Memo Pad: Campbell's Next Shot... Stepping Out... Weddings Made Simple

CAMPBELL'S NEXT SHOT: Naomi Campbell seems to have made it her mission to get the scoop on South America's political elite. Her interview with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez — Campbell's first as British GQ's newest contributing editor — appeared in the magazine earlier this month, and the model has her sights set just as high for her future interview subjects.

A meeting with Fidel Castro is already in the works (Campbell first met the Cuban president in the Nineties) and now sources say Argentina is next on her hit list. Word is the model hopes to nab Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who was elected president of Argentina in December, for a grilling. Since Campbell and Chavez are said to be dating following their tête-à-tête, perhaps he's employing her to facilitate his vision of uniting South America, which he detailed at length in his interview with the model. And, while the chic Kirchner, if she grants an interview, is bound to talk fashion with Campbell, will she dish about the maletinazo, or "suitcase scandal," a mysterious hoard of cash the U.S. alleges was meant as an illegal contribution to her campaign? The allegation has caused America's relations with Argentina to deteriorate and brought Kirchner and Chavez closer together. — Nina Jones

STEPPING OUT: Sigerson Morrison is rolling out its first ad campaign in February fashion magazines, thanks to a cash infusion from Marc Fisher LLC, a Greenwich, Conn.-based footwear firm that purchased a majority stake more than a year ago. A spokeswoman noted the media buy will "start small," adding that the company plans to allocate $500,000 a season. The first images, which were shot by Fabien Baron and styled by Karl Templer, will be seen in Vogue, and internationally in Paris Vogue, Italian Vogue, Japanese Vogue, Another and i-D. Baron also worked on creating a new brand identity for the company. "The moment we decided to grow in this direction, we thought of Fabien," said Kari Sigerson and Miranda Morrison. "We knew he and his talented team would help us find the visual language to explain to the indoctrinated who we are and what we are about. We also knew that he would give us the most amazing images that would be perfect for us." Baron also encouraged the brand to feature German model Hartje Andresen in the ads. "He really pushed for her, so we said yes. I mean, how do you say no to Fabien?" — Amy Wicks

WEDDINGS MADE SIMPLE: Real Simple is thought to be an authority on cleaning and organization, but this month, the Time Inc. title will publish "Real Simple Weddings," a planning guide to all aspects of the big day. The guide will be sold at Crate and Barrel stores for $12.95 until Jan. 28, and then at any bookstore that carries bridal magazines. Crate and Barrel is the sole advertiser in the issue and created new print ads exclusive to the weddings title. Realsimple.com recently enhanced its site to include weddings content from the book, which lives under a new celebrations section on the site. With all the weddings magazines and how-to guides already in bookstores, why did Real Simple, which has never published weddings content, publish its own bridal guide? "We're all about making life easier, so we've covered home, food, fashion," said publisher Steve Sachs. "We know the wedding planning process is stressful, and while there are many wedding planning products, none of them tackle it from the position of making life easier." Sachs explained that weddings were the second most popular search topic on Real Simple's Web site, though, prior to last week, it produced no information on the topic. Even competitors acknowledged Real Simple's organizational approach was a good start for brides-to-be. "Part of wedding planning is about organization, but it goes much further than that. Style and design, personalizing your wedding and etiquette are all important details," said Theresa DiMasi, editor of Brides.com.

The magazine already does two annual special issues, Real Simple Family and Real Simple Travel. It will not publish a third annual special, Real Simple Food, this year. — Stephanie D. Smith