• "Designer" Anand Jon has been sentenced to 59 years in prison for multiple rapes. [Times of India]
• Seems Naomi Campbell would, in fact, rather wear fur than go naked: the one-time PETA campaigner models furs for Dennis Basso. [Daily Mail]

• The judge who sentenced Anand Jon declares that the designer, who apparently lured dozens of young girls with promises of photo shoots and exposure, "shows no remorse." Said one accuser: "I was 14. You took my adolescence, my trust, my dream and completely manipulated them for your sexual desires...It sickens me that a grown man can do such a thing to a girl, a girl who was naive and had the belief that all people were good. And you took that to your advantage." [<MSNBC]
• Al Roker is starting a clothing line. Don't worry: it's rain gear! [WWD]
• The long-awaited Jimmy Choo-H&M collab images have leaked, and...well. Barbarella will be pleased. [Racked]
• The WTO has weighed in on the US-Brazil cotton dispute, saying Brazil can "target U.S. goods and services for punitive sanctions approaching $295 million." [WWD]
• In the new "Celebration" video, Madonna sports Balmain. This is all. [Telegraph]
• Rodarte, the movie? The Sisters Mulleavy have signed with William Morris Endeavor, to "advise the label on opportunities in publishing and film and identify potential strategic partnerships and sponsorships." We're seeing a lot of intricate deconstruction. [WWD]
• And...blind item! "Courtney Love was so enamored with which design team that she wrote them an "inspiration check" for $25,000 within a few minutes of meeting them?" [Fashionista]
• Speaking of acting (?) here's Daisy Lowe: "
  I just did a cool film for the band Noah and the Whale. It's really f—-ing great, excuse my language. It's for their new album, and I play the main love interest who breaks the guy's heart. It was my first taste of acting, and I really did enjoy it. I don't know if I'll ever just act though; honestly, I think I'll always do a lot of things because I'd get bored otherwise." [W]
• Coco Rocha's contribution to Fashion's Night Out: jigging. [Sassybella]
• Levi's pays tribute to Ted Kennedy, with an ad bearing a quote from the senator and the words "Let us continue his legacy of faith in the people and faith in the work that has yet to be done." [AdRants]
• Speaking of good works: Venus Williams will be vedning a "green" tee at the US Open designed to combine her passions of "tennis, fashion and the environment." Some profits go to Unisphere Inc., which maintains the area surrounding Arthur Ashe. [WWD]
• PayLess is expanding to Russia. Unclear if this is a victory for the West, or if, somewhere, Lenin is laughing. [WSJ]
• Will the new L.L.Bean Signature line be the revolution the staid retailer hopes? Although designer Alex Carleton has an impressive resume, the company's description of the new line - "You can dress it up and you can dress it down. It will be for men and women: apparel, footwear, some accessories, a couple of outerwear pieces" - is so incredibly vague that it's impossible to know much. [NPR]
• After trying that non-traditional venues thing everyone did at the last Fashion Week, Vera Wang decided she wanted back into the tents. But they were all full! Oh noes! [WWD]
• And speaking of NYFW, Narciso Rodriguez is getting this year's "Mercedes-Benz Presents" honor. [WWD]
• And noted journalist Peaches Geldof will be covering things for GMTV, so. [The Sun]
• Also Whitney Port - who we thought was an "intern" - will be launching her collection, "Whitney Eve," at the tents. Maybe that's why Vera couldn't get in? [New York]
• If you spend upwards of $150 on accessories at SoCal Bloomies, you can - maybe - get into this private screening of The September Issue, where one assumes you'll be thoughtfully prevented from buying popcorn like the masses. [BrandFreak]
• Liz Smith pronounces the documentary "a work of modern art." Salt, anyone? [Variety]
• The movie had the 5th best opening of any documentary, ever. [IndieWire]
• Justin Timberlake on his fashion icons: "Early Elvis — not the Elvis of onesies, but with the pomaded hair and big collar, the rockabilly stuff. Also, Sinatra. Johnny Cash. My stepfather was one of my style icons growing up. He was a banker, and I used to love to watch the routine he would go through. He would lay out his suit and the power tie he wanted to wear the night before. I used to watch him tie his own ties in the morning before going to school. When you go through the ritual of buttoning a collar, tying a tie, spraying on a scent, and picking out the right socks — you walk out a little more confident." Talk about bringing sexy back. [Out.com]
• Wednesday sees the kick-off of Lara Stone's September curation of new online avant-boutique Not Just a Label. Looks like it'll be a nice virtual (window) shop! [Fashionista]
• Whoa. Barneys, which has been losing dosh of late, is trying to break with the Dubai-based company that bought it in 2007, via bankruptcy Filing or debt restructure. Brace yourselves. [NYT]
• More on Daniel Vosovic's capsule collection. Trust: even if you think Korto was robbed, this is good stuff. [Fabsugar]
• LVMH continues its crackdown on counterfeiters, winning $32.4 million from a web vendor. [FT]
• The Sartorialist, Scott Schuman, has made waves by posting the photo of a homeless man. Says the blogger, "I don't usually shoot homeless people. I don't find it romantic or appealing like a lot of street photographers, and if you asked homeless people they are probably not to happy about their situation either."But! "In my quick shot I had noticed his pale blue boots, what I hadn't noticed at first were the matching blue socks, blue trimmed gloves, and blue framed glasses. This shot isn't about fashion-but about someone who, while down on his luck, hasn't lost his need to communicate and express himself through style." What say you? [BlackBook]

