In attempts to salvage her reputation with PETA for wearing a fur stole in a recent Tod’s campaign, Paltrow had this to say:

“It was a daylong photo shoot on a boat near Capri, and there were all sorts of poses with all kinds of clothes — none with fur. During one set-up, a stylist came up from behind and draped a stole around my shoulder. I didn’t pay much attention to it, and when I noticed it was fur, I assumed it was fake fur, but did not ask, so it’s my fault. I know it’s not a great excuse, but I hope you and your members understand.”

Fake fur? If you’re a multi-millionaire actress, I’m almost positive you know what real fur feels like. And really, you couldn’t feel the plush stole draped around your neck? What, do you have defective nerve endings too? Nice try Paltrow, it’s time to confess to PETA that you could care less about the fox around your neck and care more about the money in the bank.

Thanks NY Mag!

A new collection is always something to look forward to and when it is Bottega Veneta, you normally aren't disappointed. I was ready to be refreshed with a new collection only to be perturbed by more undesirables. Is this the end of an era? This intricately woven and intriguingly detailed Gorgiera Boston bag is a remarkable piece of work but all that effort is WAYYY too busy and not particularly fitting for a bag. Maybe like say, if it's the trim of a couture skirt or dress, it would be incredibly beautiful but as an overall design, it just goes overboard. That being said, the Knot clutch is slightly more acceptable and appropriate because of the smaller size but it still isn't mind blowing. It is in Karung (which is a type of snake, but it is a lesser snake skin) so the lace detailing has a bit more texture but my goodness, how much texture is too much? Wherever that gray line is, this surely goes over and beyond that point. I am a sucker for anything blue and this particular tone of Cobalt is the best thing going for it. It is vibrant yet perfectly neutral. I guess I could always go for a classic woven in this new color but I was hoping for some spectacular new shape. The Boston is on pre-order for $5860 and the Knot clutch in karung also pre-order for $2950.

One more Cruise Collection look after the jump.

What do you all think of this super duper matchy matchy trend going on? I'll tell you what I think, I hate it, it's boring. It is unimaginative and I would NEVER do it. It is like camouflage - everything just gets lost no matter how fabulous it may be. But this flowery patterned bag is not fabulous. I don't get these Cruise Collection outfits that all match like this, why must you be so coordinated when on a boat? Or on vacation? It's so specific. Even as a stand alone, this bag is awful. It's giving me a headache with the gingham and woven all mixing together. Burned Orange Marmo Boston bag, pre-order for $2350 .

©2008 Pottle Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Full Q&A is below the jump!

How did you get involved with Top Model?

My mother and I went to CW website got application, downloaded and filled it out. It was coincidental that there was a casting call a block away. We figured, what the heck, let’s go do it! We took my cousin and went to the casting call. We waited in 6-hour line with thousands of girls! We finally got to the front and got callback after callback. I got to the top 33 and made it into the house and in the final fourteen.

You seemed to be close with makeup and wardrobe people. What was that relationship like?

I’m not a serious girl and I like to have fun. When work has to get done, I’ll buckle down and do it, but I love to socialize. They are great fun backstage. There’s always laughs! The makeup artists are great and have funny stories about past experiences of people they did makeup for. The wardrobe designers are the greatest girls you’d ever meet in your life. They’d pick out the weirdest clothes and say “Sam! This is so you!” and I’d be like “Noooo!” It was the funnest time. People see me as a jokester and I’m definitely the class clown of America’s Next Top Model.

What was the weirdest outfit they out you in?

On the windmill episode, I was with Masha and we were having the funnest time. She put me in this plastic jacket. Every move I made was super-loud, like “crunch, crunch, crunch” and it was so stiff! She put clogs on me and there was cow poop and mud in them. My hair was a flying mess. I looked ridiculous. It was so outrageous and so much fun, even though my photo turned out really bad. The entire shoot was fun. Me and Sutan went on the farm and played with the cows and went into the fields and looked at the windmills. Everything backstage was so fun and so real. It wasn’t staged and that was refreshing.

On the show, you said you never felt like a pretty girl until now. How did that transform go and how did it feel?

If you ask anyone who knows me, my family, my high school, “What’s Sam Potter like?” They’d be “Oh! I know her! She’s the athlete, she’s the goofball, she won the state championships in 2007.” They never go “oh she’s a model, she’s pretty. She’s the pretty girl.” But after being put on this stage and having people tell you you are pretty it’s amazing. I’ll never get that from any other experience. Looking at pictures, thinking about everything that happened, it hit me. I am pretty, I am a model. I can do that. Hopefully agencies will look at me and see me and go “We want her.” Acting seems great too and I would love to be on either of these industries.

How did it feel to make it to the top two?

