• Designer Sophie Théallet has won the $200,000 Vogue/CFDA Fashion Fund Award. "Thank you for making my American dreams come true," said she. [Style.com]
• Skating at an outdoor rink in London, Lily Cole knocked over a small child. [Daily Mail]

• Adriana Lima and Marko Jaric have announced the birth of their baby daughter, Valentina. With Heidi Klum's and Karolina Kurkova's babies, that makes three Victoria's Secret newborns, so far. (Gisele Bundchen is due in December — like Jourdan Dunn, who isn't a Victoria's Secret girl but is a damn awesome model.) So, in about 15 years, maybe we should expect an invasion of new models with perfect pedigrees. [People]
• Here are the first pictures of Comme des Garçons' Beatles collaboration line. We are still not sure why this exists. [Racked]
• Says Rihanna: "In the past few months I've done a lot of research in the fashion world because I wanted to work with a bunch of designers that are kinda underground, people who aren't the obvious...My style is very edgy, very daring. I like to take risks — I hate to do the obvious." [Grazia]
• Pascal Mouawad, who yesterday Lindsay Lohan claimed to be working with on a jewelry line, is today unequivocal: "This is not happening." Sorry, LiLo. [WWD]
• Kate Moss's fourth fragrance, Vintage, is not, we repeat not, coming to the United States. [People]
• Chanel Iman says her one-day "internship" at Teen Vogue "wasn't really planned. I was going in for my fitting for the Teen Vogue cover. I just started helping around the office, organizing the closet. It led from one hour to the next, then it was my fitting and that stopped and I started interning again. I'm a girl that loves to keep busy no matter what it is, being paid or not." Real interns tend to do more than just fill the downtime between fittings — and they also tend to prefer getting paid to not. [NYDN]
• Gemma Ward, in an e-mail to an Australian newspaper, clarified that she has not quit modeling, and that she expects to return to modeling and acting next year. Her mother, meanwhile, says the Aussie supermodel is considering studying drama at Yale. [SB]
• Marc Jacobs, on the differences between Paris and New York: "I'm most at home in New York. I have so many friends and such a large creative community that I feel I'm a part of here. So my work in New York is very influenced by my personal relationships and what I'm doing, and what the people on my team are doing, while Paris is a bit of a bubble, a fantasy. It's almost like I'm pretending to be a designer in Paris. I just think, ‘What would a French designer do?'" [WWD]
• Vivienne Westwood held her spring Anglomania show in a carpark outside a Selfridges in London. [Telegraph]
• Didn't spikes and studs on footwear reach saturation point sometime last winter? Our tolerance is certainly pricked. [The Cut]
• Adidas has announced that in conjunction with Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus, it will manufacture shoes for the developing world in Bangladesh. The target price for the final product, which Adidas is making without profit? €1, or about $1.50 at current exchange rates. [Telegraph]
• In our mixed-up, topsy-turvy modern world, why not buy spring clothes in November? Phoebe Philo's debut collection for Céline is already on sale, in a customized space at Dover Street Market. [Independent]
• Donna Karan would not approve. She thinks shopping for clothes during the season they are intended to be worn makes a certain kind of sense, because otherwise those clothes go on sale during the season they are intended to be worn, which from her perspective is much worse. "We're not talking to the consumer, we're talking to ourselves," says the designer. "When it's cold out, let's warm the customer. When it's hot out, let's be able to the cool the customer. This isn't nuclear science. Don't deliver fall clothes until back-to-school — do you remember that old logo, back-to-school? — [in] September, when the leaves start to change. Now the leaves are changing, but our seasons are changing because we're already shipping resort." [WWD]
• Prada's book party was probably the most fashionable book party, ever. [People]
• Miuccia Prada: "When people think of fashion, they prefer to see the crazy side, the clichéd side, and actually I think that is wrong. Fashion is an important part of a woman's life. It's a question of aesthetics and that is in no way stupid or superficial." Also: those black nylon bags Prada became famous for in the 90s cost more than comparable leather ones because it took her three years to "learn how to work with" nylon, OK? [Independent]
• Stella McCartney says she has felt uncomfortable with the notion of working in fashion, too. "I was a bit embarrassed by the word ‘fashion,'" she said at a summit on luxury hosted by Women's Wear Daily; McCartney calls herself "an infiltrator" of the industry. Working without animal products has caused its own set of problems: when Tom Ford, then at Gucci, initially approached McCartney about her becoming part of the company, he said her working without fur would be no problem, but when she replied that she also works without leather, "his face just went white and his jaw dropped to the ground." And then there's the expense: "t costs us up to 70 percent more to make a pair of shoes than any other brand - we take that on the chin; we don't mark it up for the customer. Coming into the States, we have nearly a 30 percent import duty for nonleather goods, which I think of as kind of medieval." Fifty million animals are killed for leather production every year. [WWD]
• Nintendo DS has a game called Style Savvy, in which you play a store manager helping customers find outfits that suit their style and their budgets. (Nintendo: now preparing children for retail drudgery!) Charlotte Ronson's fall 2009 collection is included as an optional download. [SB]
• Renaud Dutreil, the chairman of LVMH's U.S. arm, bicycles to work every day. [WWD]
• The Gap has come under fire from a Christian group that accuses it of failing to use the word "Christmas" in its holiday advertising and mailings. The Los Angeles Times points out the many layers of hypocrisy present in this argument — and the fact that the Gap, in addition to selling Christmas-themed merchandise, does mention Christmas in its holiday TV spot. [LATimes]
• So Oakley has some top-secret cadre of sunglass engineers who are encouraged to come up with the most technologically advanced sunglasses you have never imagined, with cost no object. This is why $4,000 carbon-fiber sunglasses exist. (Unfortunately, they are still ugly.) [BW]
• Evidently Vanity Fair needs some pageviews. So they went to the drawing board and came back with...sexy pictures of supermodels. That'll work. [VF]
• Burberry reported a 24% decline in its profits for the six months to September 30, compared with the same period last year. This was better than expected. [WSJ]
• Meanwhile, Saks enjoyed a profit during the third quarter. Surprise profits must be the best kind of profits. [TS]
• The "Kardashian KCollection," which the sisters K put together for Virgins, Saints and Angels, is reportedly "inspired by their Armenian heritage." Their forebears seem to have liked spikes. A lot. [Racked]

Blake Lively looks incredible. And that with a ball of tin foil around her neck, no small feat!


If Nina Garcia is the ultimate authority on style, and yet her proportions are obviously problematic - is it the rest of the world who's wrong? Philosophy.