• Kim Kardashian, has, obviously, created a perfume. "The fragrance really captures who I am," she says ominously. [WWD]
• Heather Mills continues her controversial career, launching a line of recycled, re-modelled, animal-friendly (good!) clothes (bad. Very, very bad.) [DailyMail]

• Oh, this is good. Philip Simon Footwear Group has teamed up with, um, the U.S. Army, to launch a line of shoes and bags, presumably aimed at Army-strong youngsters. Says the company, seemingly without irony, "We want to create a footwear line that expresses and conveys the ideals of the U.S. Army, but in a fashionable way... The patriotic homage combined with bright accent colors and cool styles will appeal to consumers across the board." [WWD]
• Gisele Bundchen's on the cover of September's Vogue India, and appears in a series of ensembles by Indian designers. Quoth the Brazilian bathing-suit queen, "I like the combination of traditional Indian clothing with an edge — and the fabrics and colours are beautiful." [ONTD]
• Talking about covers, find Lily Allen on British Elle's October issue. We'd have given her September. Okay, maybe not. [Sassybella]
• From WWD: "David Gandy's sculpted torso has joined Scarlett Johansson's voluptuous flesh in Dolce & Gabbana's beauty ads. Four athletic men in their skivvies are shooting hoops around model Stella Tennant in Saks Fifth Avenue's fall campaign. And the muscular limbs of Andrés Velencoso are peeking out from behind Christy Turlington's black leather wardrobe in Yves Saint Laurent's spots. Is it too soon to declare the return of the "himbo"?" Yes. It's always too soon. In fact, I prefer to believe that word doesn't exist. [WWD]
• And he's back! Private equity group Permira Advisers LLP has written down its stake in Valentino Fashion Group - again. Out of the Valentino Red? [WWD]
• Liberty of London is staying defiantly high-end: the iconic London store is teaming up with Hermès, who's running a six-week pop-up scarf and tie shop on the premises. [Telegraph]
• Hopefully this is win-win; Hermès' quarterly earnings fell below expectation. [FT]
• But! J. Crew's crew of adorable kids has done the trick: the prepsters beat Wall Street estimates for the quarter and only see things getting better. [The Street]
• Contrary to rumor, lovable hair-meister Chris March is not suing Beyonce for ripping him off - just Thierry Mugler and Tancrede Prinz LLC, who apparently kept the March-intended monies Beyonce paid them for costume services rendered. "Chris continues to be a fan and great admirer of Beyonce who looks beautiful in everything she wears, especially Chris's costumes." [Blogging Project Runway]
• Speaking of Project Runway: Daniel Vosovic launches a capsule collection in February, inspired by his love of gymnastics. "There is a whole fashion group of gays that go. For at least an hour and a half it's my therapy. When you see the 6-year-old girls walking by with their six-packs and chiseled triceps, it makes you want to be even better." [New York]
• And speaking of exercise: trainer to Madge and Gwynnie, Tracy Anderson, will be giving some kind of rareified, Goop-approved (presumably) exercise demo during Fashion's Night Out, so. [New York]
• Donatella Versace has brought Versus back form the dead, and the resurrected brand will premiere at Milan Fashion Week. Prediction: she will be tanned. [WWD]
• As you already knew, Tim Gunn is a superhero! Marvel is introducing Loaded Gunn, a comic set at the "New York Museum of Fashion." [WWD]

• Lindsay Lohan left her phone in a New York deli. When she came back to retrieve it an employee wanted to check the security tape to make sure it was hers, which made Linds freak out and call the cops.

