• Waiting, with Diane Von Furstenberg, for Mayor Bloomberg to arrive in Queens, Anna Wintour said, "If he doesn't show, Diane and I will run on a joint ticket and take over the city." Was that a...joke? Then Lindsay Lohan stole.

• The new Emanual Ungaro creative consultant thingamajig dutifully turned up at the Ungaro store for Fashion's Night Out, selected a leather jacket that met with her approval, and headed for the door. Sales assistants ripped off the tags. [NYDN]
• Yesterday afternoon, Gwen Stefani watched her own presentation, for her L.A.M.B. clothing line, from the audience. It took a while for anybody to recognize her, but once they did, she was mobbed — unusually, for fashion week, where everyone generally pretends not to notice the celebrities, and the celebrities wearily pretend not to notice that they're studiously being not noticed. Also Stefani and husband Gavin Rossdale made out. [The Cut]
• Claudia Schiffer, 39, has posed for an unretouched fashion cover and spread in Tank magazine. However, she is wearing makeup. [Telegraph]
• 13-year-old style blogger Tavi will be front row — with her dad — at Rodarte, due to her friendship with designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy. Tavi, who's on the cover of the current issue of Pop, is also reporting on the shows for the magazine. But the best part? She shops at Loehmann's with her mom. [WSJ]
• Eric Gaskins, the ex-designer behind the formerly anonymous blog The Emperor's Old Clothes, has a book deal and a television show in the works. [WWD]
• Last night, Zac Posen doused and stenciled four cream colored dresses worn live by model Anna Cleveland with paint. Because Fashion's Night Out is all about a) wearing pink leopard print capes to make grand entrances and b) stripping down to a tee shirt and getting one's hands dirty to "make people connect with the creative process." [USAToday]
• Nobody wanted to play Wii tennis with designer Chris Benz. And Justin Timberlake hid for an hour from screaming fans inside the bridal salon at Saks. [NYObs]
• Giorgio Armani says he has made a complete recovery from hepatitis. [AP]
• Peter Som, nobody should consider bread, chocolate, and cheese to be "guilty pleasures"! [GlamChic]
• The design duo behind label Libertine, Cindy Greene and Johnson Hartig, have split up. Hartig will take control over the line, and "return to its roots." [WWD]
• Vena Cava designers Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai have two special guests in from California at each one of their presentations: their mothers. [The Cut]
• Monique Lhuillier is pregnant, and due in November. She plans to name the daughter Sophia. Congratulations! [WWD]
• Life advice from Carolina Herrera: "You have to be so happy. You have to love what you are doing...life is complicated, but you have to make the best of it." [GlamChic]
• Remember how Thierry Mugler trumpeted his costume designs for Beyoncé's current tour? Turns out he may have had help from a high-profile freelancer, an experienced costume designer named Chris March. The Project Runway alum is suing Mugler for failing to pay for his services. March is also investigating starting his own line of women's wear with QVC. [WSJ]
• Dries Van Noten, after accepting his award from the Museum at FIT's Couture Council, asked to speak to FIT students. The hour-long Q&A covered everything from his aesthetic, design processes, and perspectives, to his business model. Van Noten founded his label without a backer, and remains self-owned today. "I don't have managers pushing me for fragrance licenses, but I'm informed. I know what Barneys is selling well. I'm known for flowers, but where others might be pressured to put a little bit of flowers in because that's what sells, I can still do a collection of black-and-white and checks," said the Belgian. [WWD]
• Tom Ford, on the release of his first film, A Single Man: "Of course I'm terrified because in a way it's the most personal thing I've ever done and it's the thing that is the most expressive of who I am." The main character, George, played by Colin Firth, is a middle-aged gay man who contemplates suicide following the death of his partner in a car crash. Ford says he based George's preparations for suicide on the actual suicide of a family member: "Someone did kill themselves in exactly that way — went to the store, bought a gun...went home and got a sleeping bag...laid everything out, got into the sleeping bag, zipped it up and killed himself because he didn't want to make a mess." Because it's an Isherwood adaptation, there will be lots of shots of men swimming naked, and playing tennis topless. [Reuters]
• The Buckle is continuing its peerless run of solid growth in sales and revenue, even during this recession. The retailer has now had ten consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, and its second quarter net income rose 12%, to $25 million. [TS]
• Analysts are pleased by Ann Taylor's turnaround. Although the company announced a second quarter loss last month, stock has risen 21% since then. [Crain's]

Tim Gunn was worried when Malvin described his jodhpurs as "chicken thighs," but he should have been more worried about the "egg" part of Malvin's top, which was not flattering. At all.

