>> While the editors at Elle are making lists of what the economy has forced them to give up (bottled water, working out with a trainer) and what necessities they can't bear to part with (haircuts at Fekkai, Wolford tights, monthly facials), their counterparts at French Elle are preparing to do something novel. This week's issue, which hits newsstands Saturday, features Eva Herzigova, Inès de la Fressange, and actresses Monica Bellucci, Sophie Marceau, Anne Parillaud, Karin Viard, Charlotte Rampling, and Chiara Mastroianni, who all agreed to appear without any makeup or retouching. Peter Lindbergh did the honors, and inside the magazine, five more unnamed celebrities are promised.
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Ines De La Fressange
Eva Herzigova, Ines de la Fressange Go Without Makeup, Retouching for French Elle Covers
Natalia Vodianova Shows Off Her Lingerie Pour Etam
>> Natalia Vodianova has been chatting up her collaboration with Etam for a while — and last night, the French lingerie company shelled out for their newly-signed three year ambassador, staging a full-blown show at the Ritz in Paris that drew the likes of Eva Herzigova, Emmanuelle Alt, and Charlotte Casiraghi in the front row and Edita Vilkeviciute, Sigrid Agren, Flavia Oliveira, and Sessilee Lopez on the runway. Natalia pour Etam, which encompasses swimwear and lingerie, including a silk nightgown inspired by one in Natalia's own wardrobe, runs $20-$80 and hits stores in April. The line will be reoccurring, with Natalia designing a new collection every season over the period of her ambassadorship.
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Stella McCartney's Parisian Opening: Models, Jewels, and Some Rolling Paper
>> Stella McCartney marked the end of couture last night by debuting two things — her new Paris flagship (which actually opened in November) and a Cartier sapphire and diamond pendant that her dad gave her mom in the '70s and just passed onto her. Joining her in celebration were Lara Stone, who recently moved to London, Stefano Pilati, Heidi Mount, Daphne Guinness, Lily Donaldson, and the ever-goofy Sasha Pivovarova, who in addition to her book for Prada, has now been invited to illustrate a children's book for Karl Lagerfeld. There was fun to be had by all, including Francois-Henri Pinault, who joined in the game of "Who am I?," and ran around with Suzy Menkes and the rest of the bunch, cigarette rolling paper stuck to their foreheads.
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Ines de la Fressange Trumps "All Those Sexy Little Things" at Gaultier Spring 2009
>> Jean Paul Gaultier always has a trick up his sleeve for his runway shows — think Coco Rocha's iconic Irish dancing opener — and this time, it was all about the closer. Ines de la Fressange, 51-year-old French supermodel who in the '80s became the first model to sign an exclusive modeling contract — hers was with Chanel — finished out the appropriately '80s-inspired show in a slinky black gown and ivory tuxedo jacket. The audience cheered her the whole way down the runway, and she turned to wave at old friends. Gaultier, for his part, was so excited about her appearance that he "chased the former supermodel down the runway and practically wrestled her to the ground during the final moments of the show, catching her just before she fell." De la Fressange called it a one-off occasion, admitting that she was nervous backstage "surrounded by all those sexy little things."
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Hundreds Turn Out To Mourn at Yves Saint Laurent's Funeral
Applause erupted from the hundreds of onlookers as the designer's coffin was carried into the Eglise Saint-Roch for the funeral mass. A string quartet played as invited guests took their seats in a church decorated with jasmine and white lilies.
During services, former YSL muse Catherine Deneuve, visibly moved, gave a reading from a Walt Whitman poem, followed by a eulogy from Pierre Berge, Saint Laurent's former lover and long-time business partner: "He turned fashion on its head, making it socially relevant rather than merely aesthetic. With Saint Laurent, women ceased being merely clothes-horses or the objects of designer fantasies."
As expected, a number of fashion figures attended — John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Claudia Schiffer, Laetitia Casta — but noticeably absent was rival Karl Lagerfeld, who according to a Chanel spokesperson was "away on business." Most of the women attendees were dressed in pants suits, in tribute to the designer's reputation as the man who put women in pants.
Yves Saint Laurent's body will be cremated and then scattered in the Majorelle Gardens in Morocco, where he spent much of his life. A short video of the services is here.
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