Kate Upton turned down Sherman Oaks teen Jake Davidson's invitation to go to prom, but he got a pretty good backup: swimsuit model Nina Agdal went with him on Thursday night. Agdal contacted Davidson after he asked Upton to prom in a video that went viral on YouTube earlier this week when she learned that Upton's schedule wouldn't permit her to accept. [San Bernardino Sun]

Actress Robin Wright, currently co-starring with Kevin Spacey in "House of Cards" on Netflix,  wore an unintentionally odd dress to the 17th Annual Webby Awards in New York this week. The ruffles on the Emilio Pucci pink...

The latest to surface in my inbox is a news release from SmashBox cosmetics announcing the launch of its Bling Ring makeup kit -- lipstick, lip plumper, mascara, eye liner, primer and a faux croc clutch. Yes, for $48 (an $81 value!) you can "recreate the fame obsessed glamour of the film's stars," the release says.

And that's not all: "To give fans a glimpse of the celeb fantasy that 'The Bling Ring' explores," Smashbox is giving away a trip for two to the film's premiere and afterparty June 4 in L.A.  (The...

It's not quite Smashbox meets smash-and-grab, but the cosmetics brand has partnered with makers of "The Bling Ring" for a makeup kit inspired by the fashion-focused heist flick.

According to the media materials announcing the merchandise tie-in with the Sofia Copolla film, which hits theaters in L.A. on June 14 and nationwide June 21, the collection aims to "re-create the fame-obsessed glamour of the film’s stars with hot pink pouts, out-all-night kohl-rimmed eyes and lashes for days."

The materials go on to say that the movie's makeup artist, Roz Music, scoured Instagram for inspiration...

How many little girls have dressed up like Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" and pretended to waltz around a ballroom? Or like Sleeping Beauty dancing with the prince?

Now bigger girls can do the same. Disney Consumer Products has teamed with Ashdon Inc., which specializes in special occasion dresses, on a collection of ballgowns inspired by Disney princesses. The Disney Royal Ball Quinceñera Collection is targeted specifically for Latinas' coming-of-age parties, but they would be appropriate for a Sweet Sixteen, as well.

And there's nothing about the dresses that screams "Disney." The two...

Just in time for Father's Day, flower deliveries and edible arrangements have met their manly match in Broquet (pronounced bro-kay) a new company that will deliver a curated bucket of grilling tools, a cigar box of shaving products or a first-aid kit full of hangover helpers to dad's -- or any dude's -- doorstep.

The 6-month-old San Francisco-based web retailer was born after Dan Hockenmaier came up empty while trying to find an appropriate gift to send to his friend Max Solomon.

"He was on the the East Coast for his grandfather’s funeral and I was on a business trip in Salt Lake City...

Issa London designer Daniella Helayel, who created the highly publicized blue dress worn by Kate Middleton on the occasion of her engagement announcement, is leaving the label she founded, the company announced Thursday. She will be succeeded by Blue Farrier. Helayel will remain as a consultant through the end of the year, and oversee the Issa for Banana Republic collection hitting stores Aug. 13. 

The Abercrombie & Fitch firestorm continues with its CEO posting an apology on Facebook, and critics of its no-sizes-over-10 policy saying its not enough.

The new CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund collection...

A new website is putting kids’ creative power to use to help raise money for charity.

VeryMeri asks children to design and submit artwork via online contests. The winning designs, voted on by the public, are featured on T-shirts, hoodies and accessories, are sold on verimeri.com for $18 to $39. Five percent of the sales price is donated to the young designer’s charity of choice or to VeryMeri’s national charitable partner, the Art of Elysium.

The Los Angeles-based site was the brainchild of teacher Meri Zeiff and is intended to encourage entrepreneurship and social...

"Star Trek: Into Darkness" is taking some flak for a scene in which Alice Eve, playing Dr. Carol Marcus, strips down to panties and bra ... for no real reason. Screenwriter Damon Lindelof acknowledged via Twitter, "We should have done a better job of not being gratuitous in our representation of a barely clothed actress." [Hollywood Life]

Kellie Pickler and partner Derek Hough won season 16 of "Dancing With The Stars" on Tuesday night. Pickler got the mirror ball trophy. [Fox News]

Another dancer on the show, Val Chmerkovskiy, ended the season with a different trophy: a gash over his right...

