Over the weekend a successful young fashion model touched off a minor media circus by killing herself. Almost immediately, details of the beautiful life cut tragically short swooped in to fill blanks; the apocryphal tale of her "discovery" by benevolent industry scouts; her melancholy poems; how she'd been watching "Ghost" the night before. It was mostly bullshit. But there is something about great beauty that inoculates us to the more mundane realities of life, which was that Ruslana Korshunova was an immigrant from a desperately poor country who came to New York at a scarily young age to make money to send back to her parents. In that way she was no different from the tens of thousands of kids from former socialist states whose parents send them thousands of miles to work in restaurants and gas stations. It's generally more legal, and the living conditions a little nicer, but as our anonymous model columnist Tatiana has discussed before in this space, the people governing a model's fate are no less predatory and self-interested, and the experience is only slightly less anonymous. Herewith, Tatiana's initial thoughts on the suicide of a pretty girl from Almaty:

At around 2:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, a 20-year-old model named Ruslana Korshunova jumped from the balcony of her ninth floor apartment in New York's financial district. A Kazakhstani of Russian heritage, she had modeled since the age of 15; top London agency Models 1's Debbie Jones tells a great story about her discovery and tracking-down of Korshunova after seeing her pictured at German club in an in-flight magazine. (I suspect Jones is spinning a typical fashion creation myth: Korshunova told UK Elle magazine that when she was 15, she submitted her own photos to the Moscow agency iCasting, a version somewhat shorter on romance and international intrigue but vastly more believable.)

Korshunova followed the usual career path of an Eastern European model — working abroad from a young age to send money back to her parents, who remained in Kazakhstan — albeit with considerably more success than is common. A slight 5'7.5" with braces and Rapunzel-esque hip-length hair, Korshunova nonetheless shot out of the normal model demi-monde of sometimes sweet, sometimes snide, always obsessive commentary on TheFashionSpot.com. She wowed casting agents and booked a slew of clients during her five years in the business. Korshunova worked for Marc Jacobs, Blumarine, Vera Wang,
Paul Smith, DKNY and Moschino; she booked a cosmetics campaign for Clarins and starred in a Nina Ricci perfume ad. She shot with Mario Sorrenti, Patrick Demarchelier, and Paolo Roversi. She had covers for European editions of Vogue and Elle, she had pictures inside American, Japanese, and Italian Vogue. Korshunova, it appeared, had grabbed fashion's brass ring.

She had achieved the kind of career that must have been reasonably consistent, and decently-paid, though of course pursued in total anonymity — even her doorman told the New York Daily News he didn't know the girl he saw return home at 5 a.m. on Saturday was a successful international model.

No doubt this is a story made more interesting in the eyes of some by the allure of Korshunova's profession. Journalists have already taken to calling Korshunova "the beauty," "the lithe looker," "the 5'8" head-turner," "the green-eyed blonde beauty," playing the fashion industry's own exoticizing, objectifying game. On Fox news - where else? — Geraldo Rivera showed "the last images" Korshunova. The camera lingered over her dead body — pale, bloodied, and partly covered by a sheet — while Rivera in a voice-over called Korshunova's ex-boyfriend's description of the model as "a good person" a "kind of a lame quote." I am not linking here on purpose.

It is as a woman, not a mannequin, that I'm sure Korshunova's loved ones will remember her. And irrespective of her field, one has to wonder at the process by which a girl decides to kill herself four days before her 21st birthday.

I did not know Ruslana Korshunova, but I do know something of depersonalization and loneliness of this profession, and its occasional outright miseries (Korshunova also told UK Elle, of her worst professional experience, "We were in the Alps shooting, high
up in the snow, and I was wearing a tiny dress. We were so very cold and it was snowing so hard — we couldn't see a thing. I thought I would not live to see another day.") The Daily News reports that Korshunova wrote long messages in English and Russian on a social networking site; the messages make frequent mention of things like love, desire, dreams, and rainbows; they
read as the missives of a very young girl who has discovered that romance often fails to live up to its promise. Korshunova quoted inspirational Internet poetry about the importance of forgiving quickly, kissing slowly, loving truly, and laughing uncontrollably, which the Daily News apparently mistook for her original work. In March, she wrote, "I'm so lost. Will I ever find myself?" In her most recent post, on May 30, she mused angrily that "Love does not take away from one in order to give to another."

Korshunova spent her last night watching Ghost with her ex-boyfriend, 24-year-old Ukrainian immigrant Artem Perchenok.

Many models would have envied Korshunova's career; many women would have envied her beauty. But clearly, leaving home at 15 to travel the world under the often-lax in loco parentis care of a series of agencies, even when it culminates in a nice Craig McDean editorial and a Dior Beauté campaign or three, can take a devastating toll.