• By the time the police showed up the situation had been "diffused." The deli worker said he had no idea who she was. [TMZ]
• Kate Gosselin has been spending her weekends away from the kids with bodyguard Steve Neild... and his wife. A source says his wife Gina, "is one of her closest friends, so she and Steve invited Kate to spend the first weekend she had to be away from the kids as a way to show their support."[Radar Online]
• In yet another interview, Kate Major said of Jon Gosselin, "I don't have a lot of respect for him. I think he handled the situation very poorly. He did not act like an adult or a grown man or a father. And it's just sad. I think the fame has just gone to his head and he's on some bachelor romp... You cannot treat people (that way). It's not fair to me, it's not fair to Hailey, it's not fair to his ex-wife, his kids or anyone else involved in the situation." [CBS News]
• Police searched the San Diego hotel where Ryan Jenkins and Jasmine Fiore were staying two days before she was found dead. The hotel's general manager doesn't think she was killed there because the walls are thin and there were no disturbances reported, but they may have gone to a poker party at a nearby Hilton on the night she died. [TMZ]
• Sources say Jasmine Fiore was strangled after midnight last Friday and surveillance videos show Jenkins leaving a hotel with a suitcase that may have held her body. He is seen leaving the hotel with other luggage but Jasmine never left. The car he left in and her cell phone have not been found. It seems the text her friend received from her phone that said "suck it" was sent long after she was dead. [TMZ]
• The producers of Megan Wants A Millionaire say they were not aware of Ryan Jenkins' record when he was cast on the show and would have never let him on if they did know. A statement from the company said that they, "did have in place what it thought was a thorough vetting process that involved complete background checks by an outside company for all contestants on its shows. Clearly, the process did not work properly in this case." [People]
• Jasmine Fiore's former fiancé Travis Heinrich says that she was hiding a phone line from her husband because he'd go through her texts and that she told him a month ago she was "in over her head" and didn't know how to get out of their relationship. Heinrich says he saw Jenkins hit Flore in the arm so hard that she fell backwards into a pool. [People]
• Commercials for 1-800-YES-GIRL featuring Jasmine Fiore are still running on TV, but the company says they pulled the ads in January and they shouldn't be airing on any station. [TMZ]
• A judge denied Nadya Suleman's petition to block outside guardians from overseeing her children's finances. The judge recommended the Department of Social Services investigate the matter. [Radar Online]
• Katy Perry yelled at airport security personnel going through her five suitcases after a 26 hour journey from Australia to Scotland. She says, "I swear, I never feel more like cattle than when I have to go through airport security. They hate their lives and they hate us for sure. By the last flight, the third time going through security, I lost it on a security person." [Daily Express]
• Miley Cyrus was seen kissing her Australian co-star Liam Jemsworth in an airport in Tennessee. [Daily Express]
• Yesterday Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie took Maddox and Pax to a local pet shop to buy gerbils, goldfish, and a cactus. On Wednesday they took Shiloh and Zahara out to lunch and both girls wore stick on tattoos. [Us]
• Penelope Cruz says she's going to reduce her workload, fueling speculation that she's pregnant. She says: "I realised I was measuring the years going by according to whatever the films were I was working on, the countries I was shooting in. I was a total workaholic. I think that's what I needed to do then. Now I can work, but I'm not on movie sets the whole year. I can say no until there is something I really need to do." [Daily Express]
• In light of Susan Boyle's mental breakdown this year's X Factor contestants will be given psychological tests before appearing on the show. [The Sun]
• Heather Locklear is in talks to reprise her role as Amanda Woodward on the new Melrose Place. [People]
• Carrie Prejean is in talks to compete on season three of The Apprentice. "Carrie really wants to do it," says an insider.. "[Donald] Trump keeps going back and forth over it, he doesn't really care either way." [Fox News]
• Carrie Prejean's lawyer says she will not be on Celebrity Apprentice explaining, "they couldn't work it out with her schedule." [TMZ]
• Roger Avary, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of Pulp Fiction has plead guilty to vehicular manslaughter and drunk driving. He was driving when his car hit a telephone pole, injuring his wife and killing a passenger. [Hollywood Reporter]
• LeAnn Rimes was questioned by police about her involvement with a hit-and-run in Brentwood and then went to hang out with Eddie Cibrian. A source says she rear ended a car stopped in the left turn lane and no one was injured. [TMZ]
