• The Kardashian sisters are going to put on their thinking kaps and hopefully kome up with a kollection for Bebe. [Kim Kardashian]
• Which makes about as much sense as Jermaine Jackson's rumored clothing line. [Times Of India]

• Megan Fox has been gunning for her just-announced Armani campaign, for which she was paid a rumored $2 million, for years — or approximately as long as she's been famous. She has worn Armani to events and finally met the designer at his couture show this summer. [AP]
• After missing the opportunity to release a Sarah Jessica Parker scent to coincide with the Sex And The City movie, Coty, the clever clogs company behing the actress' perfume deal, vowed to be prepared next time around. And lo, SJP NYC, a cute little pink thing in a beveled bottle, will launch next May, just in time for Sex And The City 2: Electric Boogaloo. [WWD]
• Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas has signed a perfume deal with Avon, the preferred perfume partner of Reese Witherspoon, Courteney Cox, and Patrick Dempsey. [WWD]
• See how Selena Gomez's new clothing line, Dream Out Loud, stacks up against the luminaries of tween clothing collections past: the Olsen twins' Wal-Mart line, Miley Cyrus and Max Azria's concatenation of sequins, and the criminally God-awful Stuff By Hilary Duff. [Refinery29]
• Yeohlee Teng has been honored by the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. She says, "Fashion is so often about the Eighties, about the Seventies, but not about original thinking." Teng's preferred design philosophy? "Construct a cube, then put it on the body and watch the body activate it." Check out her current show at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in downtown Dallas. [DN]
• In some kind of grand, music-fashion-industry circle jerk, Michael Stipe will give an award to Renzo Rosso, Jon Bon Jovi will present something to Kenneth Cole, Oscar de la Renta will receive a prize from Grace Coddington, and Dita Von Teese will bestow something on Stephen Jones. In fashion, everyone's a winner. [WWD]
• Coach creative director Reed Krakoff is not only getting an eponymous fashion line, but a New York Fashion Week debut. Expect to see Krakoff on the schedule for February. [FWD]
• When I, like the Italian luxury — luxury as in $30,000 suits — label Brioni, turn 65, remind me to celebrate by releasing a limited-edition perfume and selling each of my 7,000 bottles for $399 (100 ml) r $830 (300 ml). Then, inexplicably, I'll invite Bryan Ferry to the launch. [WWD]
• Nitrolicious was given a free pair of Steve Madden's "Seryna" booties — the alleged knock-off Alexander McQueen is suing Steve Madden over — and posted an understandably glowing review, with photos. But with praise like, "These are really a good copy of the original boots but cost a fraction of the price," not to mention the fact that posts like these serve as timestamped evidence that Steve Madden is continuing to promote the product, could the company only end up developing Alexander McQueen's case? [Nitrolicious]
• We know Vera Wang won't be on the next season of Dancing With The Stars, but is it because the producers wouldn't let her design her own costumes? [FWD]
• Wang's president of creative direction, Constance Darrow, announced her resignation from the company yesterday. The designer is understood to have offered Darrow a promotion to stay. The senior vice president of worldwide marketing and communications, Elizabeth Musmanno, left Vera Wang last week. These developments could be related either to Wang's rumored reality television show, or to the arrival of new company president Mario Grauso, who starts work today. [WWD]
• Thus says model Liya Kebede: "Mothers are the world's best stimulus package because they invest in their families and their communities. When a mother dies, her children are up to 10 times more likely to die within two years. They are less likely to be immunized, more likely to be malnourished, more likely to contract HIV, and more likely to be exploited. When a mother lives, her children are fed, attend school, and know that someone exists who will do absolutely anything to make their lives better." [TDB]
• The American launch of A*Muse, Richie Rich and Pamela Anderson's eco-friendly swimwear line, sounds much like the international launch, at New Zealand Fashion Week in September. Even down to Richie's rollerskates. (I'm beginning to feel bad for the models who have to wear the samples, no doubt well-rubbed with body makeup and other people's sweat, by now.) [People]
• Ruffian's new collection for Anthropologie, Mise en Scene, is out. It's less whimsical than the retailer's typical fare, though the connection to vintage fashion is still obvious. [WWD]

While some of the garments were totally insane, this little patterned number is actually wearable.

