[London, October 13. Image via Getty]

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 13: Artist Grayson Perry (L) and wife Philippa Perry look round the 'No Love Lost, Blue Paintings by Damien Hirst' exhibition at The Wallace Collection on October 13, 2009 in London. The collection comprised of 25 new paintings by British artist Hirst is being shown in the UK for the first time. The new works, created between 2006 and 2008, mark the artist's return to the solitary practice of painting. (Photo by Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)

[Hong Kong, October 6. Image via Getty]

A woman walks past 'The Importance of Elsewhere - The Kingdom of Heaven' by Damien Hirst in Hong Kong on October 6, 2009. The work is part of a sale of Asian and Western art with an estimated value of US12 million to go for auction on October 7. AFP PHOTO/MIKE CLARKE (Photo credit should read MIKE CLARKE/AFP/Getty Images)

[London, July 21. Image via INF]

[London, June 26. Image via Getty]

An artwork entitled 'Antharfuchsone' by British artist Damien Hirst is pictured at Christie's auction house, in central London, on June 26, 2009. The piece of work is estimated to reach between GBP 300,000 - 400,000 (dollars 490,000-655,000 or euro 352,000-470,000) when it is auctioned at the Post-War and Contemporary Art sale on June 30. AFP PHOTO/Ben Stansall (Photo credit should read BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images)

[Munich, May 6. Image via Getty]

A woman works on the art installation 'In this terrible Moment we are victims clinging helplessly to an environment that refuses to acknowledge the soul' by British artist Damien Hirst on show at the Museum Brandhorst in the southern German city of Munich on May 6, 2009. The new museum which shows works from the collection of Udo and Anette Brandhorst is set to open to the public on May 21, 2009. AFP PHOTO DDP / OLIVER LANG GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read OLIVER LANG/AFP/Getty Images)

[Los Angeles, December 17. Image via INF]

• Sarah Palin: "I'm back to wearing my own clothes from my favorite consignment shop in Anchorage, Alaska." The store's name? Out of the Closet. [L.A. Times]
• Oy. Celebrity stylist Philip Bloch christens Michelle Obama "Blackie O." [NY Mag]
• Michelle's J.Crew bump continues to push the company - because of course if you buy those separates you'll look just like her and be a potential first lady! [Racked]
• Thank God, local news is monitoring Karl Lagerfeld's Vermont activity. Apparently he's wearing the full Karl Kostume! And his neighbor is named "Loomis Beame." [NY Magazine]
• Keira Knightley carries Anya Hindmarch dust bag instead of the purse it came with. [ElleUK]

• How would you respond to this query to the WSJ's style column? "I always think my husband and I should look more like a couple when we go out, with complementary outfits. But he just puts on the same baggy jeans, even though I am in dresses. What's a way for us to dress more like a couple?" [WSJ]
• Obviously copying my Halloween costume, Rebecca Minkoff cites Liz Taylor as an inspiration. [WWD]
• Angelina's stylist on her red carpet "gown": "It's two separates that looked great together, clean and simple with a pretty shape, which is what we like." [FabSugar]
• Anand Jon's (whose real last name is apparently Alexander) trial wraps up. [Breitbart]
• Narciso Rodriguez: "I don’t recall a specific thought, like, 'Oh, this is who I am,' but I was always watching my mom make clothes, and so I was comfortable with the idea of tearing into a piece of fabric. I remember a piece of black wool felt—I was making a very cool vest, and Mom walked in on me with the scissors in my hand, as I was cutting into the felt, and she freaked out: “What are you doing?!” I was ruining a lot of fabric back then." [Style.com]
• Michelle Malkin accuses the Gap of promoting "Voter Fraud Chic." [Michelle Malkin]
• Is that why The Gap has sent all its employees on a three-day vacation?! "Cutting costs" my eye. [WWD]
• Model Carol Alt loses high-profile legal battle with her ex. [Reuters]
• Obama vows "to support five key textile industry policy positions" to save the listing U.S. industry and monitor China. [WWD]
• Say it ain't so! Spies say Nina Garcia was seen purchasing slutty schoolgirl costume! [NY Mag]
• Model moments through the ages: kinda fun. [Telegraph]
• Still got time to waste? Here's a gallery of movie fashion moments through the ages! [EW]
• Crotchety WSJ writer is proud to be a shlub. [WSJ]
• What do sharks in formaldehyde and prospectors have in common? Why Damien Hirst's line for Levi's, of course! T"he 12-piece Damien Hirst X Levi’s Collection revolves around some of Hirst’s favored themes — skulls, colorful spots and tropical butterflies. Jeans retail for about 180 euros, or $230 at current exchange, with T-shirts at 65 euros, or $83." You can get it in Berlin and Milan. [WWD]
• Stefano Pilati on sex — or not — at YSL. "For me, the main factor is the seduction factor. I want to look at a woman and feel seduced. I never touch the idea of sex...Sex one of the most complicated things; it's too subjective. And if you have subjectivity, you have to balance it out - with you skills, your knowledge, the values of your brand. Sex for me is personal." [VogueUK]

