Blahnik to Present His Spring/Summer 2014 Line at London Fashion Week

Manolo Blahnik’s creations will catwalkin’ it down the runway in London next month…

The 70-year-old fashion designer and founder of the popular high-end shoe brand has announced plans to present his creations for the first time eer at London Fashion Week, which takes place September 13-17.

Manolo Blahnik

Blahnik’s high-end shoes, known as “Manolos,” will hit the runway at the international fashion event, which is organized by the British Fashion Council (BFC) on September 15.

Blahnik plans to show his designs for the 2014 spring-summer season, a spokesman for the designer told Efe.

The designer will share the spotlight with brands like Mulberry and L’Wren Scott at the British fashion industry’s most important annual event.

“I have spent many years thinking about the possibility of participating in London Fashion Week and I am delighted to be able to take part this season,” said Blahnik.

He’s long had ties to London, where he opened his first store in 1973 after gaining fame working with British designer Ossie Clark.

The designer, who lives in Britain, was honored at the 22nd British Fashion Awards for his contributions to the industry over a career that has spanned four decades.

Princess Letizia Named to Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed List

Kate Middleton isn’t the only best-dressed royal… Spain’s Letizia, Princess of Asturias, is giving the British royal a style run for her money.

The 40-year-old Spanish royal – the wife of Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir apparent to the Spanish throne – has been named to Vanity Fair‘s International Best-Dressed List of 2013.

Princess Letizia

Born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, the former journalist and news anchor joins a stellar list of stylish celebrities, including Middleton, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Tory Burch, Victoria Beckham, LeBron James and Justin Timberlake.

Princess Letizia, known for wearing designers like Felipe Varela, Max Mara and Hugo Boss, was noted by the magazine for the blue lace Varela gown, matching heels by Margriet, and Maria Nieto hat, that she wore at the inauguration of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

But Princess Letizia isn’t the only Latina to make this year’s least…

Gisele Bündchen and her stylish husband, star NFL quarterback Tom Brady, were selected as style icons this year.

Bündchen, who called her mother her style icon, revealed that her favorite place to shop is L’Eclaireur in Paris. And her favorite accessory is Chanel’s Boy bag.

Visit VanityFair.com to see the complete list.

First-Time Director Cruz Helms Ad for Agent Provocateur

Penélope Cruz’s latest project has her on the other side of the camera…

The 39-year-old Spanish actress, who gave birth to her second child last week, has directed her first project, an advertising video for Agent Provocateur.

Penelope Cruz

The clip for the noted lingerie line features her husband, Javier Bardem, portraying a laborer.

The project was “a very interesting experience” because not only did it star family and friends, but it provided “much creative freedom” to tell the story with some highly charged erotic images, said Cruz in a statement released by the company.

The most steamy scene in the video features a man in a suit, played by Miguel Angel Silvestre, walking out onto the terrace of a mansion and spotting model Irina Shayk, the girlfriend of soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, dancing in the pool in black lingerie and a cap.

Cruz’s sister, Monica Cruz, also appears in the video along with actress Goya Toledo.

The story turns out to be a dream and Silvestre awakens to see the face of his boss, a laborer played by Bardem.

 

The video is the latest project between the Cruz sisters and Agent Provocateur.

The sisters designed a collection of lingerie for the company called L’Agent, which hit the market soon.

Cruz has been making a big push into the world of fashion and design, inking a three-year deal to be the face of Loewe.

Diaz Named Artistic Director at Fashion Accessories Company Pour La Victoire

Cameron Diaz has accepted a high-profile gig in the fashion world…

The 40-year-old half-Cuban American actress has accepted the role of Pour La Victoire‘s artistic director.

Cameron Diaz

Diaz’s unspecified-yet-rather-lucrative deal with the New York-based accessories company, which is known for contemporary, trend-focused shoes and handbags that range from $200 to $500 at retailers including Bloomingdale’s and Shopbop.com, according to WWD.

Along with having a voice in the brand’s design direction and advertising campaigns, Diaz also now owns an unspecified stake in PLV Studio, the parent company of Pour La Victoire and its lower-priced line, Kelsi Dagger.

Diaz told WWD that the deal is a “true partnership.”

So far in her new role, Diaz visited the set and “provided input” for the brand’s latest Terry Richardson-photographed advertising campaign.

In the coming months, she’ll star in a social media campaign for fall and holiday, and her first collection for the brand will launch for spring.

Even though the actress has no prior experience in the fashion world, except for a 2011 endorsement deal with watchmaker Tag Heuer, she plans on adding “pockets” and other accouterment to make her products for the company both luxurious and functional.

