Table of contents for February 2014 in ELLE

Tuesday, February 4 DULY NOTED Like fellow The Office alum Mindy Kaling, new author B. J. Novak finds his sweet spot pinpointing universal neuroses in One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, his charming collection of fictional vignettes. "I felt a little bad because in my impression I gave the scientist a lisp, which he didn't have in real life, but that was the part that made my friends laugh the hardest, so, who knows." Tuesday, February 11 ICE PICK After a 16-year-long battle for Olympic recognition, women's ski jumping premieres as an official sport at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. One part fearlessness, two parts vodka. Friday, February 7 FIRE STARTER Leave it to Cate Blanchett to be the only woman in a Clooney-directed film called The…

News flash! Women are aggressive toward one another, particularly toward those women in short skirts. At least that's according to The New York Times, which recently reported on new research out of McMaster University in Canada that found women in a group were outright hostile toward a female "considered attractive from an evolutionary perspective"—"clear skin, low waist-to-hip ratio, and large breasts"—who appeared in a low-cut blouse and short skirt. When the same female showed up in jeans and a loose T-shirt, women in the group paid her little attention. The researchers suggest that, from a sociobiological perspective, the short-skirted avatar was perceived as a threat for attention from potential sperm-donating and shelter-giving men, as we're all supposedly in a battle for high-class male genes. (And to be fair, the subjects…

LYN PAOLO The Show: Showtime's Shameless The Character: Fiona Gallagher, played by Emmy Rossum The legal guardian of an unruly brood of latchkey kids, Fiona has a daily grind that includes warding off her alcoholic deadbeat dad (William H. Macy), supplementing the family's constantly draining funds, and attempting to better herself with only scrappy genetics and a GED as collateral. Oh, and trying to keep a boyfriend. "Fiona has a limited amount of clothing, and she doesn't have time to think about putting things together, unless she's going on a date. In montages where she's just throwing on clothes, trying to decide what to wear, we make sure all the dresses still have the tags on them—Fiona has her own tagging gun. We know she'll wear it, retag it, and…

Athletics-inspired styles are the new name of the game: haute jerseys, rugby-stripe pencil skirts, and even a luxe take on a referee staple Trends Take the sporty trend into overtime with our roundup of the best off-the-field looks at ELLE.com/sportsgear. Jersey, RODARTE, price on request, visit rodarte.net Stretch-rayon skirt, A.L.C., $396, collection at Bergdorf Goodman, NYC Patent calfskin pump, DIOR, $1,100, to special order, call 800-929-DIOR Gold-plate necklace, SACAI, $760, visit sacai.jp Trends Take the sporty trend into overtime with our roundup of the best off-the-field looks at ELLE.com/sportsgear.…

OFFICE COOL 2.0 Distenfeld in Fivestory's vaulted entryway with Tanabaum (left) and Olshan (right) From left: Cotton trench coat, 10 CROSBY DEREK LAM, $895, similar styles at shopbop.com. Silk blouse, EQUIPMENT, $218, visit equipmentfr.com. Gold-plated brass and silver necklace, MONICA SORDO, $1,250. Brass and enamel bracelet, MARIA FRANCESCA PEPE, $160. Brass ring, JENNIFER FISHER, $175, at Fivestory, NYC. Python pumps, CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN, $1,395, at Christian Louboutin, NYC. Polyamide and elastane top, $490, skirt, $425, both, JOSH GOOT. Silver bracelet, DELFINA DELETTREZ, $855, at Fivestory, NYC. Her own earrings, belt, bracelets, and pumps. Layered top, ELIZABETH AND JAMES, $295, collection at shopbop.com. Crepe jersey skirt, MAX MARA, $995 (sold with top, not pictured), at Max Mara, NYC. Gold earrings, ANA KHOURI, price on request. Gold-plate necklace, $1,295, cuff, $850, both, AURéLIE…

A sprig of feathery fur splayed across Lindsey Wixson's finger. A wacky, Iris Apfel–worthy brooch pinned to Joan Smalls' bosom. A puff of something flou rising behind Georgia May Jagger's ear. While it's rare to see fur on a spring runway—typically the province of eyelets and organzas—Delfina Delettrez Fendi's creations for her family's house were perversely perfect for the season. Delettrez Fendi has collaborated with brands before—notably Kenzo and Giuseppe Zanotti—but this marks her entrée into the family business. Her great-grandparents Edoardo and Adele founded the maison in 1925, and her mother, Silvia Venturini Fendi—the woman behind blockbusters such as the iconic Baguette bags—serves as creative director for accessories and menswear. "It was the right moment to go back home," says the Rome-based Delettrez Fendi, who fondly recalls coming to…

