Star Jones: stretch velvet, a ruff, and matching shoes. Nuff said.


Penn Badgley makes me wonder: which came first, the smug smirk or the smug banker's collar?


Patricia Field, in Pat Field drag.


Natalie Cole: a woman who can do justice to the mini trend.


Perhaps my favorite of all red-carpet couples: Buzz and Lois Aldrin.


Kathie Lee goes Grecian. It's really not her fault that I saw that documentary on sweatshops yesterday in which she figured so prominently.


Jennifer Hudson matches high-sheen tights to a satin dress: bold. Verily, bold.


Ivana Trump looks roguish - which is, I guess, really the only approach, under the circumstances.


Hoda's frock is a touch dowdy, a touch wedding cake, and yet curiously flattering!


Estelle, the hardest-working woman on the red carpet, was an early proponent of the neo-power-shoulder.


Jeez Louise, when she's on, she is so on.


I kind of respect that Beth Ostrosky has never, ever deviated from her Atlantic City good-time-gal aesthetic. The operative words are "kind of."


Aren't you loving Bar Rafaeli's retro-fab shoulder-train?


Alina Puscau's getup doesn't exactly suggest "cancer charity" to me, but that probably just reveals my gaucherie.


Denise Rich takes full advantage of the maxim that she who organizes the fundraiser gets to wear whatever the hell she wants and no one can say anything.

[Images via WENN]

• New lows in celebrity sartorial publicity: Dior would like everyone to know that Madonna was wearing its sunglasses when she visited the victims of her stage collapse in Marseille, which killed two workers and left eight injured. [WWD]

• A Tracey Emin etching of Kate Moss is among artworks for sale via raffle - tickets are just £1 - to benefit Mothers4Children. [Telegraph]
• For some reason, Levi's decided to give its Fall '09 lookbook a jailbird theme. Since, at least before orange jumpsuits, denim was the fabric of life in the big house, the lookbook features models styled for mug shots, and photographed through bars. (The bars appear to actually be...a fire escape.) File under Annals of Idiocy, subsection Stupid High-Concept Lookbooks. [HighSnobiety]
• Levi's has also just acquired its own footwear and accessories licensee for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, DC Co. The company wants to strengthen its presence in those markets. [WWD]
• An American Apparel store in Silver Spring, Maryland had its window broken, allegedly because the window display featured the company's "Legalize Gay" gay rights t-shirts. A threatening telephone call was also received by another area store after the attack. The company took down its window displays - "We just don't want a broken window," explained the Silver Spring store manager, Kassandra Powell - but released a statement affirming its support of gay rights, and its intention to continue running "Legalize Gay" ads in Washington, D.C., area media and providing its t-shirts to local activist groups. [The Sexist]
• Angie Everhart is eight days away from giving birth as a single parent. Her worst pregnancy cravings were for egg salad. [People]
• Jerry Hall's advice for modeling (and life?): "Be nice to everyone, even if you don't want to. Just be nice and gracious. And don't show your bum." [WWD]
• That's one way to multi-task: Alexandra Richards had a hotel minion perform a pedicure while she deejayed. "Stuff that you can't do while getting a pedicure" seems like as good a definition of "actual professional labor" as any; this anecdote therefore proves beyond all doubt that deejaying ain't a real job. (But doing pedicures sure is.) [P6]
• Bar Refaeli's new campaign for Rampage is predictably hot. [People]
• Gloria Vanderbilt told model Kiera Chaplin, Charlie and Oona Chaplin's granddaughter, that she was the spitting image of her gran. "Oona and I were often mistaken for being sisters," explained the newly minted erotic novelist. [P6]
• Top model Du Juan is being sued by the Chinese agency New Silk Road for allegedly violating her contract with them when she signed with international powerhouse agency IMG in 2005. New Silk Road wants a portion of Du's IMG earnings, and an approximately $439,000 fine. [China Daily]
• Erin Wasson is joining Swiss skateboard company Doodah's line of naked supermodel boards. Isabeli Fontana, Lara Stone, Toni Garrn, and Edita Vilkeviciute are already featured on individual skateboards, wearing shoes they could not actually skateboard in. [The Cut]
• Naomi Campbell is featured in a similar state of undress for a new D&G perfume campaign. Which motivated the Sun to write the pun, "breast assets." [Sun]
• French fashion house Cacharel is re-launching itself at Paris Fashion Week this September. [WWD]
• Scott Schuman's book, The Sartorialist, is rolling off the presses now, even though the official release date is not until August 12. The cover features stylist Julie Ragolia. [The Sartorialist]
• American Eagle's "Artist" jean, which was a best-seller until it was discontinued last year, has been brought back after a redesign. The new cut is intended to be more flattering to a lady's rear. The jeans will retail at $39.50; the two kinds that have "destroyed details" cost $10 more. [WWD]
• American Vogue's Sarah Mower writes that fashion this fall is going to be a grown-up affair - that clothes will no longer worship at the feet of youth. The girl in the photo illustrating this story looks to be about 14. [Telegraph]
• Steve Madden, which produces watches through a licensee, allegedly found fakes for sale on eBay. Imagine! But when they asked the site to remove the items, eBay didn't comply, so the company is suing. [Reuters]
• Stylist Patricia Field designed an Ugly Betty-inspired Diet Coke bottle. It's pink. Will people seriously buy anything? [Fashionista]
• Charlotte Russe announced a 4.9% drop in third-quarter profits, to $6.3 million. [WWD]
• Avon has announced it will be laying off 1,200 people, or 2.8% of its workforce, over the next four years. [AP]
• Escada's bond exchange, which needed an 80% acceptance rate from bondholders in order to save the company from bankruptcy, has only met with approval from 37% of the company's creditors. So it has extended the exchange period until August 5, and implemented an exchange of stock to raise additional cash. [WWD]
• 1.4 million pairs of children's shoes are being recalled. The shoes, shaped like racecars, have wheels which can detach and pose a choking risk. Buster Brown & Co.'s eight different styles of shoes were sold at retailers including JC Penney, Famous Footwear, Meijer, Sears, Target, and Wal-Mart, and can be returned for a full refund. [WWD]

