• Gisele Bundchen has given birth to a baby boy. Husband Tom Brady has a two-year-old son with actress Bridget Moynihan. [People]
• A Chantilly lace LBD worn by Audrey Hepburn in How To Steal A Million sold for $97,000. [AP]

• Naomi Campbell might do a modeling reality show in the U.K. Then she and Tyra would really have something to fight about. "Naomi has been approached with an offer, which we are talking about and discussing," says her spokesperson, somewhat redundantly. [UK Vogue]
• Executives at Maison Martin Margiela have confirmed that the Belgian designer, famous for his closely guarded privacy and his avant-garde designs, has left the house he founded and later sold to Diesel. Margiela's presence or absence at the house had long been a subject of speculation, with most fashion commentators, including us, operating on the understanding that Margiela the person was gone, but this confirmation comes with a twist: Diesel will not be hiring anyone to take Margiela's place. (Haider Ackermann and Raf Simons had been mentioned as potential replacements.) The design work will continue to be spearheaded by the 28-strong creative team, saving the house the expense of a "name" creative director. Will this work? Fashion design is a collective effort — all designers rely heavily on their creative teams for the generation, not just the execution, of ideas — but fashion observers yearn for an identifiable individual (even one who is rarely seen in public) to pin their criticism on. [IHT]
• Yesterday morning, police executed raids on 30 businesses on Canal Street in Chinatown, long a hotbed of counterfeiting. The Cut snapped a photo of what a shop without its imitation Coach and Prada goods looks like: basically a particleboard shell with racks and cases. "It's time to take back the streets of New York," said a police officer. Could this be the start of a crackdown? [The Cut]
• The counterfeit goods seized, including perfumes and handbags, filled an entire trailer. The sting was the result of a month long investigation carried out by the police and a private firm called Counter Tech. Officers made controlled buys of the imitation goods, which bore the trademarks of companies like Cartier, Gucci, Tiffany, and Chanel, and then used those goods to obtain search warrants. Investigators noted that during the five weeks they observed Canal Street, there seemed to be more foot traffic in the stalls than ever before. [WWD]
• Apparently pointing out that Michelle Obama "is not the next Jackie O" is enough to count as evil, unthinkable "sniping." Designer Douglas Hannant allegedly said this perfectly reasonable thing — Michelle Obama and Jackie Kennedy-Onassis are different women who had different roles in public life even if they shared a position, and all the Obama/Kennedy comparisons are a tad trite — and people gasped. [P6]
• Vogue is doing a shoot with fashion bloggers. Somehow our invitation must have gotten lost in the post! There are allegedly seven bloggers involved, and only three of them have been named: Tommy Ton of Jak & Jil, BryanBoy, and Todd Selby of The Selby. Who are the others? Garance Doré recently mentioned losing weight thanks to Anna Wintour in New York, and Tavi Gevinson certainly merits inclusion. Seeing the women behind Refinery29 would also be great (although they were just in Elle). But how much do you wanna bet it'll just be Julia Frakes and Sea of Shoes again? [Fashionista]
• Speaking of Tavi: She plays a prominent role in this video about the Rodarte for Target collection. You won't spend a better 2:37 today than watching Tavi interview Elijah Wood and Jason Schwartzman at the Rodarte show, or seeing the Target ad shoot in surprisingly picturesque North Dakota. [Style.com]
• And Tavi is now writing for Harper's Bazaar. [WWD]
• Just what you needed for the holidays: A $3,000 Judith Leiber Hello Kitty clutch. [Racked]
• Tamara Mellon went out to the premiere of A Single Man after trouncing her mother, Ann Yeardre, in a legal battle. Mellon, the owner of Jimmy Choo, won a $10 million settlement against Yeardre after some Jimmy Choo shares were mistakenly transferred to Yeardre, and she refused to give them back. [P6]
• The spring Louis Vuitton campaign has leaked. Lara Stone's position, reclining on dark, mossy grass, with white doves and, duh, handbags, looks like a friendlier revision of editorials done by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, one earlier this year for Vogue and the other in 2007, for W. The ads were shot by Steven Meisel. [Blackbook]
• After auctioning off all his and Yves Saint Laurent's artworks and household goods, Pierre Bergé is putting their 5,400 square foot Paris apartment on the market. It has a garden roughly equal in size, and is expected to sell for around $30 million. [WWD]
• Curious about who the most powerful 25 people in British fashion are? Well now you can find out. Good to know the British Fashion Council's on top of this stuff. [Telegraph]
• Carolina Herrera is opening her first freestanding store on Madison Avenue. [WWD]