• Michael Jackson's burial has been delayed again. Now it will take place on September 3. Joe Jackson says the family requested August 31, but that day was too problematic because that's when schools reopen. [TMZ]
• La Toya Jackson is in talks to appear on the British show Strictly Come Dancing. A source said, "La Toya would be a great name to have on the show - if she chats about Michael live on TV, or dedicates an emotional performance to him, it will make for fantastic viewing." [The Mirror]
• Megan Fox will host the season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 26. [Life & Style]
• Rosie O'Donnell addressed her marital problem in a poem describing her encounter with a TMZ reporter. She wrote: "read off his cheat sheet/'and u and ur wife... he said ...whats up with that'/marriage is hard i told him/when u r married 12 years/ lemme know how it goes /it aint easy" Also according to the poem, she saw District 9 last night and is sad the summer's almost over. [ONTD]
• One Tree Hill actor Antwon Tanner is facing 10 years in jail after pleading guilty to selling Social Security numbers. [Newsday]
• Director David Yates has picked the spot where Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will be split into two films. Also, Jamie Waylett, who plays Crabbe and was convicted of marijuana possession will not be in the film. [MTV]
• Milla Jovovich and her fiancé, director Paul Anderson, are getting married on Saturday. "It's going to be small," she says, "It's just going to be family and close friends. And it's at our home and it's going to be kind of Havana/Cuban, like very California-Spanish feeling. It's going to be nice." [People]
• Moving to Lifetime didn't hurt Project Runway's ratings. The season premiere had 4.2 million viewers, making it the network's biggest premiere ever as well as the biggest Project Runway premiere ever. [E!]
• At the link Daniel Vosovic and Korto Momolu talk about the results of the Project Runway All Star Challenge. If you still have it Tivoed, there are big spoilers. They say of Chris March: "You don't understand, we thought there was a health issue. He slept for probably half the time. You know how much of a slap in the face it is to all of us who are scrambling to get our collections done? He slept for probably half the time... It was insane! I guess he just knows how to execute an idea really quickly." [People]
• Daniel Vosovic says Nina Garcia is his favorite judge because, "She just has a way of cutting through the [foolishness] like no one else. As an editor it's her job to look and be aware of what everyone else is doing. I think that perspective is something that not all the judges have, which is what makes the entire panel great. I think that as an editor she's just really good at what she does and her feedback is just so spot-on." [L.A. Times]
• Hilary Duff says since she's been working on Gossip Girl, "Everyone's been really, really gracious to me and sweet to me... I'm a huge fan of the show. They called me and said come on and do a few episodes. I jumped at the chance." [People]
• Robin Williams says of his three adult children, "I'm so proud of them in different ways, but have they always been cherubs? No, but that's been part of the process. And am I the 'world's greatest dad?' Not at all, I'm a work-in-progress, but I love them." [Reuters]
• When asked about her boyfriend Dominic Cooper, Amanda Seyfriend said 'Things end. Things end. And we're in a weird business. We're surrounded by just strange people, strange influences,." Now he's reportedly been caught making out back stage with one of his co-stars in a London play. 'One of the cast walked in on them - and it didn't look like it was part of the play,' says the source. 'It was just the two of them and they looked quite surprised to have been disturbed. [Daily Mail]
• Jane Lynch, who played Julia Child's sister in Julie & Julia, said of working with Meryl Streep, "I did my best to hold it together inside, because you're working with someone who is not only a legend, but somebody who has been a hero of mine for a long time. So you kind of have to let that go and just do your job. ... We were shooting in a restaurant in Brooklyn, and we were waiting for the light so we could cross into our trailers. And she slipped her arm in mine and we crossed the street together, and I - aaach! - it was wonderful." [AP]
• RHONY's Bethenny Frankel blogged about last night's episode of RHOA saying, "Kim hit the skids for me by bringing or even associating with Michael Lohan. I once hosted a panel with him and Nene hilariously said it right when she said, 'Michael Lohan, how random is that?' Michael Lohan is a termite whose own daughter won't associate with him. He has leeched onto Jill Zarin and Jon Gosselin and now has moved to Atlanta. What an embarrassment. I cried when Nene said for him to get his ass back to Malibu. Unfortunately, he probably can't afford Malibu. His last name might as well be Ho-han. That man is a press ho, and coming from me, that's a pretty big statement." [E!]

