Oxford Declares 'Selfie' Word of the Year: For its 2013 Word of the Year, Oxford Dictionaries selected the infamous term 'selfie,' beating out other popular contenders including 'twerk,' 'binge-watch,' and 'showrooming.' Oxford officially defines 'selfie' as "(n.) a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website." Although the word has yet to be added to the Oxford English Dictionary, it did make it into the dictionary's online version in August. Oxford defended its decision by explaining that the use of the word 'selfie' has increased 17,000% in the last 12 months and has become a cultural phenomenon. Oxford traced the word's origin back to 2002, when an Australian first used the term to describe his or her photo of a drunken lip injury. [Time]
Barneys to Debut Holiday Windows via Instagram: Barneys New York announced Tuesday that it will be launching its holiday window display via Instagram this year. Starting Wednesday at 10 a.m. EST, the store will post a ten-second video of each of the interactive, multi-dimensional window features—without merchandise—to its official Instagram account. The social media move comes one day after the store cancelled its holiday party fundraiser with Jay Z, following allegations of racial profiling against the retailer. This makes Barneys the first major retailer to use social media to extend a typically New York holiday event to a global audience. [WWD]
Kering Invests in Bottega Veneta's Tomas Maier: French conglomerate Kering will invest in Tomas Maier, the current creative director of Bottega Veneta, to develop his namesake brand from swimwear and knits into a full lifestyle range. Maier told WWD, "I could not imagine a better partner than Kering for the Tomas Maier brand." Although the designer founded his epynomous label in 1997, he is best known for elevating Bottega Veneta to luxury status after joining the label in 2001. [The Telegraph]
Queen Elizabeth II's Favorite Nail Polish: For a woman who could conceivably have whatever she wants, Queen Elizabeth II only wants one color for her nails: Ballet Slipper pink polish by Essie. According to the brand's website, Queen Elizabeth's hairdresser sent a letter to the president and founder of Essie, Essie Weingarten, in 1989 requesting a bottle of the pale pink polish as it was "the only color Her Majesty would wear." [Huffington Post]