4. Paging Molly Ringwald: The '80s-beloved low-heeled pump is back Leather pump, MANOLO BLAHNIK, $595, collection at saksfifthavenue.com Leather pump, GIUSEPPE ZANOTTI DESIGN, $875, at Giuseppe Zanotti Design, NYC Calfskin pump, AQUAZZURA, $595, collection at net-a-porter.com Patent leather pump, NINE WEST, $79, collection at zappos.com STEP BACK TO THE FUTURE As seen at Saint Laurent 5. Board shorts get boardroom-ready: Think of them as the new pencil skirt SURF ON DRY LAND As seen at Marc Jacobs Silk shorts, TIBI, $345, at Tibi, NYC Silk and rayon board shorts, ANNA SUI, $326, at Anna Sui, NYC Silk shorts, ELIZABETH AND JAMES, $295, similar styles at net-a-porter.com Tweed and leather shorts, NICOLE MILLER ARTELIER, $395, similar styles at Nicole Miller boutiques nationwide 6. Sophisticated silhouettes tame tribal touches JOIN THE TRIBE…

It's no longer idiosyncratic or quirky or cute to confess that you're not into Adam Scott on Parks and Recreation but instead gaga for Nick Offerman. And if I had a dollar for every time a female friend who's not in comedy told me how badly she wants to date Louis C.K., I'd have enough to pad out the drink budgets of all the ladies I know who are in comedy, and know better. Then there's Mandy Patinkin, the paternal and yet somehow also sexually robust Saul Berenson on Homeland, who has permeated the daydreams of a post-Yentl generation, and this time around, he's also conquered the shiksas. So what's going on? Are these guys the Humphrey Bogarts of our time? Or have they canceled out the Clark Gables and…

The first thing that makes you want to see Jason Reitman's drably titled Labor Day is that it was made by Jason Reitman. The second is the film's exquisite, unexpected pairing of Josh Brolin and Kate Winslet as troubled, hard-luck lovers Frank and Adele. They look beautiful but lived-in—my favorite kind of love match. They don't just have good movie chemistry: It's as if their DNA is intertwined for life and they've only now discovered that fact. That quality makes Labor Day a romance to root for—although not an easy or predictable one. Reitman is frequently praised for his comedy, but that admiration seems more aptly directed to his glorious ghost-busting father, Ivan. Although Jason shares his father's comic gift, at their core his movies tend to dig deeper into…

In a dimly lit room at New York's members-only hangout and spa Core Club, a transformation is taking place. Celebrity aesthetician Joanna Czech is hovering over my face, rapidly pressing my skin upward in a progression of movements from jaw to cheekbones. It's a technique she developed specifically to be used with La Mer's new Lifting Contour Serum: an application method I'll be able to do at home that's essentially a CliffsNotes version of the facial massages Czech administers to such beautifully defined clients as Kate Winslet and Christy Turlington. "When you press on skin gently, it slightly stretches," she says, "and when you release, it grasps whatever's on the surface." As I watch in a handheld mirror, I'm actually too distracted by the results to listen to what she's…

Staying Power Givenchy Ombre Couture Eye Shadow in N° 8 Prune Taffetas lasts 16 hours without losing any of its bold color or creamy finish. Mood Light OPI Nail Lacquers in rich maroon (OPI Scores a Goal!) and brilliant amethyst (Next Stop…The Bikini Zone) look dazzling on all skin tones. Full Bloom Clinique's powder Cheek Pops in Peach Pop and Plum Pop add a cheerful flush to your face. Soft Focus Dior Dreamskin Perfect Skin Creator offers a potent trifecta by immediately evening tone while reducing dark spots and combating wrinkles over time. Big Sweep A perfect combination of form and function, Guerlain Météorites brush is made with plush natural fibers that provide uniform application without trapping powder. Young at Heart Vince Camuto Femme Eau de Parfum—a bright citrus with…

Relaxing in her office high up in FOX News Channel World Headquarters in midtown Manhattan, Megyn Kelly is still preternaturally luminous in the makeup she dons to anchor The Kelly File every weeknight at nine. With her naughtily mussed blond bob framing her flashing dark blue eyes and perpetually glossed lips, Kelly is an almost self-parodically perfect apotheosis of her species, the FOX fox. Winding down from tonight's broadcast, about a month into the Kelly File era—in the course of which she sparred at length about the travails of Obamacare with Clintonista brain-truster James Carville and later played mild counterpoint to Strangelovian former UN ambassador John Bolton's ranting about the nuclear negotiations with Tehran—Kelly is chatting late into the evening without a hint of being in a hurry, even though,…

