Stars in Christian Dior, Betty And Her Bugles

Hello, Happy Tuesday!

We begin today with eye candy for many a fashion fan, a new book, “Stars in Dior”.

Rizzoli via Selectism

The book accompanies an exhibit with the same name, more from Fashionista:

…reports this morning that the Christian Dior Museum on the Normandy coast (which is housed in Dior’s childhood home) will host the exhibit, which will run from May 12 through September 23. And if you’re a classic film buff, you will want to book your ticket now.

Unfortunately the new volume won’t be sold in the US until September, but will available in France next month. (You can pre-order now for US delivery upon publication.)  Below, Natalie Portman is stunning in a John Galliano design, an embroidered silk dress from the 2009 autumn/winter Haute Couture collection.

Alexi Lubomirski/Courtesy Dior via The London Telegraph

More from Fashionista:

The first floor of the exhibit will feature actresses “wearing Dior in everyday life” and an area dedicated to Marlene Dietrich, who was a famous fan of the label and even had it written into her contract that she would only wear Dior in Hitchcock’s Stage Fright.

Below we see Ms. Dietrich wearing Dior for that film in 1950.

© Rue des Archives/Courtesy Dior via WWD.com

This is an exhibit clearly meriting its own excursion, with a special itinerary planned around the Museum visit, can you imagine seeing these gowns in person?!

Many readers will recognize this advertisement for J’adore perfume, the campaign showcased actress Charlize Theron.

Dior Courtesy Photo via WWD

Bliss.

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Today’s other tidbit involves a Mad Men update of sorts.  By way of background, this season we see blond beauty Betty Draper struggling with a weight issue.  Here is Betty in Season 2.

Carin Baer/AMC-TV

And here is Betty from Sunday’s show.

Michael Yarish/AMC

Here is another look from this Sunday.

Via Lady Lulah Blog

You can imagine how this has been treated online – the interwebs have been blazing hot with buzz about Betty. In reality, actress January Jones was pregnant when filming started, making her perfect for this plotline. If one does a search for “Fat Betty Draper” or “Fat Betty Francis,” the character’s surname following her divorce from Don Draper and marriage to Henry Francis, the result is staggering.

More on this from MSNBC:

Most critics and viewers are in agreement that the storyline was drawn as a result of Jones’ real-life pregnancy, though a hefty — and possibly ill — Betty also opened up a new door in her character’s development. Upon learning that there was a tumor on her thyroid, Betty called upon ex-husband Don Draper (Hamm), rather than her current husband, to express her fear of leaving their children motherless.

There are stories galore at ‘traditional media’ sites, blogs, Facebook, and more. The reaction runs from those dismayed and heartbroken at Betty’s appearance, to those outraged at the alleged lack of political correctness in the portrayal. The show featured Betty in a voluminous pink robe, sitting on her sofa consuming a box of Bugles. (Full disclosure: several of us on Twitter confessed our desire for our own box of Bugles.)

It was only a matter of time before we saw a parody account on Twitter for the character under the name Fat Betty Francis, here is one of “Betty’s” tweets.

Twitter via Mashable

The parody is very funny, although we’re doubtful its origins are strictly grassroots, the account links to sports entertainment site Tauntr.  In fact, this comes via that site:

Via Tauntr.com

Full disclosure #2: Many of us on Twitter think this looks like a mighty fine recipe for ice cream.