bits and baubles

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Turns out that much-rumored collaboration between Manolo Blahnik and J.Crew isn't going to happen — or at least not this Fall. "Although we were looking forward to the potential collaboration between our two brands, we both came to the conclusion that fall wasn't the right time," a rep for Manolo Blahnik said in an email. "We hope to do something together in the future." [Elle]
  

• Nowness, the online fashion and culture showcase owned by LVMH, debuted a Chinese version yesterday. In a statement, the site's editors said they made the move to capitalize "on China's significant position as a growing luxury market and the importance of digital and social media in the region." [The Wall Street Journal]
  

• Heidi Klum partnered with Babies "R" Us on a line of baby products called Truly Scrumptious. The line includes infant-sized clothing and accessories, but it also extends to furniture, home decor, and bedding for the under-5 set. [LilSugar]
  

• Christian Louboutin will collaborate with Disney when he creates a real-life version of Cinderella's famous glass slippers this Summer, commemorating the release of Cinderella on DVD this Fall. "I have been so lucky to have crossed paths with Cinderella, an icon who is so emblematic to the shoe world as well as the dream world," Louboutin said. [The Huffington Post]
  

• Calvin Klein's on-and-off boyfriend Nick Gruber reportedly left his New York penthouse for a stint at an undisclosed rehabilitation clinic on Wednesday. Sources saw Gruber, who was arrested for cocaine possession earlier this week, leaving his apartment with a wheelie suitcase and overheard him talking about the trip. [The Cut]

  Photo: Models wearing Manolo Blahnik shoes during J.Crew's Fall 2012 presentation.

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa landed his first modeling assignment with the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Costa will star in a campaign advertising the organization's new "São Paolo for the Cure!" t-shirts, set to debut tomorrow in his native Brazil. He's joined in the campaign by fellow Brazilians Luciana Casta and Raquel Zimmermann. [Daily Front Row]
  

• Natalia Vodianova took flak for saying "It's better to be skinny than to be fat" at this past weekend's Vogue festival, and today she responded to the criticism on her Facebook page, explaining that her original comment was designed to make people laugh. "If I was giving a speech I would have chosen my words more carefully of course," she wrote. [The Cut]
  

• Opening Ceremony will open its first London store — a pop-up shop — to celebrate the start of the 2012 Olympic games this July. When the games are over, the store will move to a permanent spot on King Street in the Covent Garden neighborhood. "Bringing Opening Ceremony to Covent Garden is an important next step in the growth of our company," said founders Humberto Leon and Carol Lim. [Catwalk Queen]
  

• The Food and Drug Administration will start monitoring what goes into beauty products sold in the United States by creating a mandatory ingredient registry next year. Current law allows beauty companies to report their ingredients voluntarily, and there are only 10 ingredients that are banned from domestic products. In the European Union, tighter beauty industry regulations have banned some 1,200 ingredients. [Refinery29]
  

• Richemont, owner of luxury jewelers and watchmakers like Cartier and IWC, won a momentous infringement case against a company that registered the trademark for Vacheron Constantin — Richemont's oldest watch brand — in Russia and sold clothes under that label. The outcome of the case means that a well-known trademark in one country can't be taken and reregistered in another country, because it can confuse consumers and harm the original trademark holder's reputation. "This is a landmark case with worldwide implications," said Richemont chief counsel Frederick Mostert. [Material World]

  Photo: Natalia Vodianova walks during Stella McCartney's Fall 2012 show.

