Fashion

LaVar Ball is finally showing his hand -- not that it wasn't obvious -- his endgame with Donald Trump is to line his pockets with profits for his Big Baller Brand.

We got LaVar Friday at the New York Grill in Ontario, CA, and he's reveling over his feud with Trump. LaVar was with sons Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo.

It isn't lost on him that he got the equivalent of $13 million in free advertising when he earned Trump's wrath by saying the Prez didn't really assist in getting LiAngelo out of Chinese custody.

LaVar thinks Trump needs a pair of ZO2's for his sanity ... and we're sure LaVar would be more than happy to send him a pair.

Does this look like a man under attack by the President Of the United States?!

LaVar Ball was all smiles at the Staples Center on Tuesday -- cheesin' it up with his wife at the Lakers game ... hours before Donald Trump dissed him on Twitter again.

So, why the big smile?

LaVar's having a pretty good week -- he messed with Chris Cuomo on CNN, out-Trumped Trump in front of the world (according to Mark Cuban), and his son is home from China.

Not to mention, Big Baller Brand's new ZO2 shoes are finally about to drop. So the real question is ...

Why wouldn't he smile?

This year's Victoria's Secret Fashion show was bittersweet because Alessandra Ambrosio took her final VS catwalk Sunday night in Shanghai.

Right before the gig, the 36-year-old announced she'd be hanging up her wings after a 17-year run. Still, the spotlight was, at least momentarily, stolen by Ming Xi who went down like a sack of wet cement on the runway.

Bella Hadid, Sara Sampaio, Adriana Lima, Candice Swanepoel, Lily Aldridge also did their thing ... no falls though.

Lais Ribeiro got to rock the $2 million Fantasy Bra, while Harry Styles and Miguel performed. The show will air next week on CBS.

'Victoria's Secret Fashion Show' fans are getting scammed into dropping tens of thousands of dollars for a prized ticket to the China show ... and we've learned the tickets aren't worth the paper they're printed on.

We did some digging and found out the company behind the show is not selling tickets ... the real tickets are free by invitation only.

The Chinese equivalent to eBay is now littered with offers to purchase tickets ... we found the rock-bottom price was $7,000 and the highest was a staggering $35,000 which supposedly got you a seat in the first 5 rows. And get this for audacious ... the $35k includes a phantom afterparty.

Other fake listings promise front row seats and claim Taylor Swift and Harry Styles will be performing. Not true.

Producers are trying to scrub the fake offers from the online marketplace, but they're still up.

The 2017 'Victoria's Secret Fashion Show' will air November 28 on CBS.

Gigi Hadid will NOT be walking the runway for Victoria's Secret in China -- despite saying she would this summer -- and folks think it's got something to do with her mocking Asians.

Gigi announced Thursday she "won't be able to make it to China this year," adding she'd be there in spirit with her VS family, and couldn't "wait for next year!"

The model didn't elaborate as to why she was bailing, but people online couldn't help but point to the backlash she caught earlier this year when she imitated a Buddha face online ... which many people called racist and insensitive.

Again, Gigi hasn't explained the reason behind her cancellation ... but either way, it looks like she's walking this one all the way back ... not on the runway, though.

Quick side note ... it appears her sister, Bella, is still planning to appear in Shanghai.

The countdown is on for Serena Williams -- her wedding is TONIGHT in New Orleans ... and her wedding dress has arrived just in time!

Photogs captured a bunch of pre-wedding deliveries on Wednesday -- including a woman carrying what appears to be a wedding dress bag.

To be honest, there could be anything in there ... how the hell do we know ... but the self-proclaimed wedding and dress experts in our office are adamant that's a wedding dress bag. So, there you have it.

Besides that ... decorations, gifts and other important things were delivered on Wednesday.

We're told the guest list for the Thursday night wedding is insane -- we're talking a crazy amount of A-Listers.

9:25 AM PT -- Serena's BFF, Caroline Wozniacki, is already in town. The tennis star attended the rehearsal dinner at Meril restaurant in New Orleans with her NBA star fiance, David Lee, on Wednesday night.

LaVar Ball tells TMZ Sports he expects to have an encounter with President Trump now that he's back in the U.S. ... and he expects it to go well.

"We're gonna run into each other. We'll be good," LaVar said after touching down at LAX Wednesday night with his youngest son, LaMelo.

The Big Baller was clearly being careful with his words -- and for good reason -- since his son LiAngelo is still in the middle of an international incident after shoplifting in China.

It seems LaVar is confident everything is going to be okay ... and he's using the media attention to put a spotlight on his favorite thing in the world -- Big Baller Brand!!!

Just how bloody was Dustin Poirier's UFC war with Anthony Pettis on Saturday??

Picture a Tarantino movie -- then put it inside the Octagon -- 'cause Dustin told TMZ Sports he was still cleaning plasma out of his ears 3 DAYS AFTER THE FIGHT.

"My hair was matted with blood ... my back, my shins, everything was covered. I'm still cleaning blood out of my ears right now."

Poirier says he could literally smell Pettis' blood on him during the fight -- and he ENJOYED it 'cause he's a straight savage.

But Dustin's got a softer side too ... the lightweight stud's auctioning off all his "Fight Night 120" gear, with 100% of the cash going to the family of a fallen cop.

Like blood?? Bidding ends soon!