Tormented? Driven witless? Whipsawed by confusion? ST. VALENTINE'S MASSACRES FROM THIS MONTH'S LETTERS—COLD EVIDENCE THAT CUPID IS AN IDIOT AGE IS A MEASLY NUMBER, PART I DEAR E. JEAN: I'm proud to be a Kentucky lady living a life filled with politics, bourbon, racehorses, and Kentucky gentlemen. I'm also 25, a resident physician, and have been official with a guy for two years. So imagine the unpleasant situation when a strange woman I'd never heard of began circling my boyfriend's house, beating on the doors, and calling his phone. He refused to let her in and told me, "She's just a friend from work who I had sex with a long time ago." I saw three initials display on his phone, went through his Facebook friends, found the woman who…

Embroidered silk georgette cape, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, $1,890, at Oscar de la Renta boutiques nationwide. Suede fringe coat, embroidered jumpsuit, both, VALENTINO, prices on request. Silk chiffon cap, KTZ, price on request. Resin bangles, DINOSAUR DESIGNS, $75–$105 each. Gold-plated ring, BJØRG, $325. For details, see Shopping Guide. Silk woven coat, PROENZA SCHOULER, price on request, at Proenza Schouler, NYC. Wool and silk sweater, DRIES VAN NOTEN, $1,920. Silver and onyx necklace, HADRIA, $500. Resin ring, DINOSAUR DESIGNS, $75. Stylist's own scarf. Woven leather and silk top, $3,995, threaded evening dress, price on request, both, CALVIN KLEIN COLLECTION, at Calvin Klein Collection, NYC. Cotton coat, $895, pants, $675, both, ZERO + MARIA CORNEJO. Bamboo scarf, ECHO DESIGN, $58. Brass necklace, KTZ, price on request. Silver-plated bronze ring, BJØRG, $162. Leather…

(Opposite page, from left) XOSHA ROQUEMORE, 29, ups The Mindy Project's comedic ante as a fast-talking nurse who incessantly gabs about her latest boyfriend, much to her coworkers' discontent. OLIVIA COOKE, 20, tugs at our hearts in her portrayal of Emma Decody, an adventure-seeking teen with cystic fibrosis unrequitedly crushing on a pre-Psycho Norman Bates in A&E's Bates Motel. MALIN AKERMAN, 35, brings big laughs along with her big-screen bona fides as the titular Trophy Wife on ABC. (Above, from left) NAZANIN BONIADI, 31, keeps us second-guessing as Saul Berenson's (Mandy Patinkin) latest recruit, hijab-clad Iranian CIA analyst Fara Sherazi, on Showtime's Homeland. MEGAN BOONE, 30, is the Clarice Starling to James Spader's Hannibal Lecter–like psychopath on NBC's FBI drama The Blacklist. ARI GRAYNOR, 30, gives Cameron Diaz a run…

Not two but three influential moon phases will carry enough impressive energy throughout February for Mercury's monthlong retrograde to barely make a ripple. All signs point to a Valentine's Day as romantic as they come AQUARIUS THIS MONTH FOR AQUARIUS: (JANUARY 20–FEBRUARY 18) January 30th's new moon, coupled with Uranus, arrived in Aquarius just in time to bring all sorts of unexpected social opportunities your way. Whichever one is most dear to you, you'll need to make the first step to see the best progress, and you must act fast, for Mercury begins retrograde on the 6th. The general rule of thumb is to never start a venture when Mercury is out of phase, but this retrograde will allow you to resume a project or business relationship that could aid…

Friday, February 7 If the Winter Olympics have you dreaming of an idyllic, snow-covered locale, head to Gstaad, Switzerland, for "Elevation 1049: Between Heaven and Hell." The site-specific exhibition high in the Alps features works by some of the neutral nation's top artists, including Roman Signer, whose House With Rockets (1981) is pictured. Sunday, February 16 If you ever wondered about the secret to Dutch photography team Inez and Vinoodh's exemplary marriage, which weds their personal and professional lives, you can buy into the myth with the duo's eponymous jewelry collection. The dainty, interlocked 18K gold and oxidized sterling silver rings were designed to symbolize the couple's unity. Friday, February 14 Want a Valentine's Day date that will never let you down? We suggest the trusty, flirty, flattering DVF wrap.…