And for a beachy, summery, easy look, it doesn't get much better than this.

Team No Pants is winning. You realize that, right?

Bright, fun, youthful.

May induce migraines.

'Sup, Mr. Gratuitous Objectification.

This dress is a little off, but also kind of sweet — it's some kooky girl's fantasy prom dress, rest assured.

Smack as in smack your lips? Or smack as in, "You've gotta be on smack if you think this passes as a dress"?

'Sup, Mr. Scissors.

I could see one of those Young Hollywood types rocking this at a party.

'Sup, Mr. I'm Shy About My Package.

Teen dream? Or sensory overload?

The weird thing about this collection is that the casual stuff is all street stencils and low-budget looking…

…And then there are some really elegant pieces that aren't a total joke.

'Sup, Mr. Wedgie.

'Sup, Mr. Strategically-Placed Sunglasses.

Is this really what the world needs right now? I don't think so.

On one hand, there's an unapologetic zest for zaniness and party-never-stops energy in this. On the other hand, for the love of Miami Vice! This is terrifying!

There's been a lot of electric blue on the runways, and I like it.

So Pamela Anderson and Richie Rich came out at the end of the show…

…And did whatever it is that you want to call this…

…And that's all she wrote.

[Images via Getty.]

[Auckland, September 25. Image via Getty]

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 25: A model prepares backstage ahead of the A Muse by Richie Rich show on day four of Air New Zealand Fashion Week 2009 at the Westpac Tent, Viaduct Harbour on September 25, 2009 in Auckland, New Zealand. (Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images)

This event kinda felt like some kind of hideous Nero-fiddling end of days scenario worthy of Hieronymous Bosch. (And yes, that's mixing metaphors.) I mean, wouldn't Daisy Lowe's cut-offs have been bad enough in their long incarnation?


Everyone knows Adam Green is whimsical. But just in case you didn't, here he is making deer antlers while wearing skin-tight sky-blue skinny jeans and a pair of pointy-toed Oxfords.


Even Karolina Kurkova has adopted the "hellish" dress code: she apparently skinned Snuffaluffagus to make her coat.


Richie Rich, at least, is true to "sinister mime" form.


Micah Jesse says "fuck you" to L.A. but he's saying "Peace" to L.A., too. I'm confused.


Look, I like Peter, Bjorn and John too, but is Michelle Edgar weirded out by Peter Moren's sweaty shirt? And is he weirded out by the fact that he shares a name with one of the founders of the Catholic Worker? Not that I'm saying he should be.


Aaaaaand...here it is. Mischa Barton's DIY Spider Woman.


I thought you needed to see that again.


[Images via Getty]

• Breaking: Kate Moss is wearing a turban of her own creation to the Met Ball. [Fashionista]
• Did DVF rip off this jacket from an indie designer? [National Post]

• Meet the world's most expensive suit! [The Life Files]
• Dries Van Noten, intellectual designer extraordinaire, will be honored by FIT. [WWD]
• Elie Tahari has designed a "Michelle dress." Of his muse, the designer says, "She has a great style, and what's great about her is she is dressing like everybody else can dress." [WWD]
• Ooh, preview of Leanne Marshall's Bluefly line! It's gonna be green. [New York]
• Chanel opens a super-luxe beauty parlor in Tokyo. Recession fab! [WWD]
• Marc Jacobs is squiring both Madonna and Courtney Love to the Met ball! [New York]
• Good news? LVMH is (slightly) up. [WSJ]
• Rachel Zoe's reality show, going to England. Well, she's a good representative. [AP]
• Now prospective Carries have options for a jilting dress: Dame Viv has added five new wedding gowns to her range. [Fashionista]
• Uggs, the comfort food of the apparel world, continues to keep its parent co. afloat. [WWD]
• Workhorse Steve Madden is also posting strong returns. [Crains]
• Stella McCartney: "People are always trying to pull me in different directions, but I get a huge satisfaction from being able to say no! I like to do one thing properly, not lots of things quite well." [Style.com]
• Zeng Jing, a Chinese plus-sized model, invited only other plus-sized models to her engagement party, to, as she said, "highlight the concerns of larger people." Okay. [UPI]
• Speaking of modeling, Joe's Jeans wants you! "Joe wants real people with funk, spunk, and personality." [FabSugar]
• Perhaps on the strength of her Lagerfeld campaign, Jerry Hall has been re-signed by Ford. [Fashionista]
• The Avon lady is coming to TV! The struggling cosmetics veteran is branching into infomercials; we're guessing Lauren Conrad will be involved. [AP]
• Designers push for tighter regulations on piracy. Of the fashion, not naval, kind. [WWD]