Jennifer Lopez's main accessory lately isn't a necklace, ring or even a handbag -- it's a crystal-covered Starbucks cup, and it's about to make one designer a butt load o' dough.

TaylorMade Bling founder Teneka Moore tells TMZ ... she thought she was getting punked when J Lo's manicurist asked her to make the bedazzled cup as a b-day gift for Jennifer.

It's obviously a huge hit -- the glam mug, encrusted with Swarovski crystals, has been with Jen almost as much as Alex Rodriguez. Moore says J Lo's cost $585, and A-Rod got his own last month for $495.

We're told other celebs have been reaching out too, which means Moore's holiday season could be very green.

Here's shirtless Cristiano Ronaldo and Cristiano Jr. proving they've got the best genes AND the best jeans -- reppin' dad's designer denim and looking fly as hell doing it.

The soccer mega-star teamed up with his 7-year-old kid for the launch of the CR7 junior collection -- expanding on the line of signature jeans he dropped earlier this year.

There are actual kid sizes, FYI ... the Cristianos were just having some fun letting Jr. twin out with Sr. for the photo shoot.

The real question -- are Ronaldo and son gonna be the next LaVar and Lonzo Ball?!

Khloe Kardashian is like the David Copperfield of pregnancy ... now you see her baby bump, other times you don't.

A dressed-down Khloe pulled up to an L.A. studio Tuesday, and her growing baby bump was visible ... even through a pretty hefty sweater.

It's a stark contrast from the image she posted from sister Kim's baby shower just this past weekend when there seemed to be no trace of her rising bun in the oven.

At least Khloe's ditched her heels for slippers. Chanel slippers, of course.

Leslie Jones REALLY likes Dwyane Wade -- or maybe she's just an undercover sneakerhead??

Probably both -- 'cause check out the 'SNL' star fangirling out like a teeny bopper at a Britney concert when D-Wade hooks her up with his game-worn shoes ... after his Cavs took the Knicks' souls Monday night at MSG.

Wade gets down on a knee for the proposal ... and Leslie LOSES IT.

"It's my shoooeees! I get my shoooeees!"

"Will you accept my shoes?"

"YES!"

FYI, Leslie gave away 1 of Wade's Li-Ning kicks -- but NO WAY she was saying bye to both.

Kim Kardashian's frightening experience of being robbed at gunpoint in Paris last year has a silver lining ... it inspired the bottle design of her brand new fragrance.

Kim's launching her highly anticipated line of perfumes Wednesday, and says the crystal look of the bottle is a shout-out to friends who helped her recover from the terrifying Paris ordeal by bringing her healing crystals.

She tells WWD her line of fragrances is about "being calm and healing" ... which Kim says has been her main focus the past year.

Kim's officially launching 3 variations of her fragrance -- Crystal Gardenia, Crystal Gardenia Citrus and Crystal Gardenia Oud -- and only 300k units will be sold ... once they're gone, they're gone.

We're told if Kim's fragrance sells like her makeup line ... it could haul in more than $14 million in minutes.

A former Banana Republic employee says the company is racist because her bosses complained about her "urban" hairstyle.

Destiny Tompkins says she was hired as a sales rep at the BR in White Plains, NY -- and shortly after starting the job, the 19-year-old says she began wearing her hair in braids. According to a discrimination suit, that pissed off her managers.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, she says the store manager, who is white, approached her and told her that her braids were "too urban" and "unkempt" and didn't go with BR's image. Destiny interpreted that as "too black."

Destiny says she refused to change her hairstyle, and was taken off the store's work schedule. While she wasn't officially fired, she effectively was because she didn't get any shifts.

After she vented on Facebook ... Destiny says BR honchos fired the store manager.

Destiny's suing BR's corporate office, as well as the store and regional managers, for at least $1 million.

LiAngelo Ball has got 2 powerful forces trying to secure his release from China ... UCLA and Alibaba founder Jack Ma ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Ball and 2 other UCLA basketball players are currently under house arrest after allegedly stealing sunglasses at Louis Vuitton.

Our UCLA sources tell us, the University has deep ties with China for various reasons, and school officials are using their influence to try and secure the release of the 3 players. As for the nature of the influence ... UCLA is a prize school for Chinese students, many doctors have won research projects at the various UCLA medical facilities and UCLA sports has become popular in China.

We're also told Jack Ma -- a Chinese citizen worth an estimated $40 billion -- is also working to help free the 3 players. FYI, the team visited Alibaba headquarters Monday ... the day before the arrests.

Our UCLA sources also say there is no question the players pilfered the sunglasses so there's no attempt to prove them not guilty ... they are trying to use their considerable influence to ask for mercy. As once source put it, "UCLA and Ma are pulling out all the political stops to resolve this."

Beyonce and Pharrell are a bunch of overachievers ... the items they donated for a charity auction fetched 19 TIMES MORE than anticipated.

TMZ broke the story ... Bey and P. Willy donated items auctioned off at Heritage Auctions to help raise money for The Lung Transplant Project... a non-profit that raises money and awareness to reduce transplant waiting list times.

Beyonce's "Formation" tour hat was supposed to bring between 1 and 2 G's ... but after Monday's auction closed it brought in a whopping $27,500!!!

Pharrell donated two pairs of adidas Originals ... the first pair featured the hit-making producers' John Hancock and an inspiring message, while the second pair will be custom-made for the winning bidder.

The kicks -- which were estimated to haul in about a G -- sold for $11,375. Score!!!