>> Victoria Beckham For October Elle, Not Vogue; Michelle Obama to Be on Vogue Cover Again? — Though rumors placed Victoria Beckham on the October issue of Vogue, she's said to be fronting the October issue of Elle instead.  And Michelle Obama, whose March 2009 cover of Vogue sold 560,000 newsstand copies (by comparison, Vogue's September 2008 issue sold 559,000 copies) may be back soon for another cover.  This month's i-D hints: "In New York, the staff of American Vogue put finishing touches on an unprecedented second cover featuring a sitting First Lady who is black and beautiful." [The Cut, TFS]

>> Naomi Campbell, long a crusader for models of color — who also happens to be verging on her 25-year anniversary in the industry — is still frustrated with ad casting, she tells the Telegraph UK: "This year, we have gone back all the way that we had advanced. I don't see any black woman, or of any other race, in big advertising campaigns."

In the upcoming issue of POP, she expresses a similar feeling: "The black issue of Italian Vogue was great but I feel it was great for just a moment. It didn't work. You still don't see black models, ethnic models, and models from different cultures in advertising very much." She continues in the Telegraph UK: "That [Vogue Italia issue] made some noise, but, unfortunately, we are the same as before. People, in the panic of the recession, don't dare to put a girl of color in their campaign, full stop. Nor of any other race. It's a shame. It's very sad."

What could help? »

>> Armani, Versace Supposedly Had Bidding War Over Megan Fox —  When Victoria Beckham declined to renew her Emporio Armani underwear ad contract earlier this month, rumors went around that Megan Fox was signed to replace her.  But now, Derek Blasberg reports: "Word on the casting couch is that [Fox] is taking over the [Armani] fragrance campaign for Beyonce, AND the fashion campaign also. This, after a Fox bidding war with none other than Versace." [Derek Blasberg Twitter, Derek Blasberg Twitter]

>> The first issue of POP under Dasha Zhukova's guiding hand hits newsstands tomorrow at $8, with two international newsstand covers, each with a 50/50 split run, of Style Rookie's Tavi, plus a 500-copy limited-edition hardback cover by Ed Ruscha (below, left), and a limited subscriber's cover of Cicciolina for the Baltic States (below, right).

“The new Pop launches at an exciting turning point in fashion, where the possibilities and potential for creativity are almost overwhelming,” Zhukova told WWD. “The new era is more fluid than ever before; one where teenage girls in Chicago, fashion editors in Paris, street photographers from Berlin and bloggers everywhere . . . redefine the fashion landscape.”

Fake Karl, Jen Brill, and Mark Borthwick are all involved »

>> Daphne Guinness Likens Topshop to Gucci —Style.com has an interview with Daphne Guinness coming out on Friday.  Among the tidbits: "People think I'm Miss Couture but I know how to do it. I kid you not, I once did a shoot with just rubbish bags." On Topshop: "It's so great. I buy stuff there that you'd find in Gucci."  And on her iconic black and white-streaked hair: "There's no way I can get rid of it unless I shave my head and dye it black." [Meenal Mistry Twitter, Meenal Mistry Twitter, Meenal Mistry Twitter]

>> Versus, the young Versace line originally launched in 1989 and designed by Donatella Versace under her brother Gianni's supervision before it was discontinued in 2005, is being revived — no surprises here, considering that Donatella said in March of the line: "It was the first collection that my brother Gianni let me work on, on my own, so it's very precious to me."

She asked Christopher Kane to produce a capsule collection of crystal-studded Versus shoes and bags, which was rolled out in February, and for Spring 2010, the brand is on track for a full-fledged "dynamic presentation" of Versus ready-to-wear during Milan Fashion Week, according to a spokeswoman.

The line, which targets "Young Hollywood," or women between 20 and 30, is currently being sold in the new Versus showroom in Milan. “It’s very rock ’n’ roll and sexy,” Donatella Versace told WWD. “The collection reflects Versus’ DNA and is aimed at young people who want to dress with their own style but like to evolve and break new ground.”

