John Galliano men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris

Models present creations by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring/Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

Models present creations by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring/Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation by British designer John Galliano as part of his men's Spring-Summer 2010 fashion collection in Paris June 26, 2009.[Agencies]

taken from : China Daily


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Janet Jackson speaks at BET Awards '09 in Los Angeles

Janet Jackson, sister of deceased pop star Michael Jackson, speaks at the BET Awards '09 in Los Angeles June 28, 2009. Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50. [Agencies]

Janet Jackson, sister of deceased pop star Michael Jackson, speaks at the BET Awards '09 in Los Angeles June 28, 2009. Michael Jackson, the child star turned King of Pop who set the world dancing but whose musical genius was overshadowed by a bizarre lifestyle and sex scandals, died on Thursday. He was 50. [Agencies]

Janet Jackson, sister of Michael Jackson , speaks at the BET Awards '09 in Los Angeles June 28, 2009. [Agencies]

Janet Jackson is escorted onstage by show host Jamie Foxx at the BET Awards '09 in Los Angeles June 28, 2009. [Agencies]

Janet Jackson, sister of deceased pop star Michael Jackson, is escorted onstage by show host Jamie Foxx at the BET Awards '09 in Los Angeles June 28, 2009. [Agencies]

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Celebs at premiere of new HBO comedy series "Hung" in Hollywood

Actress Anne Heche, star of the new HBO comedy series "Hung" poses at the series premiere in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Actress Jennifer Westfeldt arrives as a guest at the premiere of the new HBO comedy series "Hung" in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Actress Rebecca Creskoff, star of the new HBO comedy series "Hung" poses at the series premiere in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Actresses Anne Heche (L) and Sianoa Smit-McPhee, stars of the new HBO comedy series "Hung", pose at the series premiere in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Actress Anne Heche, star of the new HBO comedy series "Hung" poses at the series premiere in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Actors Thomas Jane (back) and Jane Adams, stars of the new HBO comedy series "Hung", pose at the series premiere in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Actress Anne Heche (L), star of the new HBO comedy series "Hung", poses with boyfriend actor James Tupper at the series premiere in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

Actor Eddie Jemison, star of the new HBO comedy series "Hung" poses at the series premiere in Hollywood June 24, 2009. [Agencies]

taken from : China Daily


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Give me Moe!

Chinese teenagers are following the Japanese Moe-girl trend and are modeling themselves after beautiful comic-book girls.

But a Moe girl's life isn't easy.

The clothing has to be sexy and implicitly youthful but discreet. Hair has to be wavy and plastered with accessories, but not layered. Make-up should not be overdone, but should emphasize certain features, especially the eyes.

Ying Ying, the online name of a self-proclaimed Moe, spends one hour a day on make-up and touches up nearly 10 times a day.

"Eyes are the most important," Ying says. "They must be round and big."

She chooses the wigs she wears to match her clothes and make-up.

"Wide-open eyes and perched lips," Ying says, "give a super-Moe effect."

What began as a fashion trend has evolved into an attitude.

"In a Moe girl's world there is no such thing as hate," according to How to Be a Moe Girl author Liz Kershaw.

Kershaw explains that good manners and benevolence are the fundamentals of being a Moe girl, but personality must be altered depending on those around you.

Around other girls, and not just other Moe girls, modesty is very important, while the correct way for a Moe girl to act in front of men is sweet and shy while exuding an obscure sex appeal.

Acting clumsy and incorporating a cute catchphrase in your speech is a good addition, but not necessary.

According to Sun Yuanming, a psychology and sociology expert at the Chongqing Academy of Social Sciences, Chinese women are not only proud of being a Moe girl, but they also have a healthy competition with one another, determining who is more Moe.

"The pursuit of novel fashion such as this style is an inborn instinct," says Sun.

"This phenomenon is normal and it is necessary to know that young people from each generation have sought their own fashion. Trends must continuously be abandoned and updated."

But the Moe girl trend is not just limited to young Chinese women. Forty-seven-year-old Wang Li wants to be a Moe girl too. "I didn't know what Moe meant at first," Li says. "I started surfing the Internet and chatting through video.

"Some friends I met online told me I had the potential to be a Moe girl and from then on I began dressing up and have nearly perfected the Moe style."