Eleanor Ylvisaker's staticky dress reminds some of us to get legal cable one of these days.


Charlotte Ronson's ragamuffin glamourpuss is kind of adorable!


Starrett Zenko, clearly having fun with 80s glam.


Diane Kruger too, except for the "fun" part, which is impossible when one can't breathe.


As a frequent wearer of somewhat ridiculous, random and jaunty chapeaux, I must recuse myself from commenting on Lottie Oakley's (amazing) outfit.


Meg Braff: Hold my hand, it'll be over soon.
Claudia Overstrom: And no need at all to mention the war.


Jennifer Creel looks like she's about to make a run for it. Somebody man the doors.


It's actually really refreshing to see Leigh Lezark in something so soft and pretty - and she does Bright Young Thing so well!


I get what Lauren Santo Domingo's doing here, but there's always something slightly disconcerting about curtains opening over a crotch.


Helen Lee Schifter, a Vogue regular, clearly never has actual scabs on her shins like some of us with little boy legs, or she'd avoid tights like this.


When it comes to Ann Caruso, I must quote Singing in the Rain: "The sleeves are lined with monkey fur to lend a dash of drama."

[Images via Getty]

• As predicted, Beyoncé will have a fragrance by springtime. For the rights to her name, Sasha Fierce is set to earn up to $20 million over the next three years. [WWD]

• Marc Jacobs didn't invite Madonna or Lady Gaga to his runway show — they asked to come, and he acquiesced. Would have been pretty awkward to turn your campaign model (Madonna) and after-party performer (Gaga) down. [WWD]
• In addition to doing a line that will sell exclusively on eBay, Narciso Rodriguez — who lost his financial backing last year — is doing more dresses that will retail at less than $1,000, rather than $1,800 and up, his typical price point. [WSJ]
• Carolina Herrera did a "Got Milk?" ad with her daughter. [JustJared]
• There is no better demonstration of the phenomenon of a collection becoming overexposed and untrendy before it even hits the stores than Pink and Shakira both attending the Video Music Awards in the same Balmain leather-and-chains minidress. It wasn't the label's flacks' fault, however: while Shakira borrowed the dress, Pink ordered it herself online. [WWD]
• Bee Schaffer took the place of her mother, Anna Wintour, at the Thakoon show on Monday afternoon. Is she as set on a career in the theater as she seems? It's hard to read about a thing like that without hearing Wintour's voice in The September Issue: "We'll see about that!" [NYObs]
• Freida Pinto popped up at fashion week to go to a party at the Harry Winston store. [WWD]
• "I am calm! I am a calm person!" is clearly not the kind of thing one should to have to shout, but if Russell Simmons couldn't get a seat at Charlotte Ronson, that definitely explains why I, a ticket-holder, couldn't even get into the show. [Radar]
• Rachel Zoe's QVC collection sold out within minutes. But fear not, for she of the sharp clavicle will be back on the idiot box on October 10. [People]
• Likewise, if you weren't refreshing your browser to buy Anna Sui for Target Sunday when the collection went live, you may now be out of luck. [Crain's]
• Ramona Singer, professional Housewife, is launching a jewelry line with the Home Shopping Network. [People]
• Urban Outfitters' president and founder Dick Hayne sold $50 million worth of his company shares. [TS]
• A Chinese company that embroidered the text, "In the name of God, the compassionate, the merciful" on jeans has seen its wares seized in Iran. The importers were arrested. [Guardian]
• The U.N. has recognized Indonesian batik fabric as an element of the world's cultural heritage, and added it to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list. [NYTimes]

• Posters The Last International Playboy, featuring Lydia Hearst in a state of undress have been banned in major cities. We just hope all this publicity right ahead of the June 12 release won't harm its box-office! [Observer]

• Karl Lagerfeld, Olivier Theyskens, and Alber Elbaz are rumored to be doing a grand fashion switcheroo. According to fashion writer Diane Pernet, Lagerfeld hasn't renewed his contract at Chanel, and Elbaz, of Lanvin, is going to take his place. Theyskens won't go to Schiaparelli, as previously thought, and instead will take the reins at Lanvin. Just wrap your head around that for a minute. [ASVOF]
• Proctor & Gamble is ending distribution of Max Factor makeup in the United States. [WWD]
• A nude photo of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy auctioned in Berlin sold for $19,600. It had been estimated to fetch $3,568-$4,997. [AP]
• André Leon Talley says that Anna Wintour was "thrilled" with Morley Safer's softly-lit, mostly softball 60 Minutes profile — this despite the fact that Safer essentially called Wintour a "bitch" to her face. Talley did puzzle at some of Safer's takes on the various designers and models he met in the course of his research — he memorably said Karl Lagerfeld "this season favors a Dracula look." "He's had that look for eight years!" laughed Talley. [Mediabistro]
• Model Daisy Lowe: "I'm going to get old and wrinkly, and when I'm older I'm going to put on loads of weight, and I'm excited about it. I think it's just really important to remember that you aren't your face." [Telegraph]
• Designer Charlotte Ronson: "i lost my favorite black vintage sweatshirt at Avenue in ny last night. Please if anyone finds it contact me. there will be a reward." [CJRonson's Twitter]
• Linda Evangelista says that lip liner and a slick of gloss is a much more "modern" look than lipstick. Okay. [MSN]
• Creative director Esteban Cortazar is said to be on his way out at the troubled house of Ungaro. Although Lindsay Lohan is not, as had been rumored, in the running for any kind of creative position, C.E.O. Mounir Moufarrige favors her, or another celebrity, as a face of the brand. This marketing strategy was not to the 25-year-old Columbian designer's liking. [WWD]
• Jason Wu showed his resort collection yesterday in New York, and some of the editors who came to watch it did not eat any of the hors d'oeuvres. Shocking fashion behavior, that! [P6]
• Banana Republic is going to launch a men's and women's fragrance duo, to be called Republic Collection. [WWD]
• Pictures of the Hotel Missoni in Edinburgh, the first of three currently planned Missoni-designed hotels, are now available. It looks nice. Single rooms start around $289 per night. [Hotel Missoni]
• For those of you who appreciate good design, have several homes, and enjoy the sun (but not the surf), Rosa Cha has a line of beach wear that can't get wet. Although Raquel Welch has already bought up all their $1,200 leather bikinis (joke), and a $1,900 caftan also already sold out, the designer's Swarovski-studded bathers are still available, at $3,200 for a maillot and $1,200 for a bikini. "The people that buy the pieces are people who, well, can definitely afford these kinds of items," said store manager Christina Delice. Indeed. [UPI]
• First order of business for Roberto Cavalli and Clessidra SpA, the private equity fund he just agreed (in a non-binding way) to sell 30% of his business to, is finding a C.E.O. Apparently, they already have a shortlist, although we don't know who's on it. Versace, whose C.E.O Giancarlo di Risio is expected to tender his resignation to the board at its meeting in Milan today, isn't in any such hurry. The company is understood to be still drafting its list of potential leaders. [WWD]
• Abercrombie & Fitch experienced a 28% drop in same-store sales for the month of May. Stock fell by 13% after the announcement. [The Street]
• Madewell, the slightly-less-expensive J. Crew outpost, is going to launch an e-commerce site in its name by the first quarter of next year, said C.E.O. Mickey Drexler. Let's hope it works a little better than the regular J. Crew site. [WWD]
• Although Orla Kiely's privately held company is not obligated to disclose its sales and revenue figures publicly, the designer says her business is going gangbusters, recession be damned. Her housewares line for Target is especially successful. [NY Times]
• A Pennsylvania woman who patented her design for a bra that would provide uplift and a smooth silhouette, and then sought out Victoria's Secret as a potential manufacturing partner, says that the company instead consulted with her long enough to steal the idea. She is suing. [UPI]

