jil sander

Leave it to Victoria Beckham to look insanely chic in black and white while on a shopping spree in Paris. The designer strutted her svelte stuff in a white Jil Sander collared blouse, which she tucked into a black column-style maxi skirt by Maison Martin Margiela ($875). Her accessories included a black Victoria Beckham satchel, which she held on to, her signature oversized square sunglasses, black platform suede Giuseppe Zanotti booties ($795), and a chunky rose-gold watch. While this outfit might be a bit too fancy for your next retail excursion, it would look appropriate for an important meeting at the office. Just pair Victoria's exact blouse, or any other crisp white top, with a black maxi skirt, and chic accessories. Looking luxe like Victoria, you'll surely have everyone's attention.

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]

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• Jason Wu and Karlie Kloss will cocaptain a team for the annual New York AIDS Walk. The designer and the model, who attended the Met Gala together, will be joined by family and friends in an effort to raise money to fight the disease. "I'm so excited to be participating, and to be teaming up with Jason and all of our friends for such an incredible cause," Kloss said. [Modelinia]
  

• Some of Karl Lagerfeld's most memorable quotes have been turned into a t-shirt for the designer's eponymous line. English design agency I Love Dust formed quotes like "Sunglasses are like eyeshadow: They make everything look pretty and younger" into the shape of Lagerfeld's iconic face. [Refinery29]
  

• The veiled maroon beanie Stephen Jones designed for Raf Simons's second-to-last Jil Sander collection is now for sale on the Jil Sander website. The inventive topper goes for $440. [Racked]
  

• A new study conducted by model agent Ben Barry found that using very thin models in advertising can make women not want to shop. "Women will buy fashion when models convey a realistic, attainable image and make them feel confident," Barry wrote. [Fashion Etc.]
  

• Kelly Cutrone tweeted this week that one of her former assistants will be arrested for stealing from her public relations firm People's Revolution. Cutrone aimed this message at a private Twitter account. "@HussyChildPlz you better run cause you are going down CLOWN." [Styleite]

>> Today is Raf Simons's first day of work as artistic director of Dior, and one of the first things he did was assure the world that his work there won't be primarily concerned with minimalism.

While Simons isn't revealing any hard and fast plans for the French fashion house yet, he says his point of view for Dior will skew more feminine and romantic that stark and simple — even if stark and simple is what he's been known for in the past.

"I don't think it's wrong to call me a minimalist. It's wrong to call me a minimalist only," he told WWD. "When I'm married to a house, I will fully embrace its original intention, its original heritage and meaning. I wouldn't go to that place if I only had minimalism in mind. I'm very aware of what the environment is about."

Look no further for proof of that than Simons's Fall 2012 collection for Jil Sander, where he had been creative director since 2005. Many saw the simple and elegant clothing he presented there as a sort of audition for his new role at Dior, as it echoed elements and sentiments of midcentury couture without imitating it outright.

Dior announced that it would hire Simons to replace John Galliano on Monday. Simons's first show for the house will be in July during Paris Fall 2012 Haute Couture Week.

Photo: The finale of Raf Simons's Fall 2012 runway show for Jil Sander.

>> Right here, in our daily news round up.

>> The Jil Sander Group has confirmed that designer Jil Sander will return to her eponymous label. "I am very happy and excited to be back. It feels like coming home after a brief journey," the designer — who founded the company in 1968 — said in a statement. "The fashion world needs original voices and genuine signatures. I will do my best to, once again, join the choir."
 Sander's first collection will be the men's Spring 2012 collection shown in June.

The confirmation comes just one day after the company announced that the current creative director, Raf Simons, would leave his post following the presentation of the women's Fall 2012 collection this weekend in Milan.

This is not the first time Sander has returned to the company. After exiting in 2000, she returned to the creative helm in 2003, only to leave again a short time later. [WWD]
Photo: courtesy of Jil Sander