Here's the side view:

My boyfriend saw this and made a comment about dumping/placenta, and if you throw in "Ace bandage," that seems fairly accurate. Malvin is the perfect example of a designer who is into design but not fashion that women can wear. Or would want to.

Just a note: Rebecca's belly did not look anything like those pillows the models were wearing.

Mitchell made some giant shorts, which he found simply hilarious. Clothing in big sizes is always knee-slappingly funny. FAT IS SO FUNNY.

Heidi, Nina, Rebecca and guest judge Monique Lhuillier (filling in for Michael Kors) did not find the jumbo shorts amusing. Nina scolded Mitchell, saying his model was "a mess." MItchell's excuse: "I had some difficulties with the shorts." Right, it was so difficult to laugh about them and have your fellow contestants each stand in one leg.

The judges were also not impressed by Malvin's egg/chicken ensemble. "I don't think any pregnant woman wants to be thought of as a chicken," Heidi said, quite rightly. "I don't want to look like an egg," Rebecca agreed. Nina declared the design "bizarre."

Of all the dresses on the runway, I really liked Shirin's, and she was declared the winner.

But! I also really liked what Louise Brooks Black created.
Flirty retro-chic, in a sophisticated color, with lots of well-thought-out details.

Even though Mitchell's FAIL shorts FAILED, he was safe for another week.

But Malvin? His egg was cooked.
Auf Wiedersehen, Malvin! Oh, what's that? You have some last words you'd like to share with us? Okay.

[Sketch and runway images via MyLifetime.com]

• Posh and Becks are in an underwear ad, together! David seems to be deep in thought, perhaps pondering the wisdom of letting Armani give him hair that belongs on a Lego newscaster. Narrate Victoria's inner monologue in the comments! [Telegraph]

• Keira Knightley is still the face of Coco Mademoiselle. She gives great sexyface in the new ad. [Sassybella]
• Two designers you have never heard of are looking forward to seeing Brüno when it opens on July 10. [AP]
• Kanye's Louis Vuitton's sneakers — which came into stores very suddenly yesterday, with no pre-announced release date to build the excitement — have already sold out. How come? Sneakerheads, Louis Vuitton nerds, and Kanye fans have been on a waiting list for the kicks since January. If you want some of the $840-$1,140 shoes, the Louis Vuitton store will put your name on a "wish list" in case more become available. But don't hold your breath. [The Cut]
• Diane von Furstenberg is accused of polluting the Meatpacking District with her signature scent. Allegedly, the perfume emanating from her W. 14th St. headquarters' ventilation system is overpowering; one passerby called the perfume "putrid, awful . . . something you'd find on a 60-year-old matron." And a receptionist at a nearby eye clinic said patients had complained. [P6]
• Real Housewife Kelly Bensimon has a jewelry line, produced with Mouawad, the same company that does Nicole Richie's House of Harlow 1960. Of her character on her popular reality show, she says, "I think that because I'm so down-to-earth they're like, 'Okay we have to pump her up a little bit because otherwise people are not going to believe'...If they want me to be some kind of crazy socialite, I'm not a socialite. I'm a working girl, a single mom." As for the jewelry, which is priced at $32-$336 and is based on pavé geometric designs, Bensimon explains her inspiration thus: "I love Navajo and I love the idea of taking Pocahontas out of the kayak and putting her into the disco." Also, there are snakes in the form of bracelets and rings, which may or may not have something to do with Milton. [W]
• Los Angeles designers really, really wish their fashion week — limping on since the departure of sponsors IMG, Mercedes-Benz, and Smashbox Studios — could join the Big Four. But all the best L.A. designers — Band of Outsiders, Rodarte, Trina Turk, Monique Lhuillier — seem to show in New York. [WSJ]
• Ending the tide of good news for London Fashion week is the withdrawal of Aquascutum. The iconic English label has been put up for sale by its parent company, Japan-based Renown, after a buy-out bid by Aquascutum management was rejected. [WWD]
• Donatella Versace attended an event at the Whitney where children with chronic or life-threatening illnesses drew pictures for her. The sketches chosen by Versace will be featured on limited-edition Versace tote bags, to be sold for $200-$250 via Gilt Groupe this fall. No word on how much the kids will make from their intellectual property. [Style.com]
• This is just too weird. Ed Hardy CEO Hubert Guez owns Michael Jackson's Holmby Hills house and grounds. Jackson was renting the 7-bedroom, 13-bathroom French chateau-style manse for $100,000 a month. Now, maker of tacky Ed Hardy t-shirts Christian Audigier is moving in. [TMZ]
• Now that it has a designer in London-based (but New York-relocating) Marios Schwab, Halston can do things like sign multi-million-dollar distribution deals for its wares. [WWD]
• Meanwhile, Kate Gosselin's clothing project with Healthtex is on hold. [Radaronline]
• Uniqlo's same-store sales rose 6.4% in June. [WWD]
• Polo Ralph Lauren has extended its deal to dress the U.S. Olympic team through the winter games next year and the summer games of 2012. [WSJ]
• To mark its 120th anniversary, the house of Lanvin is releasing a line of limited-edition commemorative items, including hand-painted porcelain figurines of its mother-daughter logo. There'll also be notebooks, music boxes, paper weights, and embroidered t-shirts. No word on prices yet. [WWD]
• LVMH bought a large stake in the organic, sustainably-produced clothing company Edun, so PPR is sponsoring — to the tune of 10 million Euros — a film about the environment. [WSJ]
• A pink wireless mouse with gold accents, made by Juicy Couture, costs $55 at Neiman Marcus. Is it terrible that we would have expected it to be more of a rip-off? [FWD]
• Just released is a new issue of WWWWD, the fashion periodical that feels so real it's got to be fake. This edition is all about men, so expect jokes on bromance, Kris Van Assche, Ed Westwick, and a nice rip on Olivier Zahm for good measure. [WWWWD]