(China Daily 06/26/2009 page19)

taken from : China Daily


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D&G Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week

A model displays a creation as part of D&G Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 23, 2009.[Agencies]

A model displays a creation as part of D&G Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 23, 2009.[Agencies]

A model displays a creation as part of D&G Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 23, 2009.[Agencies]

A model displays a creation as part of D&G Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 23, 2009.[Agencies]

A model displays a creation as part of D&G Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 23, 2009.[Agencies]

A model displays a creation as part of D&G Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 23, 2009.[Agencies]

taken from : China Daily
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Study: Women look away more from abnormal babies

WASHINGTON – Puzzling new research suggests women have a harder time than men looking at babies with facial birth defects. It's a surprise finding. Psychiatrists from the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital, who were studying perceptions of beauty, had expected women to spend more time than men cooing over pictures of extra-cute babies. Nope.

Instead, the small study being published Wednesday raises more questions than it can answer.

First the background: The McLean team already had studied men and women looking at photos of adults' faces on a computer screen. They rated facial beauty, and could do various keystrokes to watch the photos longer. A keystroke count showed men put three times more effort into watching beautiful women as women put into watching handsome men.

Lead researcher Dr. Igor Elman wondered what else might motivate women. Enter the new baby study.

This time 13 men and 14 women were shown 80 photos of babies, 30 of whom had abnormal facial features such as a cleft palate, Down syndrome or crossed eyes. Participants rated each baby's attractiveness on a scale of zero to 100, and used keystrokes to make the photo stay on the screen longer or disappear faster.

Women pressed the keys 2.5 times more than men to make photos of babies with the facial abnormalities disappear, researchers reported in PLoS One, a journal of the Public Library of Science. That's even though they rated those babies no less attractive than the men had.

"They had this subliminal motivation to get rid of the faces," said Elman, who questions whether "we're designed by nature to invest all the resources into healthy-looking kids."

Both genders spent equal time and effort looking at photos of the normal babies.

The study couldn't explain the gender disparity. Elman noted that previous work has linked child abandonment and neglect to abnormal appearance, and even asked if the finding might challenge the concept of unconditional maternal love.

That's too far-reaching a conclusion, cautioned Dr. Steven Grant of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which funded the study.

The work is part of broader research into how we normally form attachments and what can make those attachments go awry, work that tests if what people say matches what they do.

"Common sense would tell you one thing," Grant said. "This doesn't fit with common sense. It raises a question.
taken from : China Daily


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Surgery-free treatment for varicose veins

People suffering from varicose veins can soon enjoy a better quality of life, with a Beijing hospital launching a project to introduce minimally invasive treatments to more Chinese doctors.

Compared with vein stripping surgery, the new treatments, such as TriVex, radio frequency and laser, have many advantages including shorter hospital stays, smaller surgical wounds, faster recovery and no scarring, according to Liu Peng, chief of cardio-vascular surgery at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing.

The hospital is cooperating with InaVein Llc and VNUS Inc from the United States, as well as Diomed Inc from the United Kingdom, to set up the TriVex, RFO (radiofrequency endoveous occlusion) and EVLT (endovenous laser treatment) training centers. It will hold the first training class on minimally invasive treatment for 193 doctors, mainly from northern China.

Varicose veins, or varicosities, is a common ailment. According to the latest report by the National Health Screening in China, approximately 100 million people suffer from varicosities.

The number of patients afflicted with varicose veins of the lower limbs accounts for 40 percent of the total.

Varicosities is related to the blockage in veins which happens when venous blood flows back to the heart; it appears as lumpy, winding vessels just below the surface of the skin, Dr Liu explains.

Standing for long period increases pressure in the veins in the legs, and they have to work harder to pump blood back upwards to the heart.

Sometimes this pressure can break the valves in the veins which should only let the blood go one way - toward the heart. This means blood can collect in pools in the veins.

If things continue this way, the veins grow thicker and longer, and twist, finally leading to varicosities.

Being overweight, major surgery and pregnancy can also trigger varicosities, Liu adds.

Surgery has been the most common treatment for varicosities patients. "Chinese people call the treatment '18 cuts' due to its time-consuming and painful process," Liu says.

Patients were so scared to undergo surgery that they would rather endure the pain of varicosities.

The past 10 years have seen great progress in minimally invasive treatment by American, German and British scientists, which have basically replaced the traditional treatment of "18 cuts".

Now, minimally invasive technologies such as RFO and EVLT are spreading in the US and Europe, and increasingly more hospitals in big Chinese cities are adopting these technologies.

