Actress Angelina Jolie has raised brows for years.  From tattoos and boyfriends to movie roles and children, Jolie has marched to her own drummer.  Which is why she wasn’t the most obvious choice when she was named the face of venerable luxury giant St. John Knits in 2006.

It was a tumultuous time for the retailer.  The founder, Marie Gray, and her daughter Kelly had resigned from the company.  A new CEO came and went quickly.  Hundreds of employees defected.  How could Jolie make a difference?

Few felt that she could. 

But a look at the Fall 2007 collection shows what a difference a year can make.  Not only has Jolie continued as the face of the company, she’s also inspired some of the new designs.  While some of the same favorite, classic silhouettes are still there, you’ll also find a lot more trendy pieces in the new collection, which debutes a little later this year.

Look for the new ad campaigns in the August issue of high-end fashion magazines.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Rachel Weisz, Salma Hayek – there’s “something in the water” in Hollywood, and it’s got plenty of people buzzing.  Oddly, the talk isn’t just about the celebrities or their babies, but about their clothes; or more specifically, about their maternity undergarments. 

If you’ve ever been pregnant, you know that the selection of maternity bras and panties hasn’t always been great.  In fact maternity clothes for professional women were practically non-existent 30 years ago.  But times have changed.  And thanks to the glamour quotient provided by some chic Hollywood moms, you can now find pretty, comfortable undergarments to help see you through your pregnancy and beyond.

L’Arrivo, designed by Loretta Schneider, was a favorite of Rachel Weisz.

After the birth of her daughter Apple, Gwyneth Paltrow asked former model Elle Macpherson to include a maternity bra in her line of Elle Macpherson Intimates.  Elle did, and when she happened to talk about her “Maternelle” style on the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” sales went through the roof.

Maternity clothing designer Liz Lange is no stranger to the needs of pregnant women or Hollywood moms.  Her form-fitting styles first became popular with celebrities in the mid-90’s, and have sold very well at Target since first being introduced there five years ago.  The most popular undergarment piece in her collection?  A low-rise thong called Hanky Panky — about as far away from your mother’s maternity panties as it gets.

Some of the most popular maternity lines?  Liz Lange, Amoralia, Isabella Oliver, L’Arrivo, Freya, Fantasie, Anita, Medela, Lunaire, Japanese Weekend, Bravado, Bella Materna, Bella Band by Ingrid and Isabel, Elle Macpherson Intimates and Le Mystère.  You can find many of them online at both BareNecessities.com and FigLeaves.com.

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Want to look and feel good during pregnancy and get right back into shape afterward?  Take a look at Slim Mom Secrets, where fitness guru and new mom, Jennifer Polimino, shows you some easy, doctor-approved ways of managing your health and fitness during pregnancy and getting back your pre-pregnancy shape in record time.
 

Popularity: 5% [?]

Oscar-nominated(TM) actress Penelope Cruz is the latest celebrity to join the ranks of the actress/fashion designer group by announcing that she and her sister Monica will design a 25- piece collection for Spanish fashion chain Mango.  The pieces will be available for Fall 2007, and the sisters will be featured in Mango’s advertising campaigns.

The sisters already design jewelry and handbags for Japanese luxury retailer Samantha Thavasa, but the Mango deal is their first foray into apparel.  Mango’s current celebrity designer is Milla Jovovich, whose line is featured in their Spring/Summer offerings.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Actress Christina Ricci has signed on to be the face of Samsonite’s relaunched Fashionaire line, which will hit stores soon.

Originally introduced in 1968, Fashionaire mixes the renowed Samsonite durability with a fun, fashionable look.  The current collection comes in two flavors:  white with large black flowers and vines all over it, or black with white flowers and vines.  They both remind me of the wallpaper my mother put in our downstairs powder room c. 1969. 

The collection was designed in collaboration with Cameron Silver, the owner of vintage retailer “Decades” in Los Angeles.  Silver suggested Ricci to the company since she’s a regular customer at “Decades.”