Some fans are worried about the ads that Lifetime has produced, reports Jim Farber for the NY Daily News. Instead of bitchy, campy snippets of designers arguing, the Runway spots, Farber writes, feature the contestants "bathed in tender light and serenaded by Yanni-soft music." Farber says that some bloggers are crying that "Lifetime is going to KILL" the show.

But the judges of PR — Nina Garcia, Tim Gunn, Heidi Klum and Michael Kors — have confidence in the core concept. In roundtable conversation, Klum tells Newsweek: "I think so many people are afraid of us moving to L.A. But honestly, I've always said that we can shoot Project Runway on the moon, because we're sort of in our own Project Runway world." And Gunn adds: "We were only there for a couple of days and I was reminded that before World War II, Hollywood was really the center of American fashion."

One thing that Lifetime is definitely doing right? A first-ever two-hour special Project Runway All-Star Challenge, which airs August 20. Fan faves Santino Rice, Daniel Vosovic, Uli Herzner, Mychael Knight, Jeffrey Sebelia, Chris March, Sweet P and Korto Momolu will come back and compete against each other for a $100,000 cash prize.

But as Farber points out, PR's former network, Bravo, is "finely attuned" to "the nuances of greed, vanity and false pride"; whereas Lifetime is "rigidly sincere." We'll have to wait and see whether PR is as bitchy and addictive as we remember… or if the new network (and the California sun) have mellowed its message.

'Project' Revamp: Leaving Its Edgy Bravo Home, Will 'Runway' Be The Letdown Of A Lifetime? [NY Daily News]
Auf With Their Heads: The ‘Project Runway' Roundtable [Newsweek]
'Project Runway': We Catch Up With 8 All-Stars [EW]

• Twilight clothing is happening — it's only surprising it took so long. The duds go on sale at Nordstrom in October. Selina Khan, on the right, looks like she just doesn't care about Edward or Jacob, bless her heart. [People]

• Amazon.com is acquiring Zappos.com. The cost? $847 million. [NYTimes]
• Wonder Woman Lynda Carter will be live in person at Talbot's for Fashion Night Out, a night of special sales and events designed to encourage consumers to shop at the start of New York Fashion Week. Carter will be at Talbot's Madison Avenue store to promote her new CD, "At Last." [WWD]
• Meanwhile, France is one step closer to allowing shops to open on Sundays after the bill was narrowly approved by the senate. Mon dieu! [WWD]
• Barney's New York took down a disturbing window display that featured bloodied mannequins, posed as though they were struggling against assailants. And here we thought Simon Doonan's judgment was impeccable in all things. [NYDN]
• The actress Melissa George has invented a new product which she calls "HemmingMyWay." Geddit! The Grey's star, along with her business partner Kara Harshbarger, plans to sell clear adhesive strips with snaps affixed that allow a wearer to quickly adjust the length of her pants when she changes from flats to heels. Look, it even has a Facebook page! [WWD]
• Amy Winehouse's father wants her to license her name to a perfume house for £500,000. [Telegraph]
• And Lily Allen is doing a line of jewelry. "I love jewelry, always have done," explains the pop star. [Vogue UK]
• A 1994 Arte documentary about Yves Saint Laurent, Tout Terriblement, is being released on DVD. [WWD]
• In London next Thursday, a Chanel-themed flash mob has been announced. Anyone wearing Chanel, or Chanel-esque outfits should meet like-minded sartorial souls at St. Pancras International Station at 6 p.m. [UK Elle]
• 19-year-old Georgian Sean O'Pry topped Forbes' list of the highest-earning male models. There are pictures. [Forbes]
• Retail executives' pay fell last year. The 10 top-earning executives compensation packages decreased by 9.4%. [WWD]
• Could Fabiola Beracasa really be developing a reality show in the style of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations, where she flies around the world looking for...unusual fashion? [P6]
• Daniel Vosovic, Santino Rice, Korto Momolu, Sweet P, Jeffrey Sebelia, Uli Herzner, Mychael Knight and Chris March are the designers returning to Project Runway for a second helping of Tim Gunn's soothing drone and Heidi Klum's adenoidal exhortations. Project Runway: All-Star Challenge will be broadcast as a two-hour special before the show's sixth season premiere. All we want to know is whatever happened to Andrae? [People]
• Jeremy Scott is yet another designer heading to London Fashion Week this fall. Though based in Los Angeles, Scott normally shows in Paris. [WWD]
• MAC cosmetics is ending its sponsorship of fashion week, and instead holding its own competing roster of shows at Milk studios in Chelsea. Proenza Schouler, Erin Fetherston, and Alexander Wang have already committed to slots in the lineup. [NYTimes]
• Alex Wang on his day off, according to his friend Ryan Korban: "We do a lot of driving around - he loves driving. So we drive out to Brooklyn and just kind of cruise around. He's always got the music blasting and he's singing. It's surprising, but he's a really good driver. He's screaming and the music is to the max and he's drinking an iced coffee, but he's completely steady." [W]
• Esteban Cortazar is out at Emanuel Ungaro, WWD is reporting. The young Colombian designer had clashed with the house's management over advertising and the brand's direction; his collections met with mixed reviews, and at last month's resort show, the Ungaro CEO refused to say if Cortazar would be kept on. No successor has yet been named. [WWD]
• The quirky downtown gallery Partners & Spade got written about in the Times. Oh well — nothing good lasts forever. [NYTimes]
• Ozwald Boateng, the Ghana-born, London-based all-round spectacular menswear designer and tailor, made two suits for President Obama and hand-delivered them to the American ambassador to Ghana during the president's recent visit. If Obama wore Boateng's suits, nobody would call him frumpy, ever. [WWD]
• Another story about Crocs and what they mean. [LATimes]
• The New York Economic Development Corporation-run industry site NYCFashionInfo.com, which collates insidery arcana like designer showroom contacts and market week dates, might start accepting advertising and publishing more "lifestyle content" because it only attracts 2,000 visitors a month. [WWD]
• Apparel sales in England in the month of June rose by 1.2%. [FT]
• Skechers lost $5.9 million in the second quarter. The result was actually better than analysts had expected. [WWD]>