Kate Moss is so in her element here. She's all, 'just try and rock a pair of wellies like this, Agy. I dare you.'
I am not personally a fan of the retro-Mickey tee. But apparently Kelly Osborne and her beef Luke Howell feel differently.
Not so much digging K.D. Tunstull's tribute tee, but am digging the skanking a lot.
Self described "dirty fairy", it-girl and sorta-Gwen-Stefani-step-daughter Daisy Lowe, looking clean, but wearing vinyl pants.
Lily Cole chooses love, asinine tee.
Alexa Chung's high-waisted cutoffs scream 'fashionista at a rock show chic.'
Beth Ditto's cute red iteration.
Some would say it's fortunate for Linzi Stoppard that I'm not handing out "bad"'s today.>
Can't tell if Gabriella Cilmi is wearing a German WWII army helmet.
Good intentions by the wayside. Pixie Geldof's getup, wig look absurd.
Let's say, hypothetically, we were doing an "ugly" category. And let's pretend Har Mar Superstar happened to slip into it.

[Images via Filmmagic, WENN, Getty]

"A California sea lion catches a fish on June 27, 2008 at the zoo in Nuremberg, southern Germany. In wild life, California sea lions live in coastal regions of the northern Pacific Ocean."

[Nuremberg, Germany; June 27. Image via Getty]

• Maria Sharapova is denying that her controversial tennis getup had anything to do with her upset loss to Alla Kudryavtseva (dressed in a simple skirt and red-trimmed top). [Guardian]
• Recessionistas take note: Richard Chai for Target is cute. First look! [Nylon]
• No, seriously, Donatella. You need to stop talking. Now. [Radar]
• Justin Timberlake…Givenchy model? “The black and white images features Timberlake looking pensive or playful in a series of ads which has him in a recording studio, on a balcony, and of course lounging around on his private jet.” [Sassybella]
• And wait, Emile Hirsch is the face of Valentino?! [Fashion Week Daily]

• …aaaand Jude Law for Dior Homme Sport. [JustJared]
• I, too, am sick of Agyness Deyn and hate myself for giving her more exposure. That said, AGYNESS DEYN MODEL FEUD!!! Agy's been replaced at Burberry by younger and "more aristocratic" Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, who, in addition to being "a distant relative of Queen Victoria and currently dating Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood’s son Tyrone", dishes: "Agyness used to be really sweet but when she became big she dropped me. I tried being her friend and texted her repeatedly for six months but she never replied, so I just gave up. Personally, I think Agy’s look is a one-off season look." [The First Post]
• Oh yeah. Some record Agy "inspired" is out now. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Beauty junkies cut back. [WWD]
• Elle MacPherson parts ways with her long-time manager. "In Elle's position she doesn't really need a manager. She has her own team of people looking after her and really that's all she needs," he says. What is this "looking after" of which you speak? [SMH]
• Bangladeshi human rights crusader fights for rights of garment workers. [Christian Science Monitor]
• Devil Wears Prada writer Lauren Weisberger is not at all into clothes. “The image I try to convey is casual, while still being neat and a little bit stylish. I'm a writer and I don't ever want to get super-dressed up.” [Wall Street Journal]
• Bumble and Bumble revamps curl line: (it's already pretty darn good.) [WWD]
• Can everyone swallow their pride so Hedi Slimane can get back to Dior, already? [fashionista]
• Luxury labels’ recession woes. [Wall Street Journal]
• Suspicious-sounding “micro-capsule” perfume “embedded in fabric” cures smelly socks? [Financial Times]
• "They wanted orange, and I wanted her not to look like a dancing pumpkin." New York City Ballet gets avant-garde. [Style.com]
• Responding to the demands of the harsh economic climate (?) Giorgio Armani launches pen collection. [WWD]
• To wear with your skort and wedges! Man-purses. [New York Magazine]
• Gareth Pugh crosses the channel. [ElleUK]

The Okay:

Jenny Mollen's Steven-Alan-esque plaid is actually adorable - who amongst us wouldn't wear this? Enjoy it: it's all downhill from here.
Loving the color of Katie Cleary's frock.
And by "okay" I actually mean: "the exact outfit I wore on the first day of 8th Grade, 1994." I think Marissa Jaret Winokur may have actually stolen my vest.


The Bad/Ugly/Back to Bad:
Many seconds of research failed to establish a real overview of Katerina Graham's professional profile. I only know that she is voting for Change, is wearing a really ugly mini.
Jasmine Dustin, on the other hand, "appeared in American Pie Presents Band Camp, Lingerie Bowl, Punk'd, and on the Deal or No Deal season one website, as a substitute model. She was never actually seen on the show. Dustin graduated from Pinkerton Academy. She is of French, Scottish, and Native American ancestry."
Hip-hop artist Teairra Mari could use a nice camisole.
I've been following Brittny Gastineau's progress since Filthy Rich Cattle Drive. Good to see the kid's fighting the good fight, clothes-wise.
Ashley Roberts is a Pussycat Doll. Just putting it out there.

It's either the overly-matchy zebra-stripe shoe or the hose, but fellow Doll Kimberly Wyatt: something is mos def rotten in Denmark.
This well-coordinated little lady is one Brooke Long.

