"Where is the chic?" groused David Wolfe, a New York fashion and retail consultant well versed in the eccentricities of real-life magazine divas. In his assessment, the film's stylistic problems begin with Meryl Streep as the silver-coiffed Miranda, a character he thinks looks far too bland and bankerlike and ugh! — far too pretty — to be convincing as Runway's chilly commander in chief.

In fashion, "You've gotta have a gimmick, like the stripper said," Mr. Wolfe observed. Think, he urged, of the rigidly stylized signature look of magazine legends like Diana Vreeland, with her kabuki makeup and tar-colored hair, or celebrity editors like Anna Wintour, whose dark glasses and precision-cut bangs shield a profile of cut glass. "In a world of 'fabulous,' " Mr. Wolfe pronounced, " 'pretty' just isn't good enough."

Other self-appointed critics pin "Devil's" visual shortcomings on a misapprehension of what truly counts as "fabulous" in the realm of style. It is not summed up by a parade of Gucci, Pucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada, they say, but by breezier labels like Chloé, Marc Jacobs and Marni, which are coveted by young trendsetters but are in scant evidence on screen. Even Prada is in short supply. In their place are masses of wool bouclé power suits, double-C logo pearls, tweed newsboy caps and thigh-high boots that threaten to sink the film under their weight.

Those costumes are "a caricature of what people who don't work in fashion think fashion people look like," said Anne Slowey, the fashion news director of Elle. Conceived and styled by Patricia Field, who assembled the wardrobe for "Sex and the City," "the clothes are a little too head-to-toe perfect," Ms. Slowey said.

While Nicole Kidman and Marcia Cross walked down wedding aisles this weekend, Keira Knightley looked bridal herself in a white gown and dangling diamond earrings at Saturday's world premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest at Disneyland. She took away the breath of thousands of patrons lined along the amusement park's red-carpet-covered Main Street U.S.A.

"I'm floating up the red carpet in a white Chanel number, which should (fare) well on Splash Mountain," Knightley joked. "Everyone said, 'You can't go on a ride in that dress,' and I said, 'I definitely can.' " Pirates opens July 7. Co-star Orlando Bloom, who was joined later in the evening by girlfriend Kate Bosworth, said he encountered fans who began camping out at 6 a.m. to offer him a "pirate booty" of "hugs, kisses and gifts."

The event was a virtual redo of the 2003 Disneyland premiere for the first Pirates pic, with a few exceptions — notably the attendance this time of California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and first lady Maria Shriver, close friends of the film's producer, Jerry Bruckheimer. Shriver shocked with an eye-popping T-shirt: Michelangelo's David, bedazzled with purple gems over the famed statue's privates. Outside the park, guests passed picketers from the Caribbean, protesting the film's portrayal of their people as cannibals. "I love that," an unfazed Bruckheimer said. "But the movie's make-believe."

For her nuptials to Keith Urban, she chose an ivory, one-shouldered, puff-sleeved gown by leading French designer Nicolas Ghesquiere, the creative director of Paris fashion house Balenciaga.

In a nod to tradition she wore a delicate silk tulle veil, as well as pearl drop earrings, her hair out in soft, romantic curls and she carried a posy of simple white roses. Her shoes were by another top French fashion name, Christian Louboutin.

But not only, as per speculation, did Kidman wear Balenciaga, so did all in the bride's party — her sister Antonia, daughter Isabella and niece Lucia. They wore a series of ruffled and embroidered silk organza dresses, some with Victorian-look, ruffled lace collars, apparently variations of Ghesquiere's spring/summer ready-to-wear 2006 collection shown in Paris last October.

Although not an official French haute-couture maison, Balenciaga would have custom-made the four dresses specifically for Kidman, with an accompanying price tag of at least $A100,000.

Wedding bells chimed at 6.25pm signalling the glamour couple had been married at a chapel on St Patrick's Estate. The estate was also host to a black-tie reception, held under a white marquee. Jazz music played as guests were served hors d'oeuvres and champagne. At 7.10pm a huge cheer went up from the crowd after Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban were introduced to the guests as husband and wife. The reception, which was catered for by John Wilson caterers, is believed to have had a Moulin Rouge-style theme.

Guests were served tuna as part of entree, a choice of Tasmanian atlantic salmon or lamb for main with baby carrots and a celeriac and potato mash on the side. And the dessert was a raspberry and mascarpone creation. Decorative flowers included freesias, gardenias, gumnuts, green goddess lilies, hellebores and orchids, and were later donated to the Sydney Children's Hospital.

In lieu of presents, Urban and Kidman asked that charitable donations be made. Longtime family friend and Jesuit priest Father Paul Coleman conducted the wedding ceremony. He said this week he had a good feeling about their chances. "You've got to rely on their maturity and knowledge of each other and I'm impressed." Asked what advice he would give the couple, Father Coleman said: "Make time for each other, do romantic things together and never part without kissing."