It was amazing! I had no idea that I would make it this far. I was like, “let’s try out, let’s go do this.” I saw it as an adventure and a challenge. I got in, that was a shock. Photos, shoots, modeling everything happened so fast! On panel days, I was so nervous. You never know what’s going to happen, or who id going home. It’s always a surprise, it’s always a shock. Unlike the other girls, I had no modeling experience. This show was an amazing experience, it put me out there and exposed me to this industry and now I’m ready to start my career! In the final two, you really can’t just say “I knew I was going win” or “I knew McKey was going to win”. There are so many factors. We both put ourselves out there and worked so hard. McKey is golden, always shining. She’s amazing and a fantastic model. We worked hard did our best. I have no regrets. I’m sure the judges had a hard time figuring out the winner and made their decision. It was CRAZY being in the top two!! It was so amazing. You have no idea. I didn’t see myself going that far. Everyone else was so much more a model. I was thrown into mix straight from a volleyball court. I made it this far, that’s amazing. My experience on the show was all so amazing. Seeing the recaps and the pictures, its all so amazing. I had a fantastic experience and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

What was it like walking that runway?

First of all, let me tell you about this runway. Jay was way over his head! There was an 80-degree angled mountain you had to run in order to get up it or you’d fall back and die. You had to run! It was crazy! The runway was a magical candy-land fantasy. It was so cool, so amazing. Walking in the show was very nerve-wracking. I used to run cross-country and know how to run up hills, but running up hills in 5-inch heels is not the easiest thing to do. It was really stressful, scary and hectic. But I have no regrets. It was amazing.

What did you learn from your time on the show?

I learned so much! Like, how to dress. On the show, I was getting reamed for not dressing appropriately, not having the right styles. I’m not a fashionable person. After the show, I went shopping and I have the right outfits now. I know my look now and that has helped me and now I’m a better model. People can see me as a model now and not as a everyday girl.

How did you feel about your makeover?

I loved my long hair. But as soon as they cut it and I saw myself in my first photo with short hair, I saw a totally different person. I completely respect Tyra for that. She made the right choice for me. People don’t look at me like I’m a normal girl anymore. I look like a model. It has helped me and it will help me in the future. I have kept the makeover. My hair is still pretty short. It’s grown out a bit, I have roots now, but I’ll fix that. I was upset about it at first, but the stylists told me id be high fashion, not commercials, they told me it was a chance to step up my game.

How did you feel about the judges constantly calling your look commercial?

It was frustrating. I kept taking it in and working on it. My personality plays a big part on that. I’m a bubbly happy person and that plays into the commercial presence. But I’m getting better. My windmill shoot was pretty high fashion, as were a few others. I’m becoming more versatile and I’m growing.

Which photo shoot was your favorite?

My favorite shoot was definitely the first one when we got to Amsterdam. We had to run through Amsterdam like crazy. It was like The Amazing Race Top Model style. Me and Elina got there first so we got 50 extra frames. The shoot itself was amazing. Being on the boat in middle of Amsterdam was s much fun. It was a beautiful day. The sun was out, there was a makeup artist below deck. It was so pretty outside and the photographer was great. It was so cool. I was standing on the bow at the front of the boat, on a foot of wood. If I fell off that wood, I was going to fall into the water. It was so amazing to be there. There were birds and sky and it was so amazing and I had so much fun.

How were the go-sees?

Oh my gosh. That was one of the hardest things ever. Time restraint was a huge factor. They didn’t go very fast. The boats didn’t go very fast, so there was lots of down time in the boats, which was really stressful. The designers were amazing. The people in this industry are so nice. They are genuine and they care about you. There are people who are going to judge you, but that’s part of the industry and I respect their opinions. Some of the designers thought I was too commercial for them, but that’s okay. I understand that. I can see that. Not every model has the right look for every designer. It was great to meet them and try on their clothes. It was so stressful, but one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.

What’s your favorite thing about being a model?

It’s definitely seeing yourself in a magazine or in advertising. Also, it’s knowing that people are looking at you and seeing your pictures, it’s like inspirational that people are looking at you and wanting to be you. When people look at my pictures are going “whoa” it’s such an honor to be recognized and to have the power to inspire people and influence people. It’s really cool.

Thanks for speaking with us today.

Oh, thank you! This was fun!

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©2008 Pottle Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Full Q&A is below the jump!

How did you get involved in the competition?

I auditioned for cycle nine. I was recruited from a model website and went over there. I made callbacks, but I wasn’t flown to LA. For cycle 11, another person found my myspace, and asked me to audition in LA and I did. I eventually made it to the house. So I was actually scouted both times, and I finally got in.

How did you feel about McKey’s win?

