• It's unclear exactly why Karl Lagerfeld presented Britney with a German Bambi award, but that affects the awesome not a whit! Quoth the Kaiser, "[You are] coming back not only as a phoenix, but as a bird of paradise." [New York]
• British fashion writer claims that "judging by the pictures of Madonna's recent outfits...she is in a very dark place indeed. " [Daily Mail]
• Please prevent moddle Kylie Bax from speaking. What is the supposed misconception about Australia she feels needs to be dispelled? “That the Aboriginals are cannibals...They are actually sweet, gentle people.” Glad to have it cleared up, because no one we know was confused about that. [WWD]
• Is anyone else inexplicably psyched for Vogue: The Movie? [WWD]

• American Apparel is a sensation in England; we predict a backlash in five...four...three... [Guardian]
• Dov says they want to become "the urban brand...to the world." [The Street]
• If you think it takes a real sleaze to make Dov look like a choir boy, then you're right! Enter Keith Fink, esq! [Hollywood Interrupted]
• Weirdly, the New York Abercrombie and Fitch has become a big tourist attraction. That's the one that (allegedly) has shirtless hunks as doormen. [NPR]
• Kat Von D on her new cosmetics line: "I never let people see me without makeup. And it's not an insecurity thing. The perk of being a girl is being able to wear makeup and dress up. It's another artistic outlet." [LA Times]
• Akon has, like, four clothing lines! [People]
• Are bespoke Savile Row suits being made on the cheap in Africa? [Independent]
• Why Diana loved her (super-80's!) "caring dress": "She happened to wear that dress when visiting a hospital, and children seemed to clamour round and like it. If you are like the Princess of Wales, who loved children, you don't want a strictly formal suit for a hospital visit. You pick a very informal dress with bright colours, which that dress was. The reaction is one of awe from young children." [Telegraph]
• Marc Jacobs and LV do an homage to Stephen Sprouse: “I proposed putting together a Vuitton version of the Pop Shop, which was Keith Haring’s concept…not reissuing products that we had done with Stephen, but doing things that were similar or new,” says Jacobs. [WWD]
• Wait, what? Hadley Freeman claims that leopard print is Christmas apropos! Is this a British thing? [Guardian]
• Claudia Schiffer, the Hollywood sign's "Y", for YSL. [WWD]
• Stella McCartney steals away Lanvin's business director. Will the faux fly? [Reuters]
• Is "the Bathing Ape" actually a global fashion icon? Rizzoli says yes! [Time]

• More hot water for American Apparel: an accountant is suing for wrongful termination, saying he was fired for refusing to cook the books. [WSJ]
• A Bosnian company is starting an Obama-inspired suit line. Now is he obliged to wear one?! [Breitbart]
• Joan Rivers critiques Michelle's "horrible dress." In fairness, she's totally ambushed by a TMZ reporter. [TMZ]
• Mark Wahlberg says his CK co-moddle Kate Moss looked "like his nephew." “I mean she’s beautiful – she’s a very pretty nephew – but I’m more into curvy women.” In fairness, she started it. [The Sun]

• Three words: Juicy Couture Stroller. A favorite with teen moms everywhere! [Racked]
• Designer Jussara Lee, us, sick of SATC. "The whole Sex and the City thing was a huge influence on ordinary people. It looks too done up to me. It's too much hair. Everyone looks like they've spent too much time, too much money, and then in the end everyone looks the same. It's curious that people would go the whole extent to look so the same." [New York]
• Oy. Macy's takes a major hit. [WWD]
• How do the Vena Cava designers relax? "Cold beer and Steve Martin movies." [Style.com
  ]
• Asia emerges as one of Versace's biggest markets. [WSJ]
• Retailers, shoppers all terrified. Christmas shopping should be a blast! [Washington Post]
• If a photo shoot is deemed too racy for Italian Vogue, you better believe it's NSFW! [NY Mag]
• Meanwhile, Kate Moss rocks the cover of Vogue China. [Models.com]
• "At Lanvin, (Alber) Elbaz did not just resurrect a sleeping beauty and transform it into one of the most desirable fashion brands in Paris today, but with his designs, he has helped up the allure of French fashion overall." [WWD]
• L'Oreal's European supremacy is slipping. [Reuters]
• Payless gives a million dollars to kids in need for the holidays. That's like 500,000 pairs of their shoes! [Payless Gives via NY Mag]
• Poked by Burberry? Luxury labels take to social networking sites. [WWD]
• More on Stella's adorable children's windows! [Telegraph]
• Pucci makes moddles dance with mannequins. "Aside from the mannequins — a sassy gaggle called Girl to be dressed in contemporary styles by Frank Tell — the dancers will intermingle with big round plaster sculptures by Michael Evert." [WWD]
• Roland Mouret breaks into menswear. [Fashionista]