Images via Getty

The Good:

Actress Paz Vega, working what eBay would surely term a "boho retro emo mod" 70s-referencing-dozen-yards-of-awesome.
Don't know actress Clara Lago's work, but she's a vision in raspberry.
You can't imagine how much I want this ensemble— not that I could rival the awesome evilness of Laura Ponte's expression.
When I wrote a paper on color symbolism in The Great Gatsby my sophomore year of high school, yellow stood for moral turpitude or something. But Paulina Rubio looks stunning.
I am not, understand, a muumuu apologist. Just yesterday a hipster in a boutique in Brooklyn tried to sell me one that my boyfriend described as a "Fauvist nightmare" and I said , "No!" But Laetitia Casta looks positively regal.
All I am saying is: were I a Spanish model, a la Raquel Sanchez Silva, and were I attending a high fashion event, this is exactly what I would wear. Luckily this falls into that .000001% of scenarios.




The Bad:
As we have established, I like Loretta Lynn. But Rosa Diez, sadly, is not actually Loretta Lynn and as such, this is a very odd choice for a Vogue Red Carpet.
This is what we refer to in my kitchen as an "accessories-breaker." Singer Marta Sanchez's festive getup could've worked, but went awry.
Eva Gonzalez: is this the tiniest bodice in the world? Inquiring minds want to know.
Once I had this friend and everyone was all, "Amy! Why did you take out your nose ring?" And she said, "because there was a chance someone could look at me and think, 'That girl still listens to the Smashing Pumpkins.'" Martina Klein would have done well to heed these words.




The Ugly (ish):

Claudia Schiffer looks smokin', yet awful.

Jade Jagger. Oy vey, as a man once said.

Images via Getty

[BET Awards, June 25. Image via Getty.

Earlier: You Can Take The Girl Out Of Jezebel But You Can't Take The Jezebel Out Of The Girl

The Good:
A little Van Lear Rose, a little 50's prom, a lot fab. Rihanna's short hair keeps this from going too sweet.
Let's give Terrence Howard the benefit of the doubt and assume that cane's functional, shall we? Because the man looks seriously dapper.
Crystal Alkin's dress is gorge.
I gasped — I did! — when I saw Gabrielle Union's goddessy ensemble.
I'm a sucker for anything 70s-inflected, but even so, this kind of dress can be hard to pull off. I'd argue that BET host Danella does so, in spades.
Khaki suits can be so Men's Wearhouse. It's a pleasure to see it done right, as actor Boris Kodjoe does here.
I don't know how much longer this shape can tough it out, but Alicia Keys shows what it can do.
Maybe I get a vicarious thrill out of seeing people work lemon, since it makes me look like a plague victim. Trina's mini would be adorable in almost any bright, though.
Yeah it's kinda hiked up here, but Jordin Sparks' red number is a classic, classy choice.


The Bad:

From what I've observed, rapper MC Lyte is a pretty reliable red-carpet train-wreck. This is actually one of her better get-ups.
Given my fondness for jumpsuits, I almost gave Keri Hilson's lame iteration a pass. But the thing is, for a js to work there must be NO crotch-pulling. And the photographic evidence cannot be denied.
Ledisi's minidress is woefully unflattering. Nuff said, methinks.
Jennifer Hudson: I get the appeal of a structured dress. I do. But is it necessary for her to be strapped into armor on a weekly basis? It looks so uncomfortable — and doesn't seem to express any of the playfulness that makes her so appealing.
Solange Knowles has clearly inherited great genes, questionable taste.
I'll say this for Omarosa: the woman's consistent.

The Ugly:

If I could choose a superpower, I think it would be mind-reading, if only so I could go inside rapper Jacki O's head and try to figure out what she was thinking when she selected this ensemble.
Rapper Lil Mama: most frightening Strawberry Shortcake interpretation to come down the pipe yet!

Some would say Wimbledon's all-white dress code encourages this kind of experimentation. Others would argue that it's part of a dangerous trivialization of one of the few sports in which women rule. "Only in this climate could it be written - as it was at the French Open - that the American Ashley Harkleroad had "upstaged" Serena Williams because she had decided to pose for Playboy," writes Marina Harker in The Guardian. "Williams had just crushed her in two sets, but whatever. Harkleroad's first-round draw here is Amélie Mauresmo, in a match swiftly billed by some commentators as the clash between the lesbian and the Playboy model."