• German fashionisto: "She's is no runway model. Heidi Klum is simply too heavy and has too big a bust. And she always grins so stupidly. That is not avant-garde - that is commercial." Me-ow! [VogueUK]

• Kaiser Karl piles on: "I don't know Heidi Klum. She was never known in France. Claudia Schiffer also doesn't know who she is." This dismissal comes as Heidi helms the third season German Top Model. We're guessing Mrs. Seal is crying all the way to the bank. Maybe in a diamond-encrusted bra.[VogueUK]
• Stylist Patricia Field's advice to real-life Shopaholics? "Find a rich husband." Thanks, will do. Someone's been spending a little too much time with the Carrie Bradshaw crew...[Fabsugar]
• Photos of Rachel Roy's fall collection are up. The models in the presentation all wore black bobbed wigs and black lipstick — echoing Yves St. Laurent in Paris last September. The clothes were all white, with touches of gray, pale yellow and blue, and black. [WWD]
• Bluefly.com is upping its presence within the fictional worlds of fashion-related television and movies. Since the company noticed site traffic spiked during the episodes of Project Runway it sponsored, it set about buying ads within other media, too — most notably Gossip Girl (did you think it was an accident when Serena kissed Dan in Times Square and there was a Bluefly billboard behind them?) and Isla Fisher's Confessions Of A Shopaholic. [WSJ]
• If you heard a rumor that Thom Yorke was going to be playing the music for the Rag & Bone show today at 5 p.m., I am here to tell you it ain't so. But Yorke did act as a musical designer for the show — although that still doesn't mean he'll be present. [Men.Style.com]
• 25 garment workers who were required to work over 80 hours a week and only intermittently paid the princely sum of $3 an hour won their lawsuit against their former employers, New York's Liberty Apparel. Liberty had used subcontractors to attempt to shift blame. As competition for jobs in the garment sector worsens — in 2008, the jobs available shrank by 7% in New York City, and U.S. Bureau of Labor figures for January of 2009 showed 9,600 garment workers were laid off nationwide that month alone — working conditions are believed to worsen. [Crain's]
• British supe Lily Cole plays a model called Lettuce Leaf in the upcoming film Rage, a murder mystery set in the New York fashion world, which also stars Dame Judi Dench, Jude Law, Steve Buscemi, and Eddie Izzard. You can watch a clip, mostly in English, of Cole as Lettuce Leaf and hear her talk about modeling, blogs, and beauty while doing promo work at the Berlin Film Festival. "There's a big gulf often between appearance and, you know, the reality, like seeming and being," says Cole. "Fashion illustrates that quite clearly because you only ever see the exterior and you don't really know what's going on behind. But it's true of every human, some to more extent, some to lesser extent, that there's a difference between the truth of that person and their own internal struggles and difficulties and loves and joys, and how they present themselves to the rest of the world." Watch, if only for the moment when she suddenly takes off her wig during Lettuce Leaf's monologue. [Spiegel Online]
• Speaking of voyeurism, here's a bunch of pretty pictures of designers doing last-minute runway show stuff. It's supposed to be hectic, still looks glam. [WWD]
• Ikram Goldman, owner of the Chicago boutique Ikram and de facto stylist for a certain First Lady, is of course at New York fashion week. She refused to talk about anything Obama-related in this interview. [Paper]