• People are desperate to buy Malia Obama's Biscotti Inc. frock; sadly, it's sold out. [WSJ]
• The same weirdos can probably still find Sasha's black Gerson & Gerson Inc. babydoll, however. [WSJ]
• Dsquared2's costumes for Usher's tour kinda make him look like Carlton Banks. [FashionWeekDaily]
• Playboy kicks off its fragrance collection. “We launched four fragrances because we wanted to capture the multiplicity of the Playboy guy.” The colognes are meant to be “emblematic of four American cities where the playboy lifestyle is played to its fullest.” That is: Hollywood; Las Vegas; Malibu, Calif., and Miami." Retirement communities, presumably. [WWD]
• Katy Perry, the newest fashion icon? Please, no. [VogueUK]

• Marc Jacobs taps "adorable" It Girl Daisy Lowe for Marc by Marc Jacobs. [WWD]
• Sneak peek at Stella McCartney's Spring '09! [BlackBook]
• Breaking: Valentino enjoys Rio. [Style.com]
• Beyonce takes a risk in Gareth Hugh at MTV Europe Awards; looks bizarre. [Telegraph]
• Based on this one still, the new Chanel movie is obviously going to be awesome. [Fashionologie]
• Speaking of cinema: Nick Knight's "Fantasia" is described as "a mesmerising, full-throttle trip around the most sensational sartorial propositions of the past ten years." Yeah, my boyfriend wasn't enticed either. [BoingBoing]
• Uniqlo gives away a bunch of thermal shirts. They'd probably put it more elegantly. [ElleUK]
• Allegedly, punters are already lining up for the debut of H&M's Comme des Garcons collaboration. I smell H&M's PR department! [JC Report]
• Although who knows? Apparently the first Tokyo H&M's opening was a really big deal! [Time]
• Ann Taylor cuts 260 jobs. [WSJ]
• The ever-tactful British press declares that student life is giving moddle Lily Cole "spots." Bad moddle, neglecting your looks for education! [Daily Mail]
• For her new Dior handbag campaign, Marion Cotillard is literally perched on the Eiffel Tower. We get it, Dior: You're French. [WWD]
• Architect Elena Manferdini is inspired by gowns. "I like to show that there's a correlation between the human body scale and the architectural scale." [LA Times]

• Only one more day of having to listen to designers opine about politics! Marc Jacobs' L.A. windows are "set up with the Republicans menacingly on one side (with a particularly freaky-looking W) and brightly dressed Obama voters/supporters on the other. There's also a gun-toting Palin with a letter posted next to her image, which reads as follows: Dearest Citizens, I believe in, 1) No choice for you gals. 2) Creationism for you kids. 3) No rights for you gays and lesbians. 4) Everyone should own a gun! You gotta believe in something, baby!" [Racked]
• Stella McCartney throws an Obama-themed tea. I guess eating his face is an endorsement. [WWD]
• Meanwhile, Henri Bendel stays neutral: "Today, the store will unveil its bipartisan windows featuring a group of five mannequins dressed in the latest cocktail dresses from Chloé & Reese and Greta Constantine. The girls are flanked by red and blue polling booths, each one representing a political party. Today, each mannequin can be seen with a large question mark above its head, but Wednesday morning, the question marks will be removed and the group will be placed in front of the winning voting booth. Several pounds of confetti will be thrown over the group in celebration of that party’s win." [WWD]

• Rihanna's the face of Gucci's new "Tattoo Heart" campaign, which features, um, tattoo hearts on clothes. Some of the proceeds benefit Unicef. [Perez Hilton]
• The secret of Yves Saint Laurent's success? "He liked women to be beautiful." [Reuters]
• Wanna see a young female moddle in Lagerfeld drag? No? Don't click on this link. [FashionWeekDaily]
• Mod pioneer Mary Quant gets her own stamp! It features a mod bird in a mini and zip-top. [ElleUK]
• Did you know Zac Posen was a classically trained singer? Apparently it's why he's so into opera — hence his Lincoln Center arts leadership award for his commitment to supporting arts education. [WWD]
• Consignment stores continue to clean up. [WSJ]
• Apparently the new Kate Moss tell-all is a great read, even if it boils down to the moddle demanding, "Why the f**k can't I have fun all the time?" [Daily Mail]
• Speaking of models with drug scandals in their (recent) pasts: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has a new gig as the face of dothegreenthing.com. [Fashionista]
• A moddle we can actually get behind? Alek Wek. "I'm working with my uncle in the Sudan embassy in London to open a secondary school on the Nile in Susan. It would be made up of 50 per cent boys and 50 per cent girls...My father always stressed education. I didn't understand it when I was young but I understand now." [VogueUK]
• Christian Siriano, modest as always: "Also, designing Heidi’s gown for the Emmys was amazing, especially when I went to the afterparty and met Debra Messing. Debra told me, “Oh my God, I love your clothes, you’re a genius!” You never know who’s going to be a fan of your work." [Cosmopolitan]
• The city grounds to a halt as we all get our vote on; the Nylon girls are "Gone Voting!" [Nylon]
• Retail extravaganza Lucky Shops looks undimmed by the economy! Encouraging, or depressing? [FashionWeekDaily]