• Whom to believe?! Page Six? "Marc Jacobs is a newlywed. The designer and his hot Brazilian love, Lorenzo Martone, were married in a civil solidarity pact Sunday in France. "He's totally excited," said an insider. "He said he's head-over-heels in love with Lorenzo. His life is coming together now." Civil solidarity pacts were instituted in France in 1999, but they are not legally binding. Jacobs isn't taking his honeymoon yet - he's busy with his show for New York Fashion Week in September." [Page Six]
• ...or Perez Hilton?! "Despite erroneous reports to the contrary…Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that design god Marc Jacobs and his hot new Brazilian boyfriend did not get married in Paris on Sunday. However, insiders close to the couple tell us that M.J. and Lorenzo Martone (pictured above) are "very happy" together." They're both such infallible sources! [Perez Hilton]
• Model Jodie Kidd on being busted for drugs by the tabloids: "I was just someone minding their own business, plodding on in life. They had no need to do it because I'm not a bad person. I was very shocked. It was totally out of the blue," [Telegraph]

• Legendary model Lauren Hutton for Brit chain Mango. [ElleUK]
• Nelly is the new face — body? — of Sean John undies. Says Diddy, "To me, Nelly is the quintessential definition of the Sean John man. He has the attitude, the swagger, and most of all the physique that our customers can both aspire and relate to. And let’s be honest, all of the ladies out there are going to be thanking us for this campaign. The images are so strong; they speak for themselves. We are truly excited to welcome Nelly into the Sean John family.” [Concrete Loop]
• Apparently eager to break into the hideous shoe/sneaker hybrid market, Nine West and New Balance are teaming up. [Wall Street Journal]
• Ralph Lauren's Olympics uniforms? Exactly how you'd imagine 'em done by the king of fake-prep: "The opening-ceremony look consists of classy navy blazers with white driving hats and canvas walking shoes; for the closing ceremonies, it's classic polos and sleeveless sweaters." [The Cut]
• And they're apparently a good co to invest in. You know, if you have spare money. [The Street]
• Perfumers Society honors Bath and Body Works pres as "a living legend." [WWD]
• Stila knows what young women care about: lipstick! Voting? Not so much. But if you buy this Rock the Vote Red lipstick! a portion of your purchase goes to Rock the Vote, which got exactly no one to vote last time around. [Allure]
• Roberto Cavalli is waffling on whether to sell shares of his company. [Portfolio]
• Architect Zaha Hadid is collaborating with green Brazilian footwear brand Melissa. "The curvature of the limited-edition shoe is familiar from many recent projects by Zaha Hadid Architects, including the new London Aquatic Centre. "The fluidity of our design combined perfectly with the technology of Melissa's plastic, injecting pieces without closures or seals," says Hadid. " [Dazed Digital]
• Coach profits climb, defying recession. [WWD]
• Calvin Klein and Donna Karan are in Africa. The end. [Fashion Week Daily]
• So, because we're in a recession, we should be dressing like 1930s newsies. My finance friend says that this is actually far more like the recession of the 1970s, economically speaking, so I'm sticking with my maxis. [Newsbusters]
• Retailers struggling with "toughest selling season." [WWD]
• Artist Damien Hirst buys 80,000 pounds' worth of fake punk clothing online. Caveat emptor! [VogueUK]

• Europeans are always more progressive than Americans. Rumor is, Italian Vogue may be producing a cover featuring only black models. [Fashionista]
  
• Oh. My. God. High School Musical and Hannah Montana-inspired Crocs, soon available at a store near you. [Yahoo]
  