• 42-year-old Kristen McMenamy, whose deeply unconventional beauty shone in many of the most memorable fashion photographs of the early '90s, was chosen by Steven Meisel for the new cover of Italian Vogue. [FWD]

• Yves Saint Laurent's Stefano Pilati, whose recent ads have starred Naomi Campbell, continues his run with the '90s supes in his Fall 2009 campaign. Christy Turlington, wearing pleated pants that do no women any favors, poses against a white background, inside a black picture frame that floats in space. [Telegraph]
• Speaking of Naomi Campbell, she'll be the face of Dennis Basso this fall. Basso is a well-known fur designer, and Campbell once famously declared that she'd rather go naked than wear fur, but obviously her naked avarice got in the way. [WWD]
• Madonna wore jet-beaded Givenchy couture on stage in London. Says designer Riccardo Tisci, "She's wearing an outfit that will make history." [People]
• The couture shows get underway in Paris today, and in this economy, selling $70,000 dresses seems like a difficult task. But at Christian Lacroix, whose house recently declared bankruptcy, there is an order backlog for more than 20 outfits. [WWD]
• That still might not save Lacroix. Employees were told Friday of a restructuring plan that would cut the 124-strong workforce to 12, and reduce the Lacroix label to a licensing operation. The only hope is for a buyer to step in. [WWD]
• Prodigious design talent — and rumored Madonna collaborator — Christian Audigier has some sharp words for Victoria Beckham and her celebrity dress line. "I like her, she is a nice girl, but she is not completely my style. I have seen some of her designs — they are very simple. It's difficult for an artist or a singer to enter into the world of fashion," quoth the popularizer of such classics as the trucker hat and the tattoo t-shirt. "You can't just rely on your name to help you sell. The way to sell and who to sell to and what you want to accomplish, these are all things you will need help with if you're entering into the world." [HindustanTimes]
• "I can't analyse my appeal. If I did I'd be in a straitjacket," reports supermodel Daria Werbowy. "I am very lucid in relation to the reality of this industry, the ephemeral nature of beauty and fame,' she says, 'and that gives me a certain distance and quite a bit of humour." [Telegraph]
• Stylist Patricia Field took the opportunity of an interview with the Mirror to settle an old disagreement with Kristin Davis. And with A-line skirts, which we always have found extremely flattering. "I hate the A-line skirt. It's like a lampshade. Ugly. Kristin Davis always wanted to wear A-line skirts as she thought it hid her big behind. She has a fabulous figure – she is completely hour glass, and I would say: ‘Kristin, you have a small waist – show off your round ass!' She would never show it. I wanted to make her into a Bettie Page in Sex And The City, but all she wanted were A-line skirts and Ralph Lauren clothes." [Mirror]
• Meanwhile, Roberto Cavalli has deep thoughts on our economy. "I never pay attention to costs — it's not attractive to speak about numbers. Why can't we just focus on the beauty of an object? I don't know anything about the financial crisis." [ToL]
• Times of London writer Shane Watson asks whether Abercrombie & Fitch's decision to tell an employee with a prosthetic arm to stay in the stockroom was really all that surprising, given the chain's refusal to hire anyone who isn't "regulation cute." Because discriminating against disabled people is exactly the same as dictating your employees hair length and nail polish colors! [ToL]
• Seeing the Wall Street Journal's perspectival dry-point etching of a man wearing skinny jeans totally makes up for this pedestrian story about how the trend caught on. [WSJ]
• Foot wear maestro Manolo Blahnik: "Are shoes so important? Really? If I was a woman, I would be dressed in the same thing for a month and just change my hat and gloves. Maybe my shoes too; yes, I see what you mean but, really, it's jewels that change an outfit. And I do love gloves. And I adddore hats. There are toooo many shoes now. I always tell the children, 'Don't do shoes! Do hats!' And the shoes are so strange, so vulgar. I hate these platforms that are all over the place today; they are all about grabbing attention. They are suburban! I never do a platform. Well, I did, in the 1970s, but that was a bad experience." [FT]
• Ben Westwood, Vivienne Westwood's fetish photographer son, whose latest exhibit featured bound models with the heads of celebrities' children inexpertly Photoshopped onto their bodies, is launching a men's wear line. London Fashion Week must be holding its breath. [Harper's Bazaar]
• Children's apparel is more resilient than other sectors of the clothing market during economic downturns. Why? Kids grow. [WWD]
• The Guardian reviewed R.J. Cutler's The September Issue, and called it "utterly riveting." The paper also said, of the relationship between stylist Grace Coddington and editor Anna Wintour, "to watch them do battle over whether or not to shoot a rubber dress is to see the great fashion battle of creativity versus commerciality acted out in an urbane New York office: a Punch and Judy show scripted by Woody Allen." [Guardian]
• If this is news to anyone here: online ads in the form of fake quizzes, à la Coach's new "Are you a Poppy girl?", are rigged. We are all Poppy girls, in the eyes of Reed Krakoff. Buy a $198 tote bag now! [TBM]
• Apparently, while New York has been drowning in a consistent downpour since mid-April, London has been having a heat wave. Unsurprisingly, sales of bikinis — and beer — have spiked. [FT]
• Because he is paid primarily in stock and options, Ralph Lauren's compensation slipped by more than 40% in value this year. He still made $20.3 million. [WWD]
• Despite cashflow concerns, Prada is still opening stores at a fast clip. Two new boutiques will open this month in Paris and Prague, and the company plans to keep up its 2008 pace, which saw 34 new stores open, for the next three years. [WWD]
• For those nights when you can't seem to remember your underwear, behold: the anti-paparazzi handbag! Activated by camera flashes, the bag emits a beam of light (clue: it's like a slave flash) powerful enough to ruin anyone's shot. [BoingBoing]