• 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]

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

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

• Packing for tedious summits as a political wife must be that much harder knowing that Michelle Obama will be there, ready to rock some gorgeous outfit at the drop of a discussion paper. [Telegraph]

• Pamela Anderson is going to do an eco-friendly vegan line with Heatherette co-creator Richie Rich. Something tells me Pamela Anderson and Richie Rich will find a way to extract the air of dull virtuousness that still clings to eco-conscious clothing, and replace it with a little sex appeal. And a lot of sparkly gold lamé. [Hollyscoop]
• "The spot is a subtle tribute to the genius of Serge Gainsbourg and to the sensuality of Brigitte Bardot." Says. The. Director. Of the. Lindsay. Lohan. Fornarina. Ad. Well. He. Would. Say that. Wouldn't. He. Question mark. [WWD]
• Topshop is really truly absolutely finally opening its doors in New York's SoHo. As rumored, Kate Moss will do the ribbon-cutting on Thursday morning, before a huddled mass of 3,356,890,765 fashionistas yearning to be free/awaiting the slightest provocation to stampede. [WWD]
• Guardian writer Emily Rotberg has crucial suggestions for anyone planning to brave the Topshop melee on opening morning. Bring disinterested friends, Rotberg writes, to act as your runners and placeholders in various in-store queues, like the line for the fitting rooms, and don't bother asking the sales staff for help. "They are present to demonstrate how to wear a £10 shoelace as a headband," says Rotberg. Not to offer anyone assistance. Happy (Top)shopping! [Guardian]
• Valentino dropped into terrible Meatpacking district club 1OAK (which stands for "1 Of A Kind," a factoid I can't seem to scrub from my brain because of the very absurdity of a preposterous club in a neighborhood filled with identical preposterous clubs claiming some kind of singularity) for its gay-themed night. Then the designer left. Which might mean he was unimpressed with the level of talent available, or or that his 76-year-old ears were unwilling to weather 1OAK's musical onslaught. [P6]
• Marks & Spencer, the biggest British department store chain, reported a smaller-than-expected drop in same-store sales for the fourth quarter. After experiencing sales declines of 7.1% over the holiday quarter, analysts expected a similar slump in the numbers for the three months ended March 28 — but the company's comps only fell by 4.2%. [WSJ]
• Seven For All Mankind is going to do a 30-style footwear range for fall. Price range: $235-$550. [WWD]
• Pierre Cardin told Fantastic Man magazine that he's ready to sell his empire of licenses. For about $1.3 billion dollars. [P6]
• Lord & Taylor is instituting a company-wide salary freeze this year. [WSJ]
• In news that may shock and surprise you, the Italian luxury industry trade group, Altagamma, says it expects the $230 billion global fashion and luxury goods market to decline this year. I know. [WWD]
• A girl interned at Teen Vogue for a week, and spent a lot of time eating cupcakes, organizing accessories, and looking at pictures of models on the internet. You can tell from the accompanying pictures that she chose her outfits very carefully. Wise move. [Teen Vogue]

[New York, February 18. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

• Dita Von Teese wears two Elie Saab couture creations in her limited-run Paris show. Is it strange that the only people who can afford couture these days are burlesque artists and Saudi princesses? [IHT]