"Evangeline is the epitome of health, beauty, style and glamour -- everything that michelle-K is all about," said Michelle Kelchak, design director of michelle-K. "She's gorgeous in a down-to-earth way, which goes so perfectly with our leisure-minded shoes. We feel proud to be working with her."

michelle-K's new print advertising campaign kicks off in Fall/Holiday 2006 fashion, lifestyle and entertainment publications, including Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, People and Us Weekly. Celebrity photographer Brian Bowen Smith shot the images at a private estate, an architectural showcase befitting the inspiration for the photos that embodies the spirit of fashion, health and style and focuses utterly on Lilly and the company's shoes. In celebration of the new campaign, michelle-K hosted a cocktail party on June 15 at the popular Kitson boutique in Los Angeles.

*****

"michelle-K footwear has a fashion flair and independent spirit that I appreciate," Lilly said. "I am happy to be a part of a campaign that's promoting a great, quality product." The breadth of quality product is expected to expand when michelle-K adds denim and accessories early next year.

"Andrea is this smart, natural-looking girl who just graduated college," says Ledermann. "She slowly learns a whole different world that she never thought she could be part of." Throughout the film, Ledermann subtly progressed the makeup from low-maintenance college girl to over the top fashionista, culminating in the scenes where Andrea is in Paris for fashion week. "In the Paris scenes, her look becomes very sophisticated, with hard eyeliner and red lips," says Ledermann. "Throughout the whole movie I avoided red lips because I wanted to save something special for the end."

For a wearable red lip that doesn't overpower, Ledermann took a less is more approach, applying Benefit Benetint, $28, on the lips. She then dotted Dior Addict Lipstick in Positive Red 857, $23.50, just in the center of the lips and blended well with her fingers to create a matte, stained effect.

Rappers have long proclaimed their love for Cristal, frequently mentioning the high-end champagne in songs and popping the corks of the clear, gold-labeled bottles in music videos and at nightclubs. But the makers of Cristal don't seem to feel the same way about hip-hop - at least that's one rapper-turned-record executive Jay-Z sees it. Now president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Records, the multiplatinum rapper has decided to boycott his once-beloved bubbly over comments from Frederic Rouzaud, managing director of Louis Roederer, the company that produces it.

In The Economist magazine, Rouzaud said the company viewed the affection for his company's champagne from rappers and their fans with "curiosity and serenity." Asked by the magazine if the association between Cristal and the "bling lifestyle" could be detrimental, Rouzaud replied: "That's a good question, but what can we do? We can't forbid people from buying it. I'm sure Dom Perignon or Krug would be delighted to have their business." The comments left a bad taste in Jay-Z's mouth. The rapper said he would pull Cristal from his small chain of popular sports lounges - where bottles of Cristal sell for $450 and $600 - as well as from his personal flutes. "It has come to my attention that the managing director of Cristal, Frederic Rouzaud views the `hip-hop' culture as 'unwelcome attention,'" Jay-Z said. "I view his comments as racist and will no longer support any of his products through any of my various brands including the 40/40 Club nor in my personal life."

Jay-Z plans to replace Cristal - which a club spokesman said it could never stock enough of - with Krug and Dom Perignon at the Manhattan and Atlantic City locations of his 40/40 Club. (There are plans for clubs in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Singapore and Hong Kong, according to the club's Web site.) Rouzaud did not return a message seeking comment. But it was the writer of the article, and not Rouzaud, who used the phrase "unwelcome attention." After Rouzaud's comments about Dom Perignon and Krug, scribe Gideon Rachman wrote: "Both Dom Perignon and Krug have had their share of unwelcome attention, too." Still, Jay-Z spokesman Ron Berkowitz said his client remains offended. "They're trying to distance themselves from the hip-hop community," Berkowitz said. "The hip-hop world certainly helped elevate the presence of Cristal. At the end of the day isn't the goal for any company to sell bottles?" Cristal, which Roederer considers its "jewel," began appearing on the lips of many hip-hop devotees following an onslaught of mentions in rap songs starting in the 1990s.

Jay-Z's adoration goes back to at least 1996, when he rhymed on the song "Can't Knock the Hustle": "My motto, stack rocks like Colorado/Auto off the champagne, Cristal's by the bottle." Others with a fondness for Cristal include Sean "Diddy" Combs, Kanye West and Trina.

Don't know why Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria got SO desperate when a ziplock wouldn't zip -- but the fiery senorita went mucho loco! "I got a bag of ziplocks, used one for something -- and the zipper broke," she explained to my source.

"Then two days later, I used another one -- and the zipper broke again! So I was, like, 'I got a faulty box of ziplocks!' I was so upset. I phoned the number on the box... and my assistant was, like, 'Oh, just go buy another box!' But I was, like, 'NO! This is really upsetting. People put trust in this.' I demanded a free box -- and they sent me a bag of five!" Viva Eva!

The cotton tee bears the images of a skull and cross spoons, pots and pans, and the words "The Pots & Pans Band" scrawled over a pair of angel wings. "It just hit me how big of a deal this is," says the shirt's designer, Kingsley Aarons, who says he goes by "just Kingsley" and was inspired by his 2-year-old son, Zephyr, when the amateur drummer started banging away on pots and pans in the family kitchen.

