’Stangers—diehard fans of the Ford Mustang—will have already seen it due to leaks of the official photographs half a day ago. Lucire ran the leaked photos on our Facebook page. But now, we can officially talk about the unveiling, in six cities around the world—New York, Dearborn, Michigan, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Sydney and Barcelona—of the 2015 Mustang, codenamed S550, which commemorates the model line’s 50th anniversary.
   Executive chairman Bill Ford was present at the Barcelona event, in front of an audience of 2,500 journalists, dealers and Ford employees.
   While the Mustang has officially been on sale in Europe and other markets before since the original model was released in New York on April 17, 1964, the 2015 model is the first which will be sold as a “world car”, as part of Ford’s core range.
   Ford notes that the Mustang is its most iconic range, and that it is the world’s most-liked vehicle on Facebook. Nine million have been built since the original’s launch.
   Stephen Odell, executive vice-president for Ford in Europe, Middle East and Africa, said in a release, ‘The Mustang’s formidable reputation for performance and its iconic status as a symbol of freedom and optimism precedes it even in those parts of the world where the car has never been sold. The new Mustang epitomizes Ford’s aggressive product acceleration; technologically advanced and forward-looking, but without forgetting the heritage that has inspired Ford customers for generations.’
   The new model certainly lives up to the promise. It has the classic Mustang proportions and blends them with Ford’s present design language.
   The design language has been seen on other global products such as the facelifted B299 Ford Fiesta and the CD391 Ford Fusion, which will be sold in Europe and other markets as the Ford Mondeo. It is an evolution of some of Ford’s earlier design principles.
   The grille opening apes that of the Fiesta and Fusion, but appears in a more exaggerated form, with the Mustang horse placed in the centre, as with the original, the Mustang II, and the models dating from the 1994.
   There are also shades of the ItalDesign Ford Mustang concept of 2006, which brought some Italianate touches, such as a tapering cabin.
   The rear lights also reflect the classic Mustang ideas, with the tri-bar design that also harks back to the original.
   Ford has also injected the rear-wheel-drive Mustang with the latest technologies, equipping the pony car for the 2010s and beyond.
   Technologies include Ford’s Sync with voice control and eight-inch touchscreen (in Europe), and drivers can adjust between driving modes.
   The convertible has an insulated cloth top, which has a sleek profile when folded, according to Ford.
   Moray Callum, Ford’s executive director of design for the Americas, said, ‘You only get one chance to make a first impression and when you see this car, you immediately see a Mustang strong and true.’
   Inside, the Mustang has an aviation-inspired cockpit, designed for the driver, and there is more space, thanks to a wider cabin and an all-new rear suspension. The cockpit again blends modern and classic: the two large dials hark back to the original, but the look is more geometric and structured.
   The boot can now accommodate two golf bags, thanks to the new platform.
   The suspension brings Mustang bang up to date. The front has double ball-joint Macpherson struts, while the rear gets rid of its agricultural live rear axle in front of an integral-link independent suspension. The Mustang promises to be a far better drive than the models of old, suiting worldwide markets. Ford’s stability control includes torque vectoring.
   Engines are the classic five-litre V8 (with 426 PS and 529 Nm of torque) and a new EcoBoost 2·3-litre four delivering 309 PS and 407 Nm. The automatic model has steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles.—Jack Yan, Publisher

Hennes & Mauritz says it will open a store in the Philippines, its first foray into the southeast Asian region. The flagship store will open in 2014 inside SM Megamall, Manila. The company has already inked the deal.
   Another 2014 event is Women Expo Switzerland (WES), the only creative women’s exhibition in Switzerland, will take place on May 25 at the Messe Zürich.
   With 700 m² space, it will be dedicated to the fashion industry (both B2B and B2C) with direct sales, fashion shows and workshops, say organizers.
   The previous edition saw over 100 exhibitors and attracted 1,000 visitors from Switzerland, the UK, Germany and France. Organizers presently seek exhibitors and visitors. Their website is at www.womenexpo.ch, and a video from the 2013 event (in German and English) is below.

   Almost on the opposite side of the spectrum, publisher Jack Yan has a humorous look at the late Lewis Collins, whose passing was reported yesterday in the media, in Lucire Men. The actor was best known for his role in The Professionals, arguably the most macho TV show in 1970s Britain.
   Finally, Victoria’s Secret says it has opened a beauty and accessories’ store at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, focusing on ‘iconic, fashion-forward range of beauty products and accessories designed for the modern jet-setter.’
   Items include fragrances such as Victoria’s Secret Bombshell, Sexy Little Things Noir Tease, Victoria, and VS Fantasies, and lip glosses and body care products.