Yes, this is appalling, and there is no question that the deification of a "celebrity" like Anna Kournikova at the expense of more accomplished athletes is bad for sports, society, girls and fashion alike. But I'm inclined to take a more relaxed approach. First of all, however trivial - and besides the point - these athletes' fashion choices might be, they are still drawing attention to genuine athletic accomplishment. (And all the players singled out for sartorial acclaim are actually world-class tennis players.) And is critiquing sportswear any worse than critiquing red carpet fashions, especially when the practictioners throw themselves into the fray with red-carpet-like zeal? At the end of the day, if focusing on fashion is trivializing the hard work of these women, it is also glamorizing it - and we could do worse than to glamorize hard-working athletes who, not incidentally, sport these clothes on toned and healthy-looking (read, well-fed) bodies. And, if nothing else, the dandyism is unilateral - Roger Federer can only grasp at the sex appeal generated by stars like Sharapova. And judging by the reaction to that cardigan, he's not doing very well.

Shorts and Sweet[Vogue UK]
Game, Set and Style [Vogue UK]
A trouser-rubbing timewarp that needs no new balls[The Guardian]
Trenchcoats up the Wimbledon fashion stakes[Reuters]

Earlier: Girly Fashions At The Australian Open: Game, Set, Matching Headbands
The Men Of The Australian Open Serve Good 'Sex Face'

• Rumors are swirling that Aggy will be making her "major" acting debut this holiday season as Dr. Who's "Christmas companion" (don't look at me) in the show's major 12/25 episode. [Gallifreyone.com]
• It takes a lot to replace Naomi Campbell. After, ahem, legal troubles prevented the beleaguered mannequin from walking in Rosa Cha's Sao Paolo swimsuit show, her replacement (a guy (?)) sauntered out in a Speedo, which he summarily doffed on the runway. [Page Six]
• And speaking of male nudity...Borat-style banana hammocks have hit the runways, hard. [News.com.au]
• Blind item!!! "Which Italian designer told a woman he was groping on a dance floor that he likes "slutty girls who dress badly"? She pointed out she was wearing one of his dresses." How many straight Italian designers can there be, anyway? [Daily News]

• Curiosity of the moment, Vogue-intern-cum-hockey-player Sean Avery, talks about his time at 4 Times Square: "I like clothes," Avery writes. "Always have. What started innocently enough with my first tie-dyed Chip & Pepper shirt at age 12 has evolved over a decade and a half into a closet full of Dries Van Noten, YSL, Dior, and Costume National, to name just a few." [E!]
• Making a mental note to never hit the beaches of Sao Paolo, where the press just savaged Karolina Kurkova's "cellulite" and "back fat" in a recent runway show. [TMZ]
• Charities feeling the economic pinch. [WWD]
• Tom Ford dresses Daniel Craig, James Bond. [Los Angeles Times]
• More on Vidal Sassoon's Habitat for Humanity project: [WWLTV]
• The cardigan is risky business, as Roger Federer found out firsthand: "Federer resembled nothing more than an aging Harry Potter, although one suspects that this was not the effect he was aiming for." [The Independent]
• "Recession-proof" fashion mag digest, Distill, aimed at YOU! [Guardian]
• Luxury market needs to get with the times: not taking advantage of online marketing! [Time]
• More retailers felled by recession. [WWD]
• "The reason that Yohji Yamamoto gives for staging the first fashion show in the Ancestral Temple of Beijing's Forbidden City seems highly suited to his enigmatic image. 'For me, the name sounded so beautiful,' he whispers, backstage after the night-time event. 'I liked the idea of the forbidden.'" ("What the hell?" I whispered.) [The Independent]
• "Femme" awards nods boost designer spirits. [WWD]
• Jemima Khan (aka Hugh Grant's sometimes-paramour) is designing a capsule collection for French house Azzaro. [ElleUK]
• Patricia Field for Diet Coke? Twenty-five limited-edition sets of four Pat-designed bottles (representing career, passion, love, and fashion) sell for $100 each on her web site or in London at Selfridges. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Following in my footsteps, Vera Wang to guest-blog. [Sassybella]
• Tom Ford returns to Milan. [WWD]

Least Bad:
Nicole Belstler. I think her skirt has airplanes on it.
Boxing champ Regina Halmich.
Marion Kiechle. It was at about this point that I abandoned the concept of "Good."


More Bad:

Designer Sonja Kiefer.
Charlotte Engelhardt.
Tina Kaiser.
Tamara Sedmak (mit boyfriend Norbert Dobbeleit, obvs.)
Isabell Edwardson.
Gitta Saxx.


Most Bad:
Verena Kehrt.
Anita Wepper (with hubby Elmar.)

