>> Back at the end of October, Catherine McNeil's agency sent out pictures of her hair cropped and dyed black, but that look is nowhere to be seen on her latest cover turn, for Vogue Australia's February 2011 issue. McNeil is a cover favorite for the magazine — she last appeared on Vogue Australia's September 2010 cover — making this one her second in six months.  [TFS]

>> Christophe Lemaire, who shows his first Hermes collection in March, says that instead of channeling former Hermes designer Jean Paul Gaultier's runway extravaganzas, he expects to display his collections in a more intimate setting.

The decision reflects his vision for the brand as a whole, he tells WWD: “I think that it’s time to go back to a more honest vision of fashion, and that there is room for a simpler, more pared-down wardrobe that is better suited to everyday life. I have always campaigned to bring quality and, if possible, poetry to everyday life. You don’t change your wardrobe every six months. You build it up over time.”

He added that he is imaging his Hermes to be more in line with Martin Margiela's — who designed for Hermes between 1998 and 2003 — rather than Gaultier's: “I think I will be walking in the footsteps of Margiela more than Gaultier, even if I have a lot of respect for Jean Paul Gaultier and his virtuosity."

Lemaire, who left his position as Lacoste creative director to join Hermes, alluded to tensions with his previous management: “It’s as if the moment had finally arrived for me to show what I’m capable of. For various reasons, I have always lacked either the maturity or the means to develop my own brand, and at Lacoste, I was working under constraints that meant that, even though I think I did a good job, I was never able to unleash my full potential. So I hope to be able to do that at Hermès.” He continued: “I think I succeeded in projecting a certain vision of the brand [at Lacoste]. The problem with a brand is that if the designer has a vision and the management does not have the same vision, or does not understand that vision, then there is obviously a disconnect. So I think that is being addressed, but it was definitely an issue for me.”

>> Lacoste has ditched its five-year-old tagline, "Un Peu d'Air Sur Terre," for a new theme dubbed, "Unconventional Chic". "After five years it was time for a change," said Christophe Chenut, CEO of Lacoste SA. "The previous ads were very product-focused and we felt we needed a campaign that was an affirmation of the brand statement as a whole.” Instead of featuring a group of models like the brand has done in the past, the new campaign highlights individual shots of Liya Kebede, Anja Rubik, Jon Kortajarena, and Noah Mills wearing polo shirts over fancy evening gowns. “We’re showing that you can be chic in a different way, not just when you are dressed up for a party or for the office,” explained Chenut.