Thomas Salme

Shooting in Milano with beautiful Italian model Fiorella Dominici, wearing a Basler Fashion dress from Germany designed by Scot Brian Rennie, by me, Thomas Salme from Sweden. A big international mix.
   Dominici is 22, a graduate in economics, Russian and English at Cattolica University. She is still studying in order to graduate in international management. Her slogan is: ‘positive thinking and … believe in your own skills and capabilities more than in social connections.’
   The designer of this beautiful yellow dress is Brian Rennie. He has been called the ‘designer with the Hollywood gene’ and the ‘king of couture’ by some. He outfitted Kim Basinger for the Academy Awards, designed a wedding dress for Jennifer López and counted Princess Diana among his clients, according to his official bio.
   Rennie studied fashion at the Royal College of Art, and joined Escada after completing his studies. He was there for over 20 years, and rose to the rank of head designer.
   As creative director of Basler Fashion, his clothes carry what the company calls a ‘distinctive design signature. Æsthetically outstanding and consistently feminine, they are primarily created to flatter women and to beautify them. Passion and originality characterize the designs of Brian Rennie.’—Thomas Salme

Thomas Salme

Panos Emporio has announced that one of the contestants in next week’s Top Model Sverige will become its new model for 2013.
   In next week’s episode on Sweden’s TV3, the 10 models will be photographed by Nigel Barker, with one winner being adopted by the swimwear label for a future campaign.
   Filmed at the end of last year, Panos Emporio boss Panos Papadopoulos flew to Los Angeles for the show. It is the sixth season of the Swedish licensed version of the programme.
   Staying with Swedish companies: in another nod to corporate social responsibility, Hennes & Mauritz has announced it has developed a water strategy in association with WWF.
   As part of a three-year global partnership, H&M says it will build water into its corporate planning, including ‘being a good neighbour and good steward of shared resources,’ says WWF International’s director-general, Jim Leape.
   WWF had evaluated H&M’s water usage and challenges through 2012 to form the basis of the strategy. In 2013, the company plans to implement it globally, working with public policy-makers, NGOs, water institutions and other companies, to support better management of river basins in China and Bangladesh, it says. It will also support WWF conservation projects in the Yangtze River basin.
   Internally, staff will receive training on the water impact on raw material production and its value chain. It will also improve its water efficiency and minimize its suppliers’ impact on water. The company is targeting all 48 national markets and reaching all 750 direct suppliers, with all its 94,000 employees receiving education on water issues.
   Finally, the Peninsula Hotels has announced a new campaign for all its properties, called Peninsula Moments. The campaign shows what is distinctive about each one of its properties, from stunning architecture, authenticity, design, to insight. Unsurprisingly, the clip from Hong Kong—arguably the most famous Peninsula property—features its fleet of green Rolls-Royces, while Bangkok shows off its nearby temple and Shanghai its aviation lounge.

Above The Peninsula Hong Kong Rolls-Royce fleet and its pool.

Above The Peninsula Shanghai Aviation Lounge. The Peninsula Manila’s lobby. A temple in Bangkok, near the property.

H&M brand & Other Stories—the ampersand is part of the official name—will launch its first collections this spring in ten European countries.
   There will be seven bricks-and-mortar boutiques in Barcelona, Berlin, København, London, Milano, Paris and Stockholm, while Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and the UK will see online shops at stories.com.
   & Other Stories will offer shoes, bags, accessories, beauty and ready-to-wear items. According to the company, ‘The aim is to design lasting wardrobe treasures within a wide price range. In the creative ateliers in Paris and Stockholm diversified fashion collections are designed with great attention to detail and quality at an affordable price.’
   The physical stores are located at: Passeig de Gràcia 8–10, Barcelona; Neue Schönhauser Straße 15, Berlin; Amagertorv 29, København; 256–8 Regent Street, London; Corso Vittorio Emanuele 1, Milano; 277 rue Saint-Honoré, Paris; and Biblioteksgatan 11, Stockholm.
   Online, & Other Stories is at www.stories.com, and on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Tumblr.

Danjaq LLC/United Artists Corp.

Above Instead of Switzerland, it’s Scotland, and Daniel Craig pays homage to Sean Connery in a Skyfall publicity photo.

