She won fans and became a fashion icon with her tales of single life in “Sex and the City,” and on Thursday Sarah Jessica Parker sparked a shopping frenzy when she unveiled her own clothing collection.

Hundreds of women queued in a New York mall to see Parker launch her Bitten label, based on her belief that it’s “every woman’s inalienable right to have a pulled-together, stylish, confident wardrobe with money left over to live.”

But while Parker’s character Carrie preferred high-end designer clothes — from Ralph Lauren, Dolce and Gabbana and Escada to Manolo Blahnik shoes — the actress’ fashion line she designed herself is considerably more affordable with $20 dresses and $10 tops.

Parker’s fashion collection is being stocked by retail chain Steve & Barry’s and the company’s Manhattan Mall store was mobbed by hundreds of mainly female shoppers, with many leaving laden down with bags of clothes.

The launch of a clothing line by Parker — whose motto is “fashion is not a luxury, it’s a right” — follows a trend of retailers hiring celebrities to help win an increasingly competitive battle for fashion-savvy mid-market shoppers.

Singers Madonna and Kylie Minogue have designed clothes for Swedish chain H&M, model Kate Moss put together a collection for Britain’s Top Shop, singer Lily Allen struck a deal with Britain’s New Look and high-end designers Stella McCartney and Josh Goot designed ranges for Target Australia.

Australian pop star Kylie Minogue will become the first woman to receive Britain’s Music Industry Trusts’ Award at a ceremony in London on Oct. 29.

The awards committee called Minogue, a breast cancer survivor whose career in music has spanned 20 years, “one of the great entertainers of all time” and “an icon of pop and style,” the BBC reported Monday.

Minogue, 38, said she was “truly thrilled” about receiving the annual award, which is in 16th year and recognizes a wide range of figures connected to the music industry, including retailers and company executives.

Previous recipients of the award include Sir Elton John and Peter Gabriel.

“As well as being a fantastic evening, this award ceremony also raises much needed funds for The Brit Trust and Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy, and it is a pleasure for me to be involved,” said Minogue.

U.S. actress Cameron Diaz arrives at the Australian Premiere of the film “Shrek the Third” at the State Theatre in Sydney May 22, 2007. [Reuters]

Hollywood party girl and reality TV star Nicole Richie will attend the third annual MTV Australia Video Music Awards later this month.

The daughter of Grammy and Academy Award winning performer Lionel Richie will accompany her Good Charlotte beau Joel Madden to the April 29 event in her first Australian visit.

The 25-year-old’s star rose after filming her travelling adventures opposite hotel heiress Paris Hilton for reality program, The Simple Life in 2003.

Since then, Richie’s personal life has been splashed across tabloid magazines around the world raising speculation on everything from her weight to who she’s dating.

Richie also made headlines following the program’s debut when she was arrested for heroin possession.

Richie joins a bevy of international talent including Black Eyed Peas frontwoman, Fergie, and Good Charlotte’s identical twins Benji and Joel Madden who are hosting the awards ceremony.

The event has also drawn other high-profile guests including punk rocker Pink, Kristen Cavallari of US TV program Laguna Beach and 30 Seconds To Mars frontman Jared Leto.

Controversial US rapper Snoop Dogg, who pleaded no contest to felony gun and drug charges last week, will make the pilgrimage back to Australia following his appearance at the Good Vibrations festival in February.

Australian singer turned Hollywood star Sophie Monk and fiancee of Benji Madden will host a red carpet special with celebrity blogger Perez Hilton and multiple ARIA award winners Eskimo Joe, dance outfit TV Rock vs Dukes of Windsor and Sneaky Sounds System will perform on the night.

Leading the charge for MTV Australia gongs is Sexy Back singer Justin Timberlake, who dominates with six nominations, while America’s punk/rock superstar Pink follows with five nominations.

Standout local artists Eskimo Joe and Wolfmother will go head-to-head for best group, while Adelaide hip-hop masters Hilltop Hoods sit alongside Eminem and Snoop Dogg in the best hip-hop video category.

Voting for the awards can be done via the Australian MTV website or by mobile phone SMS, lines closing on April 28.

Winners will be announced at the official MTV Australian Video Music Awards ceremony held at Sydney Olympic Park’s Acer Arena.

Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, at home in Australia to make a new movie, was awarded Australia’s top civil honor on Friday at a ceremony at Government House.

Kidman was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia by Governor-General Michael Jeffery for her contribution to cinema, and for her work promoting women and children’s health, and cancer research.

“It’s a pat on the back, which as a little girl is something you dream of,” Kidman told reporters after receiving her award.