GAME CHANGE Lizzy Goodman's "Girl-On-Girl Power" (December 2013) explores the fluid sexuality of women who left their husbands for other women. The provocative piece stirred up mixed reactions: Thank you so much for this article. I can relate to Nicole and the others—it can be difficult talking to anyone, for fear of being judged. I feel that I'm bisexual, but my family has no idea. I really hope that I'm brave enough to come out one day. —Anonymous, via e-mail What rubs me the wrong way is having to change your identity and community when you fall in love with someone new—who cares if you were with men for most of your life and suddenly love a woman? Nobody should receive hate or judgment, whether they're going out with a…

Gap's new creative director, Rebekka Bay, was born in 1969—the same year that Don and Doris Fisher opened a jeans and record shop in San Francisco, naming it after the "generation gap." Slowly, and then faster, Gaps multiplied, eventually becoming the mainstream behemoth of specialty retail we now know so well. But while Americans Bay's age spent their teen years wearing—and perhaps also trying to escape from the ubiquity of—the store's well-designed, deftly marketed wardrobe building blocks, the native Dane herself isn't a part of what could be described as Generation Gap, because, well, "there was no Gap in Denmark." Bay didn't set foot in a Gap, in fact, until her midtwenties, when she left Denmark for London. By then, she says, Gap was "sort of on the verge of…

Nylon open-knit sweater, T BY ALEXANDER WANG, $350, at Alexander Wang, NYC Gold-plate earrings, EDDIE BORGO, $225, at select Neiman Marcus stores nationwide Drawstring leather handbag, BANANA REPUBLIC, $150, available in March at bananarepublic.com Perforated leather shorts, EMANUEL UNGARO, $2,795, similar styles at Barneys New York Trends Filling in the holes in your closet? Find more just-perf looks at ELLE.com/perforatedtrend.…

LONDON Loved Preen's sci-fi-inspired collection but can't muster the courage to don one of the wildly patterned ensembles? The label's rounded sunnies just might be the wisest addition you can make to your wardrobe this season. preen.eu HONG KONG Fans of Fiona Kotur's namesake line of clutches and minaudières will be thrilled to know the designer has branched out into footwear, including the gilded Midsummer Night's Dream–worthy heels below. www.koturltd.com HAMBURG Under recently appointed creative director Kostas Murkudis, denim brand Closed has expanded its offering of laid-back basics to include sportswear and accessories, making it a one-stop shop for fashion-forward staples. closed.com NEW YORK Florals for spring: actually groundbreaking, at least in this case. Suno's sculptural Perspex and glass necklaces bring designers Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty's blooming…

THIS MONTH IN SHOPS Are you a logo lover or a minimalist maven? page 112 // Pumps fit for a John Hughes heroine page 116 // Glittery extras, from baubles to brows page 118 1. DESIGNER GOES DIY Everyone loves a do-it-yourself project, but the term need not evoke the macaroni necklaces and pipe cleaners of yore. For spring, Karl Lagerfeld played Jackson Pollock with the iconic quilted Chanel bag, while jewelry designer Lauren Klassen elevated sewing supplies with a coat of gold vermeil. Inspired to try your hand at a similar creation? Before you reach for the hot-glue gun, read on for nine more of our rules for the season—they're so good, you couldn't possibly be tempted to break them. Painted calfskin handbag, CHANEL, $4,100, at select Chanel boutiques…

7. PILE IT ON Is the "ear party" the new "arm party"? Stack on ear cuffs and unique earrings for an au courant look Lacquered metal earring, DIOR, $380 (for pair), at Dior boutiques nationwide Gold-, silver-, and gunmetal-plated ear cuff, EDDIE BORGO, $400, collection at kirnazabete.com Black-gold hematite and diamond earring, ANA KHOURI, price on request, collection at Barneys New York Lacquered metal and strass earring, GIVENCHY BY RICCARDO TISCI, $740 (for pair), collection at Bergdorf Goodman, NYC Crystal and silver-plated brass earring, VITA FEDE, $750 (for pair), visit vitafede.com Pearl and sterling silver earring, VERONIKA BORCHERS FOR PEARL COLLECTIVE, $150 (for pair), visit pearlcollective.com MULTIPLE PIERCINGS As seen at Givenchy 8. GET GILDED Warm things up with rose gold tones that flatter every complexion Silk cloque skirt, PROENZA…