• Today in pointless clothing lines of the stars: Miley Cyrus and Max Azria's Wal-Mart collection! The digs look well worth every penny of their sub-$20 price point. [Lucky]
• Now, even the Kings of Leon has one. [Blackbook]

• Lady Gaga wants in on the action. On starting a clothing line, she told Flare magazine, "At some point, I will. Right now, I'm more concerned with using my fame to promote young designers such as Gary Card, an artist who designed a piece I used on stage." Why would she do such a thing? "There hasn't been a commercial artist lately that has embodied avant-garde and couture so insistently as myself." [ONTD]
• Gaga has one new position to console herself with: M.A.C. Viva Glam AIDS fund face. Cyndi Lauper will co-star in the campaign to sell lipstick and raise money for research. [WWD]
• The British Fashion Council and British Vogue are launching a fashion prize to encourage young talent, somewhat along the lines of the American Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund awards, which kicked off in 2003. £200,000 will be awarded to one UK designer who can demonstrate he or she has international stockists, a media profile, and demonstrated need of the money. [Telegraph]
• Angelina Jolie and Shiloh are apparently fans of Stella McCartney's line for GapKids. [Radaronline]
• That Christian Louboutin made his first public appearance in Washington, D.C., under Obama's watch is no coincidence. "For eight years I was invited, but I never wanted to come before. I never wanted to come with Bush," says the shoe designer. "I'm looking forward to coming back — at least for four years." We really want to make a crack about voting with your feet here. [WaPo]
• Roberto Cavalli: "All over the world people don't treat me like a fashion designer; they treat me like a rock star… I can't walk down 5th Avenue without being treated like a rock star. In fact, maybe it's more… Many times I've walked down 5th Avenue with rock stars and nobody pays attention to them. It's very strange." [FWD]
• Gisele Bundchen passed the written exam portion of her pilot's license. Although heavily pregnant, and "Almost too big to fly," according to her instructor, she's still making supervised practice flights up to three days a week. [People]
• Karolina Kurkova has given birth to a baby boy. [People]
• Kelly Osborne: Fan of Spanx. [People]
• Christian Siriano says his new reality TV show will reflect the best of several recent high-profile fashion documentaries. "It's very like The September Issue, very Valentino [The Last Emperor]. We want it to be as cool and as real as possible." Apparently, September Issue director R.J. Cutler wouldn't touch the project, but he did advise Siriano "just to be real." [The Cut]
• Sadie Frost's clothing line with Jemima French, FrostFrench, is opening its second store in London's Soho. [WWD]
• A real ad man of the 1960s has some bones to pick with Mad Men's treatment of the brand London Fog. So an employee of an industry that manufactures fictions objects to a fictional show's fictionalizing history? We shake our heads at the irony. [AdAge]
• JC Penney is being sued for trademark infringement by the retailer New York & Company. New York & Company says Penney's new "NYC Style" slogan is too close to its "NY Style" advertising tag line. [WWD]
• Can Sir Philip Green conquer America? [Bloomberg]
• Polo Ralph Lauren reported a 10% rise in second-quarter profits. [TS]
• Bata shoes was, before Communism, an international brand headquartered in Slovakia. The company town isn't doing so hot right now, with the economic transition and the competition from Asia. [BussinessWeek]
• Liz Claiborne may have had seven consecutive quarterly losses, with the announcement of an eight expected next week, but C.E.O. Bill McCombs doesn't have to worry about one thing: his job security. McCombs recently had his contract renewed for another three years. It's not an unusual strategy: only 38 companies in the S&P 500 have replaced their C.E.O.'s in the year to September 30, down 10 on the same period last year, despite the trying economic times. [WSJ]
• Not so lucky is Missoni's general manager, Massimo Gasparini. He has been let go and his position will not be filled. [WWD]

• Kate Moss was shot by Mario Testino for the September cover of British Vogue. That trench coat looks very Gisele photoshop-gate/neighborhood flasher, no? [Design Scene]