Marion Cotillard wore a strapless Dior gown with eye-catching color blocks of blue, yellow, black and pink on a white background to the Cannes Film Festival premiere of "Blood Ties" on Monday. The dress was shown Saturday in Monaco as part of Dior's Cruise Collection 2014 — a fashion show attended by Cotillard, Jessica Biel and Ruth Wilson, among others.  [Hollywood Reporter]

Cotillard's hair was done up in a 1960s style beehive by Robert Vetica. [E Online]

Beyoncé invited photographers in to photograph her during a Mrs. Carter tour performance over the weekend, hoping the tight catsuit...

A pair of pants worn by Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in the 1977 movie "Star Wars" are up for bid through Nate D. Sanders Auctions, which expects them to fetch somewhere between $70,000 and $100,000.

The auction house's description reads, in part: "Hamill donned these iconic pants as the Jedi Knight of all Jedi Knights, wearing the costume pants throughout much of the film. Sand-colored 'cotton drill' Levi's pants are purposely distressed to display wear, with dirt to back right pocket and in spots to front of pant legs. Pants measure 29'' waist x 37'' in length with two 6'' slits up each...

Taylor Swift rocked a sparkly blue mini dress by Muhair Zurad, with cutouts across her shoulder blades, when she accepted eight awards, including artist of the year, at the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday. She also wore Jimmy Choo "Suki" platform sandals, according to a news release.

PHOTOS: Billboard Music Awards arrivals

Giant European retailer H&M has signed a pledge to improve worker conditions in Bangladesh, even though it has not been linked to the factory collapse in that country in April. Following H&M's lead, Carrefour, Marks & Spencer and Zara parent...

The Dockers "men of style" video advertising campaign is an all-boys club no more. Credit for cracking the khaki ceiling goes to Los Angeles-based author -- and authority on all things tomboy -- Lizzie Garrett Mettler.

The brand's just-released first-ever "women of style" video (see below) shows the author of "Tomboy Style: Beyond the Boundaries of Fashion" sitting on her couch, digging through her closet and walking her dog while wearing a black, button-front shirt and black-colored khakis and talking about her affinity for wearing the pants.

"I went to boarding school for high school and we...

Cannes-do Style: Calvin Klein and the Independent Filmmaker Project celebrated women in film at an event Thursday night that included Nicole Kidman, Rooney Mara, Carey Mulligan and Harvey Weinstein. In other Calvin Klein news, Mara will be fronting the new Calvin Klein fragrance, Downtown (out in July). Rooney was dressed for last night's fete in a slinky nude-colored Calvin Klein gown and a Jennifer Meyer bracelet.

Over at the Chopard Trophy event, model Cara Delevingne made a memorable entrance in a racy, sheer black Roberto Cavalli pantsuit. Another of our favorite looks? Marion Cotillard...

 Sure, David Beckham has announced his retirement from soccer, but we assume his career as an international style icon will continue — including, we hope, his role as an underwear model for H&M.

We appreciate Beckham’s long-time embrace of metrosexual style (Salon magazine declared him the ultimate "metrosexual") and recall, fondly, his braided hair, sarongs and mohawk.  And we’re guessing that his face will continue to grace the covers of magazines such as Esquire and “W.”

Will he follow his wife, Victoria, into the fashion design world? It’s unclear, of...

The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival opened Tuesday in France -- or should we call it the Dior film festival? Dior's Raf Simons designed the ravishing haute couture creations worn by four ladies at the opening ceremony -- Nicole Kidman, Carey Mulligan, Zhang Ziyi and Julianne Moore.

Mulligan wore a blush matte satin gown, Kidman a two-layer embroidered pale pink silk organza bustier dress, Moore a purple and black lame bustier dress and Ziyi a killer fuchsia embroidered tulle cutoff ballgown and black cigarette pants. Jeweler Chopard, a sponsor of the festival for 16 years running, doled out...

A traveling selection of hats, helmets, bonnets and caps once owned by Dr. Seuss makes a SoCal stop at a Laguna Beach art gallery on Friday.