Images via Getty

• Is the search for Tim Russert's successor over?! Not-going-to-jail Naomi Campbell was recently heard holding forth on Dubya to "a rapt table of Italian men." Quoth she, "What's with all the traveling Bush has been doing? He never even had a passport before." [Style.com]
• She can hone her common touch with her next round of community service! [WWD]
• Victoria Beckham replaced in Marc Jacobs ads by man in drag. No, really. [Sassybella]
• Posh, for her part, is busy with a maybe-fashion show for her new line of gowns. "'It will be something completely different from what I've ever done. I'm just putting it together at the moment, they will be very up scale dresses and likely to start at around $1,200 retail. I'm going to be using very expensive fabrics and finishes, lots of embroideries.'" [ElleUK]
• Chloe Sevigny's $65 flip book hits shelves. [FabSugar]
• And in other breaking news: just in time for summer humidity, big hair is back! [Los Angeles Times]

• I always wonder who still has the temerity to tan when the rest of us go around swathed in SPF70 and layers of fake bake. Apparently, these people do! [NY Mag]
• No experimental fashion for you recessionistas: credit crunch means brands play it safe for fall. [WWD]
• Movie stars probably aren't, though. Vintage jewelry boutique opens in Beverly Hills. [Los Angeles Times]
• Don't you love how much Italian fashionistas love their soccer? First Dolce & Gabanna, now Prada. Hard to imagine, say, Andre Leon Talley evincing the same enthusiasm for the NY Jets. [Style.com]
• Purely decorative summer scarves the "leitmotif of the summer." [IHT]
• Following last week's bizarre "quality" crackdown, Louis Vuitton repoens in Hangzhou. [WWD]
• Tommy Hilfiger, oddly recession-proof. [WWD]
• Aesthetician who popularized the American facial hangs up her pore extractor. [Los Angeles Times]
• Apparently "the economic mood" translates to lots and lots of silk pajamas. [IHT]
• Nordstrom adds video to online shopping. "The idea is to test the impact of video content on selling by having the designer discuss in short videos the style and inspiration of different items, for what occasions they're best suited and ways to accessorize them." [WWD]
• In a quest to make spa treatments ever creepier, a Manhattan spa introduces the breast massage! "In an $100, 80-minute session, the pectoralis major and pectoralis minor are massaged, excess lymph fluid is drained, and a cream and mask are applied. “It even makes the nipples turn up again,” promises the spa’s owner." [NY Mag]
• No wonder everyone would rather just shell out for a good bra. [WWD]
• Missoni opens first Los Angeles boutique. [style.com]

Look! A gratuitous picture of Clive Owen. Now will you sign up? It's so easy! Just look for the thing that looks like this:

We humbly thank you and return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

The Good:
Marisa Tomei brings it.

I love it when Laura Linney reminds us she's glam.

Christine Baranski always camps it up, awesomely.

Really want to invoke those "It's a business doing pleasure with you" ads, but can't think of a way. Anyway, Mary-Louise Parker.

Kate Shindel's tie-dye number works, adds some much-needed youth to the r.c.

I always feel like, if you have one major red carpet a year, why not make the most of it. Mary McCormack obviously agrees.

...as does Jenna Russell's train.

The Bad:

We all know how I feel about crimes against breasts. Lacey Kohl, j'accuse.

I don't know, guys. I mean, Daphne Rubin-Vega must have really liked this gown to choose it… Why can't I see what she does?

I think it goes without saying that the Viennese Waltz pose Kathryn Grody is striking with husband Mandy Patinkin is awesome. Sadly, the proportions of her ensemble just aren't working.

Laura Benanti's got the glitz, but it feels a little Vegas.

Mayumi Miguel almost rated "Ugly." In the end, though, I didn't think her unfortunate frock had enough imagination.

The Ugly:
Kathryn Hahn, on the other hand, seems to have hit upon a surefire "Ugly" formula: random, tumor-like growths of fabric.

[Images by Getty.]

• Mimi's at it again. Perfume #2, "Luscious Pink," is "feminine, flirtatious and fun, and truly reflects where I am in my life now, after an incredible year." [WWD]
• Speaking of verbose scents, Anne Hathaway launches Lancome's new "woodsy floral," Magnifique. [Off the Rack]
• And hey! Remember when Antonio Banderas randomly performed that song at the Oscars? Well, he's launching his fifth "Seductive" fragrance. [WWD]
• Phillip Lim: Enigma wrapped in a question mark wrapped in an instant message. [fashionista]

• In what probably qualifies as her idea of a summer job, French Vogue editrice Carine Roitfeld's children, for some reason, modeling for Rock & Republic. [fashionista]
• The inevitable million-dollar handbag: "Made out of platinum and set with over 2,000 diamonds - totalling 208 carats - the petite clutch is the ultimate accessory for the woman who has everything." [Telegraph]
• And speaking of bargains! "Key Closet, an exclusive and innovative design company founded in 2006, has created the latest in sartorial decadence—a pair of jeans made of handcrafted denim, Swarovski crystals, a few diamonds, hand-drawn designs and white gold buttons. They cost $10,000 and will be premiered on June 26 at a fashion show in LA." [The Budget Fashionista]
• Fashion world fetes Obamas: "On Tuesday, Calvin Klein, Andre Leon Talley, Anna Wintour and Wintour's boyfriend, Shelby Bryan, are chairing An Evening with Michelle Obama, a $1,000-a-head fund-raiser at the Sikkema Jenkins art gallery on West 22nd Street." [New York Post]
• John Galliano, Vivienne Westwood and Karl Lagerfeld will all recreate classic Esquire covers. [New York Magazine]
• Hellish-sounding "thigh dancing" kicks your ass, tones it. [Style.com]
• Aveda gets organic seal of approval, sounds kinda sanctimonious. [WWD]
• Vera Wang collection inspired by ultimate coming-of-age novel Bonjour Tristesse! [WWD]
• Naomi Campbell: Victoria Beckham's denim muse. [ElleUK]
• Luxury brands: on the hunt for big spenders. [WWD]
• Hockey player heartthrob Alex Ovechkin launches Ovechkin Designer Street Wear Collection. "It's pretty cool," Ovechkin says. "Maybe all the time I'll be wearing these clothes." [Washington Post]
• Saks juggles personnel. [WWD]
• Agent Provocateur reveals much-anticipated "White Wedding" video starring Kate Moss as bride. It's kinda good. [ElleUK]

