Photo: Jae Hwan Lee The Korean peninsula’s relationship with France has endured for more than a century, with French culture, and its aesthetic influence being very pronounced in Seoul. The flair for all things French can be seen on the hilltop location of Seorae Village, for instance, where the French enclave nicknamed “Montmartre” is perched overlooking the many mountains of Seoul. Wine shops, bakeries and delicatessens depict a quaint French scene on the south side of the Han River and even t-shirts honor Parisian landmarks while local bakeries bear the name “Baguette” and Seoul’s busiest shopping strips dedicate themselves to the sale of French souvenirs. It could have been the appeal of Paris then that inspired a young Jae Hwan Lee to take his vision of creating a Korean fashion label that would hold the attention of French audiences.

Photo: Getty Images

Thanks to the new royal status of her sister, Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, Pippa is now a household name as well. There’s nothing the media doesn’t like about Pippa…and there’s nothing Pippa doesn’t like about the paparazzi. Contrary to many moody celebs who endure the constant blinding flash from cameras, Pippa instead smiles and seems to actually (dare we say it) enjoy the attention from the media frenzy. In all honestly, there’s nothing we don’t love about Pippa either! Ever since her entrance into the spotlight wearing the curve-hugging, ivory Alexander McQueen satin dress, we were hooked. She’s quite the fashionista as well, taking fashion risks that seem to be paying off for her. She’s been seen in everything from high-end designers like Gucci to more “common-folk” attire from Topshop. Move over Kate, it’s Pippa’s time to shine…and we think it’s safe to say that Pippa Middleton is officially Britain’s most eligible bachelorette.  Cheers!

Photo: Retna

It’s return of the—oh wait, no way, you’re kidding. She didn’t just say what I think she did, did she? Yes, Doc Martens have made their comeback. You know what they say… if you’re not careful history will repeat itself. In this case, bring it on!

Ready or not, swimwear season is upon us (eek!).  The latest to-die-for swimsuits, though, have got us forgetting any pre-poolside jitters and praying for sunny day after sunny day. Cover up? What cover up! Show off that bod of yours in the latest runway swim trends—monochrome, ruffles, high-waists, and color blocking—but with our kind of price tag.

 

The 2011 MTV Movie Awards sparkled and shined with some of the industry’s best talent last night. And while the awards they won were important, we couldn’t help but focus on what the stars had donned for the ceremony.  Check out our favorite looks below!
 
Photo: Retna

Derek Lam (L) and J. Mendel spring 2011, Imaxtree

The days when pleats were only for Britney Spears-style school uniforms are loooong gone. After seeing pleats, pleats, and more pleats on the runway—like this let’s-just-stop-and-stare skirt from Derek Lam spring 2011 and this blue stunner from J. Mendel spring 2011—we’ve been lusting after the trend. Lucky for us (and you!) the decorative touch can be found off the catwalk as well. Here are the pleated finds we’re craving:

Photos: Courtesy of Warner Bros. and Summit

Who would win in an epic showdown, Edward Cullen or Harry Potter? Sadly, such a battle can only be left to our imaginations (achem, are you listening Stephenie Myer and J.K. Rowling? We see some untapped potential here…). The flicks the two characters star in, though, will go head-to-head this Sunday at the MTV Movie Awards. Twilight: Eclipse and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 are the top movies of the night, scoring eight and six nominations respectively. OK, so Inception is up there too with seven nominations, but our eyes will be focused on Twilight and HP. Or perhaps we mean our eyes will be on the films’ stars, Robert Pattinson and Daniel Radcliffe, who will definitely be looking all spiffy and handsome.

So far, Twilight is in the lead with two more nominations than Harry Potter, but it’s impossible to say who will end the night victorious. They’ll battle over the best kiss, best female performance, best male performance, best fight and, of course, best movie categories. Who do you think should come out ahead? MTV.com polled some celebs, and Hilary Duff and Chord Overstreet from Glee are lovin’ on the vampires, while Camilla Belle and Troian Bellisario from Pretty Little Liars are rooting for the wizards. If you’re a Twihard or a… really big HP fan (is there a term for that?) you better get voting!

Spending time outside in the summer months may be pleasurable, but it’s also exhausting.  Sometimes we just want a fully functioning air conditioner, which is why summer movies are popular.  There are just so many, how can we ever decide what to drop the disposable cash on?  We put together a list of flicks and who to see them with so you can get your buttered popcorn (and cute superhero) fill.

Photo: Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Photo: Cover Girl

The UK polices its advertisements with a much firmer hand than the U.S. In 2007 they fined L’Oreal for putting falsies on Penelope Cruz and last year they chastised Rimmel for putting fake lashes on Georgia May Jagger. Now they’re going after Cover Girl for doing the same in their newest mascara ad, despite Cover Girl’s asterisked disclaimer, “Lash inserts were applied to both of Nicole’s lashes to add lash count before applying mascara.” As the Daily Mail points out, the use of fake lashes contradicts the question running the campaign, “Is Your Volume True or ‘False’?” but the real question is, do you even care? Mascara ads are about as realistic, and as purposeful, as perfume ads.  Chances are, since you first swiped mascara on your lashes in 8th or 9th grade and they didn’t actually extend up to your eyebrow, you haven’t actually believed such ads feature untouched eyes.  Like a fragrance, they’re selling you an idea. Unless of course you do think they’re real in which case, really?