FASHION Magazine

When Spice Girls sang “2 becomes 1” back in 1996, Posh, Scary, Sporty, Ginger and Baby had no clue what they were crooning about. A weekend binge of Netflix’s latest series, Love, proves it. The show debuts on February 19 and Judd Apatow—the man who piloted projects such as Freaks and Geeks, This Is 40 […]

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When Piper Kerman confessed to her friends that she—a self-described “nice blonde lady” living in the bourgie side of Brooklyn—was going to jail for laundering money for a drug kingpin, they laughed at her. It took weeks to convince some of her inner circle that her conviction wasn’t a joke.

Nobody was laughing when she was handcuffed and sent to a federal correctional facility in Danbury, Conn., for 15 months in February 2004, more than a decade after she committed the crime—a time she calls her wild, experimental 20s. Kerman’s past almost destroyed her relationships with her unknowing fiancé, friends and family.

“It’s an indelible experience,” Kerman says from her office in New York, where she now works at a communications firm. “It makes such an impression on you that you can’t leave it behind. I think about it all the time.”

While serving her sentence, Kerman was meticulous about taking notes, chronicling her fish-out-of-water-and-into-frying-pan story for what would become her best-selling 2010 memoir, Orange Is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison. The book’s newfound popularity has inspired a Netflix series by Weeds creator Jenji Kohan.

“The series is an adaptation, so there are some wild departures from the actual events recounted in my book,” admits Kerman, who was brought into the project to consult. “Some of the scenes are just as exciting or funny or horrifying for me to watch as they might be for other viewers.” An episode directed by Jodie Foster had Kerman recalling the sometimes startling, sometimes humorous moments she encountered while navigating the social protocols at her prison’s mess hall.

Actress Taylor Schilling was chosen to play Piper Chapman, a Kerman-esque character, for the series. Rather than imitate the woman she got to know behind the cameras, the 28-year-old Bostonian—best known for roles in Argo and The Lucky One—decided to find common ground between them.

“Being in [jail] is akin to learning the rules of a country club,” Schilling says during the shooting of Orange Is the New Black’s last episode in New York City. “This isn’t a show like Oz. It’s a different beast altogether.” Instead of portraying a violent, stereotypical view of prison life, the scripts emphasize the dramas surrounding class and status issues in prison.

See all 5 Valentine’s Day date ideas! »

With a few days to go ’til February 14, it’s time to get your Valentine’s Day plans in motion. First, let your friends, family and significant other feel the stylish love with our adorable eCard valentines, which were created in conjunction with Worn Fashion Journal. (So take a moment to send a few, we’ll wait!) Next, if there are any Valentine’s Day gifts to cross off your list, check out our complete guide to gifts for your boyfriend, girlfriend and best friend—or even yourself, if you feel so inclined! And of course, what would a guide to Valentine’s Day from FASHION be without a little style advice? Our Style Panel has 10 suggestions for what to wear on February 14, including the best ways to match all those red and pink items in your closet.

But wait! Now that you’ve sent your valentines, bought some gifts and dressed the part, what are you actually going to do for Valentine’s Day? Whether you’re spending the day with yourself, treating your best friend to a night of fun or getting romantic with a special date, we have five foolproof suggestions. Our Valentine’s Day dates include custom cocktails, twirl-worthy skating outfits and a surefire way to spend the night snuggled in the comfort of your couch. Ready to get romantic? Read on.