The 85th Academy Awards—the Oscars—will pay tribute to 50 years of the James Bond films, it was announced Friday.
   Show producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron said in a statement that there will be a special sequence ‘saluting the Bond films on their 50th birthday.
   ‘Starting with Dr No back in 1962, the 007 movies have become the longest-running motion picture franchise in history and a beloved global phenomenon.’
   The six actors who have portrayed Bond in the official franchise—Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig—will feature in the sequence.
   The Oscars telecast will take place on February 24. Nominations will be announced on January 10 in Los Angeles.
   The latest entry in the Eon Productions franchise, Skyfall, has taken over US$1,000 million, with the film still yet to open in China.
   The film, directed by Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, has overtaken 1965’s Thunderball as the highest-grossing Bond film adjusted for inflation.
   Since the “reboot” of the franchise in 2006 with Casino Royale, the Bond films have had more critical nods than their predecessors, which were generally acclaimed on their technical merit. In the mid-1960s, Goldfinger won an Oscar for sound effects, while Thunderball won for special visual effects.
   Daniel Craig had a BAFTA nomination for Casino Royale, the first Bond actor to achieve this, while Skyfall’s Javier Bardem received a best supporting actor nomination by the Screen Actors’ Guild.
   Skyfall is on the shortlist of the Producers’ Guild of America’s best film nominees, alongside Lincoln and Argo.
   The theme song, by Adele and Paul Epworth, could take home a best song Oscar.
   The British Academy Awards, the BAFTAs, paid tribute to 50 years of the Bond films last year, with Tom Jones singing the theme song from Thunderball.

Wordpress has summarized the year of this news section, and told us something we know already: that our story on Marine Lorphelin being crowned Miss France 2013 was the biggest of the year. This also correlates with our Facebook fan page numbers.
   It also put France as one of the top countries accessing Lucire during December, though the United States remains number-one for our entire website. New Zealand, the UK and Australia were consistently in the top five each month.
   Last year, we did some quick arithmetic on the interest in Miss France versus its rival pageant, Miss Prestige National. In 2010, the ratio of readers for our Miss France story versus our Miss Nationale one was 2·7: that means, of Lucire readers, nearly three times as many were interested in Miss France than Miss Nationale. Last year, the ratio rose to 8·6. This year, however, the ratio is at 35·6 for Miss France versus Miss Prestige National—not great news for Geneviève de Fontenay and her committee, though if their online viewing numbers are healthy, then their sponsors will continue backing them.
   Our second most-read article was on We’ll Take Manhattan, and the interest in Bailey and Jean Shrimpton because of the BBC TV movie starring Karen Gillan and Aneurin Barnard earlier this year.
   The passing of Whitney Houston netted a lot of interest globally, and our article on celebrities paying tribute to her came in at number three.
   Interestingly, our Miss France 2012 article came in the top 10, as did a story on the Duchess of Cambridge wearing a dress by New Zealand-born designer Emilia Wickstead in May. A 2011 story on Keira Knightley modelling for Chanel Coco Mademoiselle also showed up in our top 10, making Knightley our most searched-for celebrity this year. Oscar winners Meryl Streep and Jean Dujardin appear after our top 10, in 13th place.
   The formula remains similar, with pageants, celebrity and royalty gaining the most public interest.
   As noted on our Tumblr, a number of countries were absent from our readership this year. This includes numerous African states such as South Sudan, Liberia and Lesotho, where fashion is hardly a priority with daily struggles, and Turkmenistan, where the state still has a say on what is and what is not permitted. One reader pointed out that in our map, Kosovo was also missing from our reader countries.
   As to our latest articles, pop to the main part of the site, where our Paris editor Lola Saab has her spring 2013 must-haves from New York.

Alan Raga

Above Sarah Munn wearing Shika Braddock Couture, photographed by Alan Raga with make-up by Kareen Donaldson and Earth 174.

Miss New Zealand Sarah Munn, currently competing for the title of World Miss University 2012 in Seoul, Korea, is leading the public vote in the first hour after her video was uploaded to the pageant’s YouTube channel.
   The public vote is decided on YouTube views, and New Zealand has traditionally suffered because of its small population. This year, however, it is hoped that some viral promotion using social networks can get the country maintaining an early strong start.
   A Kiwi win is not unprecedented: New Zealand has won the World Miss University title once, in 2005, with Jade Hart (née Collins).
   Miss Munn holds a BA in International Relations and Political Science and has also studied Law at Victoria University.
   The pageant final is to be held on December 11 at the Sheraton Grand Walkerhill in Seoul.
   Miss Munn, who was born in Wellington and grew up in Tauranga, has a strong record of academic achievement, balanced with an active university life. She has gained the Vic Plus Award at Victoria University this year, been class representative nine times, and has actively organized events and extracurricular activities. She also works at the Crown Law Office in Wellington and with Air New Zealand.
   Her YouTube video may be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1Qb2XbFSUA or below.—Jack Yan, Publisher