• Fashion week is "hitting the reset button" because in this economic climate, return on investment is ever more important. [WWD]
• And don't expect any parties. Really. [WWD]
• The show schedule is now available online. [The Cut]
• Christian Siriano will be there, in the Salon at the tents, showing his new collection for Payless. Which is good news because at $25-$45 for bags and shoes inspired by Egyptology, these are that rare affordable fashion week thing. [WWD]
• Interesting: Richie Rich, everyone's favorite glittering ex-club kid, is showing on February 18. At no less a venue than the Waldorf Astoria, demonstrating once and for all that his particular brand of sparkle can exist above 23rd St. There hasn't been much heard of Rich since the end of his old label, Heatherette, which he ran with Traver Rains. [The Cut]
• Rich is promising "Head-to-toe wearable" for his namesake collection. Wonder how this'll shake out. [WWD]
• Isaac Mizrahi already showed his fall/winter collection for Liz Claiborne. It looks good, and involves something called "Kaleidoplaid." [Style.com]
• And the re-re-animated Halston is forgoing a show in favor of a video it's going to e-mail to editors and buyers on Saturday. [WWD]
• PETA's also gearing up for its favorite parasitic marketing opportunity of the year. Giorgio Armani, who stopped using all fur except for, it claims, rabbit pelts left over from the meat industry, recently drew the pressure group's ire and his New York flagship store will be picketed. [NYDN]
• Jason Wu, the American Vogue cover getting, Michelle Obama outfitting, 26-year-old fashion superstar, is to be sold on Net-A-Porter.com. [UK Elle]
• New York Magazine has 10 models to watch this season, you know, just some real new faces like that girl who walked for Marc Jacobs that one time and that girl in the current Prada campaign. [The Cut]
• Finally, a fashion magazine for the girls who smoke cigarettes behind the parking lot at school and could tell a Steven Meisel from a Steven Klein at 50 paces before entering their teens. Carine Roitfeld, editor-in-chief of French Vogue, is rumored to be assembling a team to launch a biannual teen fashion magazine. French Teen Vogue! Ooh la la. [FWD]
• Chanel Iman is supposedly to have a walk-on part on Gossip Girl as a guest at one of Serena's parties. A tipster reports she ate macaroni and cheese for lunch. (Chanel's still at that age where you can eat anything and not gain an ounce. Sigh.) [Daily Intel]
• Emma Roberts, Julia's niece, is another new face of Neutrogena. [WWD]
• Lorenzo Martone, Marc Jacobs' boyfriend of 11 months, seems like a charming romantic. "Valentine's Day is two days before his show, it has to be very quiet, but I'm still planning a little surprise," says the Brazilian. "During the last Vuitton show in Paris, I didn't tell him I was going to go — I just showed up in Paris in his office with flowers as a surprise the day before the show. He was totally, totally surprised. It was really, really good to see his reaction, and I don't know — we are so in love that it was really gorgeous to see his eyes." My heart, it's melting now. [The Cut]
• Two acts who grew up in Illinois, Liz Phair and OK Go!, are among the musicians featured in Banana Republic's New York-themed spring campaign, which will be out on February 18. [Brand Week]
• The "Got Milk?" campaign is the latest concern to drop alleged domestic abuser Chris Brown from its roster. Cover Girl says it's standing by Rihanna. [E! Online]
• Jones Apparel Group posted a slightly smaller-than-expected quarterly loss of 4 cents a share. (Analysts had expected 5 cents.) Revenues for the company even rose, by 1%, to $846.9 million. Let us all cheer not-bad fashion business news! [NY Times]
• Nike is cutting 4% of its 35,000-strong workforce. [WWD]
• Bob Marley's family has licensed his image and name, along with catchphrases like "Catch a fire" and "One Love" to the company Hilco Consumer Capital, which paid some $20 million in the deal. Hilco already owns Ellen Tracy and Linens 'n' Things. [Reuters]
• Hadley Freeman scored the first interview with Phoebe Philo, newly of Celine. Marco Gobetti, the LVMH vice-president with whom Philo is rumored to already be clashing, makes an uncomfortable joke about having to "cover up the bruises" — his, or Philo's, it's not clear — before the journalist arrived. [Guardian]
• The New York Times' critical shopper visited the new Brooks Brothers Black Fleece store in the West Village, and found the Thom Browne-designed line very interesting if not ultimately practical. (There are fit issues with the womenswear.) Still, the theory is good: "Picture a cross between Pee-wee Herman and Nurse Ratched, only more obsessive-compulsive. It is a look so stiffly starched - all the buttons are just so very, very buttoned, both up and down - as to recall corsetry, humane restraint devices or orthopedic inserts. It is a look that may mold and instruct the wearer in his relentless quest for superior health, posture and hygiene. As the 'Goldberg Variations' were to Glenn Gould, these clothes seem to be both the tools and execution of a meticulously tended neurosis." [NY Times]
• This sounds awesome: Prada has asked four stylists, including Carine Roitfeld and Katie Grand, to style their stores in New York, London, Paris and Milan. Anyone not in those cities can see the project online. [WWD]
• Whoa. Raquel Welch is shilling reading glasses. I suppose One Million Years B.C. was a long time ago. [Brand Freak]
• There's an entertaining and thoughtful Q&A with someone named Chicken John Rinaldi, who apparently led the fight against the proposed American Apparel on Valencia St. in San Francisco. Rinaldi comes off rather well: "It depends on whose liberty you are defending. Are you defending the liberty of American Apparel to open a store wherever they want? Or are you defending the liberty of the people who live on the block? Or are you defending the people who shop at the store? Or are you going to defend the liberty of the people who own the other stores whose rents are without question going to quadruple?" [Mother Jones]
• And now, our daily minute of hate: Italian brand Relish's new campaign, shot in Rio de Janeiro but featured now on billboards in Italy, features men dressed as Rio cops molesting women as they arrest them. [Shakesville]