• A match made...somewhere. Miss USA contestants will be sporting barely-there bikinis from the Jessica Simpson collection. [NYDN]
• The nebbish-weight cage match between Woody and Dov continues, as Allen decries the jersey-meister's "rep-tarnish" tactics. [NYP]

• Moschino pulls new marketing director. [WWD]
• Quoth Amber Valletta: "As much as I love fashion and as much as it has supported me, I see how extreme and extravagant it is." Her line will, presumably, be both cautious and frugal? [Fashionista]
• "We have so much in common," says Charlotte Ronson of bff-collaborator Shoshonna Lonstein Gruss. Well...you're both super-rich and make girly clothes...[WWD]
• Eileen Fisher's cracking down on department store's deep discounting by renting out her own space on their floors. Your mom will pay full price for that linen sack and like it! [WSJ]
• Speaking of protecting one's neck: Seven jeans is suing Oleg Cassini and InDesign Apparel for trademark and copyright infringement due to overly similar ass embellishment. [CityFile]
• A new, Catherine Deneuve-endorsed handbag line is made by, and benefits, female Lebanese prisoners. The bags are embroidered with inspirational Arabic phrases. [BBC]
• Word is, Kimora is getting into maternity. The evidence? "A black T-shirt bearing the Baby Phat logo with an arrow pointing to her bump." All we're saying is, you then waive the right to get pissed if random strangers touch your belly.[WWD]
• When Models Tweet: "IN London Shooting a MAJOR SURPRISE COVER!!!!Its top secret can't give it away!!" [Fashionologie]
• Aww! Groovy purple-lovin' cool chick Anna Sui is receiving this year's CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. Stevie Nicks is, allegedly, stoked.[WWD]
• We like Ike! (Mizrahi.) "I am really a slob. It takes a lot of effort for me to look this put together. If I had my way, I would sit on the couch all day and eat ice cream and go to pieces with my dogs because that is the ultimate luxury to sit and watch TV with one's dogs." [Factio via New York]
• Jay-Z's Rocawear pop-shop 18-wheeler (subtle!) is hitting New York. And, presumably, causing gridlock. [Racked]
• We can't vouch for Nanette Lepore's literary tastes, but if they're anything like her tastes in suits? Give her pick - Idanna Pucci's new book Brazza in Congo: A Life and Legacy - a spin. [The Daily Beast]
• Struggling M&S brings back professional eccentric and designer Zandra Rhodes. [Daily Mail]
• What would Jason Wu tell Michelle Obama? "Thank you for changing my life. But more than me, they've really brought optimism to the country, which is really great." [USA Today]
• Want to see an appalling bathing suit? [VogueUK]

• This shoe is made by Christian Louboutin, out of python skin, leather, cobbler's glue, and, we assume, diamond-plated unicorn farts. Because what else could justify a $2,875 price tag? Happy recession! [The.Life.Files]

