Fashion

The company behind the Kardashian shoe line is adamant ... there is NO CHILD LABOR taking place in any of its China factories ... claiming it's never even been contacted by the "agency" making the claim.

Robert Shapiro -- the famous lawyer-turned-entrepreneur who owns ShoeDazzle -- tells TMZ ... his team has invested tons of time, energy and money to ensure the factories are operating in good standard.

One of the people who has personally visited the factories is ShoeDazzle COO Deborah Benton .... who tells us "This issue of child labor is of paramount importance to us. We've been very focused on this from the very beginning."

She adds, "Factories are routinely inspected and always pass inspection."

Benton says the company has a full-time employee -- who graduated from UCLA -- who moved his family to China ... with the specific task of checking the factories on a daily basis. Benton says she's never received a report of "slave labor" conditions.

The Kardashians -- who make millions of bucks off of their fashion lines -- use "slave labor" and turn a blind eye to shocking working conditions ... this according to a news report.

A human rights group is investigating claims that workers in China -- as young as 16 -- are working in squalid conditions to manufacture merchandise for the K-Dash by Kardashian label, the Kris Jenner Kollection and ShoeDazzle, according to a Star Magazine investigation.

The institute for Global Labour and Human Rights confirms with TMZ ... they have launched an investigation, amidst claims the Kardashians' products are produced in factories reeking of stench from sewage, with temperatures north of 100 degrees. An official from the organization tells TMZ, conditions in the area are "horrific."

There are also claims the employees work up to 84 hours a week, earning $1 an hour. The Kardashians rake in approximately $65 million a year.

Kris Jenner tells TMZ ... the factories manufacture a number of products unrelated to Kardashian lines. Jenner adds, "As far as I know the factories that are used to manufacture the Kardashian clothing and shoes have nothing terrible going on at all and the factories are very well policed and meet factory standards." Kris says she has not visited the factories in China.

With her son Peter nowhere in sight, supermodel Stephanie Seymour showed off her lovely girls in a sexy tan bikini in St. Barts on Tuesday.

The 43-year-old is hanging on by a string ... and what a gorgeous string it is.

Croatian soccer star Darijo Srna soaked his smooth, ripped muscles in baby blue man-panties while on the beach in Barbados on Monday.

The 29-year-old has a lot of support.

Britney Spears will finally show off her engagement ring TONIGHT -- but before it goes public, she's holding a private gathering in Vegas to give her friends and family the first peek ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... the intimate event will take place at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino BEFORE Jason Trawick's big celebratory dinner.

We're told the owner of the PH -- Robert Earl -- will personally attend the event ... and plans to make a toast to the happy couple.

"Modern Family" hot mama Sofia Vergara left little to the imagination by rockin' a pair of see-through black tights and showing off her bootyful side ... and front ... while heading to her SUV in L.A. on Wednesday.

Abercrombie & Fitch is trying to end their ongoing feud with The Situation once and for all -- asking a judge to dimiss the "Jersey Shore" star's lawsuit against the clothing company ... on grounds dude can't take a joke.

The war between Sitch and A&F began back in August -- when A&F publicly offered to pay The Situation NOT to wear its clothing. A month later, Sitch sued the company, claiming it ripped off his "GTL" and "Situation" trademarks on a line of guido-mocking t-shirts (below).

But now, A&F is trying to put an end to the back-and-forth -- claiming Sitch had no right to sue them in the first place ... because he doesn't technically own the trademarks in question ... he only applied for them.

What's more -- A&F claims Situation's application for "Gym Tan Laundry" has actually been suspended ... because MTV already owns "Gym Tanning Laundry," and the US Patent & Trademark Office thinks they're too similar.

But trademarks aside -- A&F insists its shirts are still protected under a law that allows parody as part of free speech ... in other words, the shirts were obviously a harmless joke ... albeit at the Situation's expense.

Kim Kardashian just dropped $65k to outbid a gang of serious jewelry nuts for 3 unbelievable jade and diamond bracelets that used to belong to Elizabeth Taylor ... TMZ has learned.

Taylor's entire collection of rare and expensive jewelry was auctioned off in NYC this week for a whopping $116 MILLION ... and Kim was one of the bidders.