• Apparently Thierry Mugler's doing Beyonce's tour costumes. This could go in one of two directions. [Style.com]
• Diddy: “I’m only about five minutes late because I was running around and spraying people." We think he's talking about his new "I Am King" fragrance — a monarch's gotta mark his territory! [WWD]
• Let's continue to pretend we have some impact on Michelle's inaugural gown selection and evaluate these choices. [Forbes]
• We kind of assumed it was confirmed, but yes! Katie Holmes for Miu Miu. She was shot by "Mert and Marcus," our new band name. [ElleUK]
• Not a trick question: what do moddles eat on Thanksgiving? Food! [New York]

• Extremely awesome Luella Bartlet wins "Designer of the Year" at British Fashion Awards. "Bartley is the mother of three children and lives in Cornwall with her surfer-fashion photographer partner, David Sims." Other honorees included milliner Stephen Jones, Burberry creative director Christopher Bailey, and photog Tim Walker. [Telegraph]
• Check out Luella's Spring line here. [VogueUK]
• And Jourdan Dunn upset Agyness for moddle honors! [New York]
• To add insult to injury, Agy and Lily Allen were strip-serached at Dubai airport! [The Sun]
• Meet the "Madison Avenue (Doll) House, a futuristic structure displayed from suspension hangers. It features four fully decorated floors, replete with miniature replicas of Calvin Klein apparel, accessories and home furnishings, from clothing to tabletop." [WWD]
• Talk of a SAG strike is bad news for the designers counting on awards season for a much-needed boost. [WWD]
• J. Crew is down 30% — but still better off than analysts expected! [The Street]
• About time: they say they're going to return to "more friendly price points for Spring." [WWD]
• Talbots posts a quarterly loss but hopes a new credit agreement will buoy them. [NY Times]
• Meanwhile, the Liz Claiborne slide continues as it's issued a "negative" rating. In case you're wondering, that's bad. [Crains]
• Glam David — designer Richie Rich — beats the Goliath who sued him to stop using the "Richie Rich" name after acquiring Heatherette. [Page Six Magazine]
• Lego fashion show considerably more awesome than real fashion show. [AdWeek]
• Ernest Sewn launches cheap room for the cash-strapped. [Fashionista]
• Black Friday looms extra-manic as stores play 'how low can you go?' [WWD]

The store itself is rather lovely, what with the chandeliers and whatnot.


In fact, if Santa wants to bring me this chandelier — and an apartment to put it in — that would be great.


The more champagne I drank, the more I wanted to shoplift.


People! Cluster around the booze, why don't you!