The training center at the China-Japan Friendship Hospital will hold classes every year and will invite doctors from all parts of the country.


taken from : China Daily


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Italy designers offer color as crisis antidote

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A model presents a creation as part of the Versace Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 21, 2009.[Agencies]

MILAN – The look for next summer may be colorfully upbeat, but where styles are concerned, Italian designers showing their 2010 menswear warm weather wears are playing it safe.

Given the current economic crisis, designers are not experimenting with avant-garde clothing, but sticking to easy to understand, familiar styles from the classic suit to sporty shorts. The bright summer palette makes the difference.

Gucci designer Frida Giannini, who showed her latest collection Sunday, used pristine white to express optimism. But the silhouette was slim and tailored, offering what the designer said was "an effortless approach to luxury."

The new Gucci suit has a deconstructed jacket slightly longer than in past seasons, and a super slim trouser cropped at the ankle. Tapered pants, featured by many designers who have shown thus far, promises to be a leading look for next summer.

Giannini's sportswear is inspired by the yacht club wardrobe, from the lightweight hooded parka and surfing shorts to the patchwork fabrics that resemble stitching on a sail.

Rolled cotton pants, painted white jeans and hand-knit sweaters with folksy patterns add comforting familiarity to the look.

For evening, deep blue replaces black, and the stiffness of a tuxedo jacket is relaxed by the light V-neck sweater worn underneath.

The latest Gucci loafer is made from a patchwork of crocodile, leather and patent leather, while ostrich is used for Gucci's new high-top sneaker.

Sneakers in general are back this round with several other designers raising the tennis court footwear to runway fame by fashioning them in snakeskin.

Earlier Sunday, the second day of the four-day menswear preview showings, Tomas Maier for Bottega Veneta painted his traditional classic look in bright colors. Straying from his usual muted palette, the designer came up with such glowing shades as "warm cigar" and "fever red."

The collection is built around a basic pair of V-shaped trousers, full at the top and tapering to a narrow cuff to reveal shiny round-toed loafers underneath, worn strictly without socks.

A tailored jacket with bold lapel accompanies these skimpy pants. The same jacket can be worn with cargo Bermuda shorts for a more sporty look.

For the man who has almost everything, Maier created a limited edition of his famous "Cabat" leather woven bag. Other summer bags include a new shopper, "so a guy won't stuff his pockets," the designer says, and a roomy duffel bag in super soft nappa leather.

Donatella Versace, who showed Sunday afternoon, battles the current crisis by becoming a virtual designer for the Foreign Legion. In her fashion notes she said she drew inspiration for her latest collection from the French army corps' "romantic image."

Versace's Legionnaire happily exchanges his uniform for an unbuttoned tunic worn over a T-shirt, soft trousers, and leather sandals. He wears a wide leather combat belt, and hangs charms and dark shades from leather straps around his neck. His favorite footwear is the desert boot.

He favors a camouflage beige palette, but at times dares to reveal himself in flashes of violet, emerald green and orange.

By night, his vanity calls for a return to the glories of the uniform, with tassel braiding and silk bands adorning his tuxedo jacket.

Also on Sunday, flamboyant British designer John Richmond showed some extreme cases of looks which are emerging during this round of warm weather menswear: rolled sleeves and trouser cuffs even for a classic suit, shoes without socks even by night, colors bright enough to include shocking pink, and jeans so worn and torn they look destroyed rather than distressed.


taken from : China Daily


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Dolce&Gabbana, Armani open Milan menswear

Models present creations as part of Giorgio Armani Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 20, 2009. [Agencies]

MILAN – Italian menswear for the Spring-Summer 2010 got off to a classy start Saturday, with glitzy glamour at Dolce and Gabbana, and super refinement at Giorgio Armani.

The designing duo kicked off the four days of preview showings with a collection that matched sequined tuxedo jackets with distressed pants, adding a new chapter to the "drunge" (part dandy, part grunge) look they invented a decade ago.

Underneath his torn and shredded trousers, the latest Gabbana grunge wears super soft silk underwear, and sequined sneakers.

Brazilian model Jesus Luz, seen of late stepping out on the town with pop star Madonna, featured heavily in the show, which the designers said was designed to "exalt the beauty of virility."

Later Saturday Giorgio Armani exalted elegance in a collection that recalled the best in the designer's famed tailored look.