• Speaking of Gisele, she has signed on to voice a series of web cartoons intended to educate children about the environment, finance, and science. The supermodel will record the role of Gigi, a supermodel who doubles as an environmental superhero. [UK Elle]
• Another image from Victoria Beckham's Armani campaign has dropped. [Daily Mail]
• Transformers director Michael Bay shot the Victoria's Secret holiday commercial. [P6]
• For some reason, Lady GaGa apparently told the News Of The World that she spends all her money on clothes. "Every single dollar that I've earned I put into my tour. Mainly into my crazy outfits. My performance is my life. And I'm not that great with money. I've gone bankrupt four times already." Um, hire a financial planner? Or a stylist who can pull Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Kermit coats for free? [NOTW]
• "My fashion wisdom comes from gardening. This is a difficult time for many, but I am not in crisis mode. Like the seasons of gardening, there is a time to plant and a time to harvest, and now is a time to weed. This will pass." Oscar de la Renta, like everyone else, is hoping he has green thumbs. [WWD]
• Mid-size fashion businesses, those who expanded in the boom years to $7-$10 million in annual sales, are at a greater risk in this recession than any other tranche of the industry, so Oscar will in fact probably be safe. But not so designers like Peter Som and Jane Mayle. As retailers continue to contend with falling consumer spending by cutting inventory and ditching labels that don't move swiftly from the racks, more designer bankruptcies over the coming season are likely. [WWD]
• Zandra Rhodes, on her style icon: "Me! Otherwise what am I designing for?" [Independent]
• We are not sure why this story, which has no news about Alexis Bledel and her projects, but several large photos of the actress wearing a leotard with incredibly teased hair, exists. But it does. Also, Alexis Bledel is not Rory Gilmore in real life. Who knew? [WWD]
• John Varvatos, who in the past has chosen rock stars like Iggy Pop as models, this year selected ZZ Top for his fall campaign. The group was shot against a diorama of water buffalo at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History. [WWD]
• The British Fashion Council is moving its headquarters — and its largest event, fashion week — to historic Somerset House. This September, London Fashion Week is celebrating its 25th anniversary, and British designers from Matthew Williamson to Gareth Pugh have vowed to show in the city. [Telegraph]
• Bobbi Brown and Lauren Bush are co-launching a FEED makeup bag. The model's charity project supports the U.N. World Food Program. The makeup pouch will cost $50, including three Bobbi Brown lip glosses, and Bush says the cost will support 10 women in the UNWFP's Food for Work program. [WWD]
• Alexander Wang's e-commerce venture is now live. When it asks for a password, type in AWSTYLE.COM. [AlexanderWang]
• Ciara supports not texting while driving. [WWD]
• Lela Rose may be on to something as an ice cream cook. When asked her favorite flavor, the designer replied, "My own homemade ice cream called Brown Bread. It's an almond base, with bread crumbs that have been baked in butter and brown sugar with almonds. It's just delicious." [WWD]
• Roland Mouret, on quitting smoking: "I read Allen Carr books. I was hypnotised. I am now a non-smoker, and I smoked for 20 years. It's over." [Guardian]
• Catherine Deneuve and L'Oréal principal shareholder Liliane Bettencourt are among those inducted this year into the International Best-Dressed List Hall of Fame; that, in case anyone's wondering, is Vanity Fair's made-up list of well-dressed people. [VF]
• Following the news that leather suppliers were selling skins from cattle involved in illegal deforestation of the Amazon, Clarks, Timberland, Adidas, and Nike have asked that their suppliers stop that. Seems a little weak. [Guardian]
• Tom Ford's directorial debut, "A Single Man," an adaptation of the Christopher Isherwood novel that stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore, will take place at the Venice Film Festival this September. [WWD]
• Fast-fashion chain Peacocks is making its own très Chanel-inspired quilted rain boots. Maybe they heard Audrey Tautou's endorsement of the real thing? [Guardian]
• Instead of having to pay back 100 million Euros this month, and another 350 million Euros next July, Prada has won a loan extension until 2012. [WWD]
• Uniqlo's same-store sales for the month of July fell 4.2%. [WWD]

• Hilary Rhoda: Estée Lauder spokesmodel with a thing for drugstore makeup. A woman after our own hearts. [Daily Beast]
• In other news from model-land, Adriana Lima might be pregnant. [NYDN]
• Also said to be expecting: Gisele Bundchen. [NYDN]
• And sources say Kate Moss could be birthing a "novel." [Sun]