• Francis Ford Coppola and Sofia Coppola will be the next faces of Louis Vuitton's "core values" campaign (the very same campaign in which Keith Richards agreed to participate in exchange for a LV monogrammed guitar case.) What do you think the Coppolas get out of this? An LV director's chair? An LV vinyard? [WWD, 1st item]
  
• "Boyfriend" jackets are big for spring. But Peter Som says the ones he designed for Bill Blass are inspired by Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. [WSJ]

• Elle editor-in-chief Roberta Myers has decided not to assume the role of president of the American Society of Magazine Editors, most likely because she is too hell-bent on becoming a reality TV star. [WWD, 1st item]
• Rumer Willis, Kristin Cavallari, Christina Milian, Josie Maran, Pete Wentz, Corbin Bleu and Wilmer Valderrama have all apparently gotten desperate and all collectively facing Wal-Mart's Op line's latest ad campaign. [Just Jared]
• If you are dying to know what's in Kimora Lee Simmons' makeup bag, well, here's an itemized list. [Marie Claire]
• The rumors are true: Linda Evangelista will be the face of Prada's Fall 2008 ad campaign. [FabSugar]
• Tory Burch refers to her employees as her "family". [WWD, sub req'd]
• Kanye West-endorsed, Damien Hirst-designed t-shirts to benefit Bono's Product (RED)? Oh my. [Chic Report]
• Uber fashion publicist Kelly Cutrone likes chopping vegetables and washing dishes. [WSJ]
• Moby: Wants you to design a t-shirt for him. [USA Today]

• Brad Pitt was out with Zahara when a paparazzo got a leeetle bit too close. Brad grabbed the guy's collar and said, "Get the fuck away from me!" Oooh, AggroDaddy! [E!]
  
• The Spice Girls tour ends February 26 in Toronto and was fun while it lasted, but "probably won't happen ever again," Ginger says. Sorry, folks: You'll have to get your girl power somewhere else. [Reuters]
  
• Lindsay Lohan "fluttered" back and forth between Adrian Grenier and Leonardo DiCaprio at a club in West Hollywood Tuesday. Also: LL was drinking vodka and champagne. Where's that SCRAM when you need it? [Rush & Molloy]
  
• Paul McCartney sent a bouquet of lilies to Heather Mills on the eve of their first day in divorce court. Attached was a note that read, "Please remember you and I are both human and have one very special person in common. Please let's not forget this when we are in court. Whatever happens, our daughter comes first." Very admirable. Gentlemanly, even. No? [Mirror]

• Carson Daly went back to work on Last Call during the writers strike — now NBC has cut the show's budget and fired most of his writers. How's that for a punch line? [Deadline Hollywood]
• A lawyer in NYC has filed papers in federal court asking that Britney's conservatorship case be taken away from the L.A. court, stating: "It is doubtful that Ms. Spears can receive equal protection and a fair trial or hearing in the custody proceedings because of the intense media scrutiny of what would normally be private aspects of a person's life." Wait, what? Plus! No one knows who hired this lawyer. Crazy. [TMZ]
• Britney's brother has been named as the trustee of his sister's trust. Definitely keep it in the family and away from the hangers-on! [TMZ]
• Also, Brit's conservatorship has been extended to March 10. And! Sam Lutfi has still not been served with that damn restraining order, even though Britney's dad's attorney swears they staked out is residence and "did many things we do not want to discuss right now." That Lutfi dude is slippery. [USA Today]
• Today is the one-year anniversary of Britney's head-shaving. Raise your razors. [TMZ]
• Pam Anderson is in Paris campaigning for the protection of baby seals. She's working with Brigitte Bardot's animal rights foundation, and BB said to Pam, "You are my Valentine, I kiss you," via speakerphone. Kinda cute! [Reuters]
• Ted Danson is calling for the planet's oceans to be protected from overfishing and mercury contamination. He and Pam should go on the road! [AP]
• To get back at Sarah Silverman for singing "I'm Fucking Matt Damon," Jimmy Kimmel is making a video called "I'm Fucking Ben Affleck." Hmm, Sarah still wins this round. [Page Six]
• Bono and artist Damien Hirst hosted an auction last night that raised more than $40 million for AIDS relief. Also attending the (RED) benefit: Queen Noor, Michael Stipe, Dennis Hopper, Martha Stewart, Christy Turlington, Ed Burns, Q-Tip, Helena Christensen, Brian Williams and Anna Wintour. [Rush & Molloy]
• Blind item! "Don't panic, but which pint-size actress who recently sucked face with her celebutard best friend is being romanced by an equally tiny emo rocker, whom she met at a disco during the Grammys?" [Rush & Molloy]
• John Mayer downed sake shots with some folks from TMZ. What a wonderful world. [TMZ]
• Oasis singer Liam Gallagher married his longtime girlfriend, All Saints singer Nicole Appleton, yesterday. They've been together 8 years and have a 6-year-old son. Keeping in the tradition of the Oasis rivalry, Liam didn't tell his brother Noel about the nuptials. What's the story, morning glory? [People]
• In a just-published interview conducted before Heath Ledger's death, a post-breakup Michelle Williams said: "I thought I knew certain things and it turned out that I didn't, so I don't really try and anticipate so much anymore. I'm not making any bets on the future." [People]
• A construction worker who admitted to strangling actress Adrienne Shelly pleaded guilty to manslaughter yesterday. Shelly, who wrote, directed and co-starred in Waitress, was killed by the man after he robbed her apartment; he then hung her body to make it look like a suicide. [USA Today]
• Rihanna and Chris Brown: It's so on. [Concrete Loop]
• Hey, so that model in the Kanye West video will sell you her used underwear, if you're interested. She says she wears each pair of panties "long enough to transfer my 'natural' scent." Good morning! [Rush & Molloy]
• The Dept. of Animal Services went to Paris Hilton's house yesterday to investigate a complaint about her dogs. The city of L.A. has a three-dogs-per-address rule; Paris, on Ellen, claimed she has 17 dogs. Anyway, her house is under construction at the moment so no one was home. [TMZ]
• Bai Ling claims she shoplifted mags at the airport because it was an "emotionally crazy" day; she was breaking up with her man. On Valentine's Day??? "Wrong boyfriend," she says. [People]
• Bai Ling's mugshot! [TMZ]