• Lindsay Lohan made the cover of Taiwan Harper's Bazaar, which a celebrity blogger initially misidentified as China Harper's Bazaar. An international incident unfolded in the comments. "Actually it is from Taiwan's Harper's Bazaar,not China……." wrote the user SAM. "Taiwan is a part of China," shot back someone called liangjuan. "Taiwan is independent as territory of the ROC, it is not part of the PRC," offered a stickler for details. "TAIWAN IS NOT PART OF CHINA!!!!! It is an independent country and it has NOTHING to do with China," said Taiwan Is My Life. Someone else pointed out the extensive use of Photoshop, and several users debated the invisibility of Lindsay's freckles, and downright Freudian levels of cocaine use. Someone called A split the difference: "photoshop does wonders ha. and taiwan and china are not the same." Then someone who reads Mandarin on The Fashion Spot pointed out the cover is from April 2008, not April 2009, and the seeming importance of all this faded. [JustJared]
• Charlotte Ronson threw a party for her J.C. Penney line, I Heart Ronson (which is pretty bad). This story doesn't mention how Lindsay Lohan was turned away at the door by security. Then she Twittered that Sam Ronson had broken her heart. [WWD]
• In response, Lindsay threw herself into her work. She's now designing pantyhose! Control-top pantyhose. [The Cut]
• People has the details of Gisele Bundchen's wedding gown. Presumably they shot this grainy telephoto image of a woman wearing an white dress before their photographers' window was shot out by a trigger-happy bodyguard? The dress and veil were John Galliano, custom, of course. Gisele's veil involved six feet of white silk tulle and hand-sewn lace, while her gown was bias-cut silk satin. [People]
• Veronica Webb might launch a jewelry line. "I would make accessories that would be the ultimate building blocks of women's wardrobes," she told New York last week at a Topshop opening party. "You know, things that they could interchange from season to season, and no matter what, they'd have the perfect little thing at their fingertip every time you need to get dressed in twenty minutes and leave the house — the belt that matters, the hoops that matter." Ah, yes. Accessories that matter. I've always craved those. Then she said Kate Moss was only as tall as her 6-year-old. [The Cut]
• Roberto Cavalli went ahead and extended his licensing deal with Itterre SpA, the bankrupted manufacturer whose subpar construction and late deliveries Cavalli alleged was the reason he had to cancel his fall Just Cavalli show at the last minute. At the time, Cavalli ranted — and cried — about Ittierre's actions to the international media, and Ittierre threatened to sue. Cavalli's new deal wipes away $26.5 million in royalties the designer claims Ittierre owes him. He must really want to sell that 20% stake in his company. [WWD]
• Alessandro Dell'Acqua has quit as creative director of Malo after less than a year in the position. IT Holdings SpA, the parent company of Ittierre, owns Malo and the label Gianfranco Ferré, which has been rudderless since the death of its founder last year. After Ittierre went bankrupt, IT Holdings was forced to announce its own bankruptcy. [WWD]
• Karen Elson, the British supermodel who married Jack White, moved to Nashville and opened a vintage store with a stylist friend. They look very happy. And well-dressed. [Blackbook]
• The CEO of the Gap, Glenn Murphy, took home $9.3 million last year. Despite his company's under-performance. [WWD]
• Christian Siriano would like everyone to know that CariDee English, formerly of that television show about weaves and feelings, is not his casting choice for his fall campaign. CariDee happened to do a test shoot recently with Brad Walsh, Siriano's photographer boyfriend, and for that shoot, Walsh styled CariDee in clothes from Siriano's main collection and shoes from his Payless line. Then, CariDee gave an interview to After Elton about how OMG she loves teh geighs SO MUCH!!! (and Fashion!), and somehow, the interviewer came away with the impression that the shoot was for Siriano's campaign. Which is not true. Christian loves CariDee, and he would do anything for her, but he won't do that. [The Cut]
• Yves Saint Laurent will offer a "new vintage" capsule collection starting next month at Barney's. The clothes will be made from fabrics from the label's archives. It's all part of a strategy to increase consumer spending on luxury items that doesn't involve sales — brands think they can do this by making their offerings seem more special and personal. [WWD]
• Beyoncé's $11,000 shopping spree at Patricia Field's store included the purchase of a hand-made mask. Pat has no idea what she'll use it for, either. [The Cut]
• There are three good stories at the end of this link: for one, Oscar de la Renta is still digging. On learning that the First Lady, who has yet to wear anything designed by him, had worked a few pieces by European designers into her wardrobe for her trip to, you know, Europe, he said, "Our industry right now is having a very difficult time. I think it would be great if the First Lady dressed in American styles. There are a lot of talented people here too." Which would sound less like a gloss on sour grapes coming from a guy who wasn't saying just last week that Mrs. Obama looked dowdy in that sweater she wore to meet the Queen. Secondly, Lord & Taylor is picking up Liz Claiborne again after five years. Because Isaac Mizrahi is the designer now, and L & T recognizes that kaleidoplaid is the way of the future. Thirdly, Stila is maybe bankrupt/for sale. Their website is down, and carries a warning that orders placed in late March might be canceled. [WWD]
• A good-looking 30-year-old San Francisco businessman, who happens to be a practicing Sikh, was spotted last year by the designer Kenneth Cole. Now he's working for GQ, which just proves that...hotness knows no religion? [Telegraph]

See, fashion is an industry based on image. Do you follow? Because, W has noticed, one of the effects of this is that people who work in fashion tend to be judged on how they dress. Kind of a lot, even. So many of them take the question of what to wear very seriously! And journalists, well, they find it interesting to write about in great detail without even a hint of the broader economic outlook or the narrowness of the audience that regularly wears $300 t-shirts from The Row and Lanvin flats.

Journalist Vanessa Lawrence's premise is almost too simple to be believed. "Working in fashion," she writes, "necessitates being fashionable from the moment you leave the house. And it is an implicit requirement that can prove exhausting for even the most passionate of clotheshorses....But when the weekend rolls around, they are faced with a dilemma: how to keep up appearances while giving their Yves Saint Laurent Tributes and Balenciaga sheaths a breather-if they choose to do so. Between trips to the gym, brunch dates and grocery store excursions, that 48-hour stretch is hardly a time for hibernation."

That's right. When you work in fashion, in addition to needing always to look your best, you might need to dress differently on different occasions. For instance, the weekend. Or the Hamptons! And any forays to distant nations — like the Upper East Side of New York, also known as "10021 land," where people wear these things called "blazers" and look "decked." What's a fashion worker bee to do?

Weirdly enough, everyone Lawrence quotes still seems to dress really well on the weekends. "When I'm in the Hamptons getting stuff at Citarella on the weekends, I'll see fashion girls who are in Marni and Lanvin in the daytime and I'm in a Tracy Feith cotton dress, Jack Rogers sandals and a ponytail," says designer Shoshanna Gruss, whose idea of 'weekend casual' is wholly relative. Others seem not to grasp Lawrence's issue: "French people don't really ‘underdress' on the weekends," remarks a confused Julia Restoin-Roitfeld.

There are plenty of moments of hilarity as the reporter valiantly tries to get a handle on the problem of what to wear in one's off hours. "Gruss's appropriately pulled-together look extends beyond Long Island summers to her Upper East Side residence," writes Lawrence; what range.

The thing is, anyone who spends a lot of time with magazine editors and stylists and General Fashion Personages knows a few things. For one, most of them do not have a lot of money — certainly not enough to be dropping $800 on stilettos every season. (Whether you've got a friendly quid pro quo going with a label's PR depeartment, or something occasionally goes missing from the styling closet is another issue.) For another, most of these people wear the same things every day. All-black ensembles are the norm, not the exception — because it's easy to look stylish in a dark monochrome, and you can switch out accessories without anything clashing, which is crucial if you spend a lot of time traveling and need to look like you have more outfits than you actually do. There are remarkably few people in fashion who consistently dress in ways that turn heads; pretty much everyone just wants to be stylish and look as nice as they can while they're working.

Which is fine, and normal, and fun — and the total opposite of the sort of sartorial-psychological weekend arms race Lawrence's article conveniently invents and then lavishes with attention, perpetuating the myth that all fashion folk are better-dressed than anyone else, and at all times. The real story is told in the pictures that accompany it: they're little images of the article's subject, photographed going about their daily lives, working in the fashion industry. Nobody looks bad — there's Charlotte Ronson at an event in a white dress and a black cardigan; Restoin-Roitfeld in denim shorts, a blue Oxford, and a blazer; Kate Etter in ballet flats, leggings, a green tunic and a long sweater. But nobody looks "fancy" or as purposefully styled as Lawrence's article implies is the industry norm. These look like outfits that have been doing reliable service in various forms for seasons already, and which will continue to see the light of day for a long time into the future. Bags and shoes might wash over Bryant Park like a tide each season, but a good pair of black pants is for the ages. And even people who work in fashion have enough good sense to know they can be worn on the weekends and to work.

