Last summer Twitter took a vicious turn with comments on the state of Olympic Gold medal winner Gabby Douglas's hair. The first African-American woman to take home the gold for gymnastics could barely bask in the glory of her win as she dodged focus on the look of her tresses. 

Amanda Seyfried’s Givenchy Deal: Amanda Seyfried has been announced as the new face of Givenchy’s Very Irresistible fragrance, replacing outgoing spokesmodel Liv Tyler. “It’s an honest collaboration,” Seyfried told WWD of her new gig. “I’m proud to be a part of [the brands I’m involved with] because what they do is really cool, especially Givenchy—they’re so artistic. And I feel like I have a foot in the fashion industry now.” Seyfried has become a fan of the brand in recent years, appearing front row at its fashion show and wearing one of its gowns to perform at the Academy Awards. The campaign, which includes both print and TV spots, will bow in October. [WWD]

Ghesquière’s Second Cover: The fashion world exploded with excitement earlier this week when word of Nicolas Ghesquière’s System magazine article hit the airwaves. But that’s not the only cool magazine he’ll be fronting this month. The former Balenciaga designer will also cover Berlin-based title 032c alongside friend Charlotte Gainsbourg, hitting newsstands today. The magazine’s 38-page Ghesquière-centric spread is a “monument” to the designer’s final season at Balenciaga, which is still on store shelves. He tells the title: “Ideally, I’d like to give myself a six-month break, to travel and discover things. I’m not sure it’ll happen because some interesting projects are on the horizon.” [WWD]

While the first lady may be credited for the emergence of designers like Thom Browne and Jason Wu, and even for the recent popularity of bangs, the increase of upper-arm liposuction may not have much to do with her.

As he does every year, Prince Albert of Monaco attended this month’s Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters tennis tournament. The 55-year-old head of the House of Grimaldi did all the appropriate regal things: he brought his wife, he applauded enthusiastically, he presented the winning medals. He also swapped his crested blazer for some tennis whites to play a few sets in an exhibition game, revealing a new dimension to the royal playbook. Namely, his majestic paunch.

“Should have keep your jacket on!” jeered the tabloid headlines. “Tennis whites don’t lie.” But such derision only reveals a lack of understanding of the finer nuances of the male silhouette. 

One thing's for certain: Ireland Baldwin has inherited her dad's feisty nature.

You may recognize American model Kendra Spears from her fall 2009 Prada campaign, shot by Steven Meisel, in which she appears with a head of frizzed hair, wearing rich velvet jacquards and avant garde highwater bondage boots. Or from a Teen Vogue spread that same year, in which she was labeled as one of the modeling industry's break out stars.

But now Spears has been cast in a whole new role: she's about to become a Muslim princess. Last week, His Highness the Aga Khan, Imam of Shi'a Ismaili Muslims, announced the engagement of his eldest son, Prince Rahim Aga Khan (age 42), to the Seattle-raised model (age 24). The marriage will make Spears the princess of a nearly 15-million-person-strong Islamic group.

First came news that Margaret Thatcher’s death had instigated an uptick in the sales of her favorite handbag. And now the same thing is happening with her signature pillowy, bouffant hairstyle, reports The Daily Mail. Hairstylist Maximiliano Centini told the paper “We have now done the style for over 100 women, it is a surge.”

The hairstyle’s draw has a lot to do with Thatcher’s own personal style. Long revered for her ability to appear both feminine and powerful, Thatcher’s personal taste paved the aesthetic way for contemporary politicians like Hillary Clinton. It’s appropriate, then, that actress Flora Raffles MacLaughlin (one of Centini’s patrons to recently receive the style) thinks her new ‘do “is the perfect mix of feminine style with a hint of masculine power. I think for a modern woman that is now an ideal balance. When my other model and actress friends saw it they were immediately intrigued. I have been turning a lot of heads.”

Downton Abbey Fashion Line: Good news for all you Victoriana fans out there: Downton Abbey’s executive producer Gareth Neame has confirmed that a line of Downton products is on its way this year—including a range of clothes. Neame said in an interview with CNBC, “We’ll be working across an entire range of products coming out this year. From fashion, apparel and homeware and furniture, to wallpapers, beauty products and stationary.” A release date for the various products has not yet been set. [Vanity Fair]

Post-Natal Corsets are a Thing: In the new issue of Net-A-Porter’s magazine The Edit, Jessica Alba reveals that she got back into shape after the birth of her second child with the help of a corset. “It was brutal; it’s not for everyone,” the slim actress said. “I wore a double corset day and night for three months. It was sweaty, but worth it.” However odd, The Daily Mail has charted the post-baby girdle as a growing trend amongst new moms. [The Daily Mail]

The classic image of an American farmer, with his thick-ply jacket, rugged jeans, beat-up boots, and John Deere equipment is well engrained in the minds of many Americans. But it’s certainly not the first thing you think of in relation to fashion.

That notion, however surprising, is now quickly changing—thanks to Pointer Brand, the 100-year-old private farmwear label owned and produced by L.C. King Manufacturing Company. The onetime go-to brand for sartorial farming staples (like overalls) is now sought after by male trendsetters in urban American hubs, as well as Europe and Japan, for its classic, nongimmicky designs. Even famed Tokyo-based designer Junya Watanabe, enlisted the label for an ongoing collaboration.

Sometimes it seems like the department-store chain JCPenney is simply gathering evidence for a business-school study in crisis management.

Nicolas Ghesquière Breaks His Silence: Former Balenciaga creative director Nicolas Ghesquière is finally addressing why he left his post at the helm of the storied brand. In an interview with System magazine, Ghesquière reveals that his departure was primarily caused by creative differences between himself and the label's management. "It all became so dehumanised," Ghesquière said. "Everything became an asset for the brand, trying to make it ever more corporate – it was all about branding. I don’t have anything against that; actually, the thing that I’m most proud of is that Balenciaga has become a big financial entity and will continue to exist. But I began to feel as though I was being sucked dry, like they wanted to steal my identity while trying to homogenise things. It just wasn’t fulfilling anymore." Ghesquière also hinted that other designers in similar situations may soon jump ship as well: “What’s interesting is how my split from Balenciaga has encouraged people to get in touch with me, and they’ve said, ‘Me too, I’m in the same situation. I want to leave too.’” [Business of Fashion]

Alber Elbaz Backs Hedi Slimane: Many of fashion's biggest players have voiced their frustration with Hedi Slimane’s new creative direction at Saint Laurent, but at the British Vogue festival this past weekend, Lanvin’s Alber Elbaz had the final word: “Hedi is a very, very, very talented designer,” Elbaz said in conversation with Browns's CEO Simon Burstein, according to The Cut. “It's not that I say that because I know him, but I know his work, and both of us worked at Saint Laurent at the same time. I think he's a very, very talented guy, and we just have to give him time to really build a story.” [The Cut]

If the State Department proved one thing when releasing a list of gifts that federal employees received from foreign administrations in 2011, it’s that high-ranking politicians command an impressive amount of swag—even if they don’t actually get to keep it.

According to a federal registry document issued by the State Department on Friday, President Obama and his family got thousands of dollars worth of gifts from foreign dignitaries. The document, which details all gifts received by United States officials in 2011, is clear to point out that while officials don't get the swag for themselves, the U.S. Government had to accept the items through official procedure because “non-acceptance would cause embarrassment to donor and U.S. Government.”