Dior's black swans

Actress Mila Kunis, of Black Swan, That 70s Show and Family Guy fame (she's the voice of Meg), is the new face of Christian Dior. Appearing in the campaign for the new Miss Dior handbag, Kunis joins her Black Swan co-star Natalie Portman as a Dior representative - Portman features in the campaign for Miss Dior Cherie fragrance.

Online insight

World has opened an online store, allowing internet access to a small selection of the label's fashion, beauty and quirky giftware. Each object is accompanied by a short video clip from Garth Badger ensuring something of the mood of the selection is conveyed. Check it out here.

Spray away

For 50 years, Elnett hairspray has been a favourite of stylists and women around the world. In the 1960s it was first to deliver a fine, supple formula and then, to meet changing needs, pioneered an Extreme Hold version for the 80s and a Flexible formula for the more natural 90s. L'Oreal is celebrating Elnett's half century with three versions of the soft-touch, brush-out spray in its retro-look tall gold can. Now available in Normal Strength, Absolute Extreme Hold and Very Volume Supreme Hold, Elnett is stocked in selected pharmacies and department stores for $19.99.

Price drop

Kiehl's has dropped the price on much of its skin and haircare, saying this is because of the American heritage brand's growing global success. Whatever the reason, it is good news for fans of the hitherto rather pricey-in-New Zealand range which is stocked exclusively at Smith & Caughey's, Kirkcaldies in Wellington and Ballantynes in Christchurch. Among examples of the new prices are its Lip Balm #1 moving from $22 to $19 dollars and a large bottle of the renowned Creme de Crop Body Cream falling from $94 to $62.

Brand protection or control freakery?

New year; new fashion spat. And it's a big one. Louis Vuitton - the mother of all luxury brands - celebrated the dawn of 2012 by ding-dong-merrily initiating a lawsuit. This was aimed not, as one might imagine, at one of the many counterfeiters selling copies of its monogrammed bags, but at Warner Bros Entertainment Inc.

According to Women's Wear Daily, Vuitton alleges that Warner Bros ignored its pleas to cut the airport scene featuring fake bags in The Hangover Part II where Zach Galifianakis travels with luggage stamped with "LVM" and warns his co-star: "Careful, that's Louis Vuitton", from the DVD release of the film. The fact that his character is more likely to be carrying fleas than the real thing has no clout, apparently. Vuitton insists the scene may cause what it describes as "consumer confusion" to viewers of the film nonetheless. Warner Bros has yet to comment.

Vuitton is seeking profits from the film, which grossed roughly $580 million, and triple damages. Warner Bros is also being asked to destroy all copies of The Hangover Part II along with promotional materials that include the scene in question. Whichever way you choose to look at it, such posturing on the part of this fashion behemoth is debatably worth the price of any legal fees (they'll be huge, clearly) and that applies whatever the eventual outcome may be. But isn't it just a little over the top? Can these few slapstick seconds really harm such a renowned reputation? I once asked Patrick Louis Vuitton, one of the last remaining family members to work with the company, how to tell the difference between a real Louis Vuitton bag and a copy.

His answer? "The Louis Vuitton product speaks for itself, for its quality. Through the elegance of the product and the elegance of the person who carries it one can easily identify whether it is real."

And that says it all.

- Susannah Frankel, The Independent

VIP Viva

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Jacob's Creek is proud to partner with Tennis Auckland for the Heineken Open. Jacob's Creek is a proud sponsor of tennis around the world, from the Australian Open and Wimbledon Tennis, the Shanghai ATP Masters, Hong Kong Tennis Classic, Dubai Tennis Championships, PPT Thailand Open, Swedish Open and the Stockholm Open.

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