Photo Gallery: 7 things you didn't know about Dr. Seuss

The touring "Hats Off to Dr. Seuss!" exhibit is part of a year-long celebration to mark the 75th anniversary of Theodor "Seuss" Geisel's second book, "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins," (and the one I credit with sparking my life-long love of hats) and marks the first time the eclectic collection of headgear, curated by Chase Art Companies, has traveled outside the Seuss estate. 

According to this...

Los Angeles denim company THVM has a very colorful collaboration with artist William Lemon III set to go on sale starting Monday at Weltenbuerger.

The unisex collection of tops and bottoms balance unique fit and brilliant prints, hand-painted on a stretch canvas fabric by Lemon.

Pieces, priced $190 to $260, will be on sale at Weltenbuerger, 1764 N. Vermont Ave., Los Angeles.

Events

Heather Graham is to host Designers for a Cause, a shopping event to benefit the Cambodian Children’s Fund, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at 7210 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles. The event will feature more than a...

When we first mentioned that the Thin White Duke and Sir Paul Smith would be doing a series of collaborative projects in support of David Bowie's album "The Next Day," the only fruit of that partnership was an album cover T-shirt. 

Now there's a limited-edition album to go with it. And before you start imagining the pair crooning duets in a darkened pub, rest assured that no music was harmed in the making of this merchandising effort.

What the designer has done is select a vibrant shade of red for a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album, which will be sold at select Paul Smith boutiques...

If the premiere of "Star Trek: Into Darkness" is any indication, high style will be alive and well in the 23rd century. The film's cast and celebrity supporters were in full galactic glam at Tuesday night's premiere. Zoe Saldana chose a nude silk embroidered dress with tiered silk chiffon from Rodarte's fall and winter 2013 collection (accessorized with a white and gold hand-knit Rodarte cardigan). Jennifer Morrison was a constellation unto herself in a baby blue geometric sequin jumpsuit from the spring and summer 2013 collection of Edition by Georges Chakra, and Alice Eve beamed down to the...

Although the event that MAC Cosmetics and Vogue magazine organized for Prabal Gurung at the Chateau Marmont on Monday night was billed as an "intimate cocktail party and dinner," it felt more like a patio-overflowing Hollywood awards show/CFDA master class mash-up.

Spotted among the attendees were several "Star Trek Into Darkness" cast members beamed down ahead of Tuesday's premiere -- Zachary Quinto, Alice Eve and Zoe Saldana -- with Uhura taking the place of honor to Gurung's right at dinner.

Others spotted at the long, candle-covered tables included Ginnifer Goodwin, Hailee Steinfeld, Diane...

Ottavio Missoni, who died last week at age 92, was laid to rest on Monday after a funeral service in Gallarate, Italy. “Fashion passes but style remains. We are here to take lessons in style from a man of style,” said the minister  Don Giulio Della Vite. [WWD]

Rihanna's second apparel collection for British retailer River Island is imminent and the singer gives a preview in a video in which she explains why she wanted to design clothes: "I just wanted stuff that I wanted to wear because at the end of the day that's what got me into designing — seeing things on the rack that...

For more than seven years, when her husband Howard was chief executive officer of Barney's New York starting in  2001, Sharon Socol was his "plus one" at all manner of fashion events, from runway shows to fancy dinners and glitzy parties. A self-described "fashion outsider," Socol began photographing the people and events -- "My camera is a protective shield which permits me to enter safely into a world I find both fascinating and frightening," she writes in an essay contained in her new book, which arose from her work during those years.

The book, "Plus One: An Outsider's Photographic Journey...

Kim, Khloe and Kourtney Kardashian's Khroma beauty line is being renamed Kardashian Beauty after a legal challenge from Florida-based Kroma Makeup. The products should arrive in stores including Sears and CVS in two to three weeks. [The Cut]

The Obama administration is to confer with Bangladesh officials about safety in the aftermath of a series of tragedies in several garment factories that supply Western retailers. [WWD]

The Bangladesh military on Sunday ended its search for people in the rubble of an eight-story building that housing a garment factory. Search teams have recovered 1,127...

