FASHION Magazine

Known for her cool characters and demure smiles on the red carpet, Rooney Mara can now add fragrance film star to her resume. The highly anticipated Downtown Calvin Klein campaign video came out today and Mara’s performance justifies a repeat viewing.

Directed by David Fincher, the cinematic clip follows the Academy Award nominated actress’s hectic lifestyle in New York City. From shooting scenes on a movie set to appearing at press conferences, the short film captures a side of Mara we rarely see. In that, she’s actually smiling. A lot.

Rooney Mara has once again teamed up with David Fincher, but this time it’s for a campaign for Calvin Klein’s newest women’s fragrance, Downtown Calvin Klein. Described as a perfume for “women that live by their own rules,” Mara’s no-nonsense persona and demure, moody looks make her a natural choice for the face of the brand.

The perfume—which is described as a balance of feminine woodsy scents with soft floral notes—hits counters in July, just as the Fincher-directed campaign will debut on television screens across the country. Mara and Fincher have worked together on both The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network and the short film for Downtown Calvin Klein will have a similar cinematic appeal. The black and white campaign (which is set to Yeah Yeah Yeahs song “Runaway”) shows Mara traversing through New York City and “living in her own world, breaking away from the ‘expected.’”

Word: Hacker

Meaning: Someone who uses computers and technology to gain unlawful access to data; someone who uses that access to mess with the digital world.

Usage: “Computer hackers are frequently denigrated as mere digital pranksters. But some are now finding they have the power to change the world for good” — from the dek of a Guardian piece by The Revolution Will Be Digitised–author, Heather Brooks.

Today, we’re taking a look back at the year that was by counting down the top 10 beauty moments, developments, trends, and more. From Topshop to Tom Ford, they’re all inside!

View our top 10 »

Featured from left to right: Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream skin protectant ($25, at Shoppers Drug Mart) was used to give skin a sheen in A Single Man. Shu Uemura Essence Absolue nourishing protective oil ($68, shuuemura.com) makes damaged strands “shine like baby hair,” says Cornell. Chapstick ($3, at Shoppers Drug Mart) in “Cherry” is offers’ go-to lip tint.

Almost every season, Hollywood has a way of asserting its influence on the runways, with leading ladies from contemporary and iconic films inspiring makeup and hair at several shows. For Fall 2011 alone, makeup artist Val Garland painted a smoky eye at Sophie Theallet to evoke a modern-day Faye Dunaway in Bonnie and Clyde, while at Dsquared, she channelled Nicole Kidman in Cold Mountain. And Garland wasn’t the only one mining imdb for muses. Hairstylist Eugene Souleiman had Hailee Steinfeld in mind while he weaved what he refers to as “Amish/True Grit braids” at Kenzo.

By Siofan Davies, Rani Sheen and Lesa Hannah

The Oscars air this Sunday, and let’s be frank: It’s a competition determined by a bunch of narcissists—is the piece important enough, is the actor deserving, what does it mean within the context of cinema in America? We won’t be considering these lofty questions, but rather, who do we want to win? (In the Best Foreign Language category, it’s obvious: Canada’s Denis Villeneuve and Incendies FTW!)

The voters are…

Siofan Davies, assistant editor/research and cynical film-industry watcher
Rani Sheen, features editor and lover of good stories
Lesa Hannah, beauty director and ringmistress of FASHION’s annual Oscar pool

Let the games begin!