If you’ve ever seen Michelle Williams, Natalie Portman or Rachel Weisz walk a red carpet, then you’ve seen the work of Kate Young—an uber-cool Hollywood stylist who’s now branched out her talents to include design.

Young, who has served as a stylist for droves of celebrities, editorial shoots, and runway shows like Jason Wu, debuts her inaugural design outing this week with a new eveningwear capsule collection launching at Target on April 14.

It is not surprising that a handbag should figure so prominently in the film chronicling Margaret Thatcher’s legacy–a sprawling tale brought to the big screen by Meryl Streep in The Iron Lady. This personal carry-all has long been both functional and symbolic. Depending on its style and brand, it can be a statement of status or a pronouncement of folksiness. Hand it off to a hen-pecked husband or a put-upon assistant and it can demean or belittle. A purse can impress and intimidate, bewilder, berate, or amuse.

During Thatcher’s tenure as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, her handbags came to signify femininity and toughness. Their style was unassuming: slender, structured, solid, and ladylike. They looked perfectly at home with Thatcher’s dignified suits and oh-so-British hats.

The designer and socialite Lilly Pultizer, who built an empire around brightly printed clothes, died Sunday at age 81 at her home in Palm Beach, Florida. “Lilly was a true original who has brought together generations through her bright and happy mark on the world,” her brand said of its founder in a post on its Facebook page.

With bold mixtures of pink and green and preppy explosions of tropical prints and colors and worn with tanned legs and blonde ponytails, Pulitzer’s dresses are recognizable everywhere. Her simple shift dresses became favorites for droves of socialites from Palm Beach to Greenwich, Connecticut, symbols of gorgeous, WASPy lives of leisure. “That’s what life is all about,” Pulitzer once said. “Let’s have a party. Let’s have it tonight.”

When news broke last week that Hedi Slimane had cast Courtney Love, Marilyn Manson, Ariel Pink, and Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon to star in a new “music project” campaign for Saint Laurent Paris, the Internet was rife with excitement and slight disbelief over the concept’s randomness. Slimane, an accomplished photographer and designer, shoots all of Saint Laurent’s campaigns in his signature black-and-white film. It makes the ads—typically designed as a diptych to include a photograph on one side, and the house’s sleek new logo set against a white background on the other—open to Internet-meme-type interpretation.

And this is exactly what fashion social-networking site VFiles has done with its series of Saint Laurent Paris spoofs that were unleashed onto the Internet just days after the “music project” announcement. Employing the help of Photoshop’s more rudimentary features, VFiles has turned photos of Lindsay Lohan, Raven Simone, Amanda Bynes, Jared Leto, Nas, Winona Ryder, and Paris Hilton into Slimane-worthy shots. (They even doctored a shot of Charlie Sheen that came from the pages of our very own Newsweek) The random assortment is not far off from the designer’s own disparate casting choices, making VFiles’s spoof that much more believable.

Legendary fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg paid tribute to an extraordinary group of women on Friday afternoon at the Women in the World Summit, starting with her own mother, Lily.

“In 1945,” von Furstenberg said, “there was a young girl who was 20 who got arrested by the Germans. She was in the house doing her resistance work, and she got sent to the death camp at Auschwitz. She made it. She survived. Fourteen months later, she weighed 48 pounds. But her spirit was amazing.”

Protesters Want Rick Ross Dropped from Reebok: Reebok’s sponsorship of Rick Ross is stirring controversy. WWD reports that more than 40 protesters gathered outside a New York City Reebok store on Thursday to protest the rapper’s sexist lyrics, including “Put Molly all in her Champagne, she ain’t even know it. I took her home and I enjoyed that, she ain’t even know it.” The rally was arranged by UltraViolet, an activist group against sexism. UltraViolet is working to persuade Reebok to cut ties with Ross. But the group’s staged attempt was unsuccessful: Reebok security reportedly blocked the protesters from entering the store. Ross has since addressed the controversy with a pair of tweets: "I dont condone rape.Apologies for the #lyric interpreted as rape. #BOSS," he wrote in one. The other reads, "Apologies to my many business partners,who would never promote violence against women. @ReebokClassics @ultraviolet." [WWD]