As is this guy named William Booth, whose work as the Washington Post's resident reporter on the "clusterfuck" beat I've been reading since I was way too young to realize how much it sucks to have to go to shit like Art Basel. Anyway, want to know what's going on in the art world right now? Who else are you busy hating on, right?

Behold a medicine cabinet. Containing medicines. Peer at the label. The 1992 piece is called "untitled aaaaa" (sort of cute), by Damien Hirst, but only upon asking the gallerina (and thank you, artnet.com) does one begin to comprehend the following:
1. Damien Hirst is/was a blazing nuclear art explosion and a founding member of the YBAs, or Young British Artists, made famously fabulous in shows staged by the Saatchi Gallery in London.
2. Damien Hirst is the dude who put a whole dead shark in a tank of formaldehyde and called it "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living."
3. One of his previous medicine chests went for $19 million, not as thick as his $100 million diamond-encrusted human skull, but not Kmart.

Big Walls To Fill [Washington Post]

• Roberto Cavalli is now in the wine business. We hope it comes with a leopard print label! [WWD, 1st item]
  
• Diane Lane is the latest Neutrogena "brand ambassador." Jesus Christ do we hate that term. [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• Marcus Wilmont and Maki Aminaka Lofvander won England's Fashion Fringe award for their label Aminaka Wilmont. The collection they showed was inspired by the idea of "a serial killer model." Incidentally, Naomi Campbell "burst into spontaneous applause from her spot on the front row when they sent their first model down the catwalk." [Vogue UK]
  
• Jimmy Choo CEO Tamara Mellon's ex-husband Matthew on his former wife: "When your wife makes $100 million during the course of your marriage, it's quite a shocker . . . I felt like my masculinity had been stripped from me. I feel like my b - - - s are in a jar, like a Damien Hirst artwork on the mantelpiece." [NY Post]

• English model Sophie Andertson lost a $200,000 contract to be the face of a line of tanning salons (uh, yeah) after it was revealed that she offered sex and cocaine to an undercover reporter. Um, and the reporter didn't take it? All for the glory of ruining the career of a model no one has heard of? There should be some kind of anti-Pulitzer for this. [Daily Mail]
• New York Times Style section photographer Bill Cunningham has undergone eye surgery. Get well soon! [Fashion Week Daily]
• Converse is the latest brand to offer up an exclusive line at Target. Which makes us laugh. Cause like this is Converse after all, not Balenciaga. [Sassybella]
• Nordstrom's sales are up 22% in the third fiscal quarter. We think it's that in-store baby grand. [WSJ]

