manifesto

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• The reason Jessica Chastain's hands are covered by purple paint in the ad for the highly anticipated Yves Saint Laurent fragrance Manifesto is that "it was the color of absolute seduction for Mr. Saint Laurent," according to a YSL executive. [WWD]
  

• As many as 20,000 pairs of counterfeit Christian Louboutin shoes have been seized over the past month by US Customs and Border Protection officers. The agency estimates the fake shoes' value near $18 million. [Los Angeles Times]
  

• Garance Doré says the print she designed for her collaboration with Kate Spade blends New York style with Parisian chic. "I actually think I dress in even more of a French way now that I live in New York," she says. "I'm more conscious of my Frenchness!" [Vogue UK]
  

• Cathy Horyn suggests Paul Ryan, announced this week as Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate, might want to visit a tailor before the campaign is over. Of the blazer he wore when the announcement was made, she writes, "He was swimming in his coat, like Tom Hanks in Big when he becomes a kid again." [The New York Times]
  

• Emma Watson says the reason she started doing ad campaigns — notably for Burberry and Lancome — was to create "public identity for herself separate from the brainiac character of Hermione Granger." [T Magazine]

Photo courtesy of Yves Saint Laurent.

Yves Saint Laurent has named actress Jessica Chastain as the face of its upcoming fragrance, Manifesto.

"We were won over by the very subtle strength of Jessica Chastain, her solar charm, her free mind," said Stephan Bezy, international general manager of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté at L'Oréal. "Jessica embodies the quintessence of Saint Laurent's femininity, a woman of her day and age, independent, determined, never where you expect her to be."

Manifesto will launch in France this September, and should make its way to stores across Europe by the end of the year before heading to the United States in early 2013. Details about the scent's fragrance notes and pricing weren't available at the time of this post, but the fragrance shares its name with the YSL photo periodical started by former creative director Stefano Pilati.

"Yves Saint Laurent is a brand that inspires me deeply," said Chastain, whose style profile has increased with recent appearances at the Cannes Film Festival and the CFDA Awards. "Since its creation, the brand has conveyed strong values that I cherish, such as an unwavering commitment, absolute love and feminine audacity. This new fragrance is an emblem of it all. I am [excited] to be part of this beautiful adventure."