The Man Who Put Women in Pants

Chief exec Jeff Bezos swears he won't undercut retailers

(NEWSER) - Anxious retailers are watching Amazon penetrate its next big market: high-end, designer clothing. Having already scarred publishers and lowered prices in electronics, Amazon is making a "significant" investment in fashion and wooing designer brands, says Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. "It's Day 1 in the category," he tells the New York Times . The megasite has long sold clothing, but now shoppers can find brands like Vivienne Westwood and Jack Spade on Amazon's MyHabit website . More»

'There is no controversy,' he declares as he flouts industry standards

(NEWSER) - Designer Marc Jacobs is flouting fashion industry recommendations by sending 14-year-old models down his catwalk. “I do the show the way I think it should be, not the way somebody tells me it should be,” Jacobs told the New York Times after his Manhattan presentation. "There is no controversy." Health initiative guidelines set by the Council of Fashion Designers of America—which includes Jacobs on its board—recommend that runway models be at least 16 years old . The age limit has been touted as a sign of progress in an industry plagued by anorexia. "The industry's hiring of prepubescent-appearing teenage girls as models of adult clothing sets an unrealistic standard; the curves that define the female figure are absent," said council president Diane von Furstenburg. Models who attempt to maintain a child's body into adulthood "run the risk of eating disorders," she warned. More»

'Runway to Win' fashion sale skirting campaign finance laws, GOP says

(NEWSER) - President Obama's re-election campaign launched a high-fashion fundraising initiative last night to grousing from Republicans. The "Runway to Win" effort—spearheaded by Vogue editor Anna Wintour—is selling clothing and accessories by prominent designers at prices far below what their work usually sells for, making the GOP suspect campaign finance laws are being broken, reports the Wall Street Journal . More»

And Lana Del Rey has a lot of implants, says fashion designer

(NEWSER) - It's always fun when Karl Lagerfeld opens his mouth , which he did quite a bit during a recent stint as guest editor of Metro . His most buzz-generating quote is about Adele: "The thing at the moment is Adele," he says. "She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice." More of his thoughts:

• On Lana Del Rey : "She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She's not alone with implants."

Melissa McCarthy is the latest to make the leap

(NEWSER) - Melissa McCarthy is on top of the world, and now that she's won an Emmy and won over SNL viewers , what's next? The Bridesmaids star, who wanted to be a fashion designer before she ended up in comedy, is launching her own plus-size fashion line. "Trying to find stuff that's still fashion-forward in my size is damn near impossible," McCarthy, who designed her own dress for the Emmys, tells the Hollywood Reporter . "It's either for like a 98-year-old woman or a 14-year-old hooker, and there is nothing in the middle." More»