When I first started guest-blogging GBU, I had some major philosophical qualms of the 'who-am-I-to-judge' school about critiquing other women's clothes; I entertained putting up a pic of myself in a gown so I'd feel like I wasn't hiding behind my monitor blah blah blah. Whew! Glad I got that bit of nonsense over with before reviewing the Elle Awards, which took place in Barcelona at the MNAC Museum, because this is some serious stuff. For one thing, it was, like, 90% models, and they were not playing around. For another, the bar was set Euro-chic high. Even the disasters were the sort of avante-garde triumph we Americans could never pull off. No job for an emotionally-fraught blogging adolescent, that. Have fun, after the jump.

The Good:

Amber Valetta represents.

Singer Natalia Jimenez's dress is one of the night's best. Sensational gams never hurt.

Most people went sleek, so I appreciate model Nuria March's New Look silhouette.

The one-shoulder trend? I'm pro. At any rate, Judit Masco works it.

Another 'Good Thing' (as Martha would have it): big 70s-inspired necklaces. Makes Helen Swedin's look!

The Bad:
Here is a serious question for you: what is it about the color white that can add ten degrees of tacky to a gown like model Yvonne Reyes'?

This is Jean-Paul Gaultier. I know.

I was a little nervous about including Alejandra Pratt's gown because I wasn't sure if it was maternity. But I don't think it is.

Why so sour, designer Amaya Arzuaga? Oh. Well, I guess I can see why.

Just so you know, my boyfriend wanted me to put model Ariadne Artiles in "The Good." Didn't.

The Ugly:
That's what I'm talkin' about, Veronica Blume. A true "Ugly" should be spectacular, awe-inspiring, best recollected in tranquility. Wel played, madam.

[Images by Getty.]

The Good:
Diane Von Furstenberg: perennial no-brainer. (For me, I mean. Doing the 'Good' category. Maybe you got that.)

Diana Taylor. For my NYC peeps, "Mayor Bloomberg's girlfriend." She always looks stunning, elegant.

This spring confection is modeled by Margaret McGrath, known to her many friends as Mrs. David Rockefeller. And who am I kidding? He's dapper as all git-out, and the one who really makes this picture.

Claire Danes' dress is lovely. But in some ways this pic does make me yearn for the Claire of '94…

Karin Greenfield's ensemble reminds me a bit of an outfit my mom wears, so maybe I'm biased. But I think it's elegant and appropriate.

The Bad:

See, this is what I mean. The normally sure-footed Diane Sawyer is wearing a blouse that puts me strongly in mind of what the more stylish 13-year-olds were wearing with their black pants fourteen years ago. (Yes, I'm 27.)

Ditto Evelyn Lauder's ensemble. (Which gives weight to the "no hose" argument.)

Now Katherine G. Fanley's, on the other hand, is reminiscent of the first "grown-up" dress I was allowed to buy in the teen section of Nordstrom's.

...whereas socialite Fabiola Beracasa's frumpy beige number looks like what the Bat Mitzvah girl herself might have worn in temple.

The Ugly:
Thank God for MIA. I don't know what she's doing here, but she adds the only dash of fun and questionable taste in the whole shindig. Plus, the fabric looks like a Barbie dress, in the best way. I almost put her in "Good," but I thought she'd want to be here.

• Because their last cinematic collaboration went so well: "Sofia Coppola and dad, Francis Ford Coppola in Louis Vuitton’s new ad campaign." [Sassybella]
• Chanel makes fishing-rod. [Guardian]
• "In celebration of all things bling, today sees the debut of Coutts London Jewellery Week." [Daily Mail]
• Chilean guy turns parents' house into fashion museum! [Telegraph]
• " Beginnings and endings are easy; they are always good and exciting and filled with promise or resolve. But a good middle is difficult to have." Menswear design duo Duckie Brown interviewed! [The Fashion Informer]

• Counterculture: for those who can afford it. [Telegraph]
• After Gone With the Wind-scale search, Juicy Couture finds new prez. [WWD]
• "Beauty Industry feels raw materials pinch." [Cosmetic News]
• "For the third annual celebration of Love Day — this year it's June 19 — [Cartier] has partnered with eight musically gifted celebrities, including Janet Jackson, the members of band Good Charlotte and Emmy Rossum."[WWD]
• Body Shop gets new marketing plan. [Cosmetic News]
• Everyone loves (?) Agyness! [ET]
• "At a lavish celebration of his work, the artist Takashi Murakami and Louis Vuitton fired a witty broadside in the fashion industry's battle against the knock-off merchants." Basically, they set up a bunch of fake vendors' stalls outside the Brooklyn museum. 'Witty' indeed, fellas. [Telegraph]

[Images via Getty.]