• After Palin names Escada as her fave brand, the creative director is gracious: "If she does wear Escada because she likes it, I mean, I’m honored actually. It’s not politics; it’s clothing, after all. No? She’s an attractive woman, so why not?" [New York Mag]
• Fashion's totally in the tank for Obama — but we knew that. [WWD]
• Halloween update: Blake Lively was Cleopatra, Martha Stewart was Medusa. [Sassybella]
• Andre Leon Talley: "Fashion may not be the most important thing in life, but it definitely helps you get through it," [Philadelphia Inquirer]

• Adidas launching high-end SLVR line. It'll include sportswear, accessories and shoes — but no activewear. [WWD]
• Stella McCartney introduces kid-friendly windows. "Using just colouring pencils, Gary Card will create over-layered drawings of animals, dinosaurs, superheros and fantasy inspired characters on children's wardrobes in his typically naive and charming signature style." Just what you want to see on your six-year-old's Christmas list! [VogueUK]
• SJP's new "Twilight" perfume: just a coinci-dink that it jibes with the teen vampire flick? Synergy! [Fashionista]
• Georgia May Jagger's "style" includes derby hats, shiny leggings. [ElleUK]
• Prada's costume jewelry is gorgeous, as expensive as real jewelry. [Fabsugar]
• Goodwill tries to change its image for the recession; but why? [NY Times]
• Not shockingly, Anand Jon's defense lawyer says he's innocent. [Breitbart]
• Suits make the man. [Forbes]
• Timberland moves into video blogging to woo young men, who allegedly like that sort of thing. [Business Week]
• The first YSL retrospective is kicking off in San Francisco and sounds amazing: "The clothes, displayed in a gallery with low lighting and the feel of a giant walk-in closet, are stunningly beautiful: A 1988 Van Gogh "Irises" jacket embroidered with 40 pounds of sequins and beads. A 1997 garden party of a gown with a thicket of pink and green organza flowers, leaves, semiprecious stones and satin ribbons. A 1990 coat flocked with flame-colored rooster, pheasant and vulture feathers. The black wool dress with satin collar and cuffs worn by Catherine Deneuve in the 1967 film "Belle de Jour."" [LA Times]
• Supermoddle Jacquetta Wheeler comes from a huge Tory clan! [Daily Mail]
• These descriptions of the Australia costumes are totally overcoming our initial resolve not to see it: "Ms. Martin did extensive research for the costumes. She studied archival images and newspapers from 1930s and ’40s Australia and interviewed descendants of the original ranchers around Darwin. 'Whether an indigenous stockman'— or drover — 'wore socks with his boots when he rode a horse, that’s something you either get through a snapshot,' Ms. Martin said, 'or something you have to go talk to the people who lived there about.'" [NY Times]
• The new Chanel Unlimited bags, in a "glossy gray canvas material," sound grotesque. Opines Fashionista: These are totally Karl's answer to Prada's nylon bags. But worse, because they're plastered in not just one, but many logos." [Fashionista]
• Yeah it's barely past Halloween, but if you have "questions" about Holiday attire, The Washington Post will help you out. [Washington Post]
• Rosetta Getty expands her line, beloved of her celeb friends. Nice work if you can get it! [WWD]
• Is it just us, or are these new Helena Christensen ads for Agent Provocateur really unsexy? (Oh yeah, prolly NSFW.) [Daily Mail]
• Rochas names Marco Zanini creative director; he'll show his first collection for the the fall/winter 2009 season. [WWD]
• Princess Di's threads go under the hammer for charity. [VogueUK]