The clean cut youths in gray silk, beige tweed or faded blue linen suits with matching shirt and tie, who came down the runway of the Armani theater in downtown Milan accompanied by top-drawer girls in dainty cocktail dresses, looked like they had just stepped out of a 1960's movie.

For a more casual look Armani offered cargo bermudas worn with destructured blazers or striped cashmere cardigans.

The designer was greeted with extra warm applause as he took his bow at the end of the show, looking gaunt, but wearing his trademark T-shirt and jeans work clothes.

It was Armani's first public fashion appearance in several months. The designer had missed the opening of his home furnishing presentation at the Milan furniture fair in April, followed by other no shows, raising concerns about his health.

In an interview with the Italian news agency ANSA at the end of May, the designer said he was battling with hepatitis.

"It's an illness that takes time to get over," he said at the time.

During the current fashion week, the best in the made in Italy label — including Versace, Ferre, Missoni, Bottega Veneta, Cavalli, Gucci and Prada will show — their latest summer wears.

taken from : China Daily


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Milan designers take men on spring journey

A model presents a creation as part of the Dirk Bikkembergs Spring/Summer 2010 men's collection during Milan Fashion Week June 22, 2009. [Agencies]

MILAN – Designers at Milan's fashion shows are putting a dash of the exotic in their collections for men's wardrobes next spring and summer, looking to places like Africa or Brazil for inspiration.

Injecting color and showing plenty of sportswear shoes and roomy bags, several top names at Milan's spring/summer 2010 menswear shows, which started Saturday and end on Tuesday, seem to taking on a travel trend.

Gucci's Frida Giannini went to Rio, looking to the works of architect Oscar Niemeyer and his white buildings against Brazil's piercing blue skies.

She presented white slim tailored suits with color ties and printed shirts for a mood described as "resolutely optimistic."

There were featherweight leather jackets and hooded anoraks, paired with leggings or shorts as well as hand-knit sweaters.

For the evening, deep indigo blue was the new black for Gucci with glossy suits that also came out in fiery red.

Quoted by Italian newspapers on Monday, Giannini said the look represented "a desire of escapism, of lightness and freedom with the sporty and super chic attitude of someone who can take long holidays on the Brazilian beaches."

Versace looked to the French Foreign Legion, the Tuareg culture and north Africa for its menswear line that featured unbuttoned tunics, light trousers, leather sandals and silver and leather plaited jewelry.

Design head Donatella Versace used prints that evoked "the hazy light of a mirage in the desert" and a neutral palette -- white, sand, khaki with flashes of violet, orange and green.

To complete the desert look, models wore their sunglasses on a string and had caps with neck protectors in the "kepis" style. They wore belts in woven leather and desert boots.

On Monday, Salvatore Ferragamo also looked to Africa with a "colonial style revisited for the modern eye, evoking the exotic with irresistible contrasts" such as natural fibers like raffia against luxury leathers like crocodile and alligator in bags.

Colors were earthy -- burned browns, ochre sands, coral reds and indigo blues. Jackets were slim fit and light, shirts had contrasting cuffs and collars while trousers had small pleats.

Also showing on Monday, Roberto Cavalli took his male buyers on a journey of rediscovering their bodies.

His silhouette was triangle with strong shoulders -- at times decorated with embroidery, an emphasized torso with revealing vests and tops and tight-fitting trousers -- the intention of revealing and highlighting the "fit body" of the Cavalli man.

"It is man who is beginning to love himself and wants to make himself evident," Cavalli told Reuters.

taken from : China Daily


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Woody Allen and Evan Rachel Wood attend film "Whatever Works" premiere in Paris

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Director Woody Allen (R) and his wife Soon-Yi pose at the premiere of the film "Whatever Works" in Paris June 19, 2009. [Agencies]

Director Woody Allen (R) and his wife Soon-Yi pose at the premiere of the film "Whatever Works" in Paris June 19, 2009. [Agencies]

Director Woody Allen poses at the premiere of the film "Whatever Works" in Paris June 19, 2009. [Agencies]

Actress Evan Rachel Wood poses at the premiere of the film "Whatever Works" in Paris June 19, 2009. [Agencies]

Actress Evan Rachel Wood poses at the premiere of the film "Whatever Works" in Paris June 19, 2009. [Agencies]

Director Woody Allen (R) and actress Evan Rachel Wood pose at the premiere of the film "Whatever Works" in Paris June 19, 2009. [Agencies]

taken from : China Daily


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Alexandre Herchovitch 2010 Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week