Giant panda cubs play at the China Wolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Centre on June 6, 2008 in Wolong Nature Reserve of Sichuan Province, China. During the May 12 earthquake at the Wolong base, five staff were killed, two pandas were injured and six went missing, of which five have been found, according to state media. — Getty

Wow, that headline really wrote itself! Last night, the First Annual A-List Awards were held at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. The usual suspects - Full-time Bravo wit Kathy Griffin, "Top" stuff, housewives from various zip codes, Tim Gunn - and, um, seemingly no one else, showed up in uninspiring outfits. It kind of looks like the most awesome time ever. Lackluster red carpet, post-jump.

The Good:

Nikki Blonsky is adorable and I want this outfit.

Padma, obviously, brings it.Niki Taylor looks lovely and curvaceous.

I think emcee Kathy Griffin, while not terribly adventurous, looked elegant and confident all evening.

Model Holly Kiser: Has a pretty dress, is a rather narrow woman.

Let's ignore Rachel Zoe's bitch face, shall we? Can we? The gown is great.

Stephanie Bulger (yes, another model) is a candidate for best-dressed (in, granted, a pretty shallow pool.)

The Bad:It's tragic when dresses are both tacky and boring. Karina Smirnoff's apronish frock achieves this.

As a short woman, I can tell Michelle "Mochi" Camaya that white boots of that height/standing next to the really tall Step it Up and Dance guy who was always making a big point out of being straight, makes one look even shorter.

Hey, remember Sunday's MTV Movie Awards, when Tila Tequila was the most elegant, best-dressed woman there? All's now right with the world.

I don't know why Kara Janx insists on presenting herself as such a sad-sack! She made it really far on PR2!

Self-described "Obama Girl" Amber Lee Ettinger is doubtless really psyched about the nomination.

I assume this is one of Jillian Lewis's own designs; I always find it disquieting when I prefer the stuff PR contestants do in an hour with leaves and garbage to their "real" work.

The Ugly:
And you thought you'd make it out of here without hearing either "fierce" or "hot tranny mess?!" Luckily, BrandyWine and Brenda A Go-Go are both!

[Images via Getty.]

The Good:

Were I Hayden Panettiere (I'm not) I might have gone a little younger on the maquillage - but I think her dress looks lovely.

Oh, to be a model and look as effortlessly chic in trousers as Erin O'Connor does here. Instead of having to hem them seven inches all the time.
I won't lie: I don't know who Fearne Cotton is. (I mean, now I do. She's a TV presenter.) But I like her name, and minidress.
Emma "Baby Spice" Bunton works it, almost cancels out Geri Halliwell.

The Bad:

As I was saying...Geri Halliwell looks ming (because we're in London.) A hint of opacity around the mid-section would have classed this Showgirls frock up about 1000%.
Both Lily Allen and this century are really getting a bit old for this sort of thing.
Proving the axiom that accessories can make/break an outfit, TV presenter Alexa Chung's exert their destructive power.

The Ugly:

I think we all know that "Ugly" pix can have a special, daring majesty all their own. I just don't think Petra Nemcova's tie-dyed ragamuffin water nymph does.

[Images via Getty, ]

The yellow dress seems to be added. In fact, that may not be Lily's body at all.

This image has not been touched up in any way.

The Good:

Hey, you gotta hand it to the Nuclear Wintour: when she's on, she's really on.

I dig the slightly earthy feel of Mandy Moore's gown.

Zac Posen's shrunken jacket is wedding-cake-man dapper!

Yes, we've seen Ashley Olsen work this before, but never better than this: just costumey enough, and, given that he was a total recluse for the majority of her life, a
surprisingly apt tribute to YSL.

What can I say? I think Maggie Gyllenhaal pulls this off. Like the most successful risks: shouldn't work, but does.

I'm seriously digging this mature, Valley of the Dolls look. Only a dame pushing fifty could rock this, and Kim Cattrall, for once, feels as sure-footed as a mountain goat.



The Bad:

I was seriously shocked by Donna Karan's blowsy red ensemble — for a designer who's made her name on understated elegance and good fit, this is almost - I'll just say
it - a crime against fashion.

You know how I said Maggie's outfit shouldn't work, but does? Well this one on Naomi Campbell doesn't - YSL or no. (Although as close to working MC Hammer pants as
I've seen in many a moon.)