If you're in the market for lingerie, you're in good company.

The intimate apparel industry as a whole is on the rise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at the NPD Group.

"Sales in the women's market started off slow in 2012 but started to gain momentum. All of a sudden, intimate apparel has become a very passionate category," Cohen says. "Women have gone so long without purchasing ... that it's time to update their wardrobes."

But selecting the right underpinnings can be a delicate matter. Let's face it, some of the more elaborate examples of intimate apparel — I'm...

Sleepy Jones, the new line of luxe whimsical men's and women's loungewear by Andy Spade and longtime collaborators Anthony Sperduti and Chad Buri, has finally rolled out of bed -- and it's so much fun you might want to plump the pillows and jump right back in.

The Kate Spade co-founder first mentioned the label a few months back while we were working on a profile of the fashion-branding juggernaut, but was short on specifics -- beyond describing it as artist-inspired line of "not-quite-ready-to-wear."

But now that the label's website is up and running (it went live in mid-April), we've been...

Workers clearing rubble from the scene of the multistory garment factory that collapsed in Bangladesh killing more than 1,000 workers at last count and injuring around 2,000 more found a woman alive and rescued her Friday, 17 days after the tragedy. The Associated Press reported she was found on the second floor; the New York Times said she was found in a Muslim prayer room in the basement of the building, which afforded her oxygen and enough space to stand up. In any event, she was uninjured, an official on the scene said, but taken to a hospital to be examined. [AP via Los Angeles Times]  [...

Members of L.A.’s film music elite mingled with weather-beaten eco-warrior sailors and neo Edwardian fashionistas amid costumes from Baz Luhrmann’s "The Great Gatsby" Tuesday night at the multi-textured unveiling of musician-arranger-composer Ysanne Spevack’s ambitious music-fashion-film-beauty concept, the Coldwater Project.

There are many layers to Spevack’s Coldwater Project, but in a nutshell, it’s a collection of 13 songs, each with accompanying short film, charity affiliate and brand sponsor.  It’s a novel way to approach an album release but one that...

Kerry Washington, the star of ABC's "Scandal," is featured in her first major fashion magazine spread, appearing on the June cover of Elle wearing Marc Jacobs. Inside she talks about adjusting to the red carpet as her career has soared: “I found out I enjoy the process. All these people show up at my house, they all have kits, someone has dresses. And it’s like, Let’s have fun. It’s not all about me. We’re able to create stories on the red carpet.” The magazine is due out May 21. [Elle]

Ottavio Missoni, founder of the fashion house that bears his name, died...

When it comes to retail taste-makers in Los Angeles, Desiree Kohan is terrific at bringing new designers to her stylish set.

Tuesday night was a prime example, when she hosted friends and clients at her Des Kohan store to meet the talented Dusan Paunovic, a Milan-based, Serbian-born designer whose collection Kohan started carrying this season.

Dusan’s minimalist aesethetic fits perfectly with Kohan’s intellectual approach to fashion. His emphasis is on “simple, timeless pieces," he said, as well as geometric lines and luxurious fabrications.

“Many pieces have no sizes,...

The gift shop of the recently opened ABBA museum in Stockholm is stocking an exclusive collection of jewelry inspired by the band and its music and designed by fellow Swede Efva Attling.

According to Wednesday's press announcement, the eponymous designer has known members of the band since her nightclubbing days in '70s Stockholm, where she and ABBA's Anni-Frid Lyngstad “often did some disco moves together." 

Attling continues:

"Anni-Frid, Benny, Björn and Agneta and I stayed in touch off and on over the years. When I was asked to design an exclusive collection for Abba the Museum, it...

It's two days after the Met Gala, the Costume Institute’s annual Vogue magazine-sponsored fundraiser, and the “Punk: Chaos to Couture” exhibition opening, and people are still buzzing about the red carpet parade — Miley Cyrus’ spikey hair, Nicole Richie’s grayed-out pompadour and pregnant Kim Kardashian’s gloved Givenchy getup.

Of course, there’s much irony to the whole thing — the fashion world’s most exclusive evening with every entitled celebrity on the planet gathered in the name of punk, an anti-fashion, anti-establishment...

