exercise and diet regime, but as she told us this week at theGlamourWomen of the Year awards, she hates working out as much as you do.“I don’t care what anyone else says, working out fucking sucks!” she said.“It does! It sucks! Especially when you have to look at yourself in the mirror sweating, you’re like,‘Oh, my God. I hate this!’” Her advice?“Start small and do it with a friend and keep going from there. That’s the only way to do it. When you go in there and go,‘I’m going to do this and do this,’ it’s so overwhelming.” Osbourne limits her workouts to half an hour.“I know I can commit to that.”

Also, she makes a playlist of“the gayest pop music that you can imagine; if any of my father’s friends heard the music for my workout, they’d be like,‘Shame on you!’ But you’ve got to turn the most miserable experiences of your life into something fun.”

And, she insists, dressing up is key.“What I find really helps me is when I put on little cute outfits to go to the gym,” she said.“Because when you’re looking at yourself in the mirror and you don’t like what you see, you’re not gonna want to go back.” Osbourne favors leggings and a ripped shirt with a multicolored bra underneath. She also always does her face:“I know people say,‘Don’t wear makeup at the gym,’ but I am that girl that wears makeup at the gym. I don’t wear mascara, but I put foundation on and blush and a little lip gloss. It really does help. If you don’t like your reflection, you don’t want to go back. I don’t want to look at myself looking gross. You know what it’s like. You’re like,‘No wonder I look fucking miserable right now.’”

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Alexander Wang Understands the Perils of Wearing All White

Alexander Wang’s spring collection, like so many of the spring runways, wasdominated by white and pale pastels, which is a scary thing when you live in a city full of dirty park benches, grimy subway turnstiles, and jostling crowds who spill their coffee on you and then rush off without so much as proffering a napkin. Wang himself is the first to understand:“It's just more risky to wear something like that, in the sense that you don't want to sit down on the subway and things like that,” he explained at his spring collection trunk show at Barneys last night.“How to keep it clean? I don't know. Carry a Tide pen with you?” He was, however, careful to feature fabrics and prints that could weather the abuse of city living:“Why I mixed it up with some rubber and some prints, and if you get a nick on it or a stain on it, you just play it off like it's been there the whole time.”

And how are things going withhis forthcoming store, whose blacked-out windows and locked doors have been taunting shoppers from the corner of Grand and Mercer for months now?“It’s opening sometime next year,” he said, laughing. He wouldn’t give many details, but likened the process to putting together a collection:

You're still figuring out the language, and you're perfecting all the details, and it's like working on a show or a collection. It's not done until it's done. But yeah, there are definitely those moments when I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, or come up with something on the subway. It's always unexpected where you get inspiration.

He’s being very careful about bedbugs, the scourge of retail stores across New York City.“We've definitely had our fair share of taking those precautionary steps to make sure that our office and our store will be clear. It's all safe here at A. Wang,” he said. And speaking ofbedbugs and retailers, how did he enjoy Wednesday night'sVictoria's Secret show, which he attended as a guest of Carine Roitfeld?“She goes every year. She says it's her favorite show,"he said of Roitfeld."I mean, I know most of these girls in the show, and it's great to see them in a different light. Some of those girls are rarely seen with hair and makeup like that, and it's cool to see them all dressed up like that.”

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Best Bet: Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes

For a set that comes in a studded, rock-inspired metallic case, Make Up For Ever’s new Aqua Eyes mini-pencil collection is surprisingly functional for the everyday. The portable tin features five waterproof liners— black, charcoal gray, brown, gold, and silver— each measuring just over two inches (full size at right). They’re long enough to be easy to handle, but still conveniently totable: The whole set can be stowed in your tiniest clutch. It’s an easy replacement for your full makeup bag on trips, and the silver-and-gold case makes an attractive stocking stuffer this holiday season.

Rock For Ever Aqua Eyes mini-pencil set, $36 atMake Up For Ever (Sephora).

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