A model presents a creation from the Alexandre Herchovitch 2010 Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 18, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation from the Alexandre Herchovitch 2010 Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 18, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation from the Alexandre Herchovitch 2010 Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 18, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation from the Alexandre Herchovitch 2010 Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 18, 2009.[Agencies]

A model presents a creation from the Alexandre Herchovitch 2010 Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 18, 2009.[Agencies]

taken from : China Daily


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Designers favor first lady's fashion

US first lady Michelle Obama participates in an evening of poetry, music and the spoken word in this May 2009 photo. The first lady, considered a new player in the fashion world, was recognized for her stylish looks on Monday night at a Council of Fashion Designers of America ceremony.[Agencies]

NEW YORK: The fashion industry made it clear at its annual awards ceremony on Monday night that it's looking to future stars to see it past the doldrums of the recession, shunning longtime favorites and honoring a largely new guard: Rodarte, Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang - and Michelle Obama.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America's special tribute award went to the first lady, considered a new player in this world.

Noting her "meteoric rise as a fashion icon," CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg said Obama had "a unique look that balances the duality of her lives" in her roles as trusted adviser to her husband, President Barack Obama, and busy mother to their two daughters.

Although she was missing from the crowd at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Obama's presence was felt throughout the star-studded ceremony, which included Heidi Klum and Blake Lively, both wearing Michael Kors, and Bradley Cooper in a Calvin Klein suit.

It took host Tracey Ullman less than two minutes in her opening monologue to mention the new first lady of fashion. As complimentary as she was, though, Ullman, a Brit, did say Obama shouldn't have worn a cardigan to meet Queen Elizabeth II.

Obama accepted her award via a pre-taped video. Wearing a crisp white button-down shirt and two strands of pearls, she honored fashion as an American "art form" with "ingenuity and craftsmanship that contribute so much to our economy and culture."

Laura and Kate Mulleavy, the California-based sisters behind Rodarte, seemed touched and surprised when Diane Kruger, in a red minidress with black beaded shoulders, announced that they had won the big prize of the night as the nation's top womenswear designers. It was only last year that they won the award for emerging talent.

"I'm just so shocked," Kate Mulleavy said. "It's so hard to be up here when we think where we started, making clothes in our house three years ago. We never thought we'd be a part of this world."

Rodarte beat out industry veterans Narciso Rodriguez and Marc Jacobs, while Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez topped Jacobs and Vera Wang in the accessories category. Jacobs didn't go home empty-handed, though. He was named the top international designer for Louis Vuitton.

Comedian and talk show host Jimmy Fallon read the names of both Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein and Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders in a tie in the menswear category.

Alexander Wang and his rocker look beat Jason Wu and Thakoon Panichgul, both favorites of Obama, for the Swarovski Award as the up-and-coming womenswear designer. Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry won for accessories and Tim Hamilton won for menswear.

Industry icon Ralph Lauren won the first popular award after being chosen by 16,000 online voters as their favorite designer.

"What an honor to win this award," Lauren said in an e-mail to The Associated Press after the ceremony. "After 42 years, it is nice to be recognized this way."

The White Stripes' Jack White put on a sparkly brown suit to hand Anna Sui her lifetime achievement award, saying he especially admired her style for being timely instead of trendy.

Several big Hollywood names honored GQ creative director Jim Moore. Tom Cruise and Jake Gyllenhaal appeared in a video with Moore, and Justin Timberlake appeared on stage, in a black suit, skinny black tie, silver tie clip and white pocket-square, looking almost like Moore's twin.

Timberlake said that while he is particular about his wardrobe and had a good sense of what he likes and doesn't like, he's receptive to guidance from Moore.

"It turns out I'm a guy who could pull off wearing a kilt," he said. "Who knew

taken from : China Daily


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Gisele Bundchen displays a creation from the 2010 Colcci Spring/Summer collection

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen displays a creation from the 2010 Colcci Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 17, 2009.[Agencies]

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen displays a creation from the 2010 Colcci Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 17, 2009.[Agencies]

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen displays a creation from the 2010 Colcci Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 17, 2009.[Agencies]

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen displays a creation from the 2010 Colcci Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 17, 2009.[Agencies]

Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen displays a creation from the 2010 Colcci Spring/Summer collection during Sao Paulo Fashion Week June 17, 2009.[Agencies]

taken from : China Daily


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