Hmm. Eva Longoria-Parker could have used a tasteful smoking jacket or three to cover her curiously vulgar little number.
I mean, this is Posh we're talking about: this Marc Jacobs is about as understated as she gets! I guess in the right light it could be construed as "flirty." (But that would be one flattering wattage.)

Poor Kim Raver falls into the classic 'bad experimental' trap of looking both dowdy and silly.

The Ugly:

I know we just looked at Naomi, but it was imperative that I use an image in which Vogue Managing Editor Andre Leon Talley's slippers were fully visible.

[Images via Getty]

Dear readers, please welcome our fashion guest-blogger this week, Sadie, who, like Lesley before her, will be serving as our fashion-lady-in-residence for the next few days! We think you'll like her whip-smart, quirky, inclusive style, even if you don't agree with her celebrity sartorial callouts.

I went into my first GBU really excited and positive, psyched to swoon over glorious gowns and utterly convinced I’d be unable to condemn anything as “ugly” or even “bad." Ha! As I scrolled through images of various MTV-staffers, the entire cast (?) of The Hills and a suspicious number of “TV personalities”, my face assumed the grim expression of a Civil War surgeon surveying the battlefield. It is a very sad day when Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and, yes, Tila Tequila are contenders for “best-dressed” — but hell, desperate times call for grading on Harvard-level curves! Boundaries, as you will see, were fluid: hideosities that might normally qualify as “ugly” were elevated to the merely unfortunate by the presence of true horror. Conversely, figures who’ve dwelt all their public lives in “bad” found themselves exalted to Jezebel’s heights. After the jump, the atrocities that led to no fewer than three mixed metaphors in one paragraph.

The (Relatively) Good:

See, this is what I’m talking about. Normally, Kristen Stewart’s look would feel pretty uninspired. But in this assemblage, she looks like Audrey incarnate.

Yes, LiLo could just as easily be a “Bad.” In fact, she and Lauren Conrad had a thrilling 11th-hour race to the bottom, as both look like Bratz dolls with passions for electric-blue fashion. In the end, I deemed this inoffensive enough to fill the “Good” quota.

Liv Tyler: Hot-pink sack or one of the top-three looks of the evening? I’m going with the latter.

Rainn Wilson is dressed exactly like my senior prom date. He has a wife, though, so one assumes he’s not gay.

For the purposes of this event, channeling Dita Von Teese qualifies as a sartorial triumph for Rumer Willis. This 40s silhouette is sultry and flattering. And we’ll give her a pass on the Pete Wentz nails.

In the shocker of the (admittedly, young) century, Tila Tequila looks pretty and elegant in peach silk charmeuse.

The Bad:
I know, right? You’re wondering what can possibly be in “The Ugly!”
Charlize Theron, a haiku:

Training corset
leggings
gladiator sandals.
I want my
MT (V)

And I was so ready to let Andre Leon Talley take the fall for the Oscars!

Lauren Conrad’s unflattering blue number could be worse, but now that she’s a professional celebrity “designer,” she’s held to a higher standard entirely.

Nikki Blonsky is spared inclusion in “The Ugly” only by virtue of her youth. And her roguish smile.

Paris Hilton’s transition to Barbie is complete — and, like, one of those collectible original Barbies in the striped bathing suit, which almost takes this into “Good.” Almost.

Sarah Jessica Parker fails to redeem the evening in what appears to be a figure-skating costume, high-buttoned shoes.

I didn’t think “Television presenter Terri Seymour’s” outfit was that bad…until I realized it was a poppy-colored jumpsuit with harem pants.



The Ugly:
"Television Personality" Lucy Walsh’s grotesque tulle pom-pom is actually one of the few inventive looks of the evening.

You think Transformers actress Megan Fox’s “Frederick’s of Hollywood” number can’t look much crummier…and then you see the shoes!

‘Visionary’ Pussycat Dolls producer Robin Antin

[Images via Getty]

The Good
This ain't rocket science people, it's Rachel Bilson. Can't remember when I've seen her look bad.
Emma Roberts looks stunning. I can't resist Paxil in the shape of a dress either.
I'm not sure who Francesca Gregorini is, but she's working a Jo-from-The-Facts-Of-Life look here. Jo Polniaczek is a fashion icon for the advanced, just so you know.
This just in: Michelle Trachtenberg might be my new Hollywood crush.
Please don't argue with me. I told you, I love Ione Skye's 90s babysitter ensemble. And look at her smile: She's perfect!
Just yesterday when Malin Akerman graced this page; she's obviously keeping up the good work.


The Bad:
Ann Getty looks a little blah, but she's so rich that by the time this is posted I might not ever be able to eat lunch in this town again.
Dear Carrie Whitman: Black stockings with a mini-skirt and calf-length boots don't work anymore. It's a little 5 minutes ago.com.


The Ugly
Nicolette Sheridan looks like a MILF-cougar-Hollywood B-movie pornstar. Wait, is that so bad?

[Images viaGetty]