The Companion of the Order of Australia is the nation’s highest honor, equivalent to an English knighthood, and is awarded for “eminent achievement and merit of the highest degree in service to Australia or humanity at large.”

Kidman was presented with her award alongside other recipients, Australian medical researchers and Nobel prize winners Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, and Australia’s top economic adviser, Treasury Secretary Ken Henry.

Kidman, a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, won a best actress Oscar in 2003 for her role in the movie “The Hours.”

Since returning to Sydney, Kidman has delighted Sydney residents by visiting the city’s annual fair, the Royal Easter Show, with her husband, country singer Keith Urban.

She also surprised horse riders in the city’s Centennial Park by going for a morning ride in a full equestrian outfit as she prepares for her role in the Baz Luhrmann directed epic romance film, “Australia,” to be filmed over the coming months.

Kidman will play an aristocratic Englishwoman who is pushed to the limits of her physical and emotional endurance in the movie, set in Australia’s outback about 60 years ago, the Australian newspaper has reported.

Rehearsals have been underway for the past week at Sydney’s Fox Studios, next to the city’s Centennial Park, where fellow Australian co-star Hugh Jackman has also been spotted practicing his horse-riding skills.

Kidman, who last worked with Luhrmann on the movie “Moulin Rouge,” thanked the director on Friday for giving her a day off from rehearsals to receive her award. (AP)

Angelina Jolie is the gold standard of beauty among women seeking cosmetic surgery and that’s not about to change, a leading Hollywood surgeon has told Australian specialists.

The US movie star has the most requested look - exaggerated, almost cartoonish lips, eyes and cheek bones - desired by American women wanting a nip and tuck, Professor Ava Shamban says.

The Los Angeles-based cosmetic dermatologist told a gathering of 400 fellow Australian specialists that demand for this brand of exotic look is here to stay.

The UCLA academic and practising specialist made the claim during a presentation on the benefits of beauty at a national cosmetic medicine conference in Melbourne today.

Good-looking people marry more, marry better, earn more and are assisted more readily by strangers, and studies have shown that even babies prefer to look at attractive faces, she said.

Thanks to cosmetic surgery, “we can now hold onto our beauty for longer”, Professor Shamban said, but she warned that as the artists of this generation, surgeons must take their role seriously.

Australian College of Cosmetic Surgery president Michael Zacharia said requests for Jolie’s looks were becoming increasingly frequent.

He said the trend was probably helped by a growth in non-surgical treatments, predominantly Botox, to flatten creases, and dermal fillers to plump up sagging skin - both of which aid in “enhancing” features.

Sydney-based sexual health psychologist Professor Jane Ussher said the trend was concerning because Jolie’s looks were statistically abnormal.

Hollywood movie star Nicole Kidman has denied reports that she is pregnant after arriving home in Australia with country crooner husband Keith Urban to start work on a new film.

The claim that she was expecting Urban’s child, published in Britain’s News of the World tabloid, was dismissed as “100 percent not true” by Kidman’s publicist, Australian media reported Monday.

Kidman will start working with Australian director Baz Luhrmann this week on location in the country’s remote and sparsely populated “outback” on a romantic adventure epic entitled “Australia”, which co-stars Hugh Jackman.

The 39-year-old Oscar-winning star of “The Hours” and Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge” has two children, Isabella and Connor, who she adopted with her former husband, actor
Tom Cruise.

Urban, who married Kidman in an elaborate ceremony in Sydney last year, is due to start a concert tour of Australia next month.

She’s turned her hand to underwear, now Kylie Minogue is set to bring the great Aussie cossie to the world.

The singer has taken on the role of bikini babe for European fast fashion giant H&M, putting the finishing stitches to a new swimwear line last week.

Minogue has been spotted visiting the Swedish headquarters of the fashion giant.

After jetting back from a two-week trip to Melbourne, Kylie was back to work on the 15-piece collection of costumes and kaftans.

“It has been a great experience to work with H&M on creating this summer range,” she said.

“To me it is all about summer indulgence, effortless chic and lots of fun.”

While the range will not be retailed in Australia, it is expected to be hot property on internet auction sites, like the trend set by designer Stella McCartney’s limited edition range for Target last month.

H&M set the pace with designer collaborations when McCartney first created a line for the chain two years ago.

Since then, “cheap and chic” stock by Chanel’s Karl Lagerfeld, Viktor & Rolf and most recently Madonna have set sales records for the label around the world.

Model Kate Moss is the next celeb set to start her own fashion frenzy with a line for UK chainstore Top Shop next month.

The limited H&M Loves Kylie line will also go on sale in May, with Minogue to front the label’s advertising campaign. (Daily Telegraph)