Monique Lhuillier shows off abaya-like cape at New York Fashion Week

The Los Angeles-based Filipino designer Monique Lhuillier showcased her latest collection at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) on Saturday. Her standout piece was a black silk taffeta cape adorned with fuchsia baroque embroidery, which will remind many of the abaya. This Monique “is very dramatic this season, very mysterious. Lots of textures. Lots of different lengths and silhouettes and a lot of intricate details with a twist”, the designer said backstage

Valentino apologises to Amy Adams

The fashion house Valentino has apologised for touting in an email blast to journalists that one of their pricey bags was carried by Amy Adams as she stepped from a car at the wake of Philip Seymour Hoffman. Much was made of the promotional email sent Friday, complete with two photos of Adams outside the Thursday wake. Valentino said in a statement that the company didn't realise the photos were snapped at the sad gathering of loved ones for Hoffman. "We sincerely regret releasing a photo to the media. It was an innocent mistake and we apologise to Ms Adams who was not aware, or a part of, our PR efforts." – AP

Kapoor takes to the street

On Friday, the actor Ranbir Kapoor headed to Pune, a city near Mumbai, to sell vada pao. Kapoor spent the day selling the popular Indian street snack outside DY Patil College. The money will go towards the treatment of a 10-year-old girl battling cancer, who features on an episode of Mission Sapne, a new reality show on Colors TV. – The National staff

David O Russell’s Oscar magic

The American Hustle stars Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper say their director David O Russell's "raw" atmosphere and risk-taking were behind the film's 10 Oscar nominations. At the Berlin Film Festival on Friday, the two actors said Russell's remarkable haul of Hollywood honours was down to the fact that he was an actors' filmmaker. "You don't feel like you're really alone in the process, he's right there with you emotionally," Cooper said. The Oscar ceremony will be held on March 2. – AFP

Eastwood saves man from choking

Clint Eastwood rescued a choking guest at a California reception. "Clint saved my life," Steve John told The Carmel Pine Cone. During a reception on Wednesday for a golf tournament in Carmel-by-the-Sea, John got a piece of cheese stuck in his windpipe. "Suddenly, I couldn't breathe. Clint came up behind me, and he knew exactly what to do." Eastwood told the local paper: "I gave him three good jolts, and that got it out." Eastwood confessed he'd never performed the Heimlich manoeuvre in real life before, "except to practise". – AFP