Sources close to KK tell TMZ ... Kim idolized Taylor -- especially after Kim did a magazine interview with Liz for a project shortly before her death. So when Kim saw LT's 3 jade and diamond Lorraine Schwartz bangle bracelets on the auction block, she snatched 'em up for a cool $64,900.

We're told Kim believes jade harnesses energy ... and now that she owns the bracelets, KK feels she will share a deeper connection to the Hollywood icon.

Kim is not in possession of the jewelry yet ... but she's expected to get 'em sometime in the next few days.

Newly-minted Playboy model Lindsay Lohan just arrived at court for her probation progress report -- and she means business ... dressed like a boob-shy librarian in a buttoned-up cardigan and slacks.

Behave.

An engagement ring Roman Polanski gave to Sharon Tate before she was murdered by the Manson family in 1969 has been auctioned off ... and TMZ has learned it raked in more than $21k.

The ring was surrounded in controversy -- with Tate's sister insisting it wasn't Sharon's "official" engagement ring -- but rather an "unofficial symbol of her relationship" with Polanski.

The auction house later produced a letter signed by Polanski, contradicting Tate's sister.

The controversy didn't seem to matter when the ring hit the block at the GottaHaveRockandRoll.com auction -- because the item sold for $21,260 ... well over the $10,000 starting bid.

So far, the identity of the big winner has not been revealed.

Although she once claimed to be a lesbian, controversial singer Sinead O'Connor celebrated her 45th birthday by marrying a man for the fourth time at a drive-thru wedding in Las Vegas yesterday.

Wearing a demure tattoo-revealing low-cut pink gown, Sinead walked down the aisle back of a Cadillac with fiancé Barry Herridge, 38, at the notorious Little White Wedding Chapel -- the same spot Britney Spears said I do to Jason Alexander in 2004.

As the happily married couple exited the chapel ... no one threw ripped up pics of the Pope.

Queen Elizabeth couldn't keep her usual stoic composure and cracked a rare smile upon meeting some wigged out judges in London on Wednesday.

Not sure what to wear while in NYC on Monday, adorable 11-year-old Willow Smith decided to put on everything in her closet.

All Kardashian women may not be created equal ... but one of the biggest nail polish companies on the planet is sure paying them like they are ... and get this -- even the half-sisters are raking in BIG MONEY.

TMZ has learned ... all 6 K-ladies (Kris, Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kylie and Kendall) inked a deal with OPI back in March to become spokeswomen for a Kardashian line of nail polish ... featuring colors like:

Sealed with a Kris -- an intense dark red tone
Kim-pletely In Love – a soft, delicate pale pink hue
Khloe Had a Little Lam-Lam – an eye-catching dark emerald hue
Listen to Your Momager! – a striking deep blue tone

According to the contract, obtained by TMZ, the family was guaranteed $600,000 up front -- plus a cut of the nail polish profits.

Here's the thing ... the documents show the money is being divided EQUALLY between all of the women -- that's $100k-per-gal for all you math wizards out there.

Shocking considering Kim is in her own stratosphere when it comes to star-power ... then again, they say charity starts in the home.

Look closely ... WWE diva Kharma's new engagement ring is actually two in one -- a ring ... ON A RING -- and TMZ has obtained a pic of what might be the coolest piece of jewelry ever forged by man.

Sources close to Kharma -- real name Kia Stevens -- tell TMZ, the diva's fiance popped the question a few months ago ... and with a rock like that, it's no surprise she said yes.

No date for nuptials has been set ... but we're told Stevens (left) -- currently on maternity leave from the WWE -- is planning to tie the knot in June.

The Kardashian Klan only has eyes for themselves ... and that's why the family is threatening to take legal action against a woman who wants to use the family name to sell an eyelash-elongation product.

The product is called KardashianLash (a kind of eyelash-growing make-up thing) and the person behind the company -- named Sarah Ehrlich -- just filed a petition to trademark the name.

We spoke to Ms. Ehrlich -- who tells us, she wanted KardashianLash to help raise money to send Honduran orphans to cosmetology school (a worthy cause) ... and she didn't think the K's would mind.