NEW YORK (AP) — Model Brooklyn Decker landed the coveted Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover this year.

The 22-year-old wife of tennis star Andy Roddick said being chosen for the front is “the news of a lifetime.”

The cover photo of Decker smiling in a yellow bikini is a departure from the more sultry look that SI had gone for the past few years, she said. She compared it to covers from the 1980s or ’90s, when Elle Macpherson won her covers with a friendly, sun-loving look.

SI keeps the cover photo a secret – even from the models – until less than 24 hours before it’s revealed. Decker said now the mad dash was on to find outfits for TV appearances that will come with the gig. (Her closet of swimsuits wasn’t right for winter, she joked.)

As for Roddick? Read the full story

DEPARTMENT STORE EVENTS

Neiman Marcus (151 Worth Ave., Palm Beach, (561) 805-6150) Paul Morelli — Trunk show, Feb. 10-11

Slane & Slane — Trunk show, Feb. 11

M.C.L. — Trunk show, Feb. 12 Read the full story

What we tested: Estée Lauder Blacker Than Black Collection

Cost: $19.50-$35
Where: Department stores
Product claims: The collection features mascaras in oh-so-dark jet black and eye shadows in smoky shades. Read the full story

OK, here’s the pitch …

Horse-crazed girl grows up in Welsh village, begins dancing at the relatively late age of 14, wins spot at London dance academy.

She comes this close to landing a role in a West End revival of West Side Story, but when the Sharks and Jets take off without her, she jets to Miami for a cruise-ship gig.

A few years later, she’s off to Detroit, New York City, the Hamptons — befriending the likes of Matt Lauer, Kelly Klein and Russell Simmons along the way, and eventually moving to West Palm Beach.

It is here that she launches a PR firm at her kitchen table and, less than five years later, is repping clients in the advertising, fashion and equestrian fields.

It’s a good story, right? Read the full story

As any fan of Project Runway can tell you, Michael Kors, purveyor of American sportswear that straddles the line between luxurious and practical, is perhaps fashion’s most quotable designer.

“If you didn’t do that jacket in fleece, I would have been like, ‘Give me a Xanax, I’m asleep,’” he told one budding designer on Runway.

Kors’ biannual New York shows are among Fashion Week’s most reliably dazzling, with plenty of star power in the front row and lustworthy clothes on the models. Late last month the designer brought his spring collection of shift dresses and featherweight sweaters to Mar-a-Lago, in honor of the upcoming Palm Beach Heart Ball.
Read the full story

These cups floweth over with creativity, although they probably wouldn’t win points for comfort…

The 49 “art bras” in the “Bra-Vo!” exhibition — currently on display at the Lighthouse Center for the Arts — are sculpted from clay and woven from Walmart plastic bags. They’re embellished with Hershey’s Kisses, smoke detectors, shotgun shells and toy bumblebees.

And here’s the real buzz: Created by local artists, all the bras are on the auction block, and a portion of the proceeds will go to breast cancer research. Read the full story

Photos: 2010 Grammy Awards

All eyes on the red carpet at Sunday’s Grammy Awards went straight to Lady Gaga and her solar-system gown that was totally out of this world.

Lady Gaga has become fashion’s favorite chameleon and she didn’t disappoint with this shiny, silvery, three-dimensional number that was created in collaboration with Giorgio Armani. She then opened the show in a green fairy-wing bodysuit – with matching green sparkle booties, of course.

“I am honored to be wearing Armani this evening. The series of pieces Mr. Armani created for me are truly iconic; they represent not only beautiful fashion, but my spirit and essence as an artist,” she said in a statement. Read the full story

Fashion Calendar

Each week, Fashion Editor Staci Sturrock gives you the rundown on local fashion events.

DEPARTMENT STORE EVENTS

Saks Fifth Avenue in Palm Beach: (172 Worth Ave., (561) 833-2551):

Joanna Mastroianni — Personal appearance and trunk show, Feb. 1-2 Read the full story

What we tested: Benefit ‘Hello Flawless!’ SPF 15 Powder Foundation

Cost: $34

Where: Sephora

Product Claims: Benefit ‘Hello Flawless!’ SPF 15 is a blendable powder foundation with SPF 15 that goes on beautifully sheer and layers easily for customized coverage. Find your perfect shade and sweep it on with the accompanying brush for a sheer, natural finish; or apply with the sponge for full coverage or spot cover-up.

Rhonda Swan, 45

The one flaw about Hello Flawless Benefit is that it’s not designed to benefit every woman. I tried Why Walk When You Can Strut: Hazelnut but it left me limping. The shade is too light for my complexion, and according to Sephora’s Web site, it’s the product’s darkest color. Since I have no desire to look like Michael Jackson or Sammy Sosa, I opted not to use it.

Katie McBroom, 22

This is the perfect product for gals who prefer light coverage. However, I like heavier coverage than this powder foundation delivers. It is difficult to get me to stray from my regular recipe for a flawless face: Joe Blasco cream foundation and loose powder. I love Benefit, but this particular product didn’t have what it takes to make me cheat on Joe.

Bill Ingram /The Palm Beach Post

Seems like Carmen Marc Valvo is everywhere a shopper turns.

He sells cocktail dresses at Bloomingdale’s. Swimwear at Nordstrom. Sunglasses at Pearle Vision. Napkin rings and throw pillows on QVC.

The New York-based designer visited Saks Fifth Avenue Palm Beach last week to mingle with fans of his chiffon evening gowns (a rainbow of saturated colors for resort, beaded neutrals for spring … ) — and to host a cocktail party benefiting Susie’s Cause, a nonprofit organization that aims to educate the public about colon cancer. Read the full story