>> Kate Moss Leads September 2009 Cover Count at Five; Anna J., Sasha, and Jamie Bochert Score September 2009 Vogue Italia Covers— Not that we're counting, but Kate Moss still has the fashion editor vote for carrying a September issues — she's scored five major September 2009 covers now, Another Magazine, V, British Vogue, Vogue Russia, and W among them.  Anna Maria Jagodzinska and Sasha Pivovarova, meanwhile, remain Steven Meisel favorites: he photographed each of them  — plus Jamie Bochert — for the three Vogue Italia September 2009 covers, marking their second appearances this year on the front of Franca Sozzani's book: Anna's first was January, Sasha's May. [IMG Models Blog, Models.com]

>> Jourdan Dunn, Sessilee Lopez, Chanel Iman, and Arlenis Sosa Pena reunited a year after the all-black issue of Vogue Italia to shoot the September 2009 cover of i-D under a railroad arch and next to a go-kart track in East London.

Jourdan is pregnant (she's due in December — with a boy, according to Sessilee) and chats with i-D about how she may be out for a season, but doesn't plan on leaving the scene.  As for the father of her child, who she's generally very private about: "My boyfriend didn't even know I was a model when I started going out with him and we've been together for three years now. It's hard, you never really know whether people want to be around Jourdan or Jourdan Dunn, and he's been there from when I was just Jourdan."

Edward Enninful, who styled the shoot — which can be seen here — calls Jourdan "reserved" in the video below, but she's very outspoken when it comes to her work: "There are loads of black models working and the idea that there's only a few of us, or four of us, to let in as top models at any one time is just bullsh*t. It creates an unnecessary competition when we should be standing together."

Chanel chimes in: "It usually takes an ethnic girl — I'm not saying black, I'm saying ethnic, let's make that clear — twice as long. We've gotta work extra-hard to stay in the game and stay with the girls who do well but aren't ethnic.  Some girls can skip seasons, but us ethnic girls, we cannot skip a season because that'll kill us."

Video: Straight from the i-D shoot! »

>> Karl Lagerfeld Likens Favorite Male Model Baptiste Giabiconi to Gisele Bundchen—WWD thinks the athletic male model is making a comeback.  Karl Lagerfeld weighs in: “I think after the ugly skinny boys of Hedi [Slimane’s] days . . . some ‘beauty’ was needed, but new beauty." Baptiste Giabiconi, who is peppered all over Lagerfeld's recent editorial and advertising work, Karl likens to “a boy version of Gisele [Bündchen]: skinny, skinny but with an athletic body — good for clothes and great with no clothes.”  Even Naomi Campbell, according to Lagerfeld, was envious when she met Baptiste in Moscow recently — she told him: “It’s not right: We all have defects. You have none.” [WWD]

>> Victoria Beckham recently let her Giorgio Armani contract expire so that she could focus more on her beauty and fashion lines; she's said to be showing her Victoria Beckham Collection — which Roland Mouret has assisted her with in the past — at New York Fashion Week again for Spring 2010, but this weekend, she's releasing a short film featuring her Fall 2009 collection (with Mouret's sharply tailored handiwork visible) online.

This is her second foray into the fashion promo film arena — her first effort, for Spring 2009, came out at the end of last year.  The new short, "Swings," features eight models, perched on rope swings, moving in unison — plus a cameo by Beckham — and was filmed in a single take in London last month.  Matt Jerrett directed and Beckham's (and Mouret's) backer, 19 Entertainment, produced.  The film debuts Sunday on BergdorfGoodman.com, to promote Beckham's appearance at the New York store during Fashion's Night Out Sept. 10, and DazedDigital, which has the UK exclusive, is posting the full film Sunday at 3 pm UK time.

UPDATE: The video! »