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Versace will show its Fall 2012 couture show at the Ritz Hotel in Paris on July 1, a month before the hotel is scheduled to close for a two-year renovation. The Ritz has a special place in Versace's history — it's where Gianni Versace presented his last collection for the house before he was killed in 1997. "The closing of the Ritz Paris for two years represents the end of an era but also the beginning of a new one," said Donatella Versace. "So to be able to show Atelier Versace there one last time will be a memorable milestone." [Vogue UK]
  

• Roberto Cavalli took to Twitter to air more grievances against Anna Wintour, writing, "I confide you a secret... Anna Wintur das nt come to see my show in Milano ....... Why ?? becouse I dont do publicity in American Vogue ??" Cavalli called Wintour's influence on American fashion "terrible" in an on-camera interview last week. [Daily Front Row]
  

• Teri Agins, author of The End of Fashion, is writing a new book billed as a "behind-the-scenes exposé" that will "focus on the rise of fast fashion and celebrity designers in the multibillion fashion industry." The book doesn't have a title yet, but publishing house Gotham is expected to release it sometime in 2014. [The Cut]
  

• A group of protesters dressed in classically tailored suits assembled outside of the new Abercrombie & Fitch store on London's Saville Row, waving signs that say "Tweed Not Greed" and "Give Three-Piece a Chance." One of the organizers of the protest said he wanted to stop the store from "selling crappy clothes to ghastly people." [Styleite]
  

• Candice Swanepoel shimmers on the May cover of Vogue Japan in a gold-fringed Gucci dress. The issue's biggest cover line reads, appropriately, "Glamour Game." [Fashion Gone Rogue]

Photo: Donatella Versace with models at the Versace Haute Couture Spring 2012 presentation in Paris.

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Alessandra Ambrosio reprised Demi Moore's famous naked and pregnant Vanity Fair cover in a new ad for Brazilian jewelry company Vivara. The Victoria's Secret Angel, who recently announced she's having a baby boy, accentuated her nude figure with statement earrings, a bangle, and a row of chunky rings. [Stylelist]
  

• From Karl Lagerfeld in a strappy black bathing suit to Andy Warhol and Halston, Antonio Lopez photographed a view of the fashion industry in the '70s that few had seen until now. Mauricio Padilha and Roger Padilha will publish a selection of those photos in The Antonio Lopez Book, set to debut this September. [Fashionista]
  

• Carey Mulligan is reported to have worn a custom Versace dress when she married Mumford & Sons lead singer Marcus Mumford this weekend. While no pictures of the dress have surfaced, it's been described as simple, backless, and ivory colored. [Grazia]
  

• Victoria Beckham's stint as creative design executive for Land Rover has yielded a limited-edition Range Rover Evoque. The car features rose-gold-plated metal finishings and mohair floor mats and is equipped with a four-piece luggage set. Only 200 will be produced, and Chinese consumers will be the first to have access to them. [Styleite]
  

• The Fashion Institute of Technology will live stream its graduate runway show for the first time this year. Those who don't have a seat for the show — invitees include Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg, and Michael Kors, among others — can watch it online at FIT's Future of Fashion website or in 3D at the school's Katie Murphy Amphitheatre. [FIT]

Photo via Alessandra Ambrosio's Facebook

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Heidi Klum has been spotted in public with Thomas Hayo, an advertising executive who's also a judge on Germany's Next Top Model, which Klum hosts. Their public displays of affection have led some to believe Hayo is Klum's first romantic entanglement since splitting up with Seal. Klum and Seal had been married for almost seven years when they separated in January. Klum filed for divorce earlier this month. [The Fashion Spot]
  

• Speaking of Top Model, Tyra Banks let three of ANTM's long-running cast members go this week. Nigel Barker, Jay Manuel, and Miss J. Alexander will not return to the show's 19th season. They've been replaced by Kelly Cutrone, Georgina Chapman, and Cat Deeley. Rumor has it that Bryanboy might make appearances on the next season, too. [Modelinia]
  

• Friday was day one of Vogue UK's inaugural Vogue Festival. Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana led one of today's sessions, but tomorrow will include talks with Diane von Furstenberg and Tom Ford, among others. Alexandra Shulman said she created the festival because she wanted to "analyze where fashion intersects with the world we live in." [The Chicago Tribune]
  

• Costello Tagliapietra debuted its new lower-priced line of clothing, called C&T, at Barneys earlier this week. The dresses are all priced around $300, a mere fraction of what the main collection costs. [Racked]
  

• Miranda Kerr turned 29 years old today. Celebrate by taking a look back at her laid-back, ultracool street style. [CelebStyle]

Photo: Heidi Klum with Thomas Hayo during the finale of Germany's Next Top Model in 2011.