• Givenchy's Fall/Winter campaign, shot this time by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott after nine seasons in the hands of Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin, features newcomer model Ranya Mordanova and her distinctive bowl cut. [WWD]
• Stefan Persson, the Swedish owner of H&M, is in the final stages of a $40 million deal to buy an entire village in Britain. Linkenholt, its manor estate, cricket grounds, town hall, forest, surrounding farm land, and all 21 current residents' homes, will become Persson's. Curiously, the neighboring town of Andover was the site, in 994, of the confirmation of Viking King Olaf Tryggvason, who, in following the religious ceremony and the receipt of other gifts, promised King Ethelred the Unready that he would stop raiding England. (The Viking king was technically Norwegian, not Swedish, but it's still an odd coincidence.) [UPI]
• Another country estate, this one in Scotland, with a fashion connection, is to be restored by its owner. Rundown Rosehall House, which was decorated by Coco Chanel in the 1920s, is going to be turned into a luxury country club under a £3 million renovation plan. [Daily Express]
• At Dior's party for Marion Cotillard at Cannes, Alex de Betak, who produces shows for the major houses, revealed that he's curating an exhibition dedicated to fashion shows that will unfurl in 3-D at the NRW Forum in Dusseldorf in July. Expect references to the now in-again late 80s/early 90s: "There are shows that made a big impression on me before I even started out, like the Thierry Mugler with the motorbike and George Michael or Gaultier's shows at the Villette where girls were coming out of the floor. Those were so memorable." [WWD]
• Cartier filed and withdrew a lawsuit against Apple in the same day. The jewelry house alleged that two iPhone applications infringed on its trademark Tank watches; Apple removed the apps from its online store. [WSJ]
• John Duerden, the new CEO of Crocs, a company which was supposed to be bankrupt already after losing $22.4 million in the first quarter of this year alone, thinks the company can be saved with aggressive cost-cutting and a thorough pruning of its inventory. [WWD]
• The rejected Aquascutum buyout may have been the company's last chance for survival. Former chief executive Kim Winser, who transformed Pringle into a fashion brand before taking over Aquascutum three years ago, had wanted to buy the venerable English house from its current Japanese owners, Renown, which is looking to spin off the brand as part of company-wide restructuring. Now, 400 jobs and the company's pension obligations are in jeopardy. [FT]
• Fellow iconic British label Burberry Prorsum will show in London, not Milan, this September, to mark the 25th anniversary of London Fashion Week and the British Fashion Council. [WWD]
• Rumors of a rift between Donatella Versace, creative director, and Giancarlo di Risio, chief executive, over Versace's falling fortunes and recession strategy have been denied "unanimously and categorically" by the company board. Di Risio was said to be on the point of leaving the company. Versace has so far refused to adapt much to the new patterns of consumer spending, emphatically not lowering its prices. The company believes that discounting would harm its luxury brand identity in the long term; sales have plummeted, even relative to the overall troubled high-end fashion market, with revenue falling 13.4% in the first quarter of 2009. [FT]
• Saks's CEO has pledged to offer more low-priced items following a 27% decline in sales in the first quarter. Lanvin, meanwhile, has just announced that it made $9.9 million in profits during 2008, a year for which sales grew 29%. [WWD]
• Nordstrom's prices are already an average of 10% lower than they were one year ago. [WWD]
• For his part, John Varvatos has one question he'd like to ask God, assuming s/he exists: "When is the economy going to turn around?" [The Fashion Informer]
• Sergio Rossi has a new president and CEO: Christophe Mélard. [WWD]
• Guthy Renker Australia, which, there as here, sells skincare products, including Proactiv and Principal Secret, via infomercial, lost AU$15 million last year. The American parent company has had to guarantee its debts. [News.com.au]
• Ittierre, the troubled Italian fashion company that Roberto Cavalli blamed for the cancellation of his Fall/Winter Just Cavalli show this February, has renewed its licensing deal not only with Cavalli, but with C'N'C, Costume National's diffusion brand. [WWD]

• Tilda Swinton, one of the few celebrities who can actually pull off avant-gard fashion, looks predictably stunning on the cover of Another Magazine. [Stylefrizz]