• Not so tight-lipped is Benjamin Cho. The designer, who's not showing at fashion week this season, says he wishes Michelle Obama dressed more sophisticatedly. Her inauguration outfits "got a little cheesy." Cho thinks her style is too retro. "It would be nice if she wore like a Jil Sander shift dress. Or something interesting like that — more sophisticated." Can we talk about something else than Michelle Obama's clothes now? [The Cut]
• Kelly Cutrone always has an interesting take on powerful women! On Michelle Obama: "She's the first lady in the White House in 50 years who actually looks like she's getting fucked." Hm. That wasn't the kind of non-sartorial discussion I meant. [The Cut]
• Anna Sui apparently has a book deal with Chronicle. [Fashionista]
• Australian label Morrissey is going out of business. [News.com.au]
• The video that Halston put together instead of a show or presentation is now live at their website. It's undeniably beautiful — I love the part where the model kicks off her stilettos — but how are you supposed to get any idea of the clothes via grainy digital video? [Halston]
• Two pieces of statuary from Yves St. Laurent's art collection, which is to be auctioned at Christie's by his partner, Pierre Bergé, are believed to have been stolen by looting French troops in 1860 from Beijing's imperial Summer Palace. China wants the statues, originally part of a fountain representing the Chinese zodiac, repatriated, but the treaty that covers such claims states only things taken since 1970 have to be returned. A Hong Kong billionaire might bid on the statues and take them back to China. [Time]
• Here's a look at some of the more unusual highlights of St. Laurent and Bergé's eclectic collection. [WSJ]
• Ew. Scott Weiland, who in no way deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the late, great Yves, is debuting a men's line with L.A. label English Laundry. [WWD]
• Thank dog designers are taking the pulse of the times and scaling back on vulgar runway shows! To show her sensitivity to the zeitgest, Monique Lhuillier premiered her collection of ballgowns, "Modern Ballet Russes," at the Plaza, where guests quaffed champagne. [WSJ]
• Donna Karan, for her part, relieves her social conscience by giving out a truly ugly tee to all comers to Sunday's runway show. The tee has a bunch of worthy charities listed on the back (including Donna Karan's Urban Zen Foundation) and their contact info, should the fashionistas feel that receiving a free shirt is not doing their part. [WWD]
• We've been burned by Target's accessories collabs in the past, but listen up, kids: Erickson Beamon for Target, which hits this Sunday, looks outstanding. Glimpses show a lot of vintage costume jewelry-inspired statement pieces and one old lady chic pendant we'll fight you for. [Fabsugar]
• The new all-things-moddle web site Modelina (remember how they handed out those model "campaign buttons" during the election?) is not only up and running and spilling mannequin gossip, but has launched a pr stunt we can get behind: fashion-themed Necco conversation hearts! A "Kiss Karl" in clove would just about make our weekends, although we're not sure why. [Glam.com]
• Is this the end of an era? Abercrombie's 4th Quarter profits were down a whopping 68%! [AP]
• We'll believe it when we see it, but now they say the first American Top Shop will be opening in April.They've cried...um, "high-concept fast fashion?" one too many times! [WWD]

• Before we tackle today's inevitable layoffs, liquidations and bankruptcies, look at David Beckham. Look at semi-naked David Beckham. In his very important new Emporio Armani ad. Why, good morning to you, Dave. [People]