Some of the jewelry is gorgeous. Pearls are so very now.


Also very now: Gloves. Someone working the party told me these are "big in Japan."


The bling mesmerized me with its sparkleosity, not that that's a word.


It's by Kimora, of course.


Hello Kitty Mary Janes! As the kids say: WANT.


Luggage, sneakers, everything "luxe," everything Kitty-covered.


This silver stuff was in the kids' section, but I found it very attractive. As in lust-worthy.


One of these bling-covered Pez dispensers was in my gift bag. Delightfully impractical!


Here's a shirt for Malia and Sasha Obama: Presidential pound puppy for the win!


The legendary Lady Bunny was the DJ of this event. She played Britney's "Womanizer," Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" and some Deee-Lite.


Hello Kitty arrived on the scene!


So did Heatherette's Richie Rich. There used to be Hello Kitty/Heatherette mashup stuff, maybe he'll so some again?


The Bunny and the Kitty had some kind of vogue-off.


I think Hello Kitty won.


Lisa Loeb showed up, and was frickin' adorable.


Seriously.


Tinsley Mortimer arrived. She is no bigger than a newborn fawn.


Are the Japanese into her or something?


She's totally starring in Bambi 2:Electric Boogaloo. Tinsley was there very briefly, and I decided: If she's leaving, then so am I. But first:


Goodbye Kitty!

[New York, October 7. Image via Splash.]

• Oh sweet Jesus: There are reports that Victoria Beckham will serve as the stylist on Tom Cruise's new movie, The Hardy Boys. [Fashionista]
  
• It's confirmed: The all-black Italian Vogue cover shot by Steven Meisel is a go and Jordan Dunn is set to star. [Vogue UK]
  
• Claire Danes: The new face of Gucci jewelry. Says Gucci creative director Frida Giannini: "Claire Danes is a modern icon...[Her] sensual, confident beauty and her passionate, independent and strong character embodies today's Gucci woman." Also, Claire Danes always looks totally bored by everything. Just saying. [WWD, 1st item]
  
• Lindsay Lohan is the face of Visa's new glorified Salvation Army stores where old clothing can be swapped for other people's old clothing. How far she has fallen. [WWD, 5th item]

• Yay for the Humane Society for demanding for revised (meaning, honest) labeling practices for fur garments. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Barneys New York creative director/ my imaginary best friend Simon Doonan on the infamously red-soled Chrisitan Louboutin shoes: "Christian's shoes are like the circus coming into town. Louboutins are a total drug and there is no methadone." [WWD, 2nd item]
• Start counting down now: The McGraw by Tim McGraw fragrance enters drugstores in August. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Model Maggie Rizer wants to open up a doggy day care center and spa in New York's West Village. Of course she does. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Salma Hayek has been named the godmother of Puma's ocean-racing team. [Fashion Week Daily]

• Skincare guru Dr. Murad says that "being isolated isn't good for you." Is he saying that it's unhealthy that I work by myself from my couch watching Bravo reality shows all day? [BellaSugar]
• Maria Sharapova: Scared of Anna Wintour, and with good reason. [Page Six]
• Looks like Richie Rich and Trevor Rains' Heatherlette label has finally gone belly up. [NY Daily News]
• The new John Varvatos store in the old CBGB's space still smells like piss, beer and cigarettes. [NY Daily News]
• Africa: It's like totally inspiring. And fashionable. [Houston Chronicle]
• No shit! Celebs are good for selling products. [Forbes]
• Why hold out for the new iPhone when you can hold out for the new Prada phone? [Guardian]
• Why must Agyness Deyn continue to insist on her own importance? [NY Mag]

At last: Chris March wins! I mean, if the master of all things campy can't win a fucking women's wrestling challenge, well... he can and he did. Anyway, the best part about Chris's win is that he was the only one who didn't seem to be judging the challenge or the woman who served as his client. He loved her, she client loved him, and they both loved leopard print. Also, big snaps to Chris for calling attention to the fact that his co-designers would be a lot more excited about this challenge if the outfits were to be worn by men. Which raises an excellent question: Why hasn't there ever been a drag challenge on this show? (And why do I feel like Michael Kors would be excited to judge it?)