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Toni Garrn has just been anointed as Victoria's Secret's newest Angel. Garrn's first official assignment was appearing in the new ads for the Dream Angels underwear collection alongside veterans Erin Heatherton and Lindsay Ellingson, but she's walked the Victoria's Secret fashion show runway in the past. While we don't know much about her yet, she has admitted she has an addiction problem — "Sweets are really my problem," she laughed. "I could just eat sweets all day, ice cream and chocolate." [Fashion Etc.]
  

• Fashion Week organizers in New York and London have set show dates through September 2014 in the hopes of resolving the scheduling disagreement among the four major fashion capitals. The plan allows New York, London, Milan, and Paris to "successfully plan for the long term" — or at least it will if Paris and Milan cooperate with the new dates. [The Cut]
  

• What was the best fashion film of this season? Victoria by Victoria Beckham, Prada, Lanvin, and Edun, among others, all made inventive and imaginative films to advertise their Spring wares. [Business of Fashion]
  

• Liya Kebede dyed her hair red for the May cover of Harper's Bazaar Spain — or at least she put on a red wig. The model donned head-to-toe Gucci for the cover, which also promises stories about Elsa Schiaparelli and Oscar-nominated actress Berenice Bejo. [Styleite]
  

• An environmental group in Beijing released a report blaming China's manufacturing industry for some "2.5 billion metric tons of sewage in 2010," which makes it the third biggest polluter of water in the country. The report names Burberry, Levi's, Guess, Zara, and Ralph Lauren as companies who have hired "textile companies that violate [China's] environmental laws." [Refinery29]

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Karl Lagerfeld will provide live fashion commentary of Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee for French state TV channel France 2. He's reprising his role from last year's royal wedding ceremonies, which he called a procession of "bad proportions, ugly hats, [and] short skirts on fat legs." Lagerfeld will go on air June 3. [The Daily Telegraph]
  

• Tucker designer Gaby Basora worked with director Zoe Cassavetes on a silent film showcasing her Spring 2012 collection. It stars Liberty Ross as a movie star fighting against a "bicycle-riding ingenue" for a role. "Look at the women in the film, the ages — their spontaneity, bravado and love of life," Basora says. "It's the notion that Tucker has a timeless universal and utterly gorgeous appeal." [Grazia]
  

• Wondering where the Jenna's Picks emails from J.Crew's Jenna Lyons have gone? They're currently on hiatus, according to Lyons. "It was totally not my idea, just for the record," she says. "It was actually the person who ran marketing at the time, who's no longer here, and wanted to do something that felt a little bit more personal." [The Cut]
  

• Topshop will introduce a bridal collection designed by Richard Nicoll this June. Details are scant, but the brand recently tweeted, "Want to get married just so we can wear our @studio_nicoll bridal collection set to land in June. Can't give you a sneak peek but wow!" [The Huffington Post]
  

• The US International Trade Commission ruled in favor of Louis Vuitton after a 15-month investigation into an elaborate ring of counterfeiters that made and sold fake Vuitton bags around the world. "As the first luxury goods company to seek redress at the ITC, we are pleased with the significant remedy that has been recommended," said a lawyer for Louis Vuitton. [Styleite]
  

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Marchesa is reportedly discussing creating a lower-priced contemporary label with Li & Fung, the global trading firm that recently signed on to help Vena Cava expand into new categories. Marchesa designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig already have a lower-priced line called Notte, which offers eveningwear. [Styleite]
  