• Unfortunately for Heidi Montag, clothing lines whose main qualification as same is the attachment of a famous name are not faring well in the downturn. (Please, let someone therefore piece it together that continuing to announce B-List Star for Major Middle Market Retailer arrangements isn't a recession-proof move.) [AdAge]
• Unfortunately, the news came too late to stop Hilary Duff for DKNY Jeans... [WWD]
• ...and to stop Jessica Alba from dipping her toe into the designer waters. [Fashionista]
• And Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen menswear. (OK, so The Row technically should get a pass for being, actually, kinda good, but it's the principle of the thing.) [Elle]
• But getting a celebrity to wear your dress on a red carpet is still worth a starlet's weight in gold. [WSJ]
• The recession will not, however, kill Spanx, which had sales volume of over $350 million last year. Because while the shitty economy is temporary, hating your body enough to want to squeeze and yank and pull it into a girdle is forever. [Reuters]
• The economic situation is making it tougher perhaps than ever for young designers who were in the midst of expanding in line with pre-recession demand and fanfare. [NY Times]
• Esprit has reported its first interim drop in profits in ten years. Sales are slow worldwide, and particularly so in Europe. [Financial Times]
• Estee Lauder's second-quarter profits are also down by 30%. The company will restructure 2,000 workers out of working existence. [The Street]
• Elizabeth Arden, however, beat analysts' expectations for the second quarter by 2 cents a share. Sales still fell 12.7% and net profit was down from $33.8 million one year ago to $17.4 million now. [Reuters]
• A handful more details about the Mathew Williamson line for Target: it launches on April 23, it will be colorful (which, frankly, if anything at all comes to mind when you think "Mathew Williamson" you already knew), and in addition to the regular frocks and tops, there'll be jumpsuits. Controversial move! [Blackbook]
• Kim Gordon discusses her line for Urban Outfitters, Mirror/Dash, with the New York Times, but although they hit stores on February 16, there's only one picture of the actual clothes. She's surprisingly realistic about Mirror/Dash's design process — she admits she doesn't actually sketch so much as talk about fabric and "ideas" with her partner before sending away to Urban Outfitters' sample houses. [The Moment]
• Never to be outdone by Vogue and its eyebrow-raising Sean Avery internship, Elle now has for an intern the fashlete (did I just make that up? I think I did. Let's go with it!) Stew Bradley, an actual Philadelphia Eagle. May he cherish the coffee-schlepping, xeroxing, and sexual harassment that are the hallmarks of any true New York media internship. [The Cut]
• Except, on his first day, Bradley went to lunch with Diana Ross, Diane von Furstenberg, Jessica Alba, Jason Wu, Anil Kapoor Veronica Webb, Eva Amurri, John Frey, Roberta Myers, Joe Zee, Anne Slowey, Whitney Port, and Olivia Palermo. At Diane von Furstenberg's studio. [WWD]
• Now, if she'd only worn her favorite label, Carhartt, on the campaign trail, Sarah Palin might have had a shot at the Brooklyn hipster vote! [US News]
• Janie Bryant, the costume designer for Mad Men, is crafting a contemporary, not vintage, clothing line. And that's about all she's willing to say just now. [WSJ]
• High-end Baltimore fabric store Michael's Fabrics says it has the lemongrass embroidered wool Isabel Toledo used to create Michelle Obama's inauguration day outfit. It's 33" wide and yours for a mere $500 a yard. Just in case you want to whip a dress up at home. [Unbeige]
• Isabel Toledo is still reeling from the media attention following dressing Michelle Obama. (Her husband, the fashion illustrator Ruben Toledo, calls it "Obamathon.") An exhibition of her dresses is going up at the museum at FIT in June. [WWD]
• Monique Lhuillier is introducing a new, more moderately priced line for fall. Given her regular dresses retail for $3,000-$7,000, "moderately priced" in this sentence means around $2,500. [WSJ]
• The Washington Post saw Jill Biden and her security detail nip into Bloomingdale's to buy some Tory Burch shoes. [Washington Post]
• UK Elle has Vivienne Westwood's handwritten "manifesto," and it includes such worthwhile tips as "DIY Suggestions: Necklace of safety pins" and the reminder "We need an estimated $30 billion per year to save the rainforest. $30,000,000,000,000,000,000,000etc-->" Also, she believes Leonard Peltier is innocent. [Elle]
• PETA Photoshopped a Pinocchio nose on to Giorgio Armani's face for a full-page ad in Variety after the scrappy perma-tanned Italian allegedly went back on his word after pledging to no longer use fur in his collections. Armani's people say they use only rabbit fur from animals raised for meat. [New York Daily News]
• Now, this should be fun: Lynda Carter, Valerie Bertinelli, Katie Couric, Natya Liukin, Jennie Garth, and Tori Spelling are among those modeling for a fashion week show dedicated to heart health. Designers include Christian Siriano, Carolina Herrera, and those guys at Badgley Mischka. [WWD]