• Even skankier images then the ones we showed you from the Tom Ford for Men fragrance campaign go up on his website today. NSFW at all, but whatevs: You know you want to look. [Tom Ford via WWD]
  
• Those god-awful crystal-skull printed jeans that had us screaming "Stop the inanity!" at the showing of Damien Hirst's line of Levi's on Saturday night? Set to retail for $4000. That's three zeroes! [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• "I truly love and have a passion for fashion, but I only go to my friends' shows — Monique and Marc Jacobs," says Michele Trachtenberg. Wait a second — Harriet the Spy is friends with Marc? [WWD, 3rd item]
  
• "Never did I think one of my daughters would be showing in Bryant Park," said Kathy Hilton at daughter Nicky's Nicholai show at Bryant Park. Hmm. Interesting. We wonder if Kathy found it less of a shocker to have one of her daughters show her pussy all over the internet and wind up in jail? [WWD, 1st item]

• Take that, Molly Simms! Alice + Olivia serves cupcakes that say "Eat Me"? You really have to go back and research the origin of this ongoing feud to understand why this is funny or bitchy or just plain brain cell killing but if you're anything like us you probably just feel like a cupcake right about now. [WWD, 2nd item]
• Celebs are doodling on Stuart Weitzman shoes to benefit ovarian cancer research. [Fashion Week Daily]
• International Herald Tribune fashion critic Suzy Menkes eats carbs. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Thank G-d: Today is the last day of New York Fashion Week! And, uh, Erev Rosh Hashana?

• OMG a reporter from In Touch was sitting nearby when Angelina Jolie went to the bar in the Waldorf-Astoria hotel. Angelina had a glass of red wine with "a tall, muscular male friend" and talked about money. "You know how [Brad] is financially, which is stupid," she said. "Someone has to make the big decisions, though. He'll put money into things — but it's bizarre! It doesn't always make sense to me. The reality is, we're not a company together. Things should be separate. I think you know I make my own financial decisions. Brad knows there are times he should just be quiet and look pretty." Holy crap, we love her. [Gatecrasher, 2nd item]
  
• Wait a second, Kimora Lee Simmons is dating Djimon Housou? How did we not know this? Sob. [Gatecrasher, 3rd from bottom]
  
• Blind item! "Which Ivy-educated humanitarian actress has a secret for staying serene during her good work? She tours the developing world in a haze of marijuana smoke." [Gatecrasher, last item]

• Heath Ledger was seen drinking champagne and partying with three Aussie mates, which is like saying "Michelle who?" [Page Six]
• Sean "Diddy" Combs' Unforgivable fragrance ads: too hot for MTV. [Page Six]
• Naomi Campbell and British race car driver Lewis Hamilton: "flirting outrageously." [Page Six]
• The Hills Audrina Patridge tells OK! magazine that her boyfriend JustinBobby "has a hard time being himself" on the show. "MTV tells him, 'Go kiss her,'" says Partridge. "He's like, 'You can't tell me what to do because it'll be awkward.'" No one still thinks this show is real, right? [Page Six]
• Pete Wentz defended girlfriend Ashlee Simpson when she got pushed around at a nightclub in Vegas: he "rained punches on the much-taller door sentries." Uh, LOL. [Rush & Molloy]
• Owen Wilson may be "resisting" rehab but does have a $750-a-day "sober companion," which sounds um, fun. [Rush & Molloy, 7th item]
• Please say it ain't so: Adrian Grenier seen making out with Paris Hilton, people. [Rush & Molloy, 8th item]
• Marc Jacob's boyfriend Jason Preston wore a dead mouse as a brooch at MJ's runway show. It was a gift from Courtney Love, of course. [Fashion Dish]
• "They're young. I was young when I went through my stuff. Leave them alone," says recovering meth addict Fergie of Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan. [People]
• Reese Witherspoon on the pain of her divorce: "Right around Christmastime I was sitting in a parking lot and I felt like I just couldn't get out of the car. It was like, I can't get out of the car." [People]
• Jon Stewart will be invited to host The Oscars again. [NY Times]

• Poseur/artiste Damien Hirst is not only attending the "hotly-anticipated" Prada party during New York Fashion Week, he's designing the giant skull-shaped mirror that will be enhancing the store's decor the night of the party as well. [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• Somewhere there is a decree that Stella McCartney is infallible regarding the rights of animals and the environment and if you commit the heresy of questioning this she will bite. [Vogue UK]
  