“We want the brand to be accessible for that working girl,” she told WWD. “I work hard for my money. I want [the collection] to be sensible, whether you have a lot of money or you are scraping together pennies.”

Richie Joins Style.com as Official Style Map Contributor

Nicole Richie is sharing her worldview online…

The 31-year-old part-Mexican American television personality, fashionista and Fashion Star celebrity mentor has officially joined Style.com as a contributor.

Nicole Richie

Richie will offer local coverage of fashion, street style, nightlife, arts and culture for the Fairchild Fashion Media-owned portal as part of its site initiative called Style Map, which adds a roster of 60 boldfaced “man on the street” contributors for a more casual perspective on what makes style and culture tick worldwide.

The feature uses the “tastemaker-curated, city-guide” style of content popular on websites like Forbes.com and upscale mom’s guide ElizabethStreet.com. Each of its 60 Style Map contributors will have complete control over their own blog posts.

One of Richie’s first posts: a 186-word homage to Pressed Juicery, the growing natural beverage chain that was launched by her “close friends” in 2010.

In addition to Richie, other Style Map contributors include New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler, Courtney Love, actress Rose Byrne and Star Trek Into Darkness actor Zachary Quinto.

“We’re providing the framework,” Style.com editor-in-chief Dirk Standen tells The Hollywood Reporter. “We’ve provided guidelines and obviously we will give people feedback and sort of advise them on what we think works. But we’re not going to be editing their words. This is meant to be about them. We have to give up a little bit of control, in a way.”

Dolce & Gabbana Outfitting Mars for His Upcoming World Tour

Bruno Mars will be rockin’ some serious style during his upcoming world tour.

Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana will outfit the 27-year-old part-Puerto Rican crooner for his Moonshine Jungle world tour.

Bruno Mars

Kicking off with a sold out show in Washington D.C. on June 22 and wrapping up in Auckland, New Zealand next March, Mars will tour the globe in a series of exclusively-designed black tuxedos and white button downs by the high-end Italian label better known as Dolce & Gabbana. Midway through each performance, concertgoers will see the Grammy-winning singer in a bright red suit and ocelot-printed shirt.

“Bruno’s style and music are so eclectic that oftentimes we have taken inspiration directly from his work to create looks that were at the same time in line with his very personal taste, as well as with the DNA of Dolce & Gabbana,” the designers said in an official statement. “With time, we have managed to establish with him a relationship of absolute faith in each other and mutual trust, that allows us to create and work together in an atmosphere of complete harmony.”

This isn’t the first time the duo — who have dressed everyone from Kate Moss to Amy Adams on the red carpet — have costumed a major music show.

In 1993 they outfitted Madonna‘s Girlie Show tour, a role they reprised for her 2000 Music tour — the same year they provided Mary J. Blige‘s stadium show costumes

Kylie Minogue‘s Fever tour followed suit in 2002, and Beyonce and Missy Elliott wore glittery wares by the label while performing in Verizon‘s Ladies First concert series in 2004.

Lopez: The Best-Dressed Artist at the Billboard Music Awards

The music industry’s biggest stars were out in full force at Sunday night’s Billboard Music Awards, but none shone brighter that Jennifer Lopez on the blue carpet…

The 43-year-old Puerto Rican singer/actress, one of the night’s performers, was a golden goddess as she walked the blue carpet with boyfriend Casper Smart, making her best-dressed artist on the blue carpet.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez wore a shimmering gold Zuhair Murad dress with a plunging neckline and sheer embroidered skirt., Christian Louboutin shoes and bag, and Le Vian jewelry at the event, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Meanwhile, fellow performer Selena Gomez proved to be white-hot  at the Billboard Music Awards.

Selena Gomez

The 20-year-old half-Mexican American singer-actress wore an ’80s-inspired white, neon-accented and zipper-embellished Atelier Versace dress.

Gomez capped off her look with silver Jimmy Choo shoes, and Neil Lane jewels.

Castellano Working on a New Teen Fashion Line

Talia Joy Castellano gained national acclaim after appearing on The Ellen Show… And now she’s thisclose to realizing her dream of being a fashion designer.

The 13-year-old Latina, who has been battling terminal cancer for six years, inspired millions with her story after her first appearance last September.

Talia Joy Castellano

Castellano has been creating beauty videos for the past six years, and she’s gone on to become a YouTube sensation.

Along with meeting Ellen DeGeneres last year, she was named an honorary Cover Girl. And now she’s hard at work to become a fashion designer.