When Parenting magazine editor-in-chief Janet Chan saw Shiloh's threads, she thought the look was "quite in keeping with Brad and Angelina — the whimsy of a mini-rocker without being overly sweet," she says. That the couple dressed their daughter in a neutral-colored T-shirt suggests that they refuse to buy into traditional pink vs. blue gender stereotyping, she says. But Chan says that children eventually grow into their own personalities, and later on, Shiloh Nouvel might prefer pastels, floral prints, ruffles and lace.

The skinny: Kingsley, a graphic designer, says other celebs who dress their kids in his shirts include similarly edgy parents Johnny Depp, Gwen Stefani, Seal and Heidi Klum, and Slash of Guns N' Roses. "Brad and Angelina are definitely our customer," says Kingsley, who started his line of T-shirts two years ago. "The new generation of young, hip parents are looking for outfits they would wear themselves."

• Once Upon Stilettos by Shanna Swendson (Ballantine Books), the hilarious and enchanting new urban fairy tale that combines chick-lit, magic and romance.
  
  
• Body Intelligence: Lose Weight, Keep It Off, and Feel Great About Your Body Without Dieting by Edward Abramson, Ph.D. (McGraw Hill), the revolutionary book that will help you lose those unwanted pounds permanently.
  
  
• The Alpine Recluse by Mary Daheim (Ballantine), the fascinating new Emma Lord mystery in which amateur sleuth Emma faces murder and arson in the tiny town of Alpine, Washington.
  
  
• The Jury Master by Robert Dugoni (Warner Books), the exciting new legal thriller about a brilliant trial attorney that is thrust into a whirlwind of danger and adventure.

The dispenser uses inert nitrogen gas (commonly found at medical supply stores) under low pressure to push the wine out of the bottle through the spigot one glass at a time, thereby controlling oxidation to maximize a wines unique qualities even if a bottle sits up to two weeks. The cabinet dispenses from two bottles of red and two bottles of white wine, and holds four bottles in reserve. Each section is held at separate temperatures, ensuring the perfect serving range each and every time. Once a bottle is finished, a new bottle from the reserve chamber can be quickly and easily moved to its place, and is ready to be served at the proper temperature. The unit has an insulated glass door, two-stage pressure regulator, and leak-proof bottle stoppers. Includes a manual defrost control and switch-activated 6-watt interior lighting that will not heat the bottles. The face-frame and door are rich, solid mahogany. Plugs into AC. 25" H x 19" W x 19" L. (60 lbs.)

A silver spoon apparently doesn''t make the cut for Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's new baby daughter, but a personalized pacifier-maker will instead gift the celebrity couple a 17,000-dollar, diamond-studded pacifier. "It's a solid, white-gold pacifier, with 279 diamonds. The whole front of it is covered basically with diamonds, three-carat plus," Mathis Riiber, a founder of Itsmybinky.com, told AFP.

Remember Kozmo? It was an immediate delivery ecommerce service that launched in 1998 (ahhh...1998...sigh). They'd deliver a packet of skittles, or a new Palm Pilot, to you within an hour. After burning through $280 million in venture capital, they called it quits in early 2001. Kozmo had plenty of demand, but its cost structure just didn't make sense: free delivery, which equaled low or negative margin sales.

Well, Robert Pazornik, CEO of new San Francisco-based LicketyShip, isn’t afraid to try the whole thing again, albeit with a significant twist. LicketyShip is now in private beta in select Bay area markets: San Jose, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Santa Clara, and Milpitas.

But the love affair with little women appears to be over. Three of the country's most influential fashion emporiums — Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdale's — have quietly eliminated or drastically scaled back their petite departments in the past several months, infuriating many longtime customers.

Given that manufacturers produce clothing in only a handful of standard sizes — among them, juniors, misses and plus size — the abandonment of petite sizes at the highest levels of American retailing represents a sea change in fashion, forcing some designers to either stop making special sizes for smaller women or re-evaluate how much to invest in the business.

Executives at the three department stores said the decision was based on the poor sales of petite sizes, which are traditionally designed for a woman 5-foot-4 or smaller, with pant lengths and jacket proportions cut accordingly. Petite women, they said, would rather wear the more youthful, skin-baring and tighter-fitting clothing in the contemporary departments, even if it does not fit them as well. And, they point out, there is always tailoring.

But despite what executives say, overall sales of petite clothing sizes have grown in the past several years, reaching $10 billion. So petite women suspect another culprit: high-end department stores that they say view the petite consumer as older, unfashionable and undesirable. "It's not like American women suddenly got tall," said the designer Dana Buchman, who has supplied petite-size tweed jackets and chiffon skirts to Saks and Neiman Marcus for years. "I think it's a mistake."

And so do many short women. Feeling overlooked and undervalued, they have written the stores angry letters and groused, often loudly, to salespeople. "It's horrible, just horrible," said Laurel Bernstein, 60, a 5-foot-1 Manhattan resident who stormed out of Saks's flagship store in March after learning that the company had stopped carrying petite sizes. A lifelong Saks shopper, she has not returned since.