• Also heralding the opening of London fashion week is Chloe Sevigny, who threw an opening party and showed her new collection for Opening Ceremony there this weekend. [UK Elle]
• The first show on the British Fashion Council's schedule, however, was a showcase of ethical fashion by a slew of different designers. Click through for another picture of models with TP in their hair. [Guardian]
• Tyson Beckford turned up to support the Central St. Martins fashion students showing at fashion week. [WWD]
• Giorgio Armani says he was totally kidding about that one time he called Dolce & Gabbana plagiarists. [Time]
• The Calvin Klein show was last Thursday, but this is still big news: for the first time in the label's history, it favored a black model, Lyndsey Scott, with one of their coveted exclusives. (An exclusive is when a model is chosen by a label to walk only in its show during a given fashion week, and in New York, the only exclusive that matters is Calvin's.) [The Cut]
• The creative director of Mulberry, who seems like an otherwise reasonable woman, says "I think everyone should be able to participate in a brand, but you have to be careful what you do. A key ring at £50 is okay, but don't try to make a bag that looks cheap. I won't have tat on my watch." Just so we're clear, she's talking about a $73 thing to hold your keys. [Times of London]
• Henry Holland talks an awful lot about his mum in this interview. Which is really very sweet. [Independent]
• Christian Siriano's second collection might finally earn him some retail love. His front row was crammed with buyers who seemed receptive to his particular brand of drama. [WSJ]
• He already has a deal with Payless — but tell me if you don't take one look at the spiked shoes and think, Rodarte Fall/Winter 08/09? [The Cut]
• Rodarte's Kate and Laura Mulleavy flew back to California after their New York show — and threw a tea party for Jenny Lewis and assorted friends. Kate says the next collection will be inspired by "houses in various states of construction." [WWD]
• That was quick: Celine Dion's ad for her just-announced fragrance, Chic, is out. [People]
• Ed Westwick for K Swiss is also out. [ONTD]
• Laura Ashley's husband, Bernard, was apparently a terrible tyrant and bully to her and their children. [Daily Mail]
• Lauren Bush's clothing line is hitting Barneys and Intermix next month. She's releasing it under the name "Lauren Pierce." Proceeds go to charity, and her UN World Food Program "Feed" bags are also still available. [The Cut]
• Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé's art collection went on public display in Paris this weekend, and will be auctioned today. Christie's is cutting 300 jobs, or 14% of its workforce, because of the depressed state of the art market. Some wonder if the more valuable pieces in the catalog — which includes works by Picasso and Matisse — will find buyers. [Times of London]
• Robin Givhan wants celebrities to do the patriotic thing and show their support of their favorite designers by buying, as opposed to just wearing, their clothes. [Washington Post]
• Harvey Weinstein on Project Runway's legal troubles: "Apparently there is some contention." No shit. [People]
• Are these people for real? "I am going shopping less, too," says a 22-year-old model from Miami. "I love shopping. This year, I've only gotten three pairs of shoes." What financial heartbreak! [UPI]
• More pictures of Kim Gordon's Mirror/Dash capsule collection for Urban Outfitters have become available — and it looks good. [LA Times]
• Kanye says he doesn't dress as well as Michael Jackson — yet. [Daily Intel]
• Ever wonder, 'What's Naomi Campbell doing right now?' The Daily Mail is on top of that: the 38-year-old supermodel is settling down in Moscow with her Russian real estate tycoon boyfriend. [Daily Mail]
• The New York City Economic Development Corp. is expected to announce plans today to help the fashion industry. [WWD]

Anyway. After re-evaluating its plan to improve models’ health, the British Fashion Council announced that nobody will have to get a doctor’s certificate to walk the runway. But the BFC would like you to know that some of its proposals are going ahead: under-16s won’t be on the catwalks, and alcoholic beverages won’t be backstage.

To which I say, thanks for nothing, British Fashion Council! Bad enough that 90% of shows — yes, even the high-profile ones — don’t even pay, you have to take my free booze as well?

Seriously, though, I’m just tickled that so many people take an interest in my and my colleagues’ health. I know your motivations are pure, and that the politicians involved in advancing this cause aren’t the slightest bit interested in furthering their own electoral ambitions by coat-tailing on a high-profile and heavily mediatized industry’s most visible issue. I’m happy that there have been symposia and inquiries and initiatives and hectoring articles in the press.

I don’t even mean that entirely sarcastically: as uncomfortable as it makes me for strangers to think about my health as an Issue, let alone their issue, and as much as I privately grit my teeth and think of all those (well-meaning?) articles whenever a cool and interesting-looking chick I meet at a party finds out what I do for a living and immediately starts a conversation about dieting, it is good news that that people are at least thinking about models’ well-being. It doesn’t pay to be too flippant when, after all, people have died.