The 13-piece collection of suitcases, handbags, and small leather goods are part of the Black Label line and can be found at SamsoniteBlackLabel.com .

Popularity: 7% [?]

Actress Sarah Jessica Parker is the latest celebrity to throw her hat into the fashion label ring, with the debut of her new discount line “Bitten” at Steve & Barry’s.  Some 400 clothing and accessory pieces, all in the $20 range, will hit stores in June.

Parker became something of a fashion icon during her years playing fashionista Carrie Bradshaw in HBO’s “Sex and the City,” so her interest in fashion is well-founded.  But unlike Carrie’s character, who spent most of her paychecks on couture, ”Bitten” is geared to a more budget-conscious crowd.  The pieces will feature both classic and trendy silhouettes.

Most Steve & Barry stores are located in the southest and mid-Atlantic area.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Who says “nice guys finish last?”

Not Jennifer Hudson.  The former American Idol ™ finalist may have not taken the top prize in that contest, but you’ll never see her on one of those, “Whatever happened to — ?” shows.  Especially not this year, when her star is shooting extraordinarly high.

First, there was the Oscar ™ for her performance in “Dreamgirls.”  Next, she was on the cover of Vogue.  Now she’s inked a deal with Avon ™ to be the newest face of their Imari fragrance.  Not bad for a girl whom Simon mercilessly criticized for one of her fashion choices during her American Idol days.

So what’s next for this lovely wunderkind?  Aretha Franklin wants her to play her in an upcoming movie about the “Queen of Soul.”  Wow.  How do you top that?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see…

Popularity: 3% [?]

Hennes & Mauritz, the venerable Swedish fashion house known as H&M, opened a new store in Hong Kong over the weekend — that was so popular, it required crowd control.  Nearly 1,000 shoppers started lining up outside the new store at 5 am.  Why?  Because the first 500 shoppers were promised a pair of M by Madonna sunglasses.  The Hong Kong store is debuting the Madonna label, and several lucky shoppers were even given jackets signed by the Material Girl.

H&M, often called the “Ikea of Fashion,” H&M offers stylish, of-the-moment clothes at discount prices.  With more than 1,200 stores in 25 countries, the 60-year-old retailer continues to prove that fashionable women clearly love a bargain.

Popularity: 5% [?]

When you’re a movie star, it’s all about making a grand entrance.  You wait until everyone can see you, then you show up late so you can garner plenty of attention, right?

Not if you’re in the presence of royalty.

Actress Sharon Stone learned that one the hard way over the weekend when she arrived late to a banquet honoring this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners in Oslo, Norway.

European royal protocol dictates that when a King and Queen attend an event, they are the last to arrive.  Everyone else should already be there in their seats, awaiting the royal couple.  It’s been the custom for centuries.

So when Miss Stone waltzed in 10 minutes after King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway had made their entrance at Oslo’s Grand Hotel, she symbolically declared herself as being more important than the King — and sparked an international incident as a result.  The Norwegians are up in arms about the whole thing, according to a report today on IMDB.com .

Oh, dear.  Nothing like turning whole countries against you because of a faux pas.  I guess Miss Stone could use a little etiquette consulting — as could anyone venturing into unknown social waters.  Hey, if you’re going to “play with the big boys,” you need to know the rules of the game.  Otherwise, you may get tossed out on your ear…

–Diana

Popularity: 3% [?]

For those of you who fell into despair when fashion designer Tom Ford left Gucci in 2004, you’ll be glad to know that the suave designer has not left the world of fashion.  He’s launched a new website, TomFord.com, to showcase his eyewear, cosmetics, and upcoming menswear line.  While it’s a little slow to load, it’s very pretty to look at, featuring those glamorous, Hollywood golden-era images he became so famous for in his print campaigns.

While you can’t buy anything from the site right now — it will become ecommerce enabled eventually — you can find where to buy his goods at department stores and boutiques near you.  Take a look when you get a moment.

Diana

Popularity: 10% [?]