Did Zara Employ Slave Labor?: Zara is under investigation for allegedly using slave labor at one of its Argentinean clothing factories, The Telegraph reports. Upon factory inspection, a workers’ rights group reportedly found immigrants who work 13 hour–plus shifts in sweatshoplike conditions. “They were not registered and they were living in terrible conditions,” said Juan Gómez Centurion, who heads Argentina’s Government Control Agency. “They had no official documents and were held against their will; they were not allowed to leave their workplaces without permission.” A Zara spokesperson responded to The Telegraph, saying the allegations have surprised company officials and that Zara has not received any complaints from Argentinean police. [The Telegraph]

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has long campaigned for the fashion industry through organizations like Fashion’s Night Out and the CFDA. And now it seems as if all that fashion do-gooding has panned out—it’s won him the cover of the eco-friendly May edition of L’Uomo Vogue, Italian Vogue’s magazine for men. For the event, the New York City mayor and C40 Climate Leadership Group president was photographed by Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini in a conservative though spiffy dark suit and striped tie.

Of the casting choice, Italian Vogue editor in chief Franca Sozzani told the Financial Times: “I did think it might be controversial in a sense. But I think that’s good. It should get readers talking.” Inside the issue, Bloomberg speaks of the importance of active climate change reform in urban environments. “Cities are at the frontline of the battle against climate change,” he told the magazine. “Half of the world’s population already lives in urban centers and that number is only going to rise. Urban centers are also responsible for about 70 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.”

Nicola Formichetti in at Diesel: Nicola Formichetti has officially made the leap from Thierry Muger to a new job. On Thursday, he was named the artistic director of Italian sportswear brand Diesel. In an unconventional press release issued to The Daily Beast, Diesel proclaimed: “Hell, yes! Diesel ignites yet another firestorm by appointing Nicola Formichetti to be the commander-in-chief of the brave army that will spread Diesel’s marching orders far and wide.” In the same release, Diesel founder Renzo Rosso explained of the appointment: “I finally met somebody as crazy as I am. Nicola shares my vision and I find it incredibly inspiring to work with him: two creative planets are colliding to generate fresh, mad insane ideas.” Formichetti’s first collection will debut for fall 2103. [Fashion Beast Inbox]

Lululemon Restructures Following Recall: Lululemon is now taking internal steps to account for a recent recall of its black ‘Luon’ yoga pant, which the company says will cost them approximately $67 million in sales. Its chief product officer, Sheree Waterson, will depart on April 15 “as part of a reorganization aimed at tightening up processes that led to a recall,” reports WWD. The brand has set up “a new team with expertise in the areas of ‘quality, raw materials and production.’” Lululemon has also stationed employees internationally to oversee various production locations. [WWD]

Last week, Buzz Bissinger revealed that he has a shopping addiction—a serious condition for which he has checked into rehab. But it wasn’t just the news that surprised people—or the $600,000 price tag on his many Gucci purchases. There was something else shocking too: Bissinger’s experimental new style featured an array of high heels.

Recently it seems that men’s fashion has grown to accept new, formerly only feminine, styles. There have been Justin Bieber’s drop-crotch pants, mandals (men’s sandals), and even mantyhose. But all the while, another trend has been building: meels—or man heels. They are heeled boots for men that take a page from Louis XIV’s book, while finding a new form for today.

India’s recent brutal rapes have inspired a new invention.

Three engineering students in India have developed “anti-rape” lingerie, which they claim will help women fend off unwanted sexual advances.

Bradley Cooper’s New Hair: The actor’s ‘perm’ (a term he actually confused last month for a set of rollers) has finally made its debut. Cooper, who’s currently filming a new David O. Russell movie that takes place in the Seventies, was spotted in Boston with a super-curly new do. [People StyleWatch]

Formichetti to Diesel?: On Tuesday it was announced that Nicola Formichetti was parting ways with French fashion line Thierry Mugler. One day later, it’s rumored that Formichetti will soon announce a major collaboration with Italian sportswear brand, Diesel. Both WWD and the New York Post report than a Diesel announcement could soon be on its way. [WWD] [NY Post]