And he didn't quite make it.

Lagerfeld's most consistent gesture was a play on proportions. Far too many of the offerings had short hems coupled with long, trailing back panels — an extreme take on the fishtail hem that manages to combine the body anxieties of the mini with the wearability problems of the train.

I feel like Michael Kors telling Daniel Vosovic "I just wanted to rip that little tab right off!" Sensibly, this back panel appears to be attached with buttons. (Although who wants to sit with two rows of buttons down her back beats me.)

Karl Lagerfeld told Times critic Cathy Horyn that he felt long dresses were insufficiently younthful.

The collection was mostly done in dark colors, with red as an accent throughout, and splashes of hot pink.

Where the designer relaxed his idée fixe into a gentler, fishtail hem shape, the results were more successful.

This chiffon dress, like the one before it, for example, look beautiful and modern.

Although that wasn't the case for this fishtail offering. A fur-edged sequined yoke? Really?

Another solid move was to play with the hem length by setting it askew — this spiral-cut black and red dress is absolutely stunning.

Yet this dress works with the exact same shape, and the level of embellishment overwhelms.

At times, the collection had an overt arts & crafts feel. That cape looks like an afghan throw someone's Grandma would crochet — although I think mine would pick better colors.

Several of the dresses in this tranche had a very grainy, 1970s feel.

One looked new in all the wrong, spangled ways.

And one? Looked like it was made out of the Lorax.

Even the suits, Chanel's signature item and ordinarily something Lagerfeld brings a lot to, were very hit...

...and miss.

And miss again! Red bouclé, leopard print, and black lace tights are far too many colors and textures to mash together.

There was one lovely, diaphanous beige chiffon dress with an asymmetric hem that didn't feel as aggressive as some of the others.

Of course, the downside of beige chiffon is that you can look naked.

The show was held at the imposing Grand Palais. In case you can't tell, those are giant, white Chanel No. 5 bottles on the set.

I totally want the black cut-out dress the woman on the right is wearing. Also, who knew Danielle Steele, center, attended the couture shows?

Perhaps she was after a little sparkler like this one? (Which, on a dark street corner, could easily be mistaken for Balmain.) Still, it's very nice to see a collection presented with sensible, beautiful footwear, instead of 7" platform shoes.

Incidentally, when Lagerfeld did give in and go long, even with a range of transparencies as here, the results were often quite lovely.

This one, too, is gorgeous.

And so is this one, although it may be the kind of thing that, if worn by Chanel's celeb clientele, would set tabloids a-muttering about a baby bump.

And this long one sort of looks like shiny, busy widow's weeds.

For the finale, Lara Stone emerged in a fishtail wedding dress, arm-in-arm with Baptiste Giabiconi. (Brad Koenig is probably crying into a silk shirt somewhere.)