Camp, as Susan Sontag once pointed out, depends on an absolute absence of subtlety. And there's nothing in the least bit attenuated or even vaguely plausible about many of the best TV shows these days, the outrageousness of which has catapulted them to the level of serious, if not exactly serious, television. The new breed of camp series and the actresses who inhabit their over-the-top leading ladies seem intent on proving the point that concluded Sontag's famous 1964 essay: "The ultimate Camp statement: It's good because it's awful." Or at least an unapologetic 15 on a 10-point scale. Of course, TV has been an ideal breeding ground for camp since Guiding Light first crawled out of radio in the early 1950s. From the outrageous daytime soaps to the extravagant nighttime…

If you are tempted to read just one more book on the arguably overexamined subject of parent hood, let it be Jennifer Senior's wise and surprising All Joy and No Fun (Ecco). Rather than looking at how parents affect their children for good and ill, Senior examines the ways in which children profoundly alter the lives of their parents. Employing a wide range of sources, including economists, sociologists, psychologists, educators, demographers, philosophers, poets, and parents, Senior singles out three modern devel opments that have (among myriad other changes) altered how the middle class views parenting. First is the abundance of choice about how many children to have and when; second is how work life has become more complicated due to technology and the flooding of women into the job market;…

It's T-minus three hours till the London show of Rihanna-beloved, Canadian-born designer Todd Lynn, and I'm sandwiched in a huddle of styling assistants, jockeying for a sliver of backstage space. For the first time, I'm not here to take notes and ask questions—I'm here to create. So I watch feverishly as lead hairstylist Mark Hampton mousses a model's hair, layer by layer—the first step of many, and the only demonstration he'll give. Undercover as a backstage hair assistant, I have one chance to memorize it, then execute it myself or risk blowing my cover. Beauty editors are often accosted for help with hairstyling, or makeup application, or nail art, or brow shaping. And while I might be able to scribble an acceptable cat eye and contour a jawline—JV skills—when it…

A lot of jabber has been jawed over the years about women's anxiety. Most recently gals are said to be stressed-out by the pressures of leaning in and having it all. In Betty Friedan's time, we were having our nineteenth nervous breakdown and gulping down mother's little helpers to fend off the claustrophobia of limited choices. Women are diagnosed with anxiety disorders twice as often as men and prescribed around twice as many medications for it. It has ever been thus: The stereotypical lady twisting her hankie and succumbing to the vapors goes back at least to the age of Hippocrates, when female anxiety was called hysteria, from the Greek word for womb. But stick a finger in the winds of the zeitgeist and you'll feel an icy new gust…

I read somewhere that the ancient Greeks sent condolence cards to friends who had fallen madly in love—such a state was a madness, they thought, a plague to which the unfortunate sufferer could only submit until the fever passed. The need for love is unruly, subversive, weird, and tenacious, as Daniel Jones makes clear at the beginning of Love Illuminated (William Morrow), his provocative, insightful, and deeply humane meditation on what he calls in the book's subtitle "life's most mystifying subject." As the editor of The New York Times' compulsively readable "Modern Love" column for nearly a decade, Jones has had a wide-angle lens on this most bedeviling emotion, courtesy of the thousands of writers who have offered up their personal narratives of love lost, found, and longed for, and…

The four faces you see here don't agree on everything about what it means to be a media personality today: The Mindy Project's Mindy Kaling has more than 2.6 million Twitter followers; Allison Williams of that voice-of-a-generation show Girls has only "a private Insta gram for my friends—but, you know, like 10 people follow me." But if there's one thing that unifies these multihyphenates (like comedian-writer-producer-director Amy Poehler and actress-singer-songwriter Zooey Deschanel), it's the way they connect you, ELLE readers. For our fourth annual Women in TV Issue, we celebrate the smartest, funniest small-screen stars we love—and the ones we're about to love. In a glam twist on cinema verité, we even went to the cell-block set with the cast of the show no one can stop talking about, Orange…

BACKGROUND CHECK With each episode focusing on a different life story, the show provides contextual curveballs in the form of edifying flashbacks: "It's about showing women for who they are," says Samira Wiley (far left), who, as the smiley Poussey Washington, adds much-needed levity to the grim environs. In the words of Kate Mulgrew, matriarchal head chef Galina "Red" Reznikov: "These are not mass murderers. These are women who tripped—some just slipped on a banana peel." Dayanara Diaz (Dascha Polanco), pregnant with a prison guard's baby, is the show's off-its-axis moral compass, while Lorna Morello (Yael Stone) feigns normalcy with a dubious-sounding fiancé—and her trademark red lip. "A lot of us put together a look as a shield," the Australian native says. "That Natalie Wood fantasy is quite strong for…