Kendall and Kylie Jenner’s summer collection for PacSun is set to go on sale starting Saturday, and to mark the occasion, they plan to make personal appearances at a couple of local stores this week.

It’s the second Kendall & Kylie Collection from Kim, Kourtney and Khloe Kardashian’s youngest sisters, following their debut effort in February. The clothes reflect the teenagers’ personal style: fun and young. Pieces include high-waist shorts, cut-out dresses, graphic tanks, crop tops and swimsuits, with prices ranging from $29.50 to $62.50.

Kendall, 17, and Kylie, 15, are...

Beyonce has been to four Met Galas and has learned how to make the most notable entrance. On Monday night, in her Givenchy gown, she made the grandest entrance of all, becoming, says Charlotte Cowles at the Cut,  "a human grand finale" of the evening's celebrity arrivals. [The Cut]

After the gala, celebrities gathered at the Met's Temple of Dendur for the requisite official after-party. Florence Welch introduced Blondie, and Debbie Harry, dressed in Givenchy, belted out songs such as "One Way or Another" and "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (to Party)." Kanye West wore a studded mask when he...

CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner Greg Chait is spreading his wings a bit with the Elder Statesman's Fall/Winter 2013 peacock-inspired collection, both by adding to the range of super-soft cashmere items he's making and by expanding from his slouchy, mostly unisex collection into distinct offerings for men (think sport coats and chinos) and women (pencil skirts and tuxedo jackets).

On a recent visit to Chait's West Hollywood atelier, the cashmere wunderkind walked us through a collection grounded in grays and blues but with pops of purple and green he explained were originally inspired by the...

All eyes in the fashion world were on the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala -- aka the Met Ball -- in NYC on Monday. This is the annual event at which celebrities and fashionistas kick it up a notch and wear their most dramatic looks. Actresses Jennifer Lawrence and Sarah Jessica Parker shared a laugh on the red carpet (perhaps about Parker's Gatsby-esque headpiece?), while co-chairs Riccardo Tisci and Rooney Mara seemed to be dead serious. Mara's frilly white gown betrayed the theme of this year's fashion exhibition, "Punk: Chaos to Couture," in the silver zippers at the...

Otis College of Art and Design added a new element to the mix for its 31st annual scholarship benefit and fashion show Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton -- an honor called the Style Icon Award, which was presented to Sally Perrin, L.A.-based creative director of luxury leather goods brand Perrin Paris.

The inaugural award was presented by costume designer Bob Mackie (one of this year's senior design mentors) who noted: "Personal style has no age or social status, and can exist anywhere in life. Lots of people can pay for style, thank goodness, but few people can possess personal style."

Che...

Sir Elton John and Taio Cruz entertained at the star-studded 20th anniversary "Race to Erase M.S." gala fundraiser Friday night in Los Angeles. Kelly Osbourne presented the charity's Medal of Hope to her mother, Sharon, and brother Jack. Charity founder Nancy Davis hosted and among those attending were fashion designers Tommy and Dee Hifiger and a host of celebrities including Rod and Penny Stewart, Neil Patrick Harris, Marg Hellenberger, Howie Mandel, Anne Heche, Cybill Shepherd, La Toya Jackson, Daisy Fuentes, Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Mel B, Victoria Justice, Cat Deeley, Aly Michalka, AJ...

Better make time for a pedicure on Tuesday – Wednesday is National No Socks Day.

That’s right. A day to free your feet from their confines. And I think wearing sandals is a better alternative than going barefoot -- dangerous -- or wearing regular shoes without hosiery -- sticky and uncomfortable.

Paris-based Balmain designer Olivier Rousteing touched down in L.A. this week and hosted a dinner at the Chateau Marmont on Thursday night to get better acquainted with Hollywood.

Rousteing, just 26 years old, has been creative director of the French fashion house since 2011, when he took over from Christophe Decarnin, the designer who reinvented Balmain for a new generation with super-expensive, 1980s-throwback, hyper-embellished jackets and jeans that attracted a legion of celebrity fans, including Michael Jackson. 

Rousteing has been trying to keep the momentum going. And over the past few...