Viktor & Rolf’s Couture Comeback: Amsterdam-based fashion label Viktor & Rolf will return to the Paris haute couture calendar this July following a 13-year absence. The design duo was deemed eligible for readmission to the event at an April 19 meeting held by the Chambre Syndicale, France's governing body of haute couture. [WWD]

One woman holds the reins at Gucci.

Behind the walls of the storied Italian fashion house, creative director Frida Giannini quietly controls all aspects of the label, from discovering—and rediscovering—fabrics to casting models for its runway shows. An up-close portrait of her artistic process is the focus of a new documentary, The Director, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday night.

We got to see Kate looking really pregnant for the first time yesterday, when she did a meet and greet with boy scouts at Windsor Castle, standing in for the Queen who was celebrating her actual 87th birthday privately (her official birthday, in June, is the big ceremonial affair marked by the pomp-heavy ceremony known as the Trooping of The Colour).

Can we call this a comeback? John Galliano will teach a short-run course in fashion design theory at Parsons, The New School for Design in New York. The disgraced designer will head-up a master class series called “Show Me Emotion" on an unspecified date. 

On Sunday, the college sent its senior BFA fashion design candidates an email announcing the course, reports Lucky magazine. It outlined the class as one that “seeks to engage its participants by provoking the power of emotion in context of fashion practice and exploration of intuitive, perceptive manners of investigational making.” The message also detailed the course’s stringent application process. Lucky writes that students must submit “faculty recommendations, a short essay or video, a visualization supporting their entry, and [hold] a minimum 3.0 GPA,” for consideration.

Rick Ross’s Rift with Protestors: Reebok’s sponsorship of Rick Ross has caused a bit of a stir. WWD reports over 40 protestors gathered outside of a New York City Reebok store on Thursday to protest the rapper because of his 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, and aimed to get the sportswear brand to cut ties with Ross. But their staged attempt was unsuccessful: Reebok security reportedly blocked the protestors from entering the store. Ross addressed the controversy on Twitter: “Tell Reebok that rape is not ok, not ever!” he wrote, and even linked to UltraViolet’s petition for Reebok to drop him from its campaign. [WWD]

Zara’s Comes Under Fire: Zara is currently being investigated for the alleged use of slave labor in one of its clothing factories in Argentina, The Telegraph reports. A workers’ rights group reportedly found immigrants in the factory who work over 13 hours per day in sweatshop-like conditions. “They were not registered and they were living in terrible conditions,” said Juan Gomez 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 spokesperson for Zara issued a response and said the company is surprised by the allegations and has yet to receive complaints from the Argentinean police. [Telegraph]

Talk about positive vibrations.

Durex Australia has unveiled a new range of underwear that allows vibrations to be transmitted over long distances with the swipe of an iPhone. The so-called “Fundawear” comes equipped with touch sensors—the same kind used in cell phones—that enable touch to be transferred from an iPhone to the garment using a special app. In a video posted to Durex Australia's YouTube channel, Ben Moir, the technology director of the product, explains that each phone can be linked to a shared server, which is in turn connected to the lingerie, to send the physical message. He also reveals that the intensity with which you use your finger on the app matches the intensity of the touch felt at the receiving end.

Swedish modeling agencies have been combing the country’s largest eating disorder recovery facility for new talent, say the clinic’s doctors. Officials at the Stockholm Center for Eating Disorders (Stockholms Centrum för Ätstörningar), have told reporters that patients have been approached by model scouts on numerous occasions. “We find this absolutely reprehensible,” Ana-Maria af Sandeberg, the facility’s chief doctor, told Metro. “They [talent scouts] have been standing outside our clinic and trying to pick up our girls because they know that they are skinny. It absolutely sends the wrong signals when what the girls need is treatment.”

The issue prompted clinic officials to reorganize patients’ schedules, since the scouts would often approach girls in their free time, on walks around the facility.  “They were outside the building and waiting for the girls to go out for a walk,” af Sandeberg told Swedish news agency TT. “One of those contacted was in a wheelchair because she was so skinny.”

An extensive retrospective of the late American artist Keith Haring opens today at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris. The exhibition, titled The Political Line, showcases some of the highlights from Haring’s formidable career, which spanned just over a decade. (Sadly, the artist passed away in 1990 at the age of 32 due to complications related to HIV/AIDS.)

Through his art, Haring commented on some of the most important socio-political issues of his time and, fittingly, this exhibition trails the major themes that influenced his work: capitalism, mass media and religion, racism, and his campaign against drug use and AIDS (he himself was diagnosed with HIV in 1988). Ultimately, the messages he conveyed were just as important as the medium itself.

Lauren Hutton’s Self-Defense Shoes: In a candid interview with Net-A-Porter’s digital magazine, The Edit, longtime model Lauren Hutton expresses her disdain for “silly shoes” and encourages women to use their footwear as a weapon with a special self-defense shoe test. “I see girls in New York who can’t run in their heels,” she said. “I used to live on the Bowery when it was crack city, and I’d never go out in heels unless I had done The Test: standing on one heel, whipping off the other and holding it up to someone’s head in three seconds.” [The Edit] 

Tatler’s Tit List: British society magazine Tatler has come under fire for a controversial spread in its May issue that rates the cleavage of English society swans. The three-page feature, titled “Titler,” includes well-known names like Helen Mirren, Pixie Geldof, and even Princess Eugenie. Feminist protesters have banded together on social media to protest the feature, launching a Facebook page and Twitter account called "No to Titler at Tatler," which states that “characterising respected women’s ‘tits’ is demeaning, degrading and will not be tolerated.’” [The Daily Mail]

Ladies—and, yes, gentlemen—are you nervous about your nipples? Anxious about your areolae? Is your left larger than your right? Is the right darker than the left? Is one too high? Is the other cracked? Or are they just too big, too bumpy, too smooth, or too small?

Time 100’s Fashion Stars: Time released its annual 100 Most Influential People list on Thursday, featuring a diverse array of world leaders, entertainment figures, and icons. Among them are designer Michael Kors, who was listed in the ‘Titans’ category, and J.Crew’s creative director Jenna Lyons, who is categorized as one of the list’s ‘Artists.’ [Time]

Hedi Slimane Sells: Hedi Slimane’s tumultuous first year at the helm of Saint Laurent has come under The New York Times’s review. Fashion reporter Eric Wilson explains that although Slimane’s designs have been widely panned by industry critics, that hasn’t stopped consumers from buying it at full price. He writes: “From PPR’s perspective, Mr. Slimane is doing exactly what the company wants, engaging in the commercial side of the business, including store design, and communicating directly with younger customers online.” [NYT]