When it comes to lifestyle brands, sometimes even jet-setters need to switch gears, as Angela Missoni and her daughter, Margherita, know only too well. Last year marked 60 years since Missoni was founded by Angela's parents, Ottavio and Rosita Missoni, as well as the founding couple's sixtieth wedding anniversary. It's been 18 years since Angela took over the designing reins from her mother. But in the past few seasons, she has really nudged the brand away from its long-standing association with stylishly bohemian resortwear and turned it toward a more urban, sophisticated style that works for weekdays and weekends alike. She acknowledges that the process hasn't been easy. "Everybody thinks they know what Missoni is," she says during a recent visit to New York City, to receive a Fashion Star…

It's no laughing matter—Kevin Hart is a mogul. Just check the stats: He's on a very short list of comedians who've sold out Madison Square Garden. He's the cocreator of BET's spoof series The Real Husbands of Hollywood. Where most comedians these days release their stand-up specials to cable or Netflix, he sent Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain to theaters, where it earned more than $32 million at the box office. And somehow he found time to shoot two films, in theaters now: the boxing comedy Grudge Match (opposite Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro) and Ride Along (with Ice Cube). But success was never assured. Hart grew up in Philadelphia, where he performed comedy under the nickname Lil' Kev the Bastard, but he found a massive audience only when…

CHELSEA PERETTI The stand-up comic and prime-time scene stealer will keep us laughing all month long with a series of star-studded posts on ELLE.com PARTNERS IN CRIME As costars on FOX's cop procedural Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Chelsea Peretti and Andy Samberg share some ridiculously hilarious scenes (check out their urinal showdown in "The Slump" episode to get the full scope of their no-face upmanship). But their chemistry is years in the making–the pair carpooled during their elementary school days in the San Francisco Bay area (see evidence at right, courtesy of Peretti's shoebox of memories). To kick off an exclusive monthlong series of Q&As with her comedic icons–Danny McBride and Catherine O'Hara among them–Peretti grills Samberg on rumors, unrequited middle school love (hers), and the sanctity of marriage (his). And because…

Mark Seliger PROVENANCE: Amarillo, TX NOW: New York City PROFESSION: Photographer THIS MONTH: "Orange Crush" (page 218). "The inspiration for this shoot was derived from nature morte—it's French still-life painting, basically. It's something I love. We were in this juxtaposition of a beautifully styled prison, incredibly set, with great characters. We wanted to take the general idea of the sets and create a still-life world, a very painterly world, around them, and for the cast to be able to play within that." BONA FIDES: BA, graphic arts and design and photography, East Texas State University; work has appeared in GQ, Vanity Fair, and Rolling Stone; collected photographs include Listen, In My Stairwell, and Physiognomy MUSICAL INTERLUDE: "I'm in an alt-country band called Rusty Truck. I write the music, play guitar,…

In my world, there are three major holidays each year: Christmas, my birthday, and the Oscars. Finally, the latter is just around the corner! One of my earliest memories of the telecast is from 1978. Back then, my grandmother and I would always finish dinner early to prep the living room for showtime. I couldn't afford to miss a single minute, and this was pre-DVR—everything had to be timed with military precision. We'd move our monster coffee table and unroll a sleeping bag in front of the TV, so I could settle on top of it with a bowl of ice cream, stars literally in my eyes. Most of what actually happened that night is a blur, but one image is imprinted on my memory: blond, tan Farrah Fawcett, presenting…

Embroidered cotton sweatshirt, ADIDAS ORIGINALS X OPENING CEREMONY, $210, at select Adidas Originals stores nationwide Gold-plated necklace, $195, rhodium-plated necklace, $175, KNIGHT$ OF NEW YORK, collection at shopbop.com Embroidered skirt, ERDEM, $1,345, collection at net-a-porter.com Calfskin handbag, DIOR, price on request, at Dior boutiques nationwide Trends Heraldic crests—also known as coats of arms—were first painted on shields carried by medieval knights and thus served both to identify and protect their wearer.…