• Kate Moss partied in London wearing ripped-from-the-catwalk Fall 09 Balmain. The skintight dress, being a runway sample, wasn't designed for actual wear. So a seam split wide open. [Daily Mail]

• Under Armour and Cal Ripken, Jr., have announced a five-year partnership. The brand will sponsor youth sporting events and outfit the Maryland Aberdeen IronBirds, a minor-league team. [WWD]
• André Leon Talley has the biggest Obama button you have ever, or will ever, see. [FWD]
• Levi Johnston says he will become an electrician — but is "open" to modeling or acting opportunities. The agencies' reaction? No thanks. "If you hear him interviewed, he's not that bright. Even if he were amazing looking, he still comes off as a bit of a lug. Doesn't have the elegance," said Elaine Bohary, director of the New York men's division at Next. [VF]
• The launch of Matthew Williamson's line for H&M in select stores worldwide elicited mixed reactions from shoppers this morning: the London flagship was buzzing with folks eager to pick up the British designer's wares for slightly less money than normal (the most expensive items in the collection are about $250 US), and there were lines in New York as well. (The clothes in both cities sold out in minutes.) But in Japan, the clothes barely elicited a reaction. Beijing was bustling, but it was likely because today was that H&M store's grand opening. [WWD]
• I'm given to understand that the part of Isaac Mizrahi's old television show where he'd sketch an answer to a guest's fashion question was among the best-loved elements of his repertoire. How great, then, that the Miz is bringing back Sketches and Answers as a web feature! [Blackbook]
• This internal Kohl's video of Lauren Conrad plays like a Kenneth Anger film. Seriously, turn on some Debussy during the silent B-roll of her rocking up to an empty Kohl's in her town car and inspecting some tank tops. [Racked]
• Let nobody say the Council of Fashion Designers of America isn't canny. To promote the re-introduction of a bill that would hold offer more protection to designers whose garments are knocked off by other retailers, they sent all of Michelle Obama's favorite designers to Washington. Currently, it is possible to copyright an individual pattern, and creating a counterfeit product — one intended to pass as the real thing — is illegal, but defending against the theft of unique design elements, absent the exact replication of a pattern of the mimicry of logos, is nearly impossible. Maria Cornejo, Thakoon Panichgul, Narciso Rodriguez, and Jason Wu all went to D.C. to do their part for the industry lobby. [NY Times]
• Richie Rich says Heatherette, the line he did until early 2008 with Traver Rains, failed because their financial backers "were basically assholes." Rich, who's currently pursuing both a namesake line and a collection of eco-friendly fashion with Pamela Anderson, went on to say, "I'm not mad at Traver, it's just that the people who backed us really weren't nice people. They took advantage of us in every respect." Heatherette partnered with the Weisfeld Group, owner of brands such as FUBU, in 2005; Weisfeld withdrew its financial support in 2008. At the time, Rich was singing a different tune: "With the partnership, we have more resources at our fingertips and it's almost easier to see your vision come alive. Yesterday we got back a sample with an eyelash hem on it, and who would have ever thought we could do that?" [The Cut]
• Juicy Couture will discontinue its men's wear line, Dirty English, after its fall collection hits stores. The brand intends to focus instead on core business. [WWD]
• Blind item: "Which two fashion superstars play best friends, work together and even lived together but hate each other so much they arrive separately to events and don't even call each other by name?" Methinks it's Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCullough of Proenza Schouler, but I'd be happy to be corrected. [Fashionista]
• That 16-year-old Australia's Next Top Model contestant who was ordered into anger management counseling? Is engaged to be married to a 25-year-old. He's a bricklayer. "Our relationship is really weird and it's different to everyone else's because I am so annoying and drive people insane but he puts up with it," said the girl, who describes herself as "a Jim Beam and Coke person." I would say that's spoken like a true 16-year-old, but then I happen to know dozens of teenagers who exhibit far more maturity. [News.com.au]
• Patricia Field: "Einstein is an icon of my life, along with Socrates. Socrates was a genius and his genius is that he delivers new ideas in the most simple and understandable way. At the same time, he will shake you up, but when you got stuff out of him, it seemed obvious. And Albert Einstein was the same way. His theories were the most simple and logical theories and he told you them in simple and logical ways. Like, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. It's obvious! Those two were twins. The distance between them is a straight line. Ha!" [The Cut]
• Yasmin le Bon is designing a collection for the British high-street chain Wallis. [Elle UK]
• LVMH's sales rose slightly — 0.4% — in the first quarter of 2009, mainly because rising sales of Louis Vuitton products offset losses in other areas. Sales across the chain fell 15% in the US. [WSJ]
• Oscar de la Renta won a $1 million ruling against a neckwear licensee for breach of contract. [WWD]
• World Wide Women's Wear Digest, the excellent Fashion Week spoof publication ("Bee Schaffer Shocked To Learn Most Parents Do Not Have Annual Hug Quotas") will be coming back as a fortnightly missive. Tidbits from any that come my way will be eagerly reported! [The Cut]
• A customer ordered pants online from a company called Hot Skinny Jeans, and when after trying them on she wanted to exchange them for a different size, Hot Skinny Jeans customer service told her they couldn't because they'd been "worn." Also: "What you've been doing on your knees, I don't want to know." [Consumerist]
• Joseph Abboud men's wear is moving from Macy's to J C Penney this summer. It'll change its design focus from business to casual wear, and lower its prices slightly. [WSJ]
• Dillard's is actually suing the landlord of a Texas mall for failing to maintain the facility. The shopping center has less than 50% occupancy, and Dillard's doesn't much like the company of what neighbors it does have. [WWD]

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

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

[New York, March 17. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

• 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]

