The Daily Front Row

It’s hard to argue with Victoria’s Secret’s decision to put Candice Swanepoel on the cover of its catalog for the third time. Russell James shot the South African mod and the rest of the Angels on the beaches and in the pools of Miami and Turks and Caicos for your hubby’s favorite piece of mail out this week. In a continued effort to make you feel meh about your body, they’ve also created a music video of Swanepoel and the equally perfecto Doutzen Kroes looking flawless in bikinis. Sorry about that.

Changes ahead on the department store front: Macy’s is reconfiguring its retail layout for 2013 and beyond. The shopping giant is shuttering six stores this spring; the largest locations closing up shop will be in downtown Houston, Paseo Colorado in Pasadena, and a five-story store in St. Paul. Additionally, the Fashion Show Mall outpost in Las Vegas will pack it in along with its Belmont, Mass. location, as well as its downtown Honolulu site. As for the good news? Macy’s will be opening up a fresh slew of noteworthy haute spots in the next two years. The list is long: the Shops at Summerlin and a men’s store in the Fashion Show Mall; Mall at Bay Plaza in the Bronx, University Town Center in Sarasota, Fla.; Mall of Victor Valley in Victorville, Calif.; and Gurnee Mills in Gurnee, Ill.. If that isn’t enough to pique your retail interest, the company will also be consolidating two Macy’s at Ridgedale Center in Minnetonka, Minn. into a single 286,000 square feet structure in 2014. New year, new retail map!

We’ve been waiting for this cover! Zooey Deschanel finally graces the cover of Glamour’s February issue that hits newsstands on January 8th. Take a look at their first hair-themed issue, featuring Deschanel on the front and the back cover, and over 100 ideas for your ‘do. The New Girl star also takes on her critics (with a dirty mouth!) with no regrets: “I’m just being myself. There is not an ounce of me that believes any of that crap that they say. We can’t be feminine and be feminists and be successful? I want to be a f–king feminist and wear a f–king Peter Pan collar. So f–king what?”

Ready for some TGIF-apropos nail news? Not one to follow trivial trends, essie is finally getting into the nail wrap game. It’s about time! The talon experts have rolled out Sleek Stick Stickers available in 12 designs ranging from “Don’t Cheetah On Me” (animal print, obvi) to a blinged-out pattern entitled “Glam It On”.

(NEW YORK) First Look: Gucci’s Frida Giannini Designs A Comic Book [ELLE]
Giannini follows in Phillip Lim’s footsteps

Katie Grand Makes A Splash With Hogan [Telegraph UK]
The editor is partnering with Hogan to launch a new range of accessories

Olympian Louis Smith To Launch Fashion Line? [Vogue UK]
Ryan Lochte isn’t the only Olympian trying his hand in fashion

Naomi Campbell Mugged In Paris, Suffers Leg Injury [Huffington Post]
The mod explains her recent “thug” attack

Fab: The Ikea of Fashion? [Racked]
The social shopping site has amassed more than 10 million members in one year

Romeo Beckham proves he’s got his daddy David’s genes and energy in the new promo vid of Burberry’s Spring campaign directed by Christopher Bailey and shot by Mario Testino. Little Becks is all smiles as he “crashes” a shoot (video-bombs? campaign-bombs?) featuring Cara Delevingne, Edie Campbell, Charlotte Wiggins, Charlie France, and Max Rende. Now if only Romeo could get his mommy Victoria to try this smiling thing a bit more.

WHAT: Peter Pilotto Geometric Print Scarf…WHY: Some of us at chez Daily are staunch subscribers to the sartorial philosophy that a scarf can truly salvage a lame outfit; on the laziest or craziest of days, a kicky neckwarming accoutrement can function, for better or worse, as the only redeeming and at least semi-chic element of a getup. Add this pretty, mixed-pattern Peter Pilotto wrap star to the repertoire at your own risk: black-on-black-on-black ensembles may become all the more ubiquitous with this cashmere-Modal blend to punch things up. No complaints there…AVAILABLE: $520, KirnaZabete.com…

Glamour has found the worthy successor from the halls of Hearst for the executive beauty director role in wake of Felicia Milewicz’s November 2012 departure: Ying Chu is decamping from Marie Claire to take the top-tier gig. Chu will join the 4 Times Square glossy in late January after five years as beauty and health director at Marie Claire. Chu’s industry entré was as an intern at Flare in the beauty ed’s native Canada—she was born in Shanghai, bred in British Columbia, and educated at Ryerson University. Before joining MC in 2007, Chu spent a year apiece at Vogue and Seventeen after a stint at erstwhile mag Suede, started by Chu’s former boss at Flare.

Intermix’s 2013 New Year’s resolution: fall into the Gap. On December 31, 2012, the multi-brand, specialty store was scooped up by Gap Inc. for $130 million in cash, adding to the retail behemoth’s existing portfolio of brands that includes Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Piperlime, and Athleta. Intermix, the boutique chain which currently counts 32 locations throughout North America, stocking luxury and contemporary ready-to-wear and accessories for women, had been searching for a partner to help further its expansion since late last year. Intermix enlisted investment banking firm, The Sage Group, to aid in the acquisition quest in August; the two retailers have been in talks since early December.