OLD SOUL You could say Barbara Casasola has had a charmed run. After a critically acclaimed London Fashion Week debut last September, the Porto Alegre, Brazil–born, London-based upstart was tapped to be the sole women's wear presenter at Pitti Uomo, the biannual menswear trade show in Florence, an honor previously accorded to Peter Pilotto and Rodarte. But the 29-year-old wasn't always sure she'd have industry support—or even familial understanding. "When my cousin saw my first collection, she started laughing—hard," the designer says sheepishly. She was like, "It looks like grandma's clothes!" The cousin had a point. Consider Casasola's spring/summer 2014 lineup, which, inspired by the work of Brazilian constructivist master Lygia Clark, explores the duality of discipline and sensuality: There is something decidedly not of this century about the evening…

2. LOGOS RULE Go ahead—channel a walking advert with pieces that scream "status" Nylon coat, DKNY, $1,200, at select DKNY stores nationwide SIGNATURE STYLE As seen at Alexander Wang Jersey sweatshirt, MCQ ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, $240, visit alexandermcqueen.com. Embroidered crepe skirt, ALEXANDER WANG, $495, at Alexander Wang, NYC. Special-edition chain belt, MOSCHINO, $375, at Moschino, NYC Leather sneakers, VERSACE, $1,150, at select Versace boutiques nationwide. Canvas tote, RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION, $1,500, at select Ralph Lauren stores nationwide 3. …BUT SO DOES A CLEAN SLATE Or opt for the other side of the '90s coin, with luxurious minimalism Leather shorts, BRUNELLO CUCINELLI, $2,170, at Brunello Cucinelli, NYC DRAWING A BLANK As seen at Rosie Assoulin Gold link bracelet, ELIZABETH LOCKE, price on request, collection at Neiman Marcus stores nationwide Leather bucket bags,…

We've been trained to watch child actors with a passive eye, for rarely do they transcend their roles as tear-mongering accessories, one-note plot drivers, or precocious quip machines. Kiernan Shipka—aka little Sally Draper on AMC's Mad Men, which returns this spring—elicits the converse response. Since taking on the role of the collaterally damaged daughter to now-divorced Don and Betty Draper at age seven, Shipka as Sally has processed more than her share of developmental roadblocks beyond the usual adolescent angst: her cold, ironfisted mother's obtuse-at-best parenting; the grown-up allure of alcohol (and the occasional cigarette); and, perhaps most earth-shattering, walking in on her father midcoitus with the neighbor. But Sally's pain has been Shipka's gain—and ours; as one young girl has matured in the fictional 1960s, so too has another…

"Did she steal this stuff?" "Order it all on someone else's credit card?" "I know—she hijacked a truck from Z Gallerie!" The cast and crew of the CBS sitcom Mom are pausing midrehearsal to ponder the latest crime committed by Bonnie, the recovering addict and colossally inept matriarch played by Allison Janney. In the scene at hand, Bonnie has zhushed up the scruffy single-mom abode of her daughter, Christy (Anna Faris), in animal-print throws and bordello-red furniture—merchandise that we know must be hot because (A) Bonnie is currently unemployed and broke enough to move in with her daughter, and (B) this is a sitcom in the purest sense of the word: At the sound of approaching sirens, Bonnie vamooses out the kitchen door—to go, where, on the lam? No one…

THIS MONTH IN BEAUTY How to feel good about your neck page 152 // The secret world of backstage beauty page 160 // Makeup pros share their favorite cosmetic cocktails page 164 // Is he a jerk or just…anxious? page 172 For va-va-voom lips with a modern finish, like model Agata Danilova's, try DIOR Rouge Dior Lipstick in No. 999. Multihyphenate may be an overused term, but ELLE regular Robin Black defines it. The sought-after L.A. makeup artist, known for her distinctly cool take on pretty (picture Poppy Delevingne, all freckles and smudged eye liner), also photographs her own work, which has graced gallery walls as well as magazine spreads. Black grew up sailing the South Pacific with her Japanese mother and Irish-German father, at tended a Maori preschool (the…

THICKER LASHES GUARANTEED Makeup artist Molly R. Stern invented "lash highlights," which, she promises, make lashes look thicker. After two coats of black Lancôme Définicils Mascara, she uses a brush to paint the tops of eyelashes with metallic L'Oréal Paris Infallible Never Fail Lacquer Liner 24H in Bronze. FIVE-SECOND FACE-LIFT Fiona Stiles, the Mark. celebrity makeup artist, loves "believable" contouring, so she designed this chiseling cocktail to give shape to the face without looking fake. First, she uses an angled brush to apply Chanel Soft Touch Eyeshadow in Slate "right under cheekbones, up near the ear," then she warms up the apples of the cheeks with Jouer Mattifying Bronzer. THE BRIGHT IDEA You'll never need the Mayfair filter again for the perfect glow: Makeup artist Christy Coleman combines Dr. Hauschka…