• Rachel Zoe and Nicole Ritchie hugged while cameras for Zoe's reality show rolled. Presumably they made up based on their shared love of airtime and handbags the size and price of compact cars. [WWD]

• Stella McCartney designed some t-shirts for a British charity and got besties Gwyneth Paltrow, Claudia Schiffer, and Keira Knightley to wear them for the ad campaign. [Telegraph]
• Aw, Twiggy goes shopping with her daughter, Carly. "If I come out of a changing room and she says, ‘Muummm!’ to what I’m wearing then I won’t buy it." How cute. [Daily Express]
• When in Rome, you should absolutely go check out an exhibit featuring newly unearthed Richard Avedon fashion photographs. [WSJ]
• Is LVMH going to acquire Coach? Some speculators think so. [WWD]
• So, what is this 'vintage' thing? Is it like shopping at a department store? Anna Sui guides Good Morning America around the Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show. "If you find yourself drawn to Victorian clothes, there may be a touch of the Goth in you," warns the host, helpfully. Then she learns what Bakelite is and tries on a $4,000 sable fur. Sui looks on approvingly. [HuffPo]
• UK megaretailer ASDA is going to offer women's jeans in half sizes. Since most women say they are between sizes. Brilliant! [Telegraph]
• Threeasfour give the dreamiest interview answers. Who are your best friends? Ange: "My humor and melancholia." Adi: "Which one? They are all individual. One-of-a-kind." Gabi: "I can trust she is telling me the truth." Ange also makes seaweed omelets for her pit bull, Luna. [The Fashion Informer]
• Rizzoli's coming out with a Kanye West book. You can see Kanye tour the world, perform, go to fashion parties, and even shop in Asian malls. It will be published in October with a flash drive of unreleased music, and costs $50. [The Cut]
• Models.com has started posting agency show packages for the Fall Winter 09 shows in New York. See if you can spot my game face among the hopefuls and the old hands. (Warning: Needle, meet haystack.) [Models.com]
• Marc Jacobs has slashed the number of invitees to his fashion show at the Armory. In fact, the show is only going forward at their usual venue because they don't want to pay the cancellation fee. And, of course, there will be no after-party, either. Instead of seating 1,100 people and letting another 900 stand, this season only 500-700 people will be seated, and the 200 standing room tickets will go mainly to employees. Hopefully they will also do the simplest guest-list cost-trim of all: not coughing up thousands in appearance fees to the usual round of celebs. [WWD]
• Ugly Betty's production moved to New York for tax breaks, and has regained the styling talent of Patricia Field. At a panel discussion of the show's aesthetic, Field accepted an audience member's donation of a patterned, sparkly top that looked like classic Betty wear, and which she said might well turn up on the show. [NY Times]
• Remember when Chloë Sevigny called the guy she buys socks from "like, the grumpiest man on earth" in the New York Times? He doesn't deny it — which is probably wise, considering he admits stealing his employees' lunches, putting trash in unpleasant customers' bags, and barking at people who take their time browsing — but he does say, "Dealing with retail isn't the easiest thing, and maybe she came in when I was grumpy. Maybe she was upset that I didn't know who she was." Burn. [NYDN]
• Oh no. Toby Keith is launching a fashion line. It's called "TK Steelman" and will feature sleeveless shirts and oil-field insignias. Because it is for "average dudes." [People]
• It's kind of strange to read this review of the store Hollister as though it were a foreign object that fell to earth. "The shop entrance felt somewhat like a fairground ghost train..." [Telegraph]
• Whether or not consumers will go back to paying full prices for apparel after seeing deep discounts over the winter period remains an open question. (All I want to know is how long it will take for brands to realize that rather than permanently lowering the prices of their wares, the smarter move is to permanently raise them and then, hey presto, offer a "discount.") For now, Banana Republic is giving its credit card holders an extra 10% off sale and full-priced items through May 1 — meaning none of their stock is necessarily full price. [Shop Talk]
• Sometimes it's depressing just how derivative commercial photography can be. [A Photo Editor]

• Victoria Beckham received a $120,000 diamond-studded Birkin from David for Christmas. To be fair, $120,000 is almost a full week’s wages for the man. [Daily Mail]

