She claims not to be the ‘type of woman who would wear high heels with a bathing suit’. But Vera Wang seems to have achieved it remarkably well in a shoot for the new issue of Harper’s Bazaar US. The designer, 62, who was pictured by the pool of her new LA home, revealed an age-defying body that could belong to a woman half — or even a third — of her age. Wearing a black swimsuit by Eres with an Alexander Wang corset, she showed off lean, tanned and toned limbs with not a trace of cellulite. But for someone who wears swimwear so well, Wang admits her usual beachside look is heavily covered-up. Explaining to the magazine how she came to pose in the outfit, she admitted: “I wanted to wear a corset from Alexander Wang, whom I like a great deal. I was thinking it would be over a legging or a boyish short, but the next thing I knew, I was there in a swimsuit. The funny thing is that I’m the girl who no one sees at the beach. Ask anyone who’s travelled with me. Normally, I’m in so many layers, I look like Lawrence of Arabia!”

— Daily Mail

French Elle accused of racism

French Elle may be a fashion authority, but the glossy magazine is certainly no leader in race relations. In what has been interpreted as an outdated and insulting move, a fashion blogger for the magazine’s site posted a piece about Michelle Obama’s sartorial prowess and the rise of a ‘black-geoisie’. New York Daily News goes so far as to brand the magazine as ‘racist’, while elsewhere online the blog has caused uproar. Writing about the first family on the magazine’s site, Nathalie Dolivo claims that the Obamas are the catalyst for a ‘black fashion renaissance’. She suggests that America’s first black president has finally given the black community a ‘chic’ option other than ‘streetwear codes’. She writes: “Michelle Obama sets the tone, focusing on cutting-edge brands … revisiting the wardrobe of Jackie O in a jazzy way.”

While the First Lady has widely been credited as a style maven, championing young American designers and choosing classic styles that flatter her athletic figure, her sartorial taste can hardly be termed as ‘shells’ and ‘robes’. The misjudged piece — which appears to have since been removed from Elle.fr — has spawned a vehement backlash. That Dolivo has omitted any African-American history preceding 2012 is one bone of contention. Another, as Fashion Bomb Daily points out, is that she has failed to see the ‘impact’ of a host of hugely influential figures in American culture, such as the Supremes, Diana Ross, the Cosby Show’s Clair Huxtable, Salt N Pepa, TLC or Aaliyah — and onwards. The same site notes that French Elle readers were the first to express indignation at the ‘ethnographic research’.

— Daily Mail

Reunited 30 years later

Thirty years have passed since they first worked together on their hit record Ebony and Ivory. And now music legends Stevie Wonder, 61, and Paul McCartney, 69, have reunited for another joint project. They both feature on a track entitled Only Our Hearts, which is from McCartney’s new album Kisses on the Bottom. McCartney gushed about his joy at working with the Superstition singer, branding him “a genius”. He said: “Stevie came along to the studio in LA and he listened to the track for about ten minutes and he totally got it. He just went to the mic and within 20 minutes had nailed this dynamite solo. When you listen you just think, ‘How do you come up with that?’ But it’s just because he is a genius, that’s why.” After the pair worked together on the 1982 song, it reached the number one spot in both the UK and the US. However, while Ebony and Ivory achieved chart success upon its release, it was later frequently parodied and criticised. Blender magazine dubbed it the tenth worst song of all time, and in October 2007, BBC 6 Music listeners voted it the worst duet in history. Their latest joint effort is one of two original compositions on Paul’s latest album. The record is a collection of standards that the Beatles star grew up listening to.

— Daily Mail