>> After last Summer's repeat cover appearances by a singular style of Miu Miu dress and then the Fall's cover domination by one gold Balmain dress, it's Prada (followed somewhat by Dolce & Gabbana) that seems to be the Spring 2011 cover go-to. The striped Spring 2011 Prada collection has figured front-and-center into over 15 fashion magazine covers in the last few months, including Anna Wintour's WSJ. cover and Gisele Bundchen's February 2011 Vogue China cover; Fashionista has a comprehensive look. [Fashionista]

>> Kate Middleton's wedding is just over two weeks away, and now reports are circulating that she has commissioned three wedding dresses from three different designers. That way, she has two "backups" in case the designer of her chosen dress is correctly leaked, allowing her to choose one of the other dresses instead. Word is that Jasper Conran may be one of the dress contenders — and Fashionista notes that the designer has taken the images from his most recent bridal collection off his website. Middleton is also expected to change into a different dress for her wedding reception.

Cathy Horyn, meanwhile, is still betting on Alexander McQueen's Sarah Burton as the winner in the dress sweepstakes. Horyn points out that when consulted, Alexandra Shulman reportedly recommended that Middleton wear McQueen, and notes that Shulman's wedding-themed May 2011 issue of Vogue UK features models wearing Oscar de la Renta, Bruce Oldfield, Vivienne Westwood, and Marchesa bridal gowns. "Ah, but no McQueen dress in the mix," Horyn writes, "Its absence raising speculation that maybe Sarah Burton, the creative director of McQueen, is making Ms. Middleton’s dress after all."

The wedding guest list was partially leaked today, and one designer is expected to attend: Victoria Beckham. Last month, it was reported that after Beckham sent Middleton a selection of three of her Spring 2011 dresses, the bride-to-be phoned Beckham to thank her and asked her for general advice on eveningwear for her honeymoon.

>> Gemma Ward's last international fashion magazine cover was on the October 2008 issue of Spanish Marie Claire — and even then, she had been out of the spotlight for the better part of a year — but now, she's back with a supplement cover shot by Peter Ash Lee for Australian Harper's Bazaar's May 2011 issue. Lee also shot her recently for a Australian Sunday Telegraph cover story, and it's possible that this cover image is from that same shoot — Ward appears to be wearing the same thing. In any case, both shoots have been promotional for the Perth-based play Ward is currently appearing in, rather than focusing on any kind of modeling comeback. [Jezebel]

>> Carine Roitfeld is enjoying her new status as a free agent. While meeting with an interviewer from Spiegel, for instance, she was told that she looked "remarkably normal" (She showed up in a "no-name" T-shirt from Los Angeles, Current/Elliott corduroy jeans, and satin shoes that she had custom-made in violet.). Roitfeld's reply? "That's part of my newfound freedom. I always wore a tight skirt at Vogue; it was like a uniform." And the former editor already has plenty of new projects in the works — the Fall 2011 Chanel campaign, consulting work for Barneys, her biographical retrospective book with Olivier Zahm that comes out in October — plus, she mentions that she's working on "a book with Karl Lagerfeld," and adds, "Who knows? Perhaps I'll become a muse for designers again."

Needless to say, there's been no second-guessing her decision to leave Vogue Paris: "[It was] the perfect moment. The French edition of Vogue had never been more successful, had never had more readers or advertisers. And it had never made as much money. For 10 years, my American publisher, Jonathan Newhouse, let me do what I wanted, even when he thought it might be crazy. But it couldn't have gone on for much longer."

A few more highlights from the interview, below.

On editing Vogue Paris and the current state of the industry: "For 10 years, it was a hell of a lot of fun. But, toward the end, it unfortunately got less and less fun. You used to be able to be more playful, but now it's all about money, results and big business. The pret-a-porter shows have become terribly serious. The atmosphere isn't as electric as it once was, and they now have about as much charm as a medical conference. But it takes just one good fashion show to get things exciting again . . . Creativity needs space and a willingness to take risks, but businessmen don't like risk. What's more, designers are coming under more and more pressure. Today, a dress can't just please the women in Paris; it also has to please those in Beijing, Tokyo, Moscow and New York."

On the frequency of drug use in the industry: "My only drug is a small glass of vodka in the evening, if that's what you're asking . . . [Drugs are used in fashion] no more and no less than they are in other artistic circles. Yves Saint Laurent was the first person to openly admit to being a drug addict. Since I never touched drugs myself, I find it hard to tell whether people are taking them. But, of course, some people do. The industry has become faster and faster. People are constantly fighting jet lag and working through the night."

On the rumors of her succeeding Anna Wintour at Vogue: "That was never seriously under discussion. I like to provoke. I'm very French. In America, they're not even allowed to show a hint of nipple in photos. Anna Wintour is the most powerful woman in the global fashion industry, the first lady of fashion. She's a politician; I'm a stylist. They are two very different jobs. Incidentally, despite all the rumors, she is actually very nice."

On the John Galliano scandal: "I had no idea how unhappy John Galliano must have been. You have to be very unhappy and lonely to praise Hitler in public while completely drunk. The House of Dior has always addressed a range of topics, for example, by having haute couture shows on homelessness where all the models look like people living on the street. But drunkenly shouting 'I love Hitler' and calling people in a bar a 'dirty Jew-face' is unacceptable. I don't think he really believes what he said; they were simply the actions of a drunk."