>> The latest artist to collaborate with Pop on a cover under Dasha Zhukova's reign is Takashi Murakami, who art directed Britney Spears as a manga character — complete with with wedding dress and veil (image here), schoolgirl backpack, Hello Kitty cell phone, and ankle socks — for the magazine's multiple Fall 2010 covers. Spears, who was photographed by Todd Cole for the occasion, told Grazia that pre-shoot, "We looked at a lot of characters and artwork before we shot, so I could get a feel for what [Murakami] was looking for."

The idea arose when Zhukova and Murakami were discussing the idea of manga characters, and as for Spears, Zhukova says, “She’s feminine, sassy, strong-willed, determined: all the things a great Pop icon should be. Couple that with some Japanese swimsuits and a Rodarte wedding gown and I think she is pretty much Pop personified!”

The issue also includes a collaboration with Cindy Sherman, who reinterprets the Chanel woman, and cartoon stickers are said to appear all throughout.