For The Steps:
Albertus Swanepoel, 2008 Fashion Fund Winner, says"I actually believe she should wear a pillbox—the new era of Camelot!" We say: a tad literal, no?


Karl Lagerfeld's suit is way cuter than his gown. And there's something to be said for classic Chanel...


Doo-Ri Chung, 2006's Fashion Fund Winner, says, "The inauguration will be a historic occasion, so I wanted the dress to be something in her comfort zone. I stayed with the tailored, fitted silhouette that she prefers but used a print that I felt was celebratory." We say: srsly? We've seen rocks that felt more celebratory.



May We Suggest...?


Grace Kelly's look from High Society is both chic and whimsical!













For The Ball:


The Good:
How gorgeous is this ethereal Rodarte?


Loving Marc Jacobs' Poiret-esque drape.


Yeah, Peter Som's hitting us over the head with "Jackie O," but still...


This Diane von Furstenberg is lovely. Downside: we really don't want to see Whitney Port at the Inaugural Ball, and you know she'd "need" to be there.


Derek Lam's "nile green crepe" is one of our faves of the bunch: the simple lines and unconventional hue would feel fresh but classic, and he'd still be a fun and surprising choice.



The Bad:
Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig of Marchesa say, "For the ball Michelle should wear this ivory one-shoulder silk crepe column with draped overlay and crystal hand-embroidered bodice." We say: Dynasty much?


We know Barack loves Lincoln, but Zac Posen's Mary Todd is a bit much!


Alexander Wang says: "It's sexy but sophisticated…business in the front, party in the back. It is the inauguration ball!"
We say: Maybe that's why you might want to wear something slightly more fun than a friggin' LBD?!


We dig the drama of Monique Lhuillier's gown, but red? Really? It just feels so...First Lady!


The Not Happening:
The Vena Cava designers, Sophie Buhai and Lisa Mayock, would like to see Michelle rock "this floor-length gown made out of silk and polyester twill in one of our signature prints." We say: with all due respect, we don't think the country's ready for quite that much change.


All the Lacroix sketches are totally absurd, like he knows there's no way she's going to choose them. Still, imagine how impressed the French would be!


Maybe Betsey Johnson should just costume the whole capital, like it's a big George M. Cohan show!


May We Suggest:
If you want to channel 60s, it doesn't get better than Doris Day in Pillow Talk!


Hey, why not?

Michelle Obama: What Should She Wear? [WWD]
Runway to Change [Style.com]

• Versace model Liskula Cohen is suing Google after a blogger called her a "skank" and "old hag." Cohen hopes the defamation suit will unmask the mudslinger. [New York Daily News]

