bits and baubles

>> Get caught up on the latest news in fashion.

• Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have filed suit against the South African boutique Dolce & Banana, saying that the store's name "makes a mockery of the well-known trademark, Dolce & Gabbana." The store's owner has since changed her shop's name to " . . . & Banana," but the Italian fashion house is still trying to get her to pay its legal fees. [The Cut]
• Instagram has a new rival in Trendabl, a new photo-sharing app for the iPhone that's focused specifically on the fashion set. Trendabl allows users to take pictures and put interesting filters over them, but users can also tag brands and specific products in the photo, which makes the experience shoppable. Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, and Brad Goreski have already set up accounts. Will you? [The Fashion Spot]
• Remember this day — the choker has officially made its return as a statement accessory. Look no further than the necks of women like Rihanna and Olivia Wilde (and the product assortments of Ralph Lauren, Dannijo, and Lanvin) for proof. [Stylelist]

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

• R.J. Cutler, the documentarian who directed The September Issue, is working on a fashion film based on Fabulous Nobodies, the chronicle of an '80s Manhattan nightclub hostess written by former Vogue Australia Editor-in-Chief Lee Tulloch. The screenplay is ready, and Cutler's goal is to start filming by this Fall — now all he needs is a "stylish twentysomething actress for the lead role" and he'll be set. [The Cut]
• Fashion designer Victoria Beckham debuted a new haircut this week, chopping off her long locks in favor of a just-below-the-shoulder-length cut. Beckham tweeted a picture of her freshly shorn hair on the floor of her salon this weekend with the message "Chopped it off!" and paparazzi captured her summery new 'do shortly thereafter. [Stylelist]
• Filming has begun on the new Sex and the City prequel show The Carrie Diaries, and AnnaSophia Robb — the actress playing young Carrie Bradshaw — has been spotted toting around a paint-splattered handbag emblazoned with her character's name. One of the first episodes is said to include a shopping trip to Century 21. The show will air on the CW this Fall. [The Fashion Spot]

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

• In a tongue-in-cheek reference to the unknown thief (or thieves) who stole his Spring collection samples, Marc Jacobs posted a wanted sign in the window of his Mercer street store. The sign cleverly points out the fact that no one has been able to determine who stole the 46-piece line, but notes that "the thief is still at large and is now considered dressed to kill." It's also been made into a $28 t-shirt. [Racked]
  

• Jean Paul Gaultier doesn't really like technology, and only uses his iPhone for texting. "It's just non-stop. I like to think alone with my brain and not over-communicate," he said. If that's what enables him to focus on creating such beautiful clothing, who are we to judge? [The Cut]
  

• Gwyneth Paltrow's Oscar dress selection process was a labor of love, but she and her stylist Elizabeth Saltzman only picked the dramatic white Tom Ford gown and cape she wore a week before the show. Saltzman was able to make a decision so close to the event because of her tenure in the industry. "The politics, especially when it comes to this event, can be rough if you don't know the players," she said. [Stylelist]

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

• Grand theft fashion! Police are on the hunt for a "chic, well-dressed woman" they believe is responsible for the theft of a $17,000 handbag from the Ralph Lauren women's boutique on New York's Upper East Side. The bag, a version of the Ricky bag made from African crocodile skin, went missing last month. Anyone who might know its whereabouts is encouraged to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. [Styleite]
• Aliza Licht, the publicist who tweets from @DKNY, sent out over 1,100 missives on the social networking site in February. That's nearly three times as many tweets as the second biggest users of Twitter in the fashion industry — Kate Spade and Betsey Johnson only sent around 350 tweets in the same month. Only. [The Fashion Spot]
• Giorgio Armani took some flak for sending out an email announcement of his new Sense of Being campaign, which depicts British Olympians wearing his sportswear alongside inspirational messages, about a minute before Stella McCartney unveiled her uniforms for the British Olympic team. The jury is still out on whether or not you can actually steal someone's thunder via email. [The Cut]
• Mischa Barton is adding clothing to her line of products. She's had her own line of handbags since 2008, but her line of clothing and accessories, called Mischa's Place, started selling online today. [Stylelist]
• Longchamp, the French handbag company that makes the ubiquitous nylon-and-leather handbags, announced today that it's going to start selling shoes to complement those bags this Summer. The shoes, which range in price from $285 to $735, will be available in July. [Fashion Etc.]

>> Get caught up on all today's news in our daily roundup.

• Supermodel Selita Ebanks added the title "swimwear designer" to her resume this week when she debuted her new line of bathing suts on BET's Rip The Runway. Ebanks, famous for her stint as a Victoria's Secret Angel and a model for Ralph Lauren and Sports Illustrated, called her collection "very confident, sexy and independent." No word yet on whether a confident, sexy, and independent line of sportswear is in the works too. [Stylelist]
  
  

• Tom Ford has teamed up with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network — otherwise known as GLSEN — to help create the next PSA for the organization's Think Before You Speak campaign. Ford, who dabbles in film when he's not designing luxurious clothing, has invited budding filmmakers to submit commercials for the campaign. The winner will be flown to Los Angeles for GLSEN's annual Respect Awards later this year, where the commercial will be screened. [The Cut]
  
  

• Vogue now has an official outpost in The Netherlands. The international edition debuted its first issue this week, with models Romee Strijd, Ymre Stiekema, and Josefien Rodermans posing for the Marc de Groot-shot cover. [The Fashion Spot]

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

• Someone was sufficiently disgruntled with designer Alexander Wang to throw eggs against every one of the windows of his flagship store in New York's SoHo neighborhood. We haven't heard whether or not the vandalism is connected to his labor lawsuits, but store employees' first task this morning was cleaning up the yolky mess. [The Cut]
  

• Have you been dying to know when Zac Posen would finally start making sunglasses? Posen has inked a collaboration with eyewear manufacturer Illestva for a limited-edition line of shades that will be available next month at Opening Ceremony, Collete and Illestva.com. All of the shades will sell for $300, and Posen is excited to enter a new category. “As we develop the Zac Posen brand, sunglasses allow me to maintain an aspect of flare and attitude for clothing that transitions into day," he said. [WWD]
  

• Supermodel Kate Moss will make an appearance on an this Friday's episode of Absolutely Fabulous. Her time on-screen might be short, but it's packed with a running joke about her tenure in the business. [Styleite]
  

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

• Franca Sozzani defended Vogue Italia's recent Haute Mess spread against accusations that it was racist, saying that it was not her intention to cause controversy with images of candy bars pasted into models' hairdos. "A racist image, I really do not understand," she said. "I went through the pages so many times. Like when we did the Black Issue, everybody said that we did that on purpose because Obama was the person chosen to go to the White House, and if you just think one second, not more than one second, you can see that to make a magazine like what we did for the Black Issue, it takes six months [to do]. … What do you answer? They don't know what it means to work at a magazine. That's it." [The Cut]
• Menswear designer Simon Spurr left his eponymous fashion label last week without explanation. "At this moment, I'm not at liberty to say anything about what's gone on," he stated in an email. His unexpected departure came just a week after being nominated for the CFDA's menswear designer of the year award. [WWD]
• Despite a statement from Vogue to the contrary, rumors have persisted that current cover girl Jennifer Lopez will be performing at the Met Gala this May. She's been a regular attendee of the event in the past, and with the added attention of being on the magazine's cover this Spring, the idea that she'll perform makes sense. Wait and see. [Fashion Etc.]

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

>> Those stories — and more — in today's news roundup.

>> Those stories here — in our daily news roundup.