Ridley Scott, who helmed "American Gangster" and "Gladiator," is set to produce and direct a biopic based on the Gucci family dynasty. Women's Wear Daily says the big-budget flick will focus on the meteoric rise and near fall of the Italian fashion empire in the 1970s and '80s. The plot will revolve around the late Maurizio Gucci and his nasty battle with his cousins to protect his 50 percent stake in the business. It's also expected to include the scandalous murder attempt on Maurizio by his wife, Patrizia Reggiani, who's now in the slammer for hiring a hit man to try blowing him away.
Models strutting catwalks at London Fashion Week should provide a certificate attesting their good health, but there will be no outright ban on wafer-thin women, the British Fashion Council said on Friday. In its report, the council recommended models under 16 should be outlawed from London's catwalks. It said a medical certificate must be provided by September from doctors specializing in eating disorders. Spain and Italy have recommended banning models with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18.5 from catwalks, but the expert panel behind the report rejected the use of the index, saying it was not an accurate measure of health. "We have considered this carefully and listened to a range of expert views. But we do not believe a focus on BMI provides the way forward," the report said. "We favor the alternative approach of promoting good health based on medical assessments of models participating in London Fashion Week." The report acknowledged there was a problem with eating disorders among models and recommended a health education and awareness program be set up. "During the investigation, evidence of the vulnerability of women in the modeling profession was startling and models are at a high risk of eating disorders," said the chair of the inquiry.
From today's New York Post:
Rumors are rampant that there was trouble behind the seams of Victoria Beckham's new denim line, dVb. The Spice Girl alum spoke few words to the press at last Thursday's grand unveiling at Saks last Thursday, saying the new jeans were "wonderful" and she was "so excited" to be involved. Beckham was no joy to work with, according to insiders. "The partnership with Rock & Republic was terminated," said an insider close to the label. "Victoria was horrible to work with - indecisive and inconsistent and generally not present at all. She attached her name to it but didn't want to do any of the work - unless she was promoting the line in front of the cameras, of course."
Actress Ashley Judd will launch a clothing line this fall. "I'm thrilled to be involved in a clothing line that provides simple, lovely solutions for women's wardrobes," Judd said of her new gig. Her budget fashions were created in a joint venture with Goody's Family Clothing.
French actress Audrey Tautou will play Coco Chanel in an upcoming biopic about the designer. The $15 million film was conceived with Tautou in mind. "[The producer] said she would only make a film about Chanel is Audrey was the lead," says an insider. "They met and both liked the idea." The script, will focuses on the legendary designer's childhood and early adult years, was adapted from the Chanel biography L'Irreguliere, and production is slated to begin early next year. "It isn't really a biopic because it is about Chanel before she became famous - it is about the events and people that shaped her," said the insider. Chanel was born into poverty and learned to sew in a Catholic orphanage after her mother died and she was abandoned by her father. As a young woman, Chanel had dreams of becoming a singer and first acquired the nickname Coco while singing "Who's Seen Coco in the Trocadero" in a cabaret.
Don't look for Gisele Bundchen in the pages of your next Victoria's Secret catalog. The leggy supermodel is reportedly hanging up her wings because the lingerie company wouldn't pony up her demands for a $5 million-a-year salary. "Her demands were outrageous," says a source. "She got a new lawyer who was unrealistic. Victoria's Secret doesn't care. They have five new hotter, younger girls debuting next year. And they won't have to deal with any craziness." Reps for Bundchen have not commented, but her sister Patricia confirmed the news to the Brazilian website Glamurana.
