marc jacobs

New mom Sienna Miller strolled the London streets in a classic little black dress, but in true Sienna fashion, the starlet took her LBD to new heights with snazzy accessories. Her printed chain-strap Marc Jacobs bag, python ankle-wrap sandals, cat-eye Miu Miu glitter shades, and bevy of gold bling upped the glam factor of her black mini. Take a cue from Sienna and update your LBD with complementing accessories like snake sandals, a printed tote, and cat-eye sunglasses for the day or spice it up at night with these python Barbara Bui platforms ($296, originally $985) and a printed clutch.

In the three years since Peter Copping was appointed creative director of Nina Ricci, his ultra-feminine collections have restored some of the house's former glory. In a recent interview, Copping discusses the women he designs for — and how his clothing works for them.

On his customers: "I like that women of all ages can take my clothes and project their own personality onto them. I like a total look on some women, but mostly I like it when the clothes are broken down and different pieces are added to the overall effect."

On keeping things light: "There's a lightness to all of my clothes because I believe that women don't want to be burdened with heavy fabrics. Quite often I will even leave my coats unlined and if a woman is chilly, then she will layer her clothing. I will admit that much of my clientele has the sort of jet-set lifestyle that allows them to wear light clothes all the year round!"

On French women: "In France, women always refer to each other's weight in the first greeting. If they tell you 'Oh, you look well,' it's code for 'oh, you look fat.' By contrast, 'You've lost weight' is the highest praise."

On the women who inspire him: "I don't have a muse. I like to stay away from the idea of creating for one specific woman or one particular sort of dressing. I love the red carpet, but I don't want just to be linked to that. Of course, I thought that Diane Kruger, who I recently dressed for Cannes, looked almost perfect in Nina Ricci!"

On working for Marc Jacobs: "I had a very good apprenticeship in my 12 years at Louis Vuitton. By the time I left, I was the design director of the studio, overseeing the womenswear team. That's how Marc Jacobs works: he trusts you and he gives people the freedom to do their job to the best of their ability."

On It bags: "I think the concept of the 'It' bag is nauseating, which is why it's taken me some time to get around to bags properly. Of course, any major fashion house should have accessories, but they need to relate to the clothing and be a progression of and extension of the clothing line. Everything must be in context. I hope that our new 'La Rue' bag exemplifies my theory."

Photo: The Nina Ricci La Rue bag, with flowers illustrated by Jo Ratcliffe.

After drawing the ire of Chinese consumers with a line of products bearing the slogan "Free Tibet," Marc Jacobs says designers should be cautious when mixing their products with political messages.

"I guess politics and fashion, you've always got to be a bit careful because somebody's going to get offended or somebody's going to feel it isn't right," Jacobs said at a recent restaging of his Fall 2012 show for Louis Vuitton in Shanghai. "I don't want to sound stupid or ignorant or anything, but I spend my time in the studio choosing fabric and colors and trying to figure out what we're going to make . . . If you want to avoid controversy, you just don't do [political] things like that."

A series of Marc by Marc Jacobs bags and t-shirts in support of the Tibetan Freedom Coalition prompted users of Facebook and Weibo — China's answer to Twitter — to boycott Jacobs's products. "John Galliano was fired by Dior because of his anti-semitic comments," said one Facebook group that backed the boycott. "We Chinese should also unite to let MJ to apologize and withdraw all the bags and T-shirts with 'Free Tibet' prints." Jacobs said the offending products are no longer in production.

In the past, Jacobs's products haven't shied away from political statements. He's made t-shirts and other items showing support for gay marriage and for President Obama's reelection campaign. In 2006, the Marc by Marc Jacobs store in San Francisco put up a window display that read "Worst President Ever!" referring to then-commander-in-chief George W. Bush.

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Gisele Bundchen was spotted in her native Brazil sporting a slightly bigger stomach than usual. The photos follow rumors that Bundchen is pregnant with her second child, though she hasn't spoken publicly about whether or not the rumors are true. [PopSugar]
  

• Hermès helped French police bring an end to an international ring of counterfeiters. A dozen people were arrested in the bust, and two Hermès employees have been fired in connection with the ring, but the company believes that more of its staff may have been involved with the counterfeits. [WWD]
  

• Jil Sander says she's "working less on decoration, more on form — pattern-making and materials, with a lot of dresses in the collection — in a good modern way" for her return to the namesake label she founded in 1968. [The New York Times]
  

• Just what does it take to be Karl Lagerfeld's creative muse? Alan Grieve — father of Lagerfeld's current muse, Amanda Harlech — describes his daughter's life like this: "She works all day, eats dinner at 3 a.m., when I'm sure she'd like to be in bed, and in between, there are emails and texts and phone calls because he never stops." [The Daily Telegraph]
  

• Emma Stone covers the July issue of Vogue. "This is what fashion does for people," Stone, who was photographed wearing Dries Van Noten and Nina Ricci, told the magazine. "It makes them feel like it's an extension of themselves." [FabSugar]
  

• Queen Elizabeth II will name Sarah Burton of Alexander McQueen as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, or OBE, later this year. Emma Hill, creative director of Mulberry, will be made a Commander of the British Empire, or CBE. [WWD]
  

• Florence Huntington-Whiteley, sister to model and actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, has made her own modeling debut for British line Jack Wills. [The Daily Telegraph]
  

• Schiaparelli has a new CEO in former L'Oréal executive Camilla Schiavone. The long-dormant brand's owner, Diego Della Valle of the Tod's group, plans to relaunch Schiaparelli in February 2013. [Material World]
  

• Marc Jacobs partnered with the creators of South Park to bring a doll in his own likeness to stores. Muscle Man Marc, a shirtless cloth version of Jacobs that features his tattoos, first appeared on the cartoon as a toy that belonged to the character Cartman. [Refinery29]