Cartoon illustration via W

Weekend Warriors [W]

[New York, February 13. Image via Getty]

(Click on any image to view gallery)





While there are plenty of things that are "wearable" in the I Heart Ronson capsule collection's 15 pieces, the spectacle of Ronson designing such innovations as a white racerback tank top, a white button-down shirt, not to mention five-pocket jeans, calls into question the entire idea of designers doing lines for mass-market retailers — the point is supposed to be that the designers bring something new and perhaps the slightest bit daring to the local mall. These clothes look to me like things JC Penney has already sold in various forms for years. Only put on models with frosted eyeshadow and accessorized from the Grab Bag Of Slightly Out-Of-Date trends. But don't take my word for it: click through the slideshow for strawberry necklaces, studded belts, and a glimpse of Austria from Model.Live, trying to pose through the maelstrom of poor taste.

I Heart Ronson [JC Penney

• Lauren Conrad is On The Move, Azlan-style. After a prolonged period of alleged laziness, Conrad is promoting her eponymous clothing line all over our fifty states. [Yahoo]
• According to this Sun columnist's "hunch," Kate Moss is pregnant. Take that for what it's worth. [The Sun]
• According to model Niki Taylor — and her husband, doctor and uterus' hunch — she's pregnant too! [People]
• Fashiongate FAQ. [Washington Post]

• More signs of economic apocalypse: the cancellation of Fashion Rocks, CondeNast's annual fashion-rock concert-magazine. [AdAge]
• Here's how to get those undecided swing voters! "On Thursday morning, (Zac) Posen filmed a 15-second video urging people to vote, to vote for Barack Obama, and to dress for the occasion." [WWD]
• L'Oreal keeps its head above water, but cuts forecasts. [WSJ]
• There's hedging your bets, and then there's...this. In case they don't get Runway back, Bravo's introducing Fashion House, Celebrity Sew-Off and The Fashion Show, which sounds suspiciously like a Project Runway where viewers choose the winner. [Yahoo]
• Kate Moss, friend, rumored to be dressing up as Tina Turner, Cher for Halloween, kicks. [Fashionologie]
• "Where would Moss be without her languidly rockish locks?" Um, I don't know. Anyway, her hairdresser is releasing a budget line of hair products. So that we can continue to look nothing like her, on the cheap! [Guardian]
• Ferragamo does all the beautiful, 40s-style shoes for the epic film Australia. [W]
• As an army of Bettys and Joans can tell you tonight, Mad Men has had a serious influence on fashion. [LA Times]
• Charlotte Ronson for J.C. Penney is predictably darling. [Nylon]
• Speaking of cute fast fashion: Old Navy's latest plus-sized line is really pretty. [Fabsugar]
• On the other side of economic divide, Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière ditches his celeb moddles. [New York Magazine]
• And the head of Chanel: “Even in tough times, people want to see beautiful and inspirational things." [Economist]
• Rami Kashou lectures at the Phillips Collection. Quoth the master-draper: "I want to talk about what it takes to keep a dream alive...What it's like to be a 5-year-old and have a dream." [Washington Post]
• Bottega Veneta gets into cruisewear. Believe it or not, more frequent collections is actually a Recession-proofing measure. [WWD]

• Blake Lively's being sued by a Brooklyn tailor who did $500 worth of alterations on her Teen Choice Awards frock. While the Gossip Girl star was apparently "extremely kind" during the fitting, she's yet to pay up. Now Blake's people say the tailor screwed up the dress and they're only willing to pay half. Sounds like a job for Judge Judy! [TMZ]
• Heidi's peeps are saying Heidiwood wasn't discontinued; rather, the contract was only for one year! "We just felt that the one year was a great year for both of us, and we're looking into other options...We really found that we want to explore … what style really means to our girl … and that doesn't necessarily mean a celebrity brand. It really means fashion and comfort, and we can really accomplish that with our own brand." [New York Mag]
• LiLo walks in sorta-sis-in-law Charlotte Ronson's Japan show. [New York Mag]

• Obama's favorite Hartmax suit has become a bestseller. Being six feet plus helps, fellas. [UPI]
• Vivienne Westwood's son the erotic photographer staged that protest "featuring bound-and-gagged models in fetish clothing" at the House of Commons. It has to do with protecting extreme pornography. [VogueUK]
• APC introduces awesome denim recycling: trade in an old pair of the pricey raw denim, and get half off a new one. They'll fix up the old ones and sell them to those who want "re-worked" jeans. [BlackBook]
• What to get the dictator who has everything? The new $154 bullet-proof pocket handkerchief! [UPI]
• Tommy Hilfiger goes ever higher-end; sells exclusively to department stores. [Business Week]
• Gucci "spy scandal?" Well, they're being investigated. [WWD]
• Apparently traditional wedding gowns are so 20th century. Now spendthrift brides are doing three changes per wedding, celeb-style! [New York Post]
• Payless brings it with lines by Lela Rose, Alice + Olivia. [Dallas Morning News]
• The online look book for H&M's Comme des Garcons line makes it look waaay more wearable than the initial high fashion approach! [Racked]
• In this economy, who doesn't want to sepnd thousands of pounds on a photo of Gisele in a war bonnet? [VogueUK]
• Mia Farrow auctions a bunch of outfits from A Dandy In Aspic to help the children of Darfur. Guess they don't rate Rosemary's Baby. [WWD]
• Fashion bigwigs meet in London for "Susatainable Fashion" summit. The extremely vague objective? To "articulate beauty, style beyond fashion, a new definition of luxury, considered design and a revolutionary and hence more sustainable approach to fashion." [ElleUK]
• Maison Moschino, the fashion house's new boutique hotel, has bedspreads that look like they were made from Snuffalufagus' pelt. [Dazed Digital]

• DVF's comic book, Be the Wonder Woman You Can Be, is here! The party sounds kinda crap, tho. "The green tome was stacked about the space, as were special DVF Wonder Woman tees and totes. Per the theme, bright red Wonder Woman cosmos completed the standard drink offerings of champagne, white wine and sparkling water. PR girls including Olivia Palermo and Whitney Port helped check off names at the door, and mingled with guests inside." [Racked]
• Oh, the woes of celebrity! LiLo was simply too famous to get into the Alexander Wang show. “I wanted to go to his show so bad, but his publicist said they weren’t allowing any celebrities to attend,” she said. “So I said, ‘Consider me a normal person then!’ But they wouldn’t.” [WWD]
• Screw the polls. What do the ties say? McCain's Windsor knot "screams old-guard Washington establishment, like a bolo screams cowboy." And Obama? 'He most often wears his necktie with a four-in-hand knot, an awkward and asymmetrical cinch invented by 19th-century carriage drivers (who held four reigns in hand) and popularized by Dilbert-types looking for a no-hassle way to spruce up for work. "It's a knot for someone who has 30 seconds for his tie in the morning...a knot for the masses.'" [Newsweek]