• Jean Paul Gaultier said he was surprised to be the only person in fashion who made an homage to the late Amy Winehouse after her death. "Her look was fabulous, fantastic — it was unique," he said. "Usually, actresses and singers need fashion advice. She naturally had the right make-up, the right earrings — it was truly a style." [The Cut]
  

• Gisele Bundchen's 5-year-old niece Duda is already following in her aunt's footsteps, modeling and designing a line for the Brazilian children's wear company Brandili Mundi. "She told us about her preferences on prints, cuts and details, and based on the briefing we received from her we came up with a collaborative collection," said the brand's marketing director Germano Costa. [The Huffington Post]
  

• Singer Nicki Minaj is developing a fragrance with Give Back Brands, the same charitable company that released Justin Bieber's perfume Someday last year. Proceeds from the sale of the fragrance will be donated to the charity of Minaj's choice. "I have always been a huge fan of great fragrances," she said. "This is yet another extension of my creative expression." [The Fashion Spot]
  

• Heidi Klum bared everything for the May issue of Allure, posing naked for the cover and addressing topics ranging from her divorce to plastic surgery. "Everyone has a view of what's not pretty and [surgery] just doesn't look pretty to me," she said. [Fashion Etc.]

Photo: The finale of Marchesa's Fall 2012 runway show.

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Karlie Kloss may have found herself a new beau in Sam Bradford, the 24-year-old quarterback of the St. Louis Rams. Kloss and Bradford were photographed together this weekend at Coachella, but so far neither one has said whether they're just friends or more than friends. [Stylelist]
  

• The women of The Cut road tested one of Spring's hottest trends when they put on peplum dresses and walked around Times Square. Charlotte Cowles — clad in a Julie Haus frock — asked perfect strangers whether they liked peplums, but some didn't know what they were. [The Cut]
  

• Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen are on the May cover of W magazine — Kidman in a Prada pastel jumpsuit and Owen in a clean white shirt. The two are promoting their new HBO film Hemingway & Gellhorn, about the relationship between writer Ernest Hemingway and WWI correspondent Martha Gellhorn. [Fashion Etc.]
  

• Vogue Paris finally made its English debut today when it added a button that translates its website from French. The welcome message, punctuated by a photo of Kate Moss wrapped in a British flag, says, "If you're not in Paris, let Vogue.fr bring Paris to you." [Vogue Paris]

>> Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Jean Paul Gaultier is the new creative director of Diet Coke in Europe. His first order of business? Decorating the iconic bottles with corsets to make them look more like his signature torso-shaped perfume bottles. [The Cut]
  

• Fashion blogger Bryan Boy is taking some flak for tweeting about the Miss Universe Canada pageant's decision to allow a transgender woman to participate in the competition. "I'm very much pro-tranny but i don't want them to take part in miss universe," he wrote, much to the dismay of The Cut's Alex Rees, who replied, "and some trannys are probably pro-bryanboy but they don't need you passing judgement." [Stylelist]
  

• Rosie Huntington-Whiteley joined Twitter today with the handle @RHW. "Hello!" her first tweet read. "Finally joining Twitter and looking forward to sharing some exciting and fun things with you all very soon...so stay tuned. R x" At the time of this posting she had already amassed over 2,000 followers. [The Daily Telegraph]
  

• Jeanne Beker's Fashion Television, the Canadian-based TV show that ran for 27 years, stopped production this week. Representatives from Bell Media, which owns Fashion Television, say Beker will stay with the company to work on "the development of new projects." The half-hour show aired weekly in over 130 countries. [The Fashion Spot]
  

• Alice Temperley is lobbying against a proposed British law that would raise the price of cider made in Great Britain — like the kind her parents produce for a living. "It is a crippling tax that would make local cider bought from local farms like my parents' three times more expensive, so ruining the livelihood I grew up with and England's beautiful orchards," she said. [Vogue UK]