I have to admit that I would've been okay had Christian won this week; his Prince-inspired leather and lace combo was, to use his favorite word, fierce. In fact, Christian himself admitted that the design was his favorite of everything he'd designed all season. Also: What's not to love about spandex pleather chaps?

Another favorite design? Jillian's. Plus, the footage of Jillian watching DVDs of women's wrestling and grunting, hollering and cheering along with it? Amazing. And just like Richie Rich of Heatherette (Rich and co-designer Trevor Raines were last night's guest judges), I love booty shorts. And apparently, so does Nina Garcia, who championed Jillian's look as her favorite.

Oy; where to begin? I am sick and tired of witnessing Rami freak out every time a challenge isn't suited to his "design sensibility". At least he didn't mention that he's from Jerusalem and blame that on his being too fashion-forward to comprehend such a basic task.

Sweet P. could not have sucked any more this week. She got to work with the reigning WWE Diva champ, a self-described "sex kitten," and all she could think of was a look that Tim Gunn described as "Eva Gabor in Green Acres," (I'd call it more Plan 9 From Outer Space). Regardless, the outfit was not only uninspired but poorly constructed. She should just give up on fashion design and open up a cupcake shop. Also, what was up with her challenging Christian to an arm wrestle? And is it wrong that I loved that he kicked her ass?

Lastly, there was Ricky, who made an orange bathing suit. Oh, and a lame-ass cover-up that was accurately described as a "disco hair-cut smock." Honestly: A bathing suit? Nothing else? And did anyone else find it ironic that the one week that Ricky didn't cry he also lost? Maybe he needs to take a page from Hillary Clinton. (Kidding. Kidding!!)

• Further proof that there may really be a ELLE curse: WWD reports that actress Michelle Williams had already been shot for the April cover of the ladymag, but asked to have it and a related story pulled after the death of Heath Ledger. She's since been replaced with Natalie Portman. [WWD, 1st item]
  
• Eva Mendes is the face of the still-unnamed, still-unlaunched new Calvin Klein fragrance. Given that Mendes is the mascot, we assume the scent smells like a hot bod and forgettable acting career. [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• Kimora Lee Simmons also has a new fragrance out, called Fabulosity. (Of course.) Says Simmons, "Yes, I'm over the top, and yes, I'm unapologetic, and yes, I have really big diamonds, but I have an equally big heart and an equally big spirit." [WWD, sub req'd]

• Most exciting of all? Celine Dion has a new fragrance! It is called Sensational, and we think, in the words of Kathy Griffin, that it smells like equal parts "magique," "musique" and and inflated sense of self. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Radar magazine clearly has a death wish, as it has ranked Lauren Conrad as the #1 most influential person in fashion, with Vogue's Anna Wintour coming in at a piddling #17. [Radar]
• H&M's profits are up by 14%. [WWD, sub req'd]
• That green dress that Keira Knightley wore in Atonement t is going to be auctioned off for charity. Bids start at $1,000, so if you're one of the many salivating, get crackin'. [UPI]
• I want a jacket that doubles as a LiteBrite! [Technology Review]
• Erin Fetherston (whose F/W 2008 show we'll be live-blogging tonight) is now designing a capsule collection of jewelery with designer Sasha Primak. We expect it to be hyper-feminine and beloved by hipsters everywhere. [Fashion Week Daily]
• And funky menswear designer Duckie Brown (we'll be there too) has been tapped to design a shoe collection for not-funky Florsheim. [WSJ]
• Ooh must get into the Derek Lam show! Swag bag full of Kiehl's products! [Fashion Week Daily]
• Michael Kors described his upcoming F/W 2008 collection as having an "urban, investment-oriented theme with not a baby-doll in sight." Um, okay So confused. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Why, God, why? New York socialite Tinsley Mortimer is designing her own clothing line, Riccime by Tinsley Mortimer. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Heatherette designer Richie Rich on what he loves about Old Navy: "The clothes are great... I wear their socks and I wear their underwear!" [Fashion Week Daily]
• Please, please get us Prada tarot cards. [Chic Report]
• Kate Moss is on the cover of the March issue of British Vogue, making it her 25th cover with the Brit fashion book alone. Wow. [Sassybella]

The Good:
Sophia Bush looks va-va-va-voom!
Blake Lively as she should be: Casual, fresh, and age-appropriate. Xoxo, Gossip Girl.
Our little Veronica Mars is all grown up! Kristen Bell looks super sophisticated in this gray sheath.
I know that Heatherette designers Trevor Raines and Richie Rich aren't traditional picks for "The Good" category, but you gotta admire the boys' consistency. They've been rockin this look for what, 20 years now?