• In deference to our straitened circs, Vogue's gift guide is going low-end: nothing over $500. [New York Magazine]
• Wearing Thierry Mugler sounds horrible, actually. Reminisces model Nadja Auermann. "He liked to work with me because I could withstand the torture of some of his more extreme runway looks. We both thought the same way—if you wear a look, you go with it all the way. Once, I was in a gold robotic suit that I had to be sewn into, and I wore it for about half an hour, and I could feel my circulation was getting blocked. I walked in the show, and all I could think was, Oh, my hips are going numb! But I am nearly at the end of the runway; I can make it!" [Style.com]
• Charlotte, the designing Ronson, is the new face of Sebastien hair care. "Charlotte will represent Trilliant, a product that makes tresses stylish and manageable, while flaunting her I'm-so-downtown clothing as Nylon]
• Burberry sales mysteriously up. [FT]
• Wow they really make this People Tree ethical fashion book sound dreary: Browse our gallery of their latest looks, feeling safe in the knowledge that your fashion conscience is unsullied." [Guardian]
• H&M sales drop a bit. [WWD]
• 20-year-old Dior Homme model Randy Johnston dies; no cause given. [Fashionologie]
• Want to hear about an "eyebrow transplant" in exhaustive detail? No? Don't click on this link. [ElleUK]
• Louis Vuitton apparently shocked that that Gorbachev ad isn't popular in Russia. [AdAge]
• Avon tries to tempt more Avon Ladies into the game by offering incentives like gas money, "direct access to financial adviser Suze Orman." [WSJ]
• Remember Jack from Project Runway? (Yeah, he left pretty quickly.) He just made a wedding gown covered in condoms for this "Condom Couture" event. [Blogging Project Runway]
• Just what you've always wanted: how to get Oprah's look. No, no, we said "riches."[USA Today]
• The first high-end J. Crew "Collection" store "encourages mixing modern items with vintage pieces, uptown and downtown looks, and evening attire with a dose of the more casual in the same outfits." For a price, we're guessing. [WWD]
• Here's the new Patricia Field Marks and Spencer line. [Fashionista]
• Now along withersatz SATC threads, you can buy gas at M&S too. [VogueUK]
• Allen Schwartz on his Penney's line: “Today, what is exploding is the antifit look, the crop look, the boy jean, ruffle blouses and the new harem pant. It’s very baggy, very ‘I Dream of Jeannie.'" [FabSugar]

• PETA apparently can't get over Armani's betrayal. Their latest devastating riposte? They've made these posters of Giorgio with a Pinocchio nose. [Towelroad]
• And in case that was over your head, that's "the puppet whose nose would grow when he told lies." [UPI]
• They should be happy with Henri Bendel; the department store's no longer carrying fur! [Nylon]
• Karl Lagerfeld cares about animals, too. Or at least that freaky teddy bear. “I was instantly seduced by the idea. I very much like animals. Above all when they are stuffed with cotton or plastic!” [Fashion Week Daily]
• Sean Connery looks super silver-foxy in his new LV ads. [Telegraph]

• The honeymoon's over: Narciso Rodriguez and Liz Claiborne officially part ways. [WWD]
• The "antiques buyer" from Anthropologie's getting his own show. Which is, I'm sure, very exciting for those of you who watch the Sundance Channel. [Fashionista]
• And if that sounds fun, you might be fascinated by the knowledge John Galliano's going to be speaking at some gala next month. [WWD]
• Avon forced to yank ads that claim its creams stop aging or something completely reasonable. [Daily Mail]
• Apparently in the current economic climate, women "plan" to spend less. Mice, men etc. [Reuters]
• Charlotte Ronson's doing a line for J.C. Penney. This in addition to, at last count, her eponymous line, her stuff for Urban, the collaboration with Shoshanna, and, you know, being a socialite. [WWD]
• Old Navy finally chooses an ad agency. We hope they'll make them bizarre again — I miss Carrie Donovan. [BrandWeek]
• Thanks to a new backer, Rochas pulls (another) Lazarus. [WWD]
• Marco Zanini may design for them. [ElleUK]
• The Pussycat Dolls are looking for a wardrobe assistant. Those with vinyl allergies need not apply. [The Sun]
• Nina Garcia's neuroses: "I wasn’t nervous about being in front of the camera, but I was nervous about seeing myself on camera. My husband makes me watch the show. I cringe the whole time." [Babble]
• Everybody's used to "Orgasm' blush. So Nars ups the ante: Super Orgasm Blush! Take That! [Nylon]

(Click on any image to begin gallery)

(All images via Bauer-Griffin.)

• L.A. boutique Kitson can't give away poor Lauren Conrad's collection. Well, they can, but not to customers. "They're giving away her collection to Caitlin's Closet, a charity that gives girls dresses for their big events, like the prom and homecoming." I have a terrible image of no one choosing her dresses for prom, though — I mean, they have other options, right? [TMZ]
• Designer Maria Pinto's star has risen along with client Michelle Obama's. 'While she does point out things Mrs. Obama might like, Ms. Pinto said she has never dressed her for events. Of the purple dress worn the night Mr. Obama claimed the nomination, Ms. Pinto said it was not planned. “Michelle is not scheming like her wardrobe should make certain points.”' [NY Times]
• In a match made in pink, Upper East Side, Gossip-Girly heaven, Charlotte Ronson and Shoshonna Lonstein team up for beachwear. "The two, who attended high school together at the The Nightingale-Bamford School, have joined forces on a beach line called Made With Love. Launching at retail in February, the collection includes printed women’s and girls’ bathing suits — a one-piece and several bikini styles — and matching printed beach towels and cover-ups." [WWD]