"I took all my Ted Cruz posters down before you came over," declares Carrie Brownstein, leaning against the arched doorframe of her Portland dining room. Brownstein's delivery is thoroughly deadpan, but anyone even mildly familiar with the 39-year-old would know the claim couldn't be dripping with more sarcasm. After all, along with costar Fred Armisen, Brownstein—founding member of riot grrrl cult band Sleater-Kinney and, more recently, Wild Flag—has made a second career out of portraying a constituent of the kale-eating, craft-beer-drinking, lumberjack-shirt-wearing, jewelry-making crowd on Portlandia. While the locally filmed show, which returns for a fourth season on IFC this month, has made the Washington State native something of a hometown hero in her adopted city, she's quick to point out that Portland was merely a convenient backdrop for the…

If Thomas Pynchon owns the franchise in American literature on indecipherable conspiracy, and Joan Didion has lately with her rueful intelligence put her stamp on grief, so the novelist Susan Minot has earned a trademark on the subject of desire. "I could write a book about it," she says with a throaty laugh, well aware that at 57, she already has—quite a few, in fact. Desire and its sometimes obliterating consequences are a productive obsession that snakes through all of her fiction, from the erotic slide show of the short story "Lust," written in the early '80s, to her exceptional new novel, Thirty Girls, which takes place in Africa and, despite its familiar preoccupations, represents a broadening vision for Minot. This afternoon, she commands the corner of a hotel lounge…

By April Long. Photographed by Carter Smith. Styled by Joe Zee With her expressive Kewpie-doll eyes and now iconic bangs, Zooey Deschanel would have made a captivating silent-film star; with her flair for slapstick, she could have been a screwball-era screen queen. But there's also something distinctly twenty-first century about the 34-year-old actress: She's equally sardonic and silly, and though she may be as famous for her supergirly persona (spoofed—"I made a tiny sensitive boyfriend out of Popsicle sticks!"—in a Saturday Night Live skit called "Bein' Quirky With Zooey Deschanel") as she is for her 15-year career, she staunchly rejects the notion that loving puppies and polka dots precludes being a woman of power. Since her vintage-frock-wearing heartbreaker role in (500) Days of Summer and two-year marriage to Death Cab…

Embroidered cashmere sweatshirt, $3,700, sequin-embellished skirt, $3,200, pony-hair ankle boots, $1,890, all, MARC JACOBS, at Marc Jacobs, NYC. For details, see Shopping Guide. Viscose jacket, $3,995, cotton shirt, $750, wool trousers, $1,395, all, RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION, at select Ralph Lauren stores nationwide. Satin and lace bra, CARINE GILSON, $496. Pearl necklace, ZIEGFELD COLLECTION FOR TIFFANY & CO., $475. Leather brogues, CHURCH'S, $530. Tweed jacket, $2,690, skirt, $990, both, OSCAR DE LA RENTA, visit oscardelarenta.com. Pearl earring, SOPHIE BILLE BRAHE, $2,850. Satin mules, GIANVITO ROSSI FOR ALTUZARRA, price on request. Stylist's own custom-made belt. Wool top, $850, skirt, $1,495, both, NARCISO RODRIGUEZ, collection at Barneys New York. Silver cuff, ELSA PERETTI FOR TIFFANY & CO., $650. Silver ID bracelet, TIFFANY & CO., $650. For details, see Shopping Guide. Silk cloque top,…

COVERS On Zooey Deschanel: (Left) Embroidered net dress by Valentino, $6,690, at Valentino boutiques nationwide. White gold and diamond earrings by Hearts on Fire, $7,490, visit heartsonfire.com. (Right) Silk-knit dress by Proenza Schouler, $3,950, at Proenza Schouler (NYC). On Amy Poehler: Silk georgette and satin jacket, $4,390, stretch cady leggings, $990, by Tom Ford, at Tom Ford (NYC, Las Vegas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Dallas). White gold and diamond pendant necklace by Hearts on Fire, $3,975, visit heartsonfire.com On Mindy Kaling: Wool-blend coat by Theory by Olivier Theyskens, $895, at Theory stores nationwide. White gold and diamond earrings, $19,500, ring, $21,000, by Hearts on Fire, visit heartsonfire.com. On Allison Williams: Jersey dress by Anthony Vaccarello, $2,520, collection at Bergdorf Goodman (NYC), Just One Eye (L.A.). Diamond stud earrings by Hearts on…