• Kanye West might be releasing a Louis Vuitton sneaker. We wish he'd stop being so lamely mysterious. [The Life Files]
• Monique Lhuillier and Naeem Khan are the latest designers to jump on the non-runway-show Fashion Week bandwagon. Cause who wants to be the insensitive designer throwing a show in these times? We all know an uber-select show in a small room is the way to fix the economy! [WSJ]
• First Lady Carla Bruni, at least, will be at Paris Fashion Week. [WWD]
• So, if you beat Stuart Weitzman in ping pong (which you won't, because he does "finger aerobics" and keeps his custom paddle in a silver case) you win a bunch of his shoes. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Talk about rags to riches! Model Daniela Cott, "who stands 5ft 10ins tall and has emerald green eyes, was spotted two years ago as she sifted through rubbish on the streets of Buenos Aires." Yes, she was fashionably gaunt! [Telegraph]
• Miss Vermont, Ashley Ruth Wheeler, will be wearing a green gown to the Miss America Pageant. The earth-friendly eco-frock will be made from hemp, organic cotton and silk, and lace and beads made from organic materials. No word yet on the swimsuit. [UPI]
• A new bra, designed for older and disabled women, has replaced tricky hooks with magnets. A boon for their suitors, too! [Science Daily]
• Diddy is king of his castle: "I need some advance notice because when I'm at home I'm really likely just to hang totally loose. I really like to just walk around in my underwear...I get a little embarrassed when people drop by; I'm not really prepared."[VogueUK]
• Stephanie Seymour for Valentino - part of the much ballyhooed 'year of the classic supermodel' —looks pretty amazing. [Fashion Week Daily]
• At least they can't be accused of false advertising: a new counterfeit shopping mall in China sells only knock-offs. [Mirror]
• This grotesque Roberto Cavalli snakeskin-print MasterCard was "created for those who thrive upon excellence, elegance and quality." [The Life Files]
• Los Angeles' 7 Showroom was robbed of $300,000 worth of merchandise on New Year’s Day. [WWD]
• Toni Chorley, a promising young model dubbed "the new Twiggy" when she came on the scene, has died of Hodgkin's Lymphoma at just 23. [Daily Mail]
• In a welcome piece of good retail news, fast fashion chain New Look reports that their numbers are up. [FT]
• Skechers launches (presumably fug) clothing line for kids. Sorry, that was uncalled-for. [WWD]
• Alfred Shaheen, credited as the inventor of the Hawaiian shirt that swept the mid-century nation, has passed away at 86. Aloha! [Reason]
• Now they say the first American TopShop is opening in March. Whatever. Fool us twice...[New York]
• Peaches Geldof has chopped her hair. It must be said: looks good. [ElleUK]

• Pseudo-alt schlockmeisters Urban Outfitters have pulled a tee from their California stores bearing the words "I Support Same Sex Marriage," while presumably continuing to carry shirts that say "Lebowski 08." Urban remains unrepentant. [Racked]
• Can you stand it? Probably: Now you can see the full ten minutes of Karl Lagerfeld's silent treatment of Coco Chanel! [Fashionologie]
• Okay, maybe you can stand that, but what about this: Mariah Carey has selected the fan's dress design that best captures the spirit of her new fragrance, "Luscious Pink!" [ET Online]
• Grateful Dead Converse premiere. University of Vermont rejoices! [Telegraph]
• Still standing? Well, clearly you haven't heard about Nicole Richie's trip to Moscow with the Russian Peaches Geldof! [WWD]

• Wait, what? Conde Nast is launching a new British fashion magazine! You know, those things that are closing all over the world? But you see, this one is called Love, and it's "edgy" and "high-end." Our prayers are with you. [WWD]
• Nigel Barker and his wife have a presumably stunning baby girl, Jasmine. [Us]
• Not shockingly, New York retailers are down. [WWD]
• Sergio Rossi is an economic casualty: they're closing all U.S. stores. [New York]
• Those vibrating mascara brushes are a recession bright spot. Tear-proof formula, we assume! [WSJ]
• Also presumably doing OK, H&M opens its first Israeli store. [WWD]
• Kenneth Cole says his new collection's going to do well, because it's better. Does this translate to fewer smug puns - or more? [Crains]
• New York Times reporter finds the Paul Stuart store a pleasantly classic antidote to outmoded excess. We find our bank balances serve the same salutary function! [New York Times]
• Of her naked romp for CK, Eva Mendes: "I certainly don't consider it modelling." [Telegraph]
• Will Monique Lhuillier be collaborating with Cinta? Or was she just having lunch with the designer? Or are they just good friends?[WWD]
• Some good news! A new report has found fewer creepy chems in perfumes and other personal care fripperies! [USA Today]
• We're liking reports of a new, lower-priced line from Doo.Ri. Let's think more Go! for Target then Moschimo "Cheap and Chic," 'k? [WWD]
  [Image via Support Shirts]

• Russell Simmons may be vegan but admits, “my clothes are not especially animal-friendly." [BlackBook]
• In a somehow perfect/distasteful marriage, Gwen Stefani and L.A.M.B. will be designing the uniforms for W Hotel employees. [Portfolio]
• We've been burned by Target's accessories collabs before, but hopes are running high for the Sigerson Morrison-Anya Hindmarch double whammy! Pics! [FabSugar]
• Some dick crashes the shows at Fashion Week; heckles; makes racist jokes; kills. [NYC The Blog]
• Baby Dior. 'Nuff said. [The Life Files]