• Anti-fur activists would really prefer the pope not wear this one ceremonial hat trimmed in ermine. Cause that's obviously the archaic church tradition the pope really needs to address first. I'm not saying this one 13th century cap isn't going to start an international run on ermines, but still... [MSNBC]
• More on fashion week not requiring models to be healthy: "Hilary Riva, chief executive officer of the British Fashion Council, said in an open letter Wednesday that a yearlong model health inquiry deems certificates "an unworkable solution." "From our conversations with our international counterparts in New York, Milan and Paris, it has become clear that they do not recognize the need for an international health certificate," Riva wrote. [WWD]
• Maybe she's born with it? "Maybelline will give out $10,000 grants to 10 people who have changed lives through education. Post your nominee at maybelline.com." [NY Daily News]
• An event I secretly really, really want to go to: "Gamorama, Macy's annual glitzfest to benefit children's cancer research, will be all about the '80s Friday night, featuring Cyndi Lauper and MC Hammer." Have already put in a request for "I Had The Time of My Life." Although not, actually, invited. [Star Tribune]
• Helped by weak buck, Estee Lauder is way up. [Reuters]
• In its desperate resuscitation efforts, Liz Claiborne gives the unceremonious boot to striped-tights staple Sigrid Olsen. "It is a curious development in the fickle business of fashion that clothing labels like Ms. Olsen’s, made by and for the baby boomer generation, are among those being hardest hit by the current economic turmoil and retail< retrenchment." [NY Times]
• Skechers desperate to acquire Heelys! "After Wednesday's close, Skechers said it would pay nearly $143 million, or $5.25 a share in cash, for each share of Heelys. Skechers said the offer would give Heelys' stockholders an 8.2% premium to the closing price of the company's shares on Aug. 12." [The Street]
• New High School Musical panties deemed inappropriate for children? "The underwear, for girls as young as seven, are to promote the popular Disney film High School Musical and have "Dive In" written on the front. The phrase is a reference to a scene in film where characters dive into a swimming pool. But the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) and the National Union of Teachers (NUT) have both criticized the underwear, describing it as "inappropriate"." [Telegraph]
• Trying to smarten up their image, Sears unveils Fashion Week exhibit. '"What we really wanted to do was bring a taste of Fashion Week to people who would normally never get to sit under the tents or get to see a runway show," said Sears spokeswoman Amy Dimond. The retailer will also hold an exclusive kick-off party meant to get those in attendance, like fashion industry executives, to look "at Sears in a way that people may have not in the past." she said. [Reuters]
• Buyer and showroom head Cynthia O'Connor may be "the smartest woman in fashion" according to BlackBook. “COC + Co builds brands because we have a long-term strategy, not a ‘sell it today and collect your check’ philosophy.” O’Connor loves it just so. “When people walk in, they can see the success and that validates the experience.” [BlackBook]
• Asos.com CEO says they're gonna be "the amazon.com of the fashion industry. "As well as constantly evolving the mix of brands stocked, the etailer is implementing a range of initiatives - from the launch of a marketplace for second-hand clothes to homepages tailored for customers - to stay one step ahead of its increasingly-growing band of competitors." [VogueUK]
• "An ex-hasidic fashion designer uses Jewish symbolism in his designs, offending many devout Jews." I'm more offended by the designs themselves, not to be flippant. [Reuters]
• Without any irony: you can now buy Ralph Lauren Polo from your phone. "Taking its philosophy of “merchan-tainment” to a new level, Polo Ralph Lauren is launching into mobile commerce — m-commerce — incorporating echnology that allows shoppers to buy Polo merchandise from their cell phones." [WWD]

The Good:
Shoshanna Gruss wears clear colors beautifully. I also really like how well her designs accommodate breasts.
I was seriously conflicted about the constellations on Lydia Hearst's breasts (whoa, sorry, I'm like Russ Meyer over here today), but overall, she looks lovely.
Loud, yes. But Ashanti's young and I think this is fun. Plus, the belt breaks it up and the shape's terrific.
Oh, gang, I wish there were a better shot of Natasha Bedingfield's outfit. There were enough partial views and shots with bits of the bodice in them that by careful deconstructive work I was able to determine that her dress is, in fact, very cute.

The Bad
Olivia Palermo: go to jail, go directly to jail. Your dress is covered in spangles, and topped with a lace-trimmed vest.
Full disclosure: I own more than one Charlotte Ronson garment. She looks absurd. Also, like an American Apparel mannequin. (And yes, I realize that's a redundancy.)
Can I express to you my boredom with the shrink-wrapped strapless minidress? Sure, Julie Henderson has the figure for it. But it's profoundly uninteresting without being classic. (Can you tell I'm just trying to avoid using the "I'm over it" construction? So arbitrary and dismissive, it is.)
Nicky Hilton might have gotten a pass on this Missoni-esque number if she hadn't gone and added an equally busy python platform.
I agree, Carmen Kass doesn't look terrible; she's probably incapable of it. But the more I look at this outfit, the more convinced I become that it involved a striking disharmony of proportion and approximately five busy details too many.
Can we put Dina Lohan in here on the basis of hair? My 8 Ball says it is decidedly so.


The Ugly:
I feel a little bad putting inker Kat Von D here, since this is basically just how she dresses. The fact that she wouldn't give a fuck is a palliative.

Images via Getty

• Poor L.C. Influential L.A. boutique Kitson (the same one rumored to be cooling on Posh, but wasn't) is actually dropping Lauren Conrad's line due to "lackluster sales." [NY Mag]
• Candie's knows how to net the classy demographic: along with current pitch girl Hayden Panettiere, the company is taking over Perezhilton.com today to launch its new ad campaign. Hayden, who's releasing an album, will be singing in the ads. Quoth she: "I'm someone that has a lot of different personalities, so what I wear depends on the mood I'm in. I think the clothes worked well for the video. They gave me a lot of options to pick from." [WWD]
• Better late than never? British retailer Blues Clothing launches the "Marilyn Monroe collection," a "trendy, fashionable, and girly" line for young adults. Cause those are the first things that come to mind when you think of Norma Jean. [BlackBook]

