W Magazine

• Alberta Ferretti took a page out of Tom Ford's book and had the likes of Camilla Belle, Carmen Dell'Orefice, Poppy Delevigne, Paz de la Huerta, and Marisa Berenson walk in place of models as part of her Florentine show to open Pitti Immagine Uomo last night, for which she created an exclusive 30-piece collection [Style.com, Fashionista]
• The Costume Institute received a donation of $10 million from Jonathan and Lizzie Tisch to create a new gallery space; although this gift was the "tipping point" to start construction next year, fundraising for the project started several years ago and has been helped in large part by Anna Wintour and the Costume Institute Gala benefit [NY Times]
• Gucci Group parent company PPR just created a new business unit dedicated to developing online retail. CEO François-Henri Pinault called e-commerce a "strategic priority," adding: “My goal [is] to increase our digital presence and accelerate our growth in online sales, which should reach 10 percent of Gucci Group and Puma’s consolidated revenues over the next few years” [WWD]
• Bibhu Mohapatra, Pamela Love, Mandy Coon, The Lake & Stars, M. Patmos, and Study NY were all awarded $25,000 Ecco Domani Fashion Foundation grants to put toward their upcoming New York Fashion Week shows [WWD]
• Erin Wasson is designing a capsule collection for Zadig & Voltaire [ElleUK]
• W's February 2011 cover features a first look at sweet-looking Rooney Mara's transformation into punky Lisbeth Salander for David Fincher's upcoming The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo film [W]
• Instead of pouting across the board as in seasons past, models have notably been captured smiling in both the Valentino and Chloe Spring 2011 ad campaigns [Garance Dore]
• Jessica Stam's left arm is in a sling after she sprained and fractured it while snowboarding in Montana over the holidays [Modelinia]
• Using the same technology that made the Death Star explode in Star Wars, Loewe blows up its Amazona bag over and over in a new brand video [Style File]

Filming is underway for David Fincher's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and W magazine scored the first look at Rooney Mara all done up as Lisbeth Salander. Right off the bat, Mara looks a little sexier than the Swedish version of Lisbeth (and I certainly don't remember that huge "Salander" tattoo across her chest from the book).

This photo isn't the only peek inside the movie, either: Director Fincher opens up about his vision, how it will differ from the books, and why it was so hard to find the perfect actress to play Lisbeth. Most notably, the article points out that the ending of the film will be totally different than that of the book — but will it be better?

I found that the novel's ending tied up the story quite nicely, but I'm intrigued about screenwriter's Steven Zaillian's take. So, Dragon Tattoo fans, how do you feel about Mara in all that black leather? And are you ready for a different final act?

>> Marc Jacobs has donned his share of drag in magazines — for Interview a couple of years ago, and more recently, for Industrie — but in W's January 2011 issue, it's Joseph Altuzarra wearing the dress — one from his Spring 2011 collection, in fact. The pictures come without comment from Altuzarra, save: “I’m comfortable with the idea that I’m the flavor of the moment and that in a couple of years people might not think I’m cool anymore.” [W]

>> W is the latest fashion magazine to pull some TV time: six to eight episodes on Gossip Girl. According to a spokeswoman for the magazine, one of the show's characters will play an intern who "faces the challenge of being part of the social elite and then thrust into the ‘real world,’ where one starts out on the bottom rung of the ladder.” The episodes don't start airing until the end of January, but filming began at the W offices on Monday with a one-day shoot after set dressers stocked empty bookshelves and added art in the hallways. Staffers had the option to serve as paid extras during the shoot. [WWD]

>> Roberto Cavalli doesn't like to be told no. He just celebrated his 40th anniversary in September, and when pondering the guest list, he told W in its December 2010 issue: "I will invite other designers, but they won't come — they are all sh*t."

He also hates to be told he can't do something. "I never understand why God gives the possibility to have children just to woman," Cavalli said, clutching theatrically at his belly. "Oh, my God, my dream would be to have a baby!" And: "When I go to a restaurant and they say, 'We're fully booked,' I say, 'It's Roberto Cavalli,' and they say, 'I will check.' I love it!" the designer said, clapping his hands with relish.

Cavalli, who turns 70 on Monday, definitely has his quirks — he conducts business from a 15-year-old Nokia cell phone the size of a shoe. "I bought all of the ones on eBay," he told W. And late at night, he has been writing a memoir of sorts — on his life in fashion, but more importantly to him, on the way he has fashioned his life. "I don't know what to write [about the] last 15 years," he said. "What model I have in my fashion show?"

>> Miranda Kerr was in Paris shooting the Fall 2010 Jil Sander campaign when she found out she was pregnant. “I was wondering why I’d been so sick,” she told W. She has decided not to find out whether the child is a boy or girl — “we’re keeping it a surprise” — and adds: “For me, family is life. The decision to start one wasn’t complex at all." As for where her modeling career stands, Kerr says, “My career has been wonderful, but it’s not my life. I don’t feel pressure to get back to work.” Instead, she's dreaming of “a hammock, a vegetable patch, and a solar-powered house. And I hope to eventually get there.” [W]

>> W is not looking to fill the creative director position that creative director Jody Quon left empty after only three full issues and six months at the magazine. While Quon couldn't be reached for comment, editor Stefano Tonchi shed some light on why Quon might have exited her position: "I really came back 10 days ago [from the fashion shows in Europe] and there was a lot of tension in the office, much more than before."

He added that he was "very sad, very sad" to see her go, and that Quon's reasons for leaving were "very much that she didn't feel comfortable anymore and kind of agreed that it was maybe not the best match." When asked to elaborate on whether the tension resulted from a culture clash or a personality clash, Tonchi said he couldn't speak for Quon, but surmised: "Probably both." He continued: "From my side, I was very happy with what she has done with the magazine, and I appreciate her professionally, and, more than that, her elegance . . . I respect her decision. I accepted it."

As The Daily points out, "Quon had to contend with Baron & Baron wunderkind Joseph Logan, a skilled design director who appears to favor the austere aesthetic pioneered by Fabien Baron. (He's bringing on a new art director from Baron & Baron in the next few weeks to replace Nathalie Kirsheh, who recently decamped to Details.) And the third party to consider: fashion director Alex White, whose relationships with photographers like Mert & Marcus and Inez & Vinoodh are a valuable asset that Tonchi doesn't take lightly. Widely considered to be among the best stylists in the business, White is not known to take a backseat role in creative decision-making."

>> W's new creative director Jody Quon has resigned after three full issues and six months at the magazine. "It was a mutual decision, and her position won't be filled," confirmed a W spokesperson. Quon's exit leaves design director Joseph Logan as editor Stefano Tonchi's top creative. "Everyone's position will be staying the same," the spokesperson added. Previously, Quon spent six years as New York's photo director, where she was known for her eye-catching covers with newsstand appeal; as The Daily noted, all four of Tonchi's covers so far have been served up on gray backgrounds. [DFR]

• Exclusive: behind the scenes of Katy Perry's wild fragrance shoot — People
• Celebrities love Iris van Herpen X United nude heels — Red Carpet Fashion Awards
• Derek Lam wants to do a diffusion line with someone like Topshop — The Cut
• Black Friday projected to have an unprecedented number of shoppers — Stylelist
• When it comes to jeans, Mother knows best — Vogue Daily
• Juergen Teller captures Anna Dello Russo for W's November 2010 issue — Fashionologie
• Rodarte on designing costumes for Black Swan — Vogue UK
• Future is now: Asian fashion in London — Interview
• Rachel Zoe's first designer handbag — Purse Blog
• This is the droid you were looking for, for Halloween at least — Jezebel