• Indonesia is trying to ban miniskirts under new anti-pornography laws. Says Suryadharma Ali, the country’s minister for religious affairs, “There must be a set of universal criteria to define something as pornographic, of which one will be when someone wears a skirt above the knee.” So, no fall 2012 Proenza Schouler skirts for you, Indonesia. [HuffPo]
• Driven by his “passion for yoga,” Russell Simmons will now sell activewear under a new brand called “Tantris.” [WWD]
• See the new and slightly prom-themed Vogue Italia covers. Worried high school principals had better add “furry masks” to their lists of unacceptable formalwear, fast. [Fashin]
• Victoria Beckham says she stands in as a fit model for her own clothing line because she represents the “general public.” Wouldn’t that be nice? [NYDN]
• Chinese businesspeople hoping to cash in on American firms are registering names such as Kardashian, J.Crew, Justin Bieber, Oprah Winfrey, and Angry Birds. This “trademark squatting” is legal in China — and if U.S. companies want to use their own names in the Chinese market, they will probably have to pay the holder for the rights. [LAT]
• Starting April 1, New York state will restore a sales tax exemption for footwear and clothing purchases less than $110 (New York City already exempts these taxes). [WWD]
• Material Wrld, a New York-based fashion start-up launching later this spring, debuted a promotional campaign this week that allows users to buy items from fashion people like The Man Repeller, designer Steven Alan, and the cofounders of Dannijo. [BetaBeat]
• Now Peter Cook’s ex-girlfriend adds her 10 cents to the drama between him and Christie Brinkley, his ex-wife. “Peter is an amazing father, and I am certain he still is,” she says. “He was always there for Sailor and Jack and would stop the world just to make them happy… while he may have fallen short of being ‘Husband of the Year,’ that should not take away from the fact that he is an amazing dad to his children.” [NYP]
• Emilio Pucci’s vice-president and image director, Laudomia Pucci, will be named Chevalier de l’Ordre des Art et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) during a ceremony in Paris on Friday. [WWD]
• Miranda Kerr models in Brooklyn for an editorial in Harper’s Bazaar. [Fashion Gone Rogue]