• "The collection is many women. She is strong, hard working, sincere, purposeful, intelligent, easygoing, chic, professional, edgy, happy, a mother, a friend, a single woman, a hippie spirit," Rachel Roy on the woman who represents her upcoming Spring/Summer 2008 collection. In other words, anyone with two breasts and a credit card. [The Fashion Informer]

• Kelly Klein is having a baby, something that never happened while the sometime-photographer was married to her now-ex, Calvin Klein. [Page Six]
• "I wanted something memorable and sweet. It started with a drawing of a deer. I changed the "deer" to "dear." You know, something that's dear to you," says Amanda Bynes, on the name of her Steve & Barry's clothing line. Wow, Amanda. We had no idea until you told us that that's what "dear" means. [Houston Chronicle]
• Project Runway! At last! November 14 we will be reunited with Heidi, Tim, Nina, and Michael. [FabSugar]
• OMG. Vintage Reebok. Revived. Go look. Now. [FabSugar]
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
• The CEO of Rock & Republic has been charged with sexual harassment by a former employee. And by "sexual harassment" we mean she has accused him of attempted rape. Just putting that out there. [TMZ]

• Fresh off her appearance on the cover of the June Glamour, Jennifer Lopez will grace the cover of Conde Nast's supremely stupid supplement Fashion Rocks. We don't know if it's more retarded that Jennifer Lopez is supposed to represent "rock" or that Conde Nast is so used to putting pointless, overexposed celebrities on their covers to sell newsstand copies that they did it on a supplement. [WWD, 2nd item]
  
• Banana Republic, on its demographic: "Our customers are creative souls, inspired by art and culture." [Uh, Substitute "creative" for "conformist" and "insecurity and markdowns" for "art and culture" and you will have the reason I shop there! -Moe] [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• Wait, seriously? NASA orange flight suits for $60 bucks? We sorta want one. [WaPo]

• Breaking News! "Jeans Still In" for college students! No way! And appearing on the crime blotter, spoons still being stolen from the dining hall. [MarketWatch]
• Dorina Dixon "D.D." Ryan died yesterday morning. The former fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar was also frequently a costume designer to Stephen Sondheim, a friend of Halston, and one of the people responsible for bringing some of our favorite books, the Eloise series, into the world. [MGross.com]
• And the finalists for the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund award are: too numerous to list here, Moe says. But it's one impressive class, from which we predict the three prizewinners will be Phillip Lim, the Vena Cava girls, and Erin Fetherston. Your guesses? [Vogue UK]
• First Levi's asks him to design, now Prada wants him at her parties: Will someone tell us why fashion is so relentlessly trendhumping Damien Hirst? No, seriously, we want to know. [WWD, 1st item]
• Like perfume? Then you'll love L'Artisan Parfumeur's new battery-operated "art" box that emits a burst of fragrance from magical glass beads every three minutes, yours for $230. [WWD, 1st item]
• And in other window design news, the Diesel store in London is incorporating the scorched remains of its recently burnt-down store into its holiday windows! How nouveau something!
• Husband and wife design team Y&Kei: Cried at The Notebook? [The Fashion Informer]

• No joke, we actually snorted when reading this: Levi's is doing a line (see what we did there?) with artist Damien Hirst for a brand called Warhol Factory X Levi's X Damien Hirst, which will debut during New York Fashion Week. Um, they do know this is the same guy who likes to, you know, encrust human skulls with diamonds, right? [WWD, 1st item]
  
• "What Is Wrong With The World?" asks Lauren Goldstein Crowe in the headline of her daily Portfolio blog entry. Her answer: The Proenza Schouler boys got cheated in their deal with Valentino. Man's inhumanity to man: It's a bitch sometimes! [Portfolio.com]
  
• For all you people screaming that "Preppy is back!" — We just spent a weekend in Tuxedo Park, NY: Preppy never died. [WSJ]

• The Christmas shopping season (and its accompanying merchandising schemes) have already begun at English department store Selfridge's. We might throw ourselves out a window. [Vogue UK]
• Phillip Lim (of yesterday's new opened SoHo flagship store) is designing a line for Birkenstock. We cannot wait to see this minimalist go all earthy crunchy granola. [FabSugar]
• Those douchey Anya Hindmarch "I Am Not A Plastic Bag" bags? Banned in China. Because they were causing riots. Yeah, meet the people who are rendering us economically irrelevant. [Times of London]