• Newly-minted Louis Vuitton designer Sofia Coppola's road was not an easy one. "At the age when Marie-Antoinette was facing the rigid etiquette of the court of Versailles, the 15-year-old Coppola was working as an intern at Chanel in Paris, a city that her parents had always loved." No wonder, then, that "Coppola drew on a well of personal experience for the accessories. A gilded wedge ankle-strap sandal (€500) was stirred by the memory of her mother's Yves Saint Laurent shoes in the 1970s." We love a rags to riches story. [IHT]
• What Not To Wear good cop Clinton Kelly has thrown his hat into the competitive fabulosity ring. "In Freakin’ Fabulous: How to Dress, Speak, Behave, Eat, Drink, Entertain, Decorate, and Generally Be Better Than Everyone Else, Kelly begins by taking the reader through his long journey toward “fabulousness,” which started prepuberty. 'While other kids on the elementary school playground were trading baseball cards and playing kickball, I was silently debating whether to spend my first paycheck on Italian suede driving shoes or on a cashmere coat,' he writes." [WWD]
• Designers won't loan gowns to Mad Men's resident bombshell Christina Hendricks! Too "curvy!" [Ephemerist]

• Presses stopped. Chanel, Moschino, Louis Vuitton, Sonia Rykiel, Stella McCartney and Christian Lacroix are all designing DOLLS for Unicef! [VogueUK]
• Which should please foppish hockey player cum novelty intern Sean Avery, who liked playing with dolls as a kid. Us too! [New York Magazine]
• As his trial progresses, creepy designer Anand Jon is looking more perv than rapist. [Radar]
• Travis Barker's fashion line (?) makes tee shirts to benefit families of the two victims of his plane crash. [UPI]
• Here's a pic. [People]
• Who whoa whoa. Sheryl Crow's alleged clothing line? "The first line is made up of about two dozen pieces developed by Crow's stylist and inspired by clothes from the singer's wardrobe." [IHT]
• Twiggy puts clothing swaps on TV in some kind of bid to beat the recession. [Daily Mail]
• Party girl Alice Dellal may be disinherited. Which will put her on a level with the rest of us. Oh, wait, she's a famous moddle. [Daily Mail]
• Meanwhile, male model Donald Carmichael robbed and shot in New York. Well, grazed. He's okay. [UPI]
• Almost all the cosmetics you use are poison. Wah-wah. [LA Times]
• The tone of international Fashion Week? Strictly Let Them Eat Cake. [Washington Post]
• Lucky editors claim their new style guide is actually really perfect for the recession. [The Budget Fashionista]
• Diesel plans unique stores worldwide. [WWD]
• Apparently literally every celeb in the world was at one of Diesel's 17 30th birthday parties. [ElleUK]
• Zahara Jolie-Pitt wears organic denim. It's $128. [Fashion Week Daily]
• The Glamouresque Wig Party is where celebrities design wigs. For charity, obvs. [Daily Mail]
• Relive your high school years — or mine, anyway! — with Screaming Mimi's online vintage. [FabSugar]
• Why choose between cognac and sneakers when you can wear the $300 Hennessy Celebration Hi-Top? [BlackBook]
• Want to read a list of Kate Moss's debaucheries? Yeah, set aside some time. [Daily Mail]
• Cosmetics are up. Well, we all need to cover dark circles these days. [Washington Post]
• Please let this be our last mention of male pantyhose. [News.com.au]
• The recession may speed consolidation in the fashion world. [WWD]
• So, want to wear a fake school uniform? No? Here are some options anyway. [Sassybella]

• 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]

• It's a pretty well-known fact that Stella McCartney is vocally anti-fur. So you gotta wonder what the management at London boutique Hockley — known for its furs — were on when they draped a model in a full-length mink coat and Stella McCartnety lingerie and then ran the ad in Vogue. ‘Stella went absolutely ballistic when she saw it,’ a source at Ms McCartney’s store in Mayfair told The Mail on Sunday. ‘I have never seen her so angry. She hit the roof and said that she planned to sue. She allows her accessories to be lent to shoots all the time, but she would never ever allow anything of hers to go to a fashion house that deals exclusively with fur.' Hockley, not surprisingly, has pulled the ad. [Daily Mail]
• Lauren Conrad's fashion show — apparently her and two models in what looks like a mall — is the most cringe-inducing video you will ever watch. No, seriously, it's painful. [TMZ]
• Shockingly, despite her having, um, said she wanted to, Victoria Beckham is not showing at New York's fashion week. [Fashion Week Daily"]