In the past few weeks, Castellano has been creating a new teen fashion line from her home in Orlando. Urbana Chappa, a Spanish-Persian designer whose latest collection debuted at New York Fashion Week has been helping Castellano with the line, which has been called That Bald Chick.

“I wanted to create a fashion line for teens that is trendy,” Castellano told NBCLatino.com. “I’m hoping to inspire young teens to express themselves through their fashion. I’m excited to have created this collection and will forever get to share it with the world!”

Chappa, 33, was inspired when she first saw Talia on TV.

“It was very close to home for me — I had cancer when I was in my early twenties,” says Chappa. “Then my children were on my phone and her photo popped up on Instagram. I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is a sign.’ I went to her YouTube page, and I heard on her bucket list that she wanted to be a fashion designer.”

After some email exchanges, Chappa flew to Orlando and brought fashion books and swatches.

“We sketched 16 pieces, and we chose about 14, and I came back to LA and in two weeks, we put it together,” says Chappa, who taught Talia how to draw outfits on pre-made model cutouts. “We were on a very short time crunch with her being so sick we didn’t know what was going to happen. It’s been amazing. We have so much fun.”

They’re hoping to get the line in a national chain like Target. Chappa hopes it will allow Talia to see another dream come true while helping with medical expenses. But Chappa admits it hasn’t only been strictly business — the young teen has taught her a few things as well.

“She would say, it doesn’t matter if you are dying or homeless, if you have dreams do not give up,” says Chappa. “She wants kids and people to fight harder. I’ve been through a lot, and she’s taught me to not sweat the little stuff.”

Gomez Leads the Pack of Latinas on Maxim’s Hot 100 List

In the last year Selena Gomez has been edging-up her image in films like Spring Breakers… And Maxim’s readers have taken notice.

The 20-year-old half-Mexican American actress/singer is the highest-ranking Latina on this year’s Maxim Hot 100 list, coming in at No. 2 behind fellow former Disney Channel star Miley Cyrus.

Selena Gomez

“This actress turned singer made her debut on the Disney Channel in the show Wizards of Waverly Place. Recently she’s been in the news for breaking up with Justin Bieber and starring in Harmony Korine‘s Spring Breakers,” says the magazine. “Biebs, take it from us: you will not do any better than this beautiful star.”

Gomez, who recently released the video for her new single “Come and Get It,” ranked No. 24 on last year’s list.

But Gomez isn’t the only Latina to make the list this year…

In all, 19 women of Hispanic-descent were named to the Hot 100 list.

Here’s a look at this year’s Latina honorees.

Jessica Alba, No. 17

Arianny Celeste, No. 18

Demi Lovato, No. 26

Sarah Shahi, No, 33

Zoe Saldana, No. 38

Lea Michele, No. 39

Jordana Brewster, No. 43

Naya Rivera, No. 45

Sofia Vergara, No. 49

Shakira, No. 53

Eva Mendes, No. 57

Cameron Diaz, No. 62

Natalie Martinez, No. 75

Aubrey Plaza, No. 85

Rocsi Diaz, No. 86

Kenda Perez, No. 92

Lynsi Torres, No. 93

Daniella Alonso, No. 97

Click here to see the complete Hot 100 list.

Plaza: Complex Magazine’s April/May Cover Girl

There’s no denying Aubrey Plaza is a complex woman… But she’s also a silly (string) girl, too.

The 28-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian graces the cover of Complex magazine’s April/May issue, complete with colorful silly string and a headline that proclaims her a “Funny Girl.”

Aubrey Plaza's Complex Cover

Here’s what the Parks and Recreation actress had to say in the magazine:

On wanting to be an actress: “I always knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be both a comedian and an actor. I got really into Saturday Night Live. I became obsessed with the idea of being on that show. I started doing improv. I always had a goal. It was always me saying, ‘I know what I want to do and I want to do it now!’”

On what she’s learned from Parks and Recreation: “It’s taught me everything. The biggest thing is gaining experience from doing it every day, so getting to work on the show for so many years has been the best thing for me. And it’s nice that the character I play on that show is pretty close to home. It feels like a part of me, something I’ve created. When I do movies or other projects I can say I want to do something different.”

On her character in The To Do List: “Yeah, The To Do List is gonna be fun because I’m not sarcastic, depressed, or weird in it. I’m a type-A, almost obnoxious kind of girl. I wanted to do something where I’m not the weirdo who’s in the back of the classroom for a change. I want to be the girl who’s in the front of the classroom raising her hand.”

The April/May issue of Complex is out on newsstands now.