>> Tom Ford's talk at this weekend's Vogue Festival touched on everything from the designer's sexuality (at one point he said he's "not gay") to why he wears his own cosmetics.

Alexandra Shulman led the conversation with the designer, asking why he posed for ads with so many naked women when he's been openly gay for years. Ford explained that he doesn't believe people "have to put boxes around everything," then asked, "Have you ever slept with a woman, Alex?"

The question prompted laughter from the audience, and a giggling Shulman answered no and pointed to Ford's partner of 25 years, Richard Buckley. Read on to see how he responded and some of the best quotes from the rest of his talk.

On his sexuality: "I hate to use the words gay and straight, and I think we're all on some sort of sliding scale. Of course, I'm at the Richard Buckley end of the scale, but I hate that gay/straight thing."

On why it's important to be in his own ads: "I'm the face of the brand. With Chanel, you feel that Karl Lagerfeld's personality has really melded with Coco's — but not everyone knows yet who I am, so that's why I'm in the pictures. I don't like having my picture taken but it helps people to respond . . . My real life's not like the fantasy Tom Ford world, with naked girls pouring perfume everywhere. It's more staying in and watching Friends on television."

On staging presentations rather than runway shows: "The reason I present in a small, controlled way is that so much of what makes my clothes special is the cut, the stitching, the lining — things that would be lost on the catwalk. On the catwalk you have to exaggerate, almost."

On testing his line of cosmetics: "I put every single thing on — I don't wear it down the street, but I want to see how it covers, how it works. When you put your name on something, you want people to know you believe in it."

>> 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.

>> Guess left the final courtroom session of its trademark infringement case with Gucci on slightly stronger footing, but the judge in the case has yet to make a final decision.

Daniel Petrocelli, defense lawyer for Guess, argued yesterday that his client's products simply didn't infringe on any of Gucci's "weak trademarks," primarily because other brands had similar designs. He also pointed out that if Gucci had been legitimately concerned about Guess making Gucci knockoffs over 20 years ago, it would have filed this lawsuit sooner.

Judge Shira Scheindlin asked Gucci's lawyer Louis Ederer why his client didn't come to court sooner and didn't seem satisfied by his answer that at the time, Gucci's focus was on shutting down counterfeiters.

Still, Ederer's closing statement maintained that Guess wantonly re-created Gucci's products. Earlier in the trial, he presented emails between Guess and its licensees that suggest Guess worked specifically to mimic Gucci's style.

"This was a perfect storm of willful infringement," Ederer said. "It was in fact a calculated scheme."

Calculated or not, the Guess team left the court in high spirits.

"We had a good day," said Guess CEO Paul Marciano, who testified in the trial last week. "I think we put up, in my view, overwhelming evidence of good faith that there was no infringement."

Scheindlin is expected to hand down her final decision on the case within the next few months.

Gucci's lawsuit claims that over 150 products produced by Guess and its licensees since the late '80s knocked off Gucci's signature diamond logo pattern and striped ribbon motif. The suit seeks damages of $221 million and an order for Guess to stop selling the offending products.

Photo: Marciano with model Alyssa Miller in 2010.

>> 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]

>> The 161-year-old label Aquascutum entered administration, the British equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, on Tuesday.

In a statement, Aquascutum executives attributed the company's precarious financial situation to "challenging conditions in the UK," which has "unfortunately meant that the team have been unable to successfully turn the business around."

The company is now in the hands of FRP Advisory, a British restructuring firm. Geoff Rowley, who is leading the administration efforts, says he hopes he can keep the company's doors open.

"We are conscious of the value of the Aquascutum brand and its long-standing heritage and because of this are keen to enter into early discussions with interested parties open to purchasing the business as soon as possible," Rowley said.

Aquascutum lost over $38 million in 2008, and British Fashion Council chairman Harold Tillman bought the struggling brand in 2009 for an undisclosed price. He appointed Belinda Earl as its CEO and hired designer Joanna Sykes as creative director in May 2010. Sykes's work for the brand was well-received, but didn't translate to the turnaround Aquascutum needed.

If the company can't be saved, the 250 people who work for it will be out of work.

Update: Aquascutum announced on Thursday, April 19 that it will shut down its UK manufacturing plant in Corby, Northamptonshire, due to "loss-making operations and a lack of funding." The factory employed 115 people, all of whom the company says will get help finding new jobs.

"Whilst a difficult decision, it has been necessary in order to stem on-going losses for the business, and to protect the positions of the 135 remaining employees," a spokesperson said. "We plan to provide appropriate assistance to all affected employees . . . All head office and retail operations across the UK and international high street, concession and outlet stores are operating as usual at present."

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