• Speaking of celebrity largesse, Michael Jordan has unveiled the latest shoe to bear his Air Jordan imprimatur. It includes a carbon plate “to increase propulsion and explosiveness on-court,” because you will naturally want to wear a gleaming white $190-$230 pair of kicks to shoot hoops. [WWD]
• Before dropping that much cash, you might want to make sure the goods are legit: Shoes are a leading growth segment of the counterfeit market, and this weekend British officials seized fake Gucci, Jimmy Choos, and Nikes with a face value of $3.5 million. [UPI]
• In this week’s first bankruptcy, retailer Searle confirmed it has filed for Chapter 11 protection. [WWD]
• Meanwhile, vintage jeweler Fred Leighton is financially shaky, and actively courting "equity partners,” according to one of its owners. "But in terms of the time and environment it’s never enough people…There’s never enough money." The jeweler hired Peter Bacanovic, the former Merill Lynch trader who lost his job and served jail time for his role in the Martha Stewart ImClone insider trading scandal, as company president last year, but fired him this weekend. [WWD]
• Former Chloé designer and Anna Wintour favorite Phoebe Philo was all set to get back in the biz at Céline this spring, but apparently clashes between Philo and her label’s new CEO, Marco Gobbetti, are dimming hopes for her triumphant return. Philo had intended to show her first collection for the French label via a presentation at Paris fashion week this March, and to follow with a runway show in October. But sources say a team has been put in charge of the presentation collection. A company spokesperson gave this cagey response: “Phoebe's debut show will be in October, as has always been planned and we are as excited as ever for Celine's partnership with Phoebe Philo.” [Vogue.co.uk]
• Do designers think sober, dependable menswear is recession-proof? Matthew Williamson, Carlos Miele, Gareth Pugh, Christophe Decarnin, Roland Mouret, and, now, Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi, who are the duo put in charge of Gianfranco Ferre less than a year ago, are all debuting collections for persons of the male persuasion. [Fashionista]
• Valentino's menswear designer, Ferruccio Pozzoni, however just quit. The renowned Italian house fired its womenswear designer, Alessandra Facchinetti, in October, after just one season. [Reuters]
• Who dressed Jeremy Piven for the Golden Globes? Two designers are claiming credit for the actor's tuxedo. Domenico Vacca and John Varvatos each sent out press releases offering details of the star's outfit, proving once and for all that even the people who design these things can't tell one black suit from the next. [WSJ]
• Kanye West showed off a pair of the shoes he designed for Louis Vuitton on his blog. They look like puffy Docksiders in a practical shade of white. [Sassybella]
• NY Mag asked Patricia Field what she keeps in her handbag at the Lous Vuitton/Stephen Sprouse event last week. "A revolver," shot back our favorite flame-haired stylist extraordinaire. [Daily Intel]
• At the same event, Ice-T told reporters he and his wife, Coco, are cutting back on expenses. "You don't want to be like, 'Damn, I wish I didn't buy that $8,000 jacket,'" said the star, who wore a $100 suit from Bangkok. Coco's solution? Wear less. "My wife — everybody knows Coco likes to show her body, but I tell her all the time, 'If everybody looked like you, they'd be walking around naked. You're lucky.' And she's like, 'I just want to be nude.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, because you look good.'" True love, people. [The Cut]
• Will the first daughters wear a namby-pamby cheese-eatin' cafe-au-lait-drinkin' surrender-monkeyin' French label at the inauguration? Or will they wear good, honest, 'Merican clothes spun of pure hope and freedom fibers, woven on a liberty loom? Froggy kid's label Bonpoint sent the Obama family some outfits for Sasha and Malia, but the fact that they're willing to give details of the garments seems to indicate interest was underwhelming. [WWD]
• Robin Givhan's reader contest for a Michelle Obama inaugural gown has yielded a winner, in the form of Katie Ermilio, a 23-year-old up-and-coming designer from Philadelphia who has previously dressed Julianne Hough of Dancing With The Stars. At the site, you can see Ermilio's deep green dress with a draped, criss-crossed bodice, along with all all the other submitted designs. Some labor under, as Givhan writes, a misimpression that "the 44-year-old, physically fit lawyer who will soon be first lady would like to look like a 70-something mother-of-the-bride on Jan. 20." [Washington Post]

• Vivienne Westwood wants to write the sequel to the Sex and the City movie. Westwood, who critiqued Patricia Field's costumes, is "obsessed" and has allegedly contacted producers and SJP about the scenario. [Telegraph]

• Oy. Goody's Family Clothing has gone under. [WSJ]
• Ooh, this is good! Tracy Feith is the next Go! for Target designer, premiering in May. [WWD]
• Purple is apparently big — again — for spring. [USA Today]
• Thank goodness: Donna Karan, Calvin Klein and Michael Kors are, at least, doing full runway shows in February. [WSJ]
• Meanwhile, Oscar de la Renta single-handedly saves the day by adding an additional show! [Fashion Week Daily]
• Estee Lauder ad is pulled after people complain that it doesn't actually "make wrinkles disappear instantly." [Telegraph]
• Carolina Herrera: "Long hair after 40 is out in my book as it looks too messy and too young. Women need to learn how to age gracefully." But what about a classic bun?! [Times of London]
• Struggling Liz Claiborne hires a new president of retail. [WWD]
• Kirsten Dunst's hipster-fab lookbook for Scott Sternberg sounds...um, boring. "A soundless montage of Kiki dressed in Boy’s louche, preppy Spring collection walking across a white seamless at an almost dreamy clip." [StyleFile]
• American Apparel is only opening 16 stores this year — one fifth the number it opened last year. On the other hand, how amny AA-free blocks are left in the world? [Racked]
• The new $8 grand Stephen Sprouse-inspired Louis Vuitton skateboard comes in an LV case that has less street cred than anything we've ever seen. [The Life Files]
• Drew Barrymore's bizarre, dry "puffy cloud hair" is, allegedly, a trend. [ElleUK]
• So, turns out Rachel Zoe styled both Kate and Anne for the Bride Wars premiere. “Kate had this idea in her head. She wanted to play off the whole bridal theme of the movie and do full-on and do something over the top. It had the drama of a bridal gown but it wasn’t totally bridal...It was Annie’s idea to do a tuxedo and my initial reaction was that they were going to look like a bride and groom…and she liked that.” [WWD]

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

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

• LiLo's MySpace: "I'm thrilled to announce that my new fashion collection, 6126 is finally ready for launch!! I love to wear leggings, so it should come as no surprise that my first venture into the world of fashion design is with leggings! I named the collection after Marilyn Monroe's birth date, because to me she represents timeless, confident glam ­and that is the voice of this brand." [MySpace]
• Tyra Banks channels cult Diana Ross film Mahogany in some photo shoot. "Despite looking every inch the supermodel she is, Tyra's 'character' is that of the mentor, Carlotta Gavina, who transforms the character Tracey into the supermodel Mahogany." [Daily Mail]
• Apparently Project Runway L.A. is being dogged by WGA protesters. That would never happen in new York! [Perez Hilton]
• Patricia Field: "I don't have any social intentions. I am just creating stories, having fun and dressing Barbie dolls." [Independent]

