ELLE July 2013

Thursday, July 4 UNDER ARMOR Opening today at Paris' Les Arts Decoratifs is "Behind the Seams: An Indiscreet Look at the Mechanics of Fashion," an exploration of extreme undergarments from the fourteenth century till present day. Items such as this intricate corset (above left) give new meaning to "Independence Day." lesartsdecoratifs.fr Thursday, July 4 DOUBLE F Fendi-philes have two ways this month to fete the Roman heritage house: The reissue of the iconic Selleria handbag line brings back stitching techniques from saddlery first used by the company in 1925. And following Fendi's $3 million pledge toward the restoration of the Eternal City's historic waterworks, including the Trevi Fountain, Karl Lagerfeld's photo exhibition "Fendi for Fountains: The Glory of Water" opens today in Paris. Thursday, July 25 GLOBAL MARKET Out today…

GUEST BLOGGER: For tips and ideas that will take your personal style into the ever-elusive no-filter-required realm, meet Aimee Song, the Instagram-famous (800,000 followers and counting) interior designer behind the blog Song of Style. The 26-year-old's effortless approach to dressing and decorating has made her site a major destination for readers searching for carefree and colorful SoCal inspiration—her loyal audience consistently manifests itself in over four million monthly page views. Check out Song's posts on ELLE.com this month for exclusive Instagram diaries, behind-the-scenes tours of her interior design projects, top shopping picks, and weekly DIY home ideas—like this picture frame turned table tray (right), crafted just for us—all infused with her trademark West Coast cool.—Catherine Straut MAKE THIS TRAY SERVE YOURSELF (1) Find a deep picture frame that goes with…

PHILOSOPHY OF DESIRE When I was about six, after returning home from visiting my father across the country by myself for the first time, I started to tell my mother about his musings on existentialism and the wisdom that he'd tried to impart over the summer, particularly his advice that we were put on this earth to figure it out for ourselves and try to have a good time while we're here. The perfect philosophy for a six-year-old, for sure—me, me, me at the center of an unfathomable universe, the superego and the id duking it out for control of an under-construction conscience. It's a struggle that, I've come to realize, continues within most of the fully formed adults I know: a tug-of-war between desire and self-control, with layers of…

SING FOR THE MOMENT For ELLE's annual Women in Music Issue (May 2013), we celebrated 11 acts whose music serves as the soundtrack to our lives. The inimitable Adele, whose chart-topping 21 is credited with reviving the music biz, is beloved by even the toughest critics—her peers. Her voice "draws the emotion out of you," Britney Spears told ELLE; "If she's not the best, then there's no reason to like anything anymore," John Mayer gushed. Rounding out our trifecta of cover stars were Rita Ora and Alicia Keys, each of whom serves up larger-than-life vocals in standout style. Here's what you thought of our portfolio of talent—from the emerging to the legendary: "Adele is just gorgeous. It's like she is from a different era when women were really beautiful without…

• NAME: Sofia Coppola PROVENANCE: Napa Valley, CA NOW: New York City and Paris PROFESSION: Filmmaker THIS MONTH: Photographed Paris Hilton for "Forget Versailles" (page 158), in honor of Coppola's new movie The Bling Ring. "The idea was to show her at home, not done up the way you see her when she goes out." BONA FIDES: Academy Award–winning director of The Virgin Suicides, Lost in Translation, and Marie Antoinette FAVORITE FLICK: The Last Picture Show BEST ON-SET MOMENT: "Karaoke with Bill Murray for Lost in Translation." READING: The Custom of the Country, by Edith Wharton PERSONAL MANTRA: "It's better to regret what you've done than what you haven't." GREAT ESCAPE: "Spending New Year's at Turtle Inn, my family's beach resort in Belize." IT TAKES TWO: "I shot a Phoenix…

If I'm able to raise a subject, get people uncomfortable about it, get them to ask the crucial questions," says Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, "then I've done my job." In 2012, Obaid Chinoy became the first Pakistani to win an Oscar, with Saving Face, her documentary about brutal acid attacks on Pakistani women (often by a relative). The film was a testament to the power of the medium itself: It raised awareness on a global level, but also inspired grassroots aid—among other things, people donated homes for two of the women she featured. Now, with Humaira: The Dream Catcher, Obaid Chinoy is training her lens on a 24-year-old who, after her own father tried to stop her from finishing school in ninth grade, founded the only school in her neighborhood in…