There have always been underground movements in New York, from punks to beatniks. Now comes a new one: “GHE20G0TH1K” is a subculture that, like many of the city’s most enduring fringe waves, encompasses a nightlife circuit and an inimitable sense of style—with a freedom of expression at its core.

At its most basic, GHE20G0TH1K—pronounced “ghetto gothic”—is an underground party, held in a raw New York club space every few weeks. Quickly, it has become one of the city’s coolest fêtes, playing home to a scene of new-wave tastemakers looking for an evening of uninhibited fun.

Bernard Arnault Pulls Belgian Citizenship Application: Bernard Arnault has withdrawn his controversial application for Belgian citizenship. Seeking a massive audience by granting French paper Le Monde and exclusive interview on the topic, the LVMH CEO (and Frances richest man) speaks about how he underestimated the amount of attention his attempted citizenship change would draw. He says that this latest decision is “a gesture of my attachment to France and my faith in its future.” Arnault admitted to recently transferring his LVMH shares to a Belgian Foundation, but noted that this will not relieve him of paying taxes to France. Overall, he stressed France’s negative outlook on the wealthy. “In Germany, the U.K., or the United States, one condemns poverty in order to fight it, while in France, we condemn wealth,” he said. [WWD]

School Imposes Leggings Ban: A junior high school in Petaluma, California has banned girls from wearing leggings as pants, saying that it causes distraction amongst the school’s boys. “The concern is we don’t want undergarments showing. The goal is to teach kids to respect themselves and dress appropriately,” said Emily Dunnagan, principal of Kenilworth Junior High. Girls are allowed to wear leggings if they are worn “with shorts or paired with a skirt and dress.” Skinny jeans and yoga pants are not included in the ban. [HuffPo]

Miranda Kerr's Contract Reportedly Not Renewed at VS: Miranda Kerr’s 3-year Victoria’s Secret Angel contract is up -- and reportedly it is not being renewed. Us Weekly reports that Kerr “is being let go as a Victoria’s Secret Angel,” partially due to her “difficult reputation” and for not being “a big seller for VS.” A source tells the magazine that “[VS] can still use her for catalogue, where she will get a day rate, but she doesn’t have to be an Angel to do that.” VS’s chief marketing officer Ed Razek told Us that he has already “invited Kerr to walk in the 2013 show,” but did not deny she has been let go from the brand’s stable of ‘Angels.’ [US Weekly]

Kate Upton Dates Diddy?: Kate Upton is reportedly dating rapper and mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. The Sports Illustrated model was spotted out late last month in Miami with the 43-year-old hip-hop entrepreneur, and met up with him again at a New York City restaurant last week. Upton was most recently linked to MLB pitcher Justin Verlander. [NYDN]

Last week came news of “anti-rape” lingerie, a high-tech garment developed by three engineering students in India who were fed up with the culture of rape in their country. According to reports, the lingerie was designed to help women ward off unwanted sexual advances by detecting the touch of an aggressor and delivering 82 electric shocks. The garment also would be smart enough to contact the local police station as well as the girl’s family to let them know she was in trouble.

But the idea of an “anti-rape” bra raised more questions that it answered: how would the garment know the difference between an aggressor and a loved one? How could a woman make sure she didn’t get shocked herself? How would it transmit a message to family? How could a garment so seemingly complicated ever be produced for a mass audience—and actually be affordable?

Guantanamo-Themed Party Sparks Controversy: The Coachella music festival is notorious for its debaucherous fashion-sponsored parties, but Flaunt magazine (in collaboration with nightclub Le Baron) seems to have taken the concept too far. They've announced an event themed around -- wait for it -- "New Guantanamo." According to Refinery 29, a release for the party says that the event “will feature playful torture.” Flaunt has since responded to the controversy with a statement to New York magazine’s Daily Intelligencer blog: “In its 15-year history, Flaunt has not shied away from controversy or provocation. We routinely cover topics of social and political contention…

Was Apple a smashing retail success because Ron Johnson, the executive who built Apple’s retail operations, was a retail genius? Or was Johnson deemed to be a smashing success in retail because of Apple’s genius for devising expensive, must-have products?

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.”