• The credit crunch may kill the faltering domestic textile industry. [WWD]
• J.C. Penney is launching its own mid-priced clothing line, designed by Alan Schwartz of A.B.S. [WSJ]
• Payless is introducing a line of 12 green styles. "The new brand, which has yet to be named, will be made from materials with less effect on the environment, such as organic cotton and linen, hemp and recycled rubber outsoles." [Breitbart]
• Agyness Deyn shortlisted for British Fashion Awards. As...best moddle? [VogueUK]
• Amid market turmoil, J.Crew downgraded to "Sell" status. [Crains]
• Australia's Top Model host hopes to have a plus-sized winner. [News.com.au]
• Ridiculously high heels hit the marketplace, people fall, get hurt. [WSJ]
• Marc Jacobs hung up on ex. Adam Levine's brother and a Woody Allen movie somehow also figure in. [New York Post]
• The "Little Bra Company" makes push-ups for petite women. One hopes, not children.[FabSugar]
• You know what would be weird? One of these $1300 gold and diamond McCain or Obama rings as a wedding ring. Just sayin'. [NY Times]
• Agnes B probably approves; she's sporting a "Vote Obama" button. Despite being French. It's more of an order. [WWD]
• Geek chic specs are here to stay, not that geeks care. [ElleUK]
• President Bush signs an anti-counterfeiting bill that's good news for pricey purses. [Fashionista]
• Rochas still talking a big game about their comeback; still have yet to choose a head designer. [FabSugar]
• Juicy Couture's playlist for Nylon better than aural velour tracksuit. [Nylon]

• Should American Apparel be exporting its porntastic aesthetic? Ask Dov! "Magna Carta 1215! They anticipated that international merchants should be able to come to Great Britain and sell their goods. I think it's section 43 or 42, you can look it up on Google." [IHT]
• Patricia Field finally admits what we've always suspected about styling: it's bullshit. "It's easy, it pays well and you don't have to worry about inventory [as you do when running a store]. For me, it was like a windfall, because in retail you have to work very long hours and often don't make much money. But [with styling] they're paying you all this money to put clothes on a few people. I was like, wow!" [Guardian]
• What would a Monday be without Lagerfeld? "I'm suffering from an overdose of myself...At a certain point, you ask yourself, am I a puppet or not?" [Canadian Press]
• Kate Winslet's definitely playing Vivienne Westwood. [Fashionista]

• Natalia Vodianova's launching a lingerie line. [Sassybella]
• So is Molly Sims. [New York Magazine]
• Alessandra Facchinetti — who learned about her Valentino firing through the media, mind you — says, 'fuck diplomacy': "I am very embittered...I thank Valentino (group) for appreciating my 'creative contribution' and my 'refined talent'. It's a shame that they have not been adequately used." [Reuters]
• Her replacements say they'll, um, do a good job too. [WWD]
• The Aussie government has proposed a fashion "Code of Conduct" that would require magazines "to feature normal-sized models and disclose the use of digitally enhanced photos." We were never allowed to toss around the term "normal" growing up in my house, but sounds good! [News.com.au]
• The provenance of Sarah Palin's shoes generates controversy. [BlackBook]
• Hey, wanna be like Kate Moss? Yeah, neither do we. Here's a book about it for those who don't have the energy for coke or Pete Doherty. [The Sun]
• Ferragamo's new villa takes the pulse of the times. Oh, wait. "The numbers involved in the project – by spring 2010 it will include 20 villas, 26 “hotel” suites, a Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course, spa, two restaurants, winery and stud – are clearly not for the credit-crunched." [FT]
• What to wear to weddings number 2, 3, 4...you get the picture. [Washington Post]
• The vitamin gift bag at Louis Vuitton sounds like crap to us, but celebs were into it! [WWD]
• Young Indian girls like sexu clothes, too! [Hindustan Times]
• Cardigans are back. Were they gone? [LA Times]
• Hard times: People are cutting back on plastic surgery. Zing! [CNN]
• Maybe that's why makeup sales are up! [BrandWeek]
• In some kind of Johnny Cash tribute-cum-intimidation tactic, sports fans are urging "blackouts" in which everybody um, wears black clothes in the stands. [NY Times]
• Yes, we're sure all this 3-D imaging looks awesome. But it's no substitute for the actual humiliation of trying on swimsuits! [Business Week]<<br /> li>Helen Mirren to win some "Most Stylish Woman" award we've never heard of. Brava! [Mirror]
• Model dons tiny corset; walks; faints. People are surprised. [The Sun]
• Alexander McQueen goes all Donnie Darko in a freaky bunny suit. [New York Magazine]

• Tom Ford has spoken: eyebrow wiggling is now a sign of displeasure. "I haven't had any plastic surgery — despite what people think, this is my nose...I have had Restylane and Botox, but I don't think of that as plastic surgery any more. It's true I can't really frown, but I can move my eyebrows, so..." [Guardian]
• Well, at least Manolo Blahnik is less ridiculous! Oh, wait. "Manolo Blahnik tumbles into the room wearing an extremely dapper royal-purple suit, purple and yellow knitted tie, orange suede shoes and black circular glasses à la Le Corbusier. He stretches out his hand, and when I shake it he squeaks in pain, shaking, then retracting it." [Independent]
• Jean-Paul Gaultier, maybe? “'I did a revue with my teddy bear at home...I pretended he had breasts. The first cone bra I did was for my teddy bear, not for Madonna. I had a strawberry box for the stage, and I put a lot of feathers on my teddy bear for the headdress. I used feathers from my cleaning brush for the finale.'” [NYT]
• Come. on, Zac Posen, redeem your industry: "Puppies, babies and plastic surgery are the new fashion. That's where fashion's going." [Big Think]