The Bad:
Hayden Panettiere looks totally uncomfortable and totally old in this ensemble. Loosen up, lady.
Paula Garces looks straight out of 1996. I don't have fond memories of 1996.
Doesn't Bethanny Frankel's blouse look like it could have been designed by Project Runway's Christian? Oh, those sleeves! That plaid! Ugh. Also, do not show your stomach on the red carpet, please.
Why must maternity designer Liz Lange dress like Carol Brady?

The Ugly:
Seriously, what the fuck was Natasha Bedingfield thinking?

[New York, January 30. Images via INFDaily]

• Lindsay Lohan may be strapped for cash — she reportedly shopped around staged Thanksgiving photos with of herself with mom Dina, sister Ali, brothers and boyfriend Riley Giles to the celeb weeklies. The asking price started in the six figures, but dropped to $20,000. Also, does she get paid to be seen shopping at stores like Armani Exchange and Intermix? [MSNBC]
  
• LL and Riley are dunzo: She dumped him after they got back to L.A. after Thanksgiving in New York. "She got tired of him pouting all the time," a source says. Also, he never paid for anything, not even sodas. Does he even have a job? [E!]
  
• Mary-Kate Olsen is recovering from her kidney infection by partying 'til 3 a.m. She cannot be stopped! [Page Six]
  
• Tila Tequila "is not really bi," says a source. "It's all a sham. She as a boyfriend... MTV works hard to pretend she's single." Wait, you mean there's something fake on MTV? [Page Six]

• Ex-porn star Jenna Jameson and Heatherette designer Richie Rich are opening a bar in NYC's Chinatown. Expect the interior to be delightfully tacky. [Page Six]
• Drea de Matteo popped! She and longtime boyfriend Shooter Jennings had their first child Wednesday, a daughter they named Alabama. Dig the name! [Page Six]
• If you're interested in a spoiler for that damn Sex And The City: movie, click here. [Page Six]
• Paul McCartney gives all his ladies the same thing: a bottle of perfume and lacy undies. Ever heard of can't buy me love? [Page Six]
• OKay, so we knew something was up between Helio Castroneves and his dancing partner Julianne Hough, but we did not realize that she is 19 and he is 32. [Rush & Molloy]
• Oh wow, spin control! Julianne says "I love Helio like he is my brother." [People]
• The season finale of The Hills is only half an hour, but there will be a two days of programming on MTV: A Lauren Looks Back special "video scrapbook" of LC's life from Laguna Beach High to today, the finale, and a live after-show, with the ladies answering viewer questions and an announcement that "will leave fans wanting more." Unless it involves Spencer dropping off the face of the Earth, we're pretty sure we don't want more. [People]
• Conan O'Brien is paying 80 staffers during the strike: NBC is paying them through the end of November and Conan agreed to personally cover the salaries for the foreseeable future. Seeing as how it's almost Christmas, we're sure this is the best news some people could ever have. [People]
• Hey, so you know how Milo Ventimiglia, 30, and Hayden Panettiere, 18, aren't dating? Here's a picture of them coming out of the movies together. [People]
• There's a video of Julia Roberts pissed at the paparazzi. She followed a photographer who was attempting to film her and yelled at him to "Turn it off!" Roberts accuses him of taping her near a school. [TMZ]
• Amy Winehouse is heading into the studio in the new year to record her third album, and sources say it might be amazing: "Some of Amy's best writing stems from emotional heartache and turmoil. She's actually more creative now then she's ever been," says a source. No shortage of material, that's for sure. [Mirror]