I was really excited, honestly, but I would really have liked to see Sam up there too. I know Sam put everything into the competition too, and worked so hard. They’re both great girls, so I’m happy. Hopefully she’ll work and do the title proud.

Did you expect to do so well?

I definitely HOPED going in that I was going to do really well. But every week is so nerve-wracking, and every elimination brings new fears. I never knew what to expect, or how well I’d be doing. So when I made the final three, I could — not exactly breathe — but be, like, I’m in the top 3, and that’s really incredible.

Marjorie said you weren’t portrayed entirely accurately on the show. Do you agree with that, and how do you feel about your portrayal?

I don’t agree entirely…I thought the way the girls were portrayed was accurate. They definitely focus really intensely on one aspect of your personality, so other things get lost. For example, Clark really did have a sweet side, but they didn’t focus on that, and they focused intensely on my sweet side. I think I’m a stronger person than just a peace-loving thing, but that’s how they wanted to go. I think what she meant is that they focused intensely on just one aspect of their personality, and that’s limiting. We all had a positive experience, I think.

Towards the end of competition, the judges were saying you should look at acting. What did you think of that? Is that something you want to pursue?

I think I will try to pursue both modeling and acting. I will definitely modeling on the more commercial side, which spills into acting. I love doing both so much. It’s kind of ironic that the last thing Tyra said was “You should go into acting!” when I was kind of eliminated because of my commercial. I love acting, I love modeling, hopefully I can do both.

You have a background in ice skating. Was there anything you used for your advantage?

Throughout the competition, I believe it was the mentality that helped me. It was being able to not look at the other girls and compete with them, but compete with myself. In skating, you compete with yourself, and how well you’re doing, so I really brought that to the competition. I had that background of being so competitive through my entire life, so that helped. The posing made it a challenge at first, as I took everything so literally. Mr. Jay helped me in taking my 3D poses, and making them 2D.

Was it weird not being on skates when doing theatrical things?

It was so weird! It was really frustrating, people kept saying “Use your figure skating!” But it’s a whole other ball game when you have to bring that to a photo. I think people were expecting this ballerina thing, but figure skating is different than that. It’s more athletic. I think once I just relaxed, and started to more mix the skating with modeling, it worked better.

What’s more intense: figure skating outfits or modeling outfits and make-up?

Modeling hands-down! Though I have had some crazy figure skating outfits! One time I had to wear a big unicorn head. I got really dizzy and could barely see and it was intense! But I think some of the hair and make-up I had during the competition was more exaggerated and crazy than figure skating outfits could ever be.

After doing so well in the first commercial, how did it feel to not perform at the same level in the second commercial?

It felt like crap, to be honest. I disappointed myself. I was so excited for the Covergirl commercial. I knew I could rock it. They could pick on my modeling, but I knew they liked the way I acted. But then I got on set, and it was NOTHING, and my heart was breaking, and I couldn’t stop crying. I couldn’t remember the lines, when before I had them down PERFECTLY. I just couldn’t get over the fact I was blowing it.

What did you think your chances were of making top two after the commercial?

All the girls said they didn’t do well on their commercials, so I really wasn’t sure. I knew Sam and McKey had such strong features so I knew their photos would turn out well. I think I knew that McKey would go through, but I really wasn’t sure between Sam and I. I got into panel, saw my picture and commercial, and my critique was bad, but so was Sam’s. So I really had no idea until Tyra spoke to both of us. After she said her bit to me, I just closed my eyes, and I knew that was going. But until then, I still had a strong belief I could still be in the running.

How do you think you would have done on the crazy runway?

The runway is one of my strongest things. I think I had one of the best runway walks. I don’t think they showed it, but Tyra said I had the best way back during the last panel. I knew I could do that runway so well, but Sam and McKey rocked it as well. I think it would have been a blast for me to do it too.

How did you feel about your makeover? Did you keep it?

I’m still pretty blonde! I miss my brown hair, that’s my natural color, and I never had it this blond before. I kinda feel a little more average California now, whereas before I felt more… unique. I miss my brown hair. I thought they were going to go darker on me, but then I opened my eyes and… blonde. But blonde hair matches clothing so much better, so it’s okay.

Did you feel that you got enough training throughout the competition from the judges?

They gave really good information back, and it’s really helpful. You can’t take everything that they say to heart. You have to find yourself in what they’re saying. Some of it can be overwhelming, but you definitely learn a lot. I think modeling is really kind of a long learning process. So many times and aspects and situations, there’s no way you can learn how to be a perfect model. There is no such thing as a perfect model, because nobody fits everything.

How did you feel about the Go-sees in the boat? Was it difficult to get around?