• It's official: Project Runway saved from a fate worse than death, aka Lifetime Television for Women. [NY Mag]
• "Ironically, runways in the nation that brought us an all-black Vogue were not only less diverse than New York's but disappointingly white." [Shophound]
• The sale of YSL's art collection — which includes Picassos, a Matisse, a Leger and a Mondrian — is expected by auctioneers to bring in 440 billion dollars. [Breitbart]
• The Stylista contestants revealed! One of them is named Cologne. [NY Mag]
• This Lancome lip gloss and this Marc Jacobs shirt kind of look alike. [Glam Chic]
• The Queen's preferred dressmaker on the verge of collapse! Experts suggest it, um, failed to move with the times. [Telegraph]
• In a weird coincidence, the designer of Diana's wedding dress is going under, too. [Daily Mail]
• The Sergio Rossi-Puma sneaker heel is the stuff nightmares are made of. [Fashionista]
• Kate Moss apparently "snogs the face off" some Vivienne Westwood cohort. [Mirror]
• The Eastpak allegedly "reinvented" by Raf Simons. That's what they said about cafeteria food. [LA Times]
• Shoes are apparently a better investment than stocks. Although not, presumably, if you walk in them. Cue Carrie Bradshaw reference. [Business Sheet]
• "On Monday, men's magazine GQ India hits the newsstands, following in the footsteps of other male-only publications such as Men's Health, Maxim, and FHM, and experts are saying this is further proof that Indian men are embracing more global fashions." Pictured: an Indian guy in what appears to be a gold leather Harlequin outfit and bow-tie. [Reuters]
• Burberry Children's to bring overpriced (adorable) mini duffel coats to U.S. market. [WWD]
• Lenny Kravitz barred from Ric Owens show; sneaks in anyway. [Style.com]
• "Over the last year, Mr. Margiela, known as fashion’s “Invisible Man” because he never gives interviews and has rarely been photographed, has told colleagues that he wants to stop designing and that he has begun a search for his successor at the house." So...how will anyone know? [NY Times]
• Speculation rampant that Plum Sykes querying Guardian style column. Okay, not really. [Guardian]
• We can't really wrap our heads around the new Pat Field for venerable frump-purveyor Marks and Sparks line, so will probably stick to weeping. [The Sun]
• Fashion feels the credit crunch. [WWD]
• Gareth Pugh brings back the Elizabethan ruff. [ElleUK]

(Click on any image to begin gallery)

• After years of establishing her reliability and commitment to quality, LiLo has gone all weirdly entrepreneurial on us! She's launched her own brand development company. "With Lohan serving as the public face and a source of ideas, Beverly Hills-based Stay Gold LLC is developing merchandise under the label 6126." The merch so far is "leggings." They're developing self-tanner. One can only assume really ratty wigs are on the drawing board. [WWD]
• Now that the industry is getting more diverse, Naomi Campbell's work here is done. “This time they [designers and editors] have stepped it up. I feel positive. That means that I can go soon.” Okay, Siddhartha, you do that. [Times of London]
• The guy who designed Sarah Palin's rimless specs is, in fact, voting for Change. [CNN]
• Which is kinda harsh, really, since his sales have quadrupled since the conventions! [NYDN]

• Apparently Nicole Farhi's moddles all sported Obama buttons on the runway "instead of brooches". Never mind that they're all probably under 18 and Russian! [Style.com]
• This is like Fashion mad libs! Rodarte and Lexus are making a scented candle. Yes. [MediaBistro]
• This new geriatric Sartorialist is like my dream come to life. No, really. 'Advanced Style' "documents street style and fashion of the mature and wizened. Our aim is to take photos of elders with a unique sense of personal style that has developed with age." [NY Mag]
• Have you heard?! Apparently nothing still comes between Brooke Shields and her Calvins! Certainly not carbs. [People]
• "Carolyn Rafaelian is just a small-business-owning single mom with three kids to raise, but the bigwigs at Juicy Couture don't care." They've apparently ripped off this bangle which she sells to Henri Bendel and Saks. Twirling their mustaches, one assumes. [New York Post]
• Even if the girls are too thin, the clothes are great on the new 90210. Wait, why am I saying that like it's an unusual conflict? [Variety]
• Michael Vollbracht swoops in to claim Bill Blass's society-ladies-of-a-certain-age clientele: The collection "was delightfully old-fashioned and completely oblivious to the financial meltdown happening somewhere downtown." [NY Times]
• The life of a "body part model" is a busy one. [Mirror]
• Apparently Viktor and Rolf require chocolates at all their awesome shows. Take off the last part, and they have a lot in common with us. [Dazed Digital]
• Well, fuck. Topshop NYC's not opening until the Spring. [FT]
• For those gals with a season pass on the SATC tour bus, good news: "Select pieces from Patricia Field's Destination Style New York collection can be pre-ordered online before her limited-run HSN line premieres on September 23 for five nights." [Extra]

Earlier: This Weekend I Weathered A Fashion Hurricane For Rosa, Patricia & Reese

Actress Zoe Saldana was next to Nigel, wearing something shimmery. They were inundated by photographers and video cameras. I'd arrived at 2:45 for the 3pm show; it was 3:35 before two men in black t-shirts and black pants peeled back the protective plastic covering on the mirrored runway. Then: Darkness. The show started. Brazilian music, white bikinis, red retro one-pieces. Lots of red and white, then some green neutrals. Oh, and black models! I especially liked one white suit with a belt of bling; the hideous brown pirate sleeved cover-up that came later, not so much. In any case, if you're the beachy sort who has a swimsuit wardrobe, this show is for you. Gallery below.

Rosa Cha:

Later that night, it was still pouring like crazy, but I was back in midtown for the Patricia Field show at the Edison Ballroom on 47th street. Her line is designed by David Dalrymple, and the scene in the ballroom was less stuffy fashion show and more fabulous downtown party. The music was loud, there was an open bar, and the crowd! It was a mix of club types, celebs and drag queens.
Andre J was there!
Also: The Legendary Lady Bunny! Seen here with an absolutely shocked Vanessa Williams. Also in attendance from Ugly Betty: Ana Ortiz and Judith Light. Project Runway's Jack Mackenroth was in the front row, across from Patricia Field herself, who was never without a drink in her hand.

I arrived at 8:45 for a 9:00 PM show and at ten minutes after 10:00, I thought it would never start. Then Becki Newton, aka Ugly Betty's Amanda walked in and sat next to Jack Mackenroth, and the show started. While the clothes were hit and miss, the presentation — each model headed to a "destination" on stage: A cruise ship, a disco, a funeral, a car race — was pretty cool. Oh, and black models! Gallery below.

