Cover Look.(Kelly Ripa)

Cover Look

A Real Live Wire

Who? Kelly Ripa. What? The June cover of Allure, photographed by Michael Thompson. Where? At Lux Studio in Chelsea. When? March 8, two days after shooting the season finale of her ABC sitcom, Hope & Faith. Why? She cohosts Live With Regis and Kelly (5 million viewers) and plays an unemployed soap-opera actress (almost 10 million viewers). Shiny Happy Person: Ripa walked in wearing a black fitted jacket by Lagerfeld Gallery, Levi's jeans, imitation Uggs, and a big smile. Heel, Girl!: Ripa cooed over the racks of brightly colored pumps, even spotting several pairs that she had in her own closet. "I have a big weakness for Manolos." Girl Gone Wild: Ripa turned femme fatale when she slipped into a plunging black maillot by Chaiken and a pair of black Gina Couture stiletto sandals. "It's fun to play the bad girl for a day," she said. "I love all this pouting and squinting!" A Second Opinion: Ripa's husband, actor Mark Consuelos, stopped by in the afternoon, greeting her with a big kiss. He then flipped through Ripa's test shots and gave Thompson a bear hug. "She looks incredible!" he said. She's Cool: When Ripa tried on a slip dress with a white marabou shrug, she became giddy. "I wish I could call every single girl who was mean to me in high school!" she said, jumping up and down. After a moment, she composed herself: "OK, you never saw that -- just tell everyone I was completely cool."