Oh, goodness. When they told us the go-sees were going to be in a boat, all of us had this dreadful look. We knew how expansive the city was, and how slow the boats can be. The boats were really frustrating, because they only went so fast, and you really had to schedule your time carefully. I played it safe and only made it to three designers, but I ended up winning the challenge because of that, because I didn’t go over time. On the other hand, it was a really great way to get out there and see the city, so that was really great.

What was your favourite photo shoot throughout the entire competition?

There were a lot that were good. I had a few favourites. My top two were ironically not the ones I did the best on. My first favourite was the beach shoot with the bathing suit, that I shot in the water. It was such a relaxed day, and everyone was happy. All the girls were sitting out and tanning. It was really the first time we all got to relax together. Of course, I ended up in the bottom two, but it was still a fun shoot! My second favourite was the shoot with Tyra. It was really down to earth, and she’s a great photographer. It was the first time we got to show our ability to Tyra, which was great but also intense and nerve-wracking. And I loved the high fashion side, with the hair and the make-up and the crazy poses.

Do you like that kind of high fashion in comparison to more commercial shoots?

I like both. I like the make-up and the hair and the crazy outfits of high fashion. But I think I’m better at commercial. So I think I’ll get to do some of both. I like both aspects, and I can’t really choose.

What did you think of Paulina’s comment that your Covergirl photo looked like a headshot?

Lots of judges said my face was too commercial and not strong enough. It was hard to hear, because what can I do about it? This is my face, it was what I was given. I happen to like my face! It wasn’t a very helpful critique, because it wasn’t like “This isn’t a great angle for you” but rather “we don’t like your face”, but I took it as best I could. And, hey, maybe I will use it as a headshot, because I definitely will be pursuing acting. [laughs]

Marjorie said during her interview last week that you overreacted during the party. Did you think you were doing the right thing?

The boys were EXTREMELY drunk, falling down stairs and setting things on fire. Marjorie was in the bathtub with her clothes on with a boy with not-the-best intentions. I don’t think I overreacted. I think overreacting would have been screaming for everyone to get out at the top of my lungs and I didn’t do that. I have dealt with people who have constantly been drunk throughout my life, so I knew how to handle the situation. I just didn’t want Marjorie to do something on national television that she would regret.

Thank you for talking to us today!

Thank you!

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I live in Saratoga with my boyfriend, and we are very much “need to be doing something”, outdoor, crazy fun people. We are both in transition with our friends, and not sure that they exactly fit who we are now (many were high school friends still stuck there), so when we do things, it is mainly just us. In the summer we always had something to do whether it was hanging out on the porch, boat, or golfing and biking. It seems though with the cold setting in and the light disappearing so quickly in the afternoon and no snow on the ground, our activities have been cut back significantly. Do you have any ideas on things to do. Like I said we like to be busy most of the time, so with doing so many things, we try to keep things cheap so we can have options throughout the week. We snowboard, but we still have a month before we can actually start that, and it will most likely not be an everyday thing during the week. Anything you or your readers can pass along is appreciated.

A boat neck and ruched shoulders make this long sleeve cashmere sweater ($130, was $260) just a bit different from other favorite sweaters.

Heather grey cashmere ($122.50, was $245) looks great with dark denim.

More sales and deals on the web:

As seen in the SheFinds forum: Save on totes, clutches, makeup bags and more at writeonandmore.com’s pre-holiday sald.

15% off all fine jewelry at Netaya with coupon code AFHOL8.

Save 20% on all-weather rain boots at Piperlime.

The sample sale scoop – shop these sales today for huge savings:

Francesco Biasia bags at Editors’ Closet

Plenty by Tracy Reese, Emma & Posh, and Beyond Yoga at Hautelook

Alice + Olivia and AG Jeans at Gilt Groupe

Goldenbleu shoes at ideeli. Use invite code shefinds.com.

Penguin at Rue La La

It is also very important to store you investment properly.  Choose nice hangers to hang items and if folding and storing use acid free tissue paper. Keep your investment spotlessly clean. If it is dry clean only get it regularly cleaned pointing out any stains/ marks to the dry cleaner in advance. If you do need to remove stains, there are some great tips on Fabric Link

I would definitely invest in this lovely boat neck cashmere jumper, but I would look after it better this time.

Cozy-sexy lingerie for a come-hither Christmas morning

I always claim my fashion style to be casual and chic, coz I guess that describes my personality best. So if you’re in the same boat as me, I think we should both take a look at this Free People woven dress. First of all, it’s made of cotton and it’s designed with dot mesh overlay and metallic embellishment empire waist. Doesn’t it look casual and chic at the same time? You bet!

Available in Turquoise, Grey/Silver, Sherbet, and Black/Silver, this lovely dress is tagged at US$108.

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