But I have one solution, guaranteed effective, that doesn’t involve forcing me to go to a doctor and fork over more cash than I make working a show — hell, more cash than I made during most entire fashion weeks — to answer questions about my eating habits a five-year-old could intuit the “correct” answers to.

It doesn’t involve agencies better screening their charges for disordered eating (although come to think of it that would be nice), it doesn’t involve relying on Body Mass Index (I have never, not for a day in my life, had a BMI in the “normal” range — and my 35” hips mean I’m considered a heifer by certain clients), it doesn’t involve open letters and unkept, unkeepable pledges to put “full bodied, healthy and radiant Mediterranean types” on the catwalk. It also doesn’t involve taking away anyone’s hard-earned mini bottle of champagne.

If the fashion industry is to change the image it presents, clients — magazines and designers — will need to stop demanding, preferring, and booking underweight models.

Plenty of clients pay lip service to the idea of not promoting an ideal that plenty of models have a hard time living up to (Ali Michaels and her amenorrhea, Coco Rocha and her diuretics). But I have worked at 110 lbs and I've worked at 120 lbs. And when I’m thinner, I just seem to book jobs much more consistently, no matter the city. Clients bite when I happen to look my boniest.

Other approaches to the problem have their drawbacks. The reason the BFI abandoned some of the proposals they spent so many months developing was because they felt they would be unenforceable, would fail to achieve the desired affect — and because of the lack of international coordination.

The industry has a way of reducing ideas with potential to well-intentioned sop. Madrid’s decision to only permit models with BMIs of 18 or over to work? When I worked in Spain, my booker actually told me, “Don’t think just because this is Spain you can eat whatever you want and get fat, Tatiana. You need to watch those hips.” Milan’s vaunted no-more-size-zero-girls solution — that thing they were going to do with having models’ BMIs be over 18 and models themselves be over 16? Last time I was in Milan, my model apartment roommate had just turned 15, and the only mention of health was this message, inscribed inside the back cover of my portfolio book:

THE RIGHT BALANCE

Wellness and Beauty. Beautiful,bud Healthy above all. Ask a specialist for any diet program, or physical activity you intend to start. For any information, contact Associazione Servizi Moda or you Model Agency.

I never did contact the ASSEM. But I live in hope that the fashion industry will find a way to associate beauty with health with more than just some type on a page.

Related:Fashion Capitals End London’s Plan To Ban Size Zero [Times of London]

• "Rumor has it" that Madonna-maybe-estranged-hubby Guy Ritchie is gifting the material 50-year-old with "a specially designed, bespoke diamond necklace from Bulgari worth, £250,000" for her Golden tomorrow. [ElleUK]
• Apparently Diddy's "I Am King" campaign will involve Bond-like shots of him in a dinner jacket hanging with models and getting out of a chopper. Yawn! We were so psyched for crowns and ermine-trimmed robes! [The Life Files]
• Designer Rachel Roy does good. "For Spring 2009, Roy is introducing green designs, which she will continue to selectively incorporate in seasons to come. She will donate 100% of the proceeds to OrphanAid Africa, an organization that aims to help orphans in Ghana to grow up in healthy environments that provide quality care and education." Um, she's also partnering with Grey Goose Vodka for Fashion Week. [Fashion Week Daily]

