Elle France

Those stories and more in today's news roundup.

• Christian Louboutin has given Martha Stewart permission to paint the iconic red soles of his shoes black. "I don't like them red, even though they're his trademark," she said. "But he doesn't mind. He said it's okay if I do that — I asked him!" [InStyle]
  

• Victoria Beckham shared two images from her recent Elle France cover shoot, which Karl Lagerfeld shot at the Chanel store on Paris's Rue Cambon. Beckham called the shoot "a dream come true!" [@VictoriaBeckham]
  

• London's Design Museum will exhibit a retrospective of Paul Smith's work next Fall, examining everything from the clothing he designs to the stores he's designed around the world. [WWD]
  

• French artist Fabrice Hyber's sculpture "1M3 de beaute" (translation: one cubic meter of beauty) is a cube of Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Pur Couture number one lipstick that weighs about 330 pounds. The sculpture will be on display in Paris's Palais de Tokyo until Jan. 7. [Fashion Etc.]
  

• Meanwhile, British artists Mariana Fantich and Dominic Young took a pair of size 15 men's shoes from Savile Row by Barker and replaced the soles with 1,050 fake teeth. They call the resulting one-offs, which weren't meant to be worn, the Apex Predator. [Art Info]
  

• Because hair stylists weren't already specialized enough, a Los Angeles salon called the Private Room now has a station devoted exclusively to cutting bangs. For $20, customers can choose from bangs shaped like celebrities' from Katie Holmes to Rose Byrne. [The Cut]

Source: Twitter User VictoriaBeckham

>> The rumors have been flying for well over a year now, but finally, French conglomerate Lagardere, which owns publisher Hachette Filipacchi, and subsequently, Elle, has confirmed that it is exploring options for its international magazine business.

“These are informal discussions, which can result in anything from partnerships to joint ventures to an outright sale," a spokeswoman confirmed. "But at this stage nothing is fixed, and no time limit has been set."

Regardless of what happens, Lagardere plans to hold on to its French magazines — including French Elle — and retain editorial control over the foreign editions of Elle (which includes American Elle). When asked about the rumors that Harper's Bazaar publisher Hearst was interested in buying a controlling stake in American Elle, the spokeswoman replied: “They are certainly one of the possible partners but by no means the only one.”