• The future will smell like Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Kanye West. (And, if I'm understanding "established female artist" correctly, Beyoncé.) [WWD]
• Kim Gordon hates it when you call some fashion thing "fierce." [The Cut]

• Meanwhile, Solange Knowles snagged a spot in the new Op campaign. That's that Wal-Mart brand that egregiously Photoshopped Rumer Willis last year. [WWD]
• Marc Jacobs' people say they have no plans to use Anne Hathaway in any future advertising. So who will be in his fall campaign, now that Posh is concentrating on her own dress line? [People]
• For Easter, why not consider Florentine Armani-branded chocolate eggs from the Armani store? They start at $15 for 3.5 oz, and if you buy one of the $145 big eggs, inside you will find a "gift", like an Armani luggage tag. [NY Times]
• Speaking of Florence, Proenza Schouler is going to show in Europe for the first time this June at the city's fashion trade fair. But it's not going to be a "show" show, says designer Lazaro Hernandez. Expect a surprise! [WWD]
• The company that makes Crocs is on the cusp of bankruptcy. This is the week it has to pay off $22.4 million in debt from its revolving credit line — and nobody believes it has the money. Ready for a wistful look back? This article connects the success of the shoes that "looked like clogs that had mated with bath mats" to 9/11 ("in 2002, America was, more than anything, a country desperately in need of comfort") and a culture that privileges being noticed over looking good. [Smart Set]
• Daniel Vosovic is in the early stages of planning the launch of an eponymous line. He plans to hit a contemporary price point (aka nice dresses for $300-$800, like 3.1 Philip Lim and Alexander Wang), and it will be made domestically. He foresees beginning with presentations, not runway shows, for cost reasons, and he wants to debut for fall/winter 2010. He also tells an adorable story about how Tim Gunn used to have a tea set in his office at Parsons, and have people in for advice and a cuppa. [The Cut]
• Michelle Obama wore fake lashes in Europe, so this writer would like to let you know about some other weapons in the eyelash product arsenal. There are lash strips, individual fake lash clumps, semi-permanently glued lash extensions, and a prescription eyedrop adapted from its original use as a treatment for glaucoma. Of that last one, it should be noted, "There has been some controversy over possible side-effects, but that is unlikely to stop women from trying it." [Times of London]
• Richie Rich: Finds doing Pammy's bidding and producing vegan clothing difficult. For his own line, he intends to do "a plus size." I would make a crack about how one probably won't suffice, but I rather suspect Rich has simply fallen into one of the most basic patterns of fashionspeak: treating plural nouns as singular. Pants become "a pant." ("We're doing a very nice pant this season.") Shoes become "the shoe." ("The shoe is very important to our customer this spring.") (Truly. See for yourself.) Throw in a few well-judged repetitions of "fabulous!" and one mention each of "fabrication" and "costing" and you'll probably pass. [The Cut]
• Expectations are that LVMH will have strong quarterly results to report next week. [WWD]
• The Savannah College of Art and Design has honored Robin Givhan — the Pulitzer-toting fashion scribe for the Washington Post — and Russell Simmons at its annual gala. [FWD]

• Rachel Zoe is getting her own reality show on Bravo, set to air in either June or September of this year. The show promises to bring a much-needed behind-the-scenes glimpse of the secretive world of helping celebrities shop by following one of its most obscure-yet-fascinating practitioners as she goes about the...Ugh, please just end this writer's strike already. [Fashion Week Daily]
  
• But God is not altogether merciless! Stock in Crocs is in the shitter. [Rocky Mountain News]
  
• Frances Bean Cobain: the new face of Chanel? Hopefully Lagerfeld et al can make her look a little better than she does in the photo dug up here. [PopCrunch]
  
• In case you were wondering, Project Runway season 2 finalist Daniel Vosovic thinks that the contestants on the early seasons of the Bravo reality show were much more talented than those this season. We agree, albeit less arrogantly. [NY Mag]
  
• Jay-Z just bought a small London fashion house Artful Dodger, which may explain why he's been stocking up on European currency. [Mirror UK]