• Phew! Lydia Hearst's kidney stones won't be keeping her off the runway: the "leggy trooper" is determined to walk. [NY Post]
• Marc Jacobs enjoys the freedom of kilts: "I was just recently fascinated by the whole men-in-skirts controversy of the nineties. No. I got one and I started wearing it and it made me happy, so I bought more. And now I just can't stop wearing them." [NY Post]
• NPR discovers that people are interested in political fashion. [NPR]
• Which is good, cause apparently there's a political tee "arms race" afoot! "A search on the site for Sarah Palin already yields more than 2,500 results. John McCain gets about 9,000, and Barack Obama about 20,000 (Joe Biden paraphernalia is in very short supply.)" [LA Times]
• Kate Moss has cut her hair. [ElleUK]
• Agyness deep-conditions her newly-bobbed coif. "Yeah… or else they’d fall out! Because I bleach them. I go to Laurie Foley." [Elle]
• And if this makes you admire Agyness enough to totally trivialize the election, why, you can wear a political button supporting her "candidacy!" "Modelinia.com created these buttons with slogans like “Vote for the Stam,” “Cast a Tally for Ally,” and “Coco 2008,” all for the week’s most popular models to match this year’s political theme." [Fashion Week Daily]
• Fast Fashion Cheat Sheet. [Esquire]
• Laetitia Casta is the face of "Notorious," Ralph Lauren's newest women's fragrance. [UPI]
• WHEN WILL TOP SHOP NEW YORK OPEN? STOP TAUNTING US! [NY Mag]
• Monique Lhuillier's fashion week caffeine consumption: "I've been getting between four to seven hours of sleep, and I've been drinking 4 cups of coffee on average during show prep. Normally, I barely have one!" [Elle]
• Model Miranda Kerr's mom may be a savvy business manager but, "We talk every day and she texts me every time she gets on a plane and lands again to say she's safe. It's important for our peace of mind. She's still our only little girl." [News.com.au]
• To appeal to European women, Nike swaps the aggressive "Just Do It" for the vague "Here I Am." [WSJ]
• Fashionistas talk recession: Says one critic, "I don't think enough designers are thinking about it. The clothes we've seen so far have been embroidered and beaded or very elaborate, and they only mean something to the top one-thousandth percent of the population." [Slate]
• Irina Lazareanu is giving Fashion Week a pass to work on this alleged "album with Sean Lennon" that's been in the works since they were a couple. [WWD]
• No one knows what to make of the new trend in shiny happy moddles. [IHT]
• Hey, want a $1,000 tote bag? "To mark Vanity Fair’s Campaign New York, Lambertson Truex teamed up with artist Donald Baechler to create a limited edition tote. The bag features a print that is the background of one of Baechler’s paintings." Oh, well in that case! [WWD]
• That Blahnik that Big proposed to Carrie with is selling at Bergdorf's. For $945. Manolo will be there to autograph said shoes. The sad thing is, you just know they're gonna fly. [NY Times]
• Yoga outfitter Lululemon beats the recession blues. [WWD]

(Click on any image to begin gallery)

Badgley Mischka

L to R: Um did they hem this dress a little short?; Look! The gown hurts her heart so badly she has to grab her sides!; Wedding dress? Or New Age straight-jacket?

L to R: How original; Bling, anyone?; Where's Rami Kashou when you need him?

L to R: If George Clooney marries that cocktail waitress, I bet she'll wear this; No more mermaid silhouettes, please; Just say no to tiers.

L to R: Just painful; No more shiny, please; For the pregnant bride, clearly.

L to R: That has to be the tackiest neckline ever; Stop! The originality is killing me! Sparkly and a mermaid silhouette!

Monique Lhuillier

L to R: Perfet for Romeo's Juliette — who was supposed to be what? 13 years old?; Ruffle booty!; Someone free her boobies, please.

L to R: And Prada thinks they own the whole lace thing this season; Lo. Li. Ta: Light of my life, fire of my loins; Has this girl even hit puberty?

L to R: Why is there something a little good touch/bad touch about this?; Tyra calls this the "couture pose"; The bride is the age of a flower girl.

[Images via Getty.]