• Candace Bushnell defends the use of label-porn in her adaptations on the slimmest of pseudo-feminist pretexts: "'I don't think fashion is part of my work for the sake of it," she insists. "Fashion for many women is a weapon. It's comparable to men's suits. There's the salesman in the shiny suit and then certainly in New York, successful men wear hand-tailored Italian suits. So, as you get older, your clothes express your status as opposed to, 'I found the right handbag, this is my weapon, get back'." [VogueUK]
• A missing male model's body was found in England a year after his disappearance; two men have been charged in the murder of Andre Nunes, which is believed to have arisen from mistaken identity. [Independent]
• Lots of color in the menswear collections. Tangerine pants, fellas? [FT]
• Six months after the founder's death, beauty pioneer Shu Uemura's company is stronger than ever. [Independent]
• Kelly Osbourne models "Jeans for Genes" tee designed by fashion student. "By supporting the campaign I hope I'll encourage everyone to get involved by buying a T-shirt, or donating a couple of pounds and pulling on their denim for Jeans for Genes Day on October 3," says Osbourne. "The money raised changes the world for those children born with genetic disorders. The difference you can make for them is really in your jeans." [VogueUK]
• Middle-aged New York Times writer works as a Nike sneaker tester for a day; is winded. [New York Times]
• Interview's September fashion issue will feature "a new logo, layout, paper stock and trim size and even a special foil and ink-treated cover." Also a Kate Moss interview in which - I'll save you the new $3.95 price — she probably says something asinine. [WWD]
• Korto's was way better. Everyone hates the Bridgehampton Polo look of Ralph Lauren's opening ceremony outfits. I'm guessing it would have been an, "if I've called your name congratulations you are safe" rather than a final two situation, if you know what I'm sayin'. [Gawker]
• Um. Daily Mail discovers Louboutins are expensive. [Daily Mail]
• Venerable Western-shirt maker Rockmount makes custom shirts for Colorado delegates to wear to the DNC. [AP]
• Iem>InStyle China promotes home-court talent. "On Tuesday, In Style China will provide a guide to Asian fashion when it will host a fashion show on NBC's "Today" show from Beijing. The segment will showcase looks from six leading Chinese designers." All will be shown by Chinese models. [WWD]
• Yeah, it's true, Sheryl Crow launching an "Americana-inspired" fashion line. Who's next, Don Knotts? [People]
• As opposed to the usual vogues for clogged pores and acne, "flawless, glowing skin" is all the rage for fall. Laura Mercier gives tips. [ElleUK]
• Katrina survivors manufacture new shopping bags that are green, bouncy, awesome. "Unlike other canvas or cotton bags that don't stretch, its-laS-tik uses flexible fabrics that take the shape of its contents and move with you as you walk. You can double the load per bag but never feel the extra heaviness." [FabSugar]
• Online accessories market is huge. [WWD]
• G-Star: global ambassadors of rawness, peace. "G-Star is joining forces with the United Nations in support of the Millennium Campaign. The organization strives to raise awareness for the Millenium Development Goals, which include fighting extreme poverty, halting the spread of HIV/AIDS and providing universal primary education—all by the target date of 2015." [Fashion Week Daily]

• As previously reported, for reasons one can only imagine, Tyra Banks plays first lady in the new issue of Harper's Bazaar. This article reads: "Voguing like a supermodel, Tyra pays homage to Michelle Obama and Jackie Kennedy with pearls, slinky black shift and curly flip, draped against a Barack Obama lookalike and smiling at a tyke playing hide-and-seek à la JFK Jr. Banks confessed that if she were first lady, her Secret Service code name would be 'KMFA: Kiss My Fat Ass.'" Yes. Well. No further comment. [New York Post]
• Tyra also says: "Michelle Obama, you're one hot mama." [WWD]
• Don't worry, Vogue editor-at-large and python duster-enthusiast Andre Leon Talley (who famously stuck Jennifer Hudson in a hideous metallic bolero) will not be messing with the real-life Michelle Obama any time soon, rumors to the contrary. Quoth the less-than-jolly giant, "I think that Michelle Obama does not need advice." [BlackBook]
• Michelle's also on the cover of Ebony. "She wore her own clothing for the shoot —
  including a suit from favored designer Maria Pinto." [WWD]

• They're finally airing that too-hot-for-TV-naked Eva Mendes Calvin Klein ad - albeit after nine pm! The "Secret Obsession" campaign "taps into the secrecy of a private moment - where it's clear that Eva is having illicit thoughts," marketer Lori Singer told WWD. [Page Six]
• Wanna see it? (NSFW, obvs) [E!]
• Everything Lagerfeld touches turns to awesome! Now he's collabing with architect Zaha Hadid on an installation, The Chanel Mobile Art Pavilion, "a gleaming futuristic pavilion with the startling appearance of a glamorous spaceship...a pavilion that, like a handbag, is a completely portable and functional container with vast symbolic potential." Indeed, Kaiser. [Independent]
• Celeb spawn modeling? No! Dakota Johnson, daughter of Don and Melanie Griffith, is in