• Cosmetics company Jan Marini is being forced to take its Age Intervention Eyelash Conditioner off the market because it apparently contains the same (patented) ingredients as certain glaucoma medications. [WSJ]
• Writing it does not make it so: We refuse to believe shiny leggings are flattering. [NY Mag]
• Pharrell Williams to "design" a line of Louis Vuitton jewelry. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Vans is suing Sketchers, saying that only the skater slip-on shoemakers can use their iconic checkerboard print. We're sure suburban pseudo-punks everywhere agree. [NYT]
• Marc Jacobs, Stella McCartney, Jil Sander, Burberry, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Narciso Rodriguez and Versace are just some of the designers participating in a "sustainable" fashion show on January 31st in New York. Why not just make their own fall shows sustainable, you ask? [WWD, sub req'd]
• In either really good or really bad news for the gays (and the people who love them): Everyone's favorite no-longer-in-love designers of almost-campy "sexy" fashion, Dominco Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, are releasing the first ever D & G calendar, replete with naked men. The designers say that women are super into it. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Good news! No one look like they're being raped in the spring Dolce & Gabbana ads. [FabSugar]
• John Galliano's Christmas cards show Christian Dior putting hot rollers in Johnny G's hair! [WWD, 1st item]
• Luella Bartley: Ain't gonna come back to New York for the Fall 2008 shows in February. Staying home in Mother England and showing there instead. [WWD, 3rd item]
• Yohji Yamamoto: Now doing casualwear. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Christian Louboutin: Appearing on Oprah January 18th. [Fashion Week Daily]
• The first Laura Ashley store to open in Ashley's home country of Wales is closing. Wherever shall the Welsh procure their Little House on the Prairie garb now? [Telegraph]

• Jennifer Lopez is expected to file suit against former Sweetface design partner Andy Hilfiger, ostensibly because, uh, the line really sucks. Hilfiger, meanwhile, is expected to countersue because Lopez' hubby Marc Anthony is a psychotic asshole. [NY Daily News]
  
• In a strange twist of fate, PETA's new phone number was previously "owned" by designer Zac Posen's mother, Susan Posen. Now, when people call the number looking for Susan, PETA officials kindly inform them that her son is murdering animals for his designs. [NY Daily News]
  
• Kim Cattrall: Future PETA target? It appears her wardrobe is awfully croc-skin heavy in the upcoming Sex and the City movie. [WWD, 6th item]
  
• Karl Lagerfeld won a raffle? That seems wrong, somehow. [WWD, 3rd item]

• "I have a soft spot for Galliano; Alexander McQueen, however, that's a different story for another day." —Manolo Blahnik [Fashion Week Daily]
• The entire Elle fashion department (including Joe Zee, Anne Slowey, and Project Runway star Nina Garcia) were eating dinner at NYC restaurant Indochine at the very same time that French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld was at the restaurant for her son's birthday. [Fashion Week Daily]
• LOL of course Madonna is co-hosting Gucci's upcoming February fundraising event "A Night to Benefit Raising Malawi and UNICEF." [WWD, 1st item]
• Louis Vuitton and the Burlington Coat Factory have reached a settlement over that whole manufacturing and selling of fake bags things. [Sassybella]
• Boutique perfume label Bond No. 9's top nose Laurice Rahme has launched the first-ever known perfume bottle recycling initiative. Under Rahme's direction, all Bond No. 9 stores and counters will accept empty perfume bottles of any brand and ensure the glass is recycled. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Natalia Vodianova is the face of the upcoming Diane von Furstenberg spring 2008 advertising campaign, the first ad campaign DVF has had in decades. We never realized that Diane didn't advertise, which gives us weird, newfound respect for the wrap dress. [Vogue UK]
• For Vogue's Lauren Davis' upcoming nuptials, each of her socialite bridesmaids has been paired with a different designer who will create a different gown for each woman. (Participating designers are Derek Lam, Proenza Schouler, Vera Wang, Giambattista Valli, and Alberta Ferretti.) This is why we hate socialites. [Fashion Week Daily]
• For the gay geek in your life: A Chloe iPhone! [Portfolio]

For the Ladies:

First off, what's with the obvious Prada knock-offs with the knee socks and shoes? (Or, uh, are those just actual Prada socks and shoes?) And though we like the look on the left, well, isn't it a little, well, done. Can you not hear the voice of Tim Gunn sighing, desperately, "Don't bore Nina!" when you look at it? And the look on the right is way too school girl uniform (and not in a fun way).

For the Gents:

Say what you will about Daniel, but unlike this season's contestants, at least he knows how to make a pair of fucking pants. Love the little button detail on the zippy pullover on the left (even if the trousers seem a tad snug), and the suit on the right puts the lady-pants Uncle Nick made for Daniel in the makeover challenge to shame.

NYLO Wear by Daniel Vosovic [Blogging Project Runway]