• Obviously John McCain hasn't kept up with the new arch-unfriendly flip-flop research. His campaign's been handing them out. It's doubtless intended as a cutting pun. [Los Angeles Times]
• Halston creative director OUT! [WWD]
• Tim! No need to entice; you had us at "tonight at 10/9 central. Watch what happens." “[Fans] are going to get mad — early! There are some big surprises: Favorites won’t be there anymore, and I can only imagine how the blogs are going to explode over some of the challenge winners. We say that each season has a different DNA and boy, is that true.” [People]
• Ooh, I love these: Project Runway: "Where are they now?" Spoiler: mostly "in fashion." [People]
• Well, at least we know where Christian Siriano is! Critiquing street fashion! As you might expect, his comments are largely incomprehensible ("All I have to say is that is so Williamsburg I can't even handle it. She doesn't even care. Whatever. Love her.", "I'm over him.") and the words 'fierce' and 'tranny' are thrown around like it's '07. [Daily News]
• Burberry reports sales up in first quarter. [New York Times]
• Playboy on Olympians: '"Women's Olympic swimmers are beautiful," says Playboy.com's vice president of content, John Thomas. "Olympic swimmers are known for their bodies, and they look good in their suits."' For some reason, this translates into Playmates modeling Speedos. [WWD]
• More good news: Kimora Lee Simmons' teen line is surprisingly age-appropriate! [New York Magazine]
• CFDA/Vogue have announced the 10 finalists for their Fashion Fund competition. [WWD]
• Speaking of Project Runway, I don't think we've discussed it nearly enough. Did you know, for instance, that they're trying to get Mariah Carey to guest-judge the final episode? [Fashion Week Daily]
• Or that Nina Garcia is really "saddened" by the show's move to L.A.? [New York Magazine]
• French model Laetitia Casta nets a film role. It's set at Versailles. [Variety]
• You saw it here: How to tie a head scarf. [Telegraph]
• Reebok enters the battle for Beijing Olympics supremacy. [BlackBook]
• All the scenesters in Charlotte Ronson's fall '08 vid make us really not want to buy her clothes. [Style.com]
• Meanwhile, Guess takes inspiration from a wholesome, healthy Amy Winehouse. [fashionista]
• Prada introduces custom bag option. "Customers will be able to choose from a wide variety of decadent materials (suede, leather, crocodile, python, alligator, snakeskin…), rich colors, hardware and detailing so that their bag can be a reflection of their personal tastes and style." Prices available upon request. I'm sure it's totally affordable. [The Fashion Spot]
• Our equivalent? Botkier for Target. Unfortunately it's kinda meh. [Fabsugar]
• So, we all know PETA can be your worst enemy. Does that mean they'd make a good best friend? I'm going to go with, "more like the humorless radical down the hall who you kind of had a crush on your freshman year even though you knew in your heart you were too frivolous for him." Their latest target? Fur enthusiast Vivienne Tam. [PETA]
• London It Girl Alert!!!! Flavour of the week is Sting and Trudie's kid, Coco Sumner. "At only 17, she’s already modelled for Burberry, had a role in Stardust alongside Sienna Miller and Claire Danes and has just signed to Island Records to record a reggae album in Jamaica, no less. She's already showing more talent than most of her London peers and with great style too – partially shaved hair, tartan scarf, Breton shirt, denim shorts and ankle socks." [ElleUK]
• Teflon Kate gets Vogue cover. [BryanBoy]

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• It will not surprise anyone to learn that the clothes worn in the Sex & The City movie were not paid for by the movie's production budget but by designers hoping that product placement in the movie will result in clothing sales to actual people convinced that dressing like the characters in Sex & The City is a wise course of action. [Variety]
  
• Speaking of which, Matthew Broderick on the opening of his latest film, the Helen Hunt-directed Then She Found Me: "We just get dressed, get in a car, and hope for the best. But Sarah Jessica's premiere will be a big one! She looks really beautiful today, but it's just the dress rehearsal for now." [Fashion Week Daily]
  
• Hell to the no, Rami Kashou did not copy Yves Saint Laurent in designing a dress for Heidi Klum! [NY Mag]
  
• Bloomingdales' workers are on the brink of their first-ever strike. That's what you get when you let retail workers unionize, Terry Lundgren! [Crain's]

• "Her new 'grande bourgeoise' style suits her well," says lingerie designer Chantal Thomas of France's new first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. We think this is a compliment. [WWD, 4th item]
• Designer Bruce Oldfield is designing uniforms for McDonald's employees in the UK. But don't worry, they're not too "quirky and eccentric." [Vogue UK]
• Model Hana Soukupova on how she goes green: "I got a Range Rover as I just learned to drive and it's big and safe and great for driving around NYC. I am very eco-conscious and must admit I have been considering a different car for the summer. I'm thinking of swapping it for a Mini Cooper." You know, Hana? There's also walking. I know models at least have to know how to do that. [Chic Report]
• Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati loves Jamba Juice. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Coach: Income up, stock down. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Calypso founder Christiane Celle has left the company she started, a mere seven months after cashing out big time to private equity firms. Blah, blah, irreconcilable differences, what else is new; can we still get candy-colored linen and silk little dresses? [WWD, sub req'd]
• Urban Outfitters: Soon to feature in-house collections by Geren Ford, Steven Alan, Charlotte Ronson, and Paul & Joe. Pete Wentz must be so excited. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Aw, vintage Krazy Karl. [Sassybella]

• "If I could just do one thing for 24 hours it would be [have sex] . . . or sew. Or have sex while sewing. Or sew an outfit to have sex in." So says singer Beth Ditto, which is why the plus-sized Ditto is now collaborating with New Look to become the most unlikely (and kinda awesome!) celebrity clothing endorser yet. [The Sun]
  
• Charlotte Ronson, whose name sounds familiar because she's Lindsay Lohan enabler Samantha Ronson's twin sister, is once again slated for a role in the forthcoming Soapnet reality show The Fashionista Diaries, which will chronicle the ins and outs of the week leading up to New York Fashion Week. If there's a God, Lindsay will be off the wagon by then. [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• "Fashion's over," declares the legendary Hubert de Givenchy. Now what are we supposed to write about? Oh yeah, celebutard nipple slips! [WWD, sub req'd]

• Roberto Cavalli is in Paris — not to show couture, but to preview his H&M line to magazine editors. Oh please please please someone report back re garishness, degree of in this line! [WWD, 1st item]
• After having posed for Italian Vogue , Gavin Rossdale's love child, 18-year old Daisy Lowe, is rumored to be assuming Kate Moss's soon-to-be-empty knickers as the face of Agent Provocateur. We assume this means that Rossdales's missus, Gwen Stefani, will not be wearing the line anytime soon. [Sky Showbiz]
• Too many fashion events, too little time: The 10-year anniversary of Gianni Versace's death is keeping Bottega Veneta away from its slotted showtime as the closing show for the first-ever Berlin Fashion week. [Vogue UK]
• Anime movies! Spectator shoes! An entire Rem Koolhaas exhibit around her skirts! So what's up next for renaissance fashion-quirkstress Miuccia Prada? Designing a bar in London with whimsical Belgian sculptor Carsten Holler, naturally. [WWD, 1st item]
• Fashion hungry private equity firm Permira hopes to buy out all remaining shares of Valentino through the Italian stock market's regulatory system for an estimated $3.52 billion. Which is probably only a slightly greater figure than the price of a couture Valentino wardrobe. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Since leaving his design perch at Dior Homme, Hedi Slimane has taken to designing... furniture? [WWD, 3rd item]