• The founder of western shirt company Rockmount Ranch Wear has died. Don't be sad, he was 107! Jack Weil "was the first to design Western shirts with snap buttons and also created pockets with jagged, sawtooth-pattern flaps. The snaps are often topped with real or synthetic mother of pearl. Weil's shirts have been worn in movies by Elvis Presley, Clark Gable and Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain)." Most recently, Rockmount designed shirts for Colorado's House delegation for the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month. The company is still family-run; until his death, Weil was still CEO, now his grandson ihas taken over. [Houston Chronicle]
• Nanette Lepore is presenting one of her signature retro shapes, the 'Unfaithful Shift," in red to support cancer charity Gilda's Club International. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Model Erin O'Connor's auctioning 30 items from her wardrobe, including a bag that was a gift from Kaiser Karl himself and gowns by Mouret and Galliano. She's selling the garments to benefit the British Fashion Council, which "provides support for up-and-coming designers" and, incidentally, because they don't fit anymore. Which I'm guessing means they won't fit anyone else, either. [BlackBook]
• If we'd thought about it, we'd frankly have thought that Lilly Pulitzer already made the fragrance equivalent of her frumpy Palm Beach WASP togs, but apparently not: the pink and green doyenne is launching three scents, Beachy, Squeeze and Wink. Why hasn't she launched a perfume before? "“They all stunk!” she said with a laugh during an interview at her Palm Beach, Fla., home, Casa Loca." [WWD]
• Back to School doesn't seem to be helping Abercrombie and Fitch: "Teen clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co (ANF.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) reported a lower quarterly profit on Friday and forecast full-year earnings below analysts' estimates, as the weak U.S. economy leads consumers to cut back on buying clothes." [Reuters]
• The return of Haltson! The ultimate 70s brand is back: check em out at Barneys or, more realistically, Net-a-Porter. [Fashionista]
• Brit label Sinha-Stanic gets backing from Cotton (the Fabric of Our Lives.) [VogueUK]
• Venerable British retailer Marks and Soencer courts teachers' wrath by trying to make kids like them. via latest school uniforms. 'The "Blazer for iPod", which is part of the shop's 2008 Back to School collection, has been branded irresponsible" by teacher's organizations, which are "concerned the new jacket, which has built in controls and hides the ear phone wire in the lapels, will encourage youngsters to flout school rules by listening to music in class." Gosh, in our day all they had to worry about was guys wearing caps in the classroom! [Telegraph]
• Penney's profits plummet. [WWD]
• "Wardrobe malfunction" has been added to the Chambers Dictionary. Under "anachronism" we hope. [Fashionista]
• Been dreaming of a custom Goyard trunk? Yeah, us neither, but if you're extremely rich, you can do this at Barneys for a limited time next month. [Fashion Week Daily]

• Who knew Roberto Cavalli was such a big Diddy fan? Said the Italian designer at the Sean John show: "The only reason I'm still in New York is for Puffy. He is an artist and always puts on a real show. Maybe someday he will come to my show." [WWD, 7th item]
  
• The British Fashion Council's demand that all models walking London Fashion Week show up with a "certificate of health" may lead to a model boycott because, duh, models do not get paid to be healthy. [Telegraph]
  
• Rachel Zoe threw a total shitfit upon being denied entrance to the fashionably punctual Marc Jacobs show Friday night. There is justice in the world! [NY Mag]

• "I'm tempted, but no one else is drinking. I don't want to be the tacky one." Gretchen Mol on the champagne bottles that greeted front row attendees at the Marc Jacobs show on Friday night. But Gretchen, once you've got a snifter or two on an empty Fashion Week stomach, one is pretty blissfully unaware to whoever is being the "tacky one." [WWD, 1st item]
• "I'm kind of inspired by Ralph [Lauren]," says Sheryl Crow, who has her very own denim line in the works. And we all know "inspired by" means "steal my ideas from." [WWD, 13th item]
• Gucci's new "Gucci [Hearts] NY" campaign? Uh, didn't exactly clear it with the folks who own the trademark on "I [Heart] NY." [UPI]
• Designer Lars Nilsson has left the house of Gianfranco Ferre after only a five month-long tenure. Awkward. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Diane von Furstenberg will be starring in an American Express commercial directed by Capote director Bennett Miller, set to air on Oscar night. Which is mildly ironic since von Furstenberg has canceled her own Oscar party out of respect for the WGA strike. [Fashion Week Daily]
• What Rihanna learned at Fashion Week: "I know that prints are really in and I love how they pair the prints with a bold jacket." [Chic Report]
• Zac Posen's dad is just happy to see his kids playing nicely together: "I'm thrilled that [Zac] brought his sister Alexandra (his creative director) out with him at the end—seeing them both up there together was wonderful." [Chic Report]

• British Fashion Council head Harold Tillman wants to start a "Big Sister" program in which old skool supermodels mentor malnourished up-and-coming mannequins. Leading the way in this admirable new endeavor? Naomi Campbell. [Vogue UK]
  
• Elsewhere in Naomi news, she uses Berlin Fashion Week to point out on the 75th anniversary of Nazi rule that, uh, the industry is still pretty white. [Guardian UK]
  
• Elsewhere in Naomi news, did you know she asked Hugo Chavez about the Spice Girls? [Guanabee]
  
• Karl Lagerfeld: now a teddy bear. [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• Remember Zulema? From Project Runway season 2? Who got voted off for a dress which Michael Kors described as looking "like something the town whore's mom who's a real bad sewer made"? Which doesn't even make sense, but whatever? Well, now she's showing her collection during New York Fashion Week... on her MySpace page. [Sassybella]

• Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquiere: really, really good at sports. Who knew? [WWD, 1st item]
• I would actually play sports if it gave me an excuse to wear Chanel. [Vogue UK]
• At Betsey Johnson's Fall/Winter 2008 runway show on Saturday (don't worry, we'll be there), the designer will be celebrating the 30-year anniversary of her line with a retrospective of 15 different looks from the house's history. She'll still be doing a cartwheel at the show's end, another 30-year old tradition, too. [WWD, 3rd item]
• Although many designers (including Marc Jacobs, Donna Karan, DVF) are showing a single "green" look at tomorrow night's "Future Fashion" show, the sisters Mulleavy of Rodarte are making their entire collection eco-friendly this season. [Fashion Week Daily]
• The recession might be bad for you, but it's going to be great for the kids looking for work in sweatshops. [Guardian]
• Um, I'm weirdly excited by a website entitled MyTights.com. [FabSugar]
• Thou shalt wear your hair in a low and tight bun for spring. [BellaSugar]
• Mischa Barton's Spring 2008 Keds ads are so much better than the ones she did for Iceberg. [Sassybella]
• Oooh video of Chanel couture collection from 1983. [Sassybella]

• Dita von Teese is collaborating with Wonderbra on a lingerie collection to be called — so original! — Wonderbra by Dita von Teese. Um, what would Dita von Teese know about needing a Wonderbra? [Vogue UK]
  
• BBC reporter Jeremy Paxman, no stranger to calling attention to the pressing news stories of our time, is currently shifting the focus to the problem of...men's underwear. A letter he wrote to Marks & Spencer CEO Stuart Rose was printed in today's Times of London: "Like very large numbers of men in this country I have always bought my socks and pants [that's Britspeak for underwear, FYI] at Marks & Sparks...I have noticed that something very troubling has happened. There's no other way to put this. Their pants no longer provide adequate support." [Vogue UK]
  
• Scary: Designer Vivienne Tam has designed Mickey and Minnie Mouse new costumes for the Chinese New Year celebration at Disney China. Scarier: Replicas of the outfits are on sale in Tam's retail stores. [AP]

• Katie Couric's style tips for how to not look old: "Number one, shorten your skirt. Right where the knee melts into the lower leg is the perfect length; if it's too long, it's very mumsy. Number two, change from a dark burgundy lipstick to a pink. It's the easiest thing you can do. And number three, have great skin. The better the skin, the less make-up you need, and there's no need to pile on the foundation." Um, have great skin. What a great beauty tip! Up there with "avoid being born to someone with bad genes." [Fashion Week Daily]
• Ooooh: our favorite accessories brand we can't afford, Loeffler Randall, is debuting a swimwear line. Good thing we do not wear bathing suits! [WWD]
• Are women rejecting cheap shoes? [Independent]
• Nahhh, probably not. [LATimes]
• Where's the best place for a designer to open up a flagship boutique in Amsterdam? The red light district, of course. [Reuters]
• All this "feed the malnourished models" outrage and Erin O'Connor still thinks she is fat. [Independent]
• We think granny panties are actually sort of sexy, so fuck you. [Sassybella]
• "Little girls hear 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T' and don't know that it isn't an 'American Idol' song." Sigh. [LA Times]

English fashion authorities aren't the only international groups getting upset about the current state of the celebrity-industrial complex. The Women's Forum in Australia released a report in August called Faking It: The Female Image in Young Women's Magazines. And guess what they found? The tyranny of perfection perpetuated by women's magazines makes everyone hate themselves!!

Considering the fashion industry's widespread apathy about anorexia (according to the Guardian, Karl Lagerfeld said the models just had "skinny bones"; Dolce & Gabbana said that anorexia had "nothing to do with fashion"), it's hard to believe that the BFC's suggestions will be truly heard. But who knows? Maybe at some point a faux-celebrity's photographed cellulite won't cause a major media outcry. Fingers crossed!

Magazines criticised for airbrushing models [Telegraph]
Model health recommendations 'not being implemented' [Guardian]

Earlier:
Here's Our Winner! 'Redbook' Shatters Our 'Faith' In Well, Not Publishing, But Maybe God
Breaking News: Jennifer Love Hewitt Is A Human Being
America Ferrera's Glamour Treatment, Revisited