David Dalrymple For Patricia Field:

Sunday morning at 11:30 AM, I was back at the Tent for the Tracy Reese show, but there were protesters outside shouting, "DKNY has got to go!" It was sort of early for blood-splattered bunny suits, but I took a picture anyway.

Tracy Reese is one of the few black designers at New York Fashion Week. Sitting in the first seat in the first row — his seat number was A:1:1 — was Andre Leon Talley. Also in the front row: Miss Jay from America's Next Top Model, wearing jeans with elaborately stitched back pockets, Fashion Week prez Fern Mallis, Sanaa Lathan, and some people I couldn't see from where I was sitting, boo. Okay, the clothes: Dreamy, romantic, soft, with sparkle and beading. The trench coats were beautiful, in supersoft-looking fabrics, and there were some dresses with delicate fabric flowers or frothy appliqués that just looked heavenly. Looking at the pictures later, not everything looks as good as it did in person, but I liked the overall feel and mood.

Tracy Reese:

All in all, despite the weather, it was a typical fashion week experience: Lots of standing around waiting, some clothes, some booze, some celebrities. I don't know how the rest of the designers are faring, but I saw diverse runways at all three shows — Tracy Reese has always used Asian, black and white models. We'll see if this first weekend was a sign of things to come or if it all goes downhill from here.

• Tara Subkoff's short films for Bebe are all set to premiere. Says the designer of her "star," Lydia Hearst: "She truly reminds me of the classic 'Hitchcock blonde' — he would have loved her and she would have been a huge star in his films if we could go back in time." Obviously, like Subkoff, Hitch would have staged lesbian makeout sessions with Aubrey O'Day in front of Bungalow 8 for his art. [WWD]
• Sometimes we wonder whether Karl Rove is behind this seemingly systematic campaign to get everyone in Fashionland behind Obama. "Designer Patricia Field has created an Obama t-shirt that reads "Elegance. Dignity. Obama. Statesman." Naturally, this is written in glitter. [Racked]
• We kind of don't understand why Jeremy Piven was the host of Conde Nast's Fashion Rocks concert last year, but according to Page Six the actor "was a 'nightmare,' insisting on a separate green room and rewriting the script up until the last minute. 'And it wasn't even funny,'said the source." [P6]

• Wait, what? Luxury brand LVMH acquires yacht company. [WWD]
• After months of speculation, minimalist label Jil Sander sold to Japan's Onward Holdings Co. [WSJ]
• Gryphon designer Amy Cho meets fashion halfway with a "Responsible Fur" initiative, which encourages the use of "recycled" vintage furs and extra-soft fakes. Methinks we love her. [Style.com]
• Baggy jeans are back. Not Katie-Holmes sloppy, either: these Bottega Veneat guys are more early-90s harem. [The Life Files]
• Buckingham Palace guardsmen may switch from real bearskin hats to Stella McCartney fauxs after animal rights activists meet with Ministry of Defense. [Daily Mail]
• Following in the footsteps of Vera Wang, various penniless freelancers, Oscar de la Renta will be a guest-blogger on Brides.com. "He'll be writing about wedding choices on dresses, jewelry and destinations. " [WWD]
• In a desperate bid to lure back-to-schoolers, mid-price retailers pull out all the stops. "Kohl's launched six lines of clothing this summer with a star-studded advertising campaign featuring celebrities from including Lenny Kravitz and Hayden Panettiere. JCPenney introduced another half-a-dozen labels, the department store's biggest crop of new brands, with looks ranging from urban rock to all-American. And Dillard's is chasing soccer moms with a line designed by Sheryl Crow that hit stores last month." Wait...Lenny Kravitz? [LAT]
• Style.com is branching out. "On Sept. 2, the site will debut Shop Now, where designer advertisers can pay to have their brands featured." Or, to have them considered: the editors will decide which of the submissions to feature. [MediaWeek]
• To celebrate its centennial, venerable makeup brand Max Factor has treated itself to Gisele Bundchen. For a campaign, I mean. [ElleUK]
• The relatively youthful British Harper's Bazaar is thriving. [Independent]
• Wait, isn't this what the internets do? The new magazine Distill "will present a digested read of the style and fashion press from all over the world, offering a shorthand guide to what and who are in fashion, and how those trends are being captured and covered." [Independent]
• Guess legendary photog Patrick Demarchelier likes his work. "I love all women. Women are sublime beings. I love all of it: their eyes, their noses, their bodies." [Telegraph]
• You know there's a problem when models are complaining that they're too thin: says Karen Elson, "Fashion is obsessed with finding young, beautiful and vulnerable girls, bringing them into the fashion world, praising them, worshipping them but suddenly dropping them like a stone when they hit puberty and grow boobs and hips. It's so dangerous and can potentially harm the girls mentally and physically." [Guardian]
• Shockingly, real designers don't want to dress Heidi Montag. "They don’t want their stuff on Heidi, even despite the fact that she is very media-friendly and is photographed a lot," the rep said. "It’s just not the caliber of celebrity most clients go for." [The Superficial]
• Sadie Frost arranges celeb auction for breast cancer. The haul? "Here are the black peep-toe size 38 Christian Louboutins which “Kate” has signed and covered with graffiti love hearts, a dress belonging to Amy Winehouse, a suit Jude Law wore on the set of Alfie, a guitar donated by Kasabian guitarist Jay Mehler, a Jake Chapman picture." [This Is London]
• Tamara Mellon's ex, Matthew, is hoping second time's the charm: "Mellon has joined forces with his new bride-to-be, designer Nicole Hanley, to introduce Hanley-Mellon, a clothing line that will launch for spring 2009. “It’s a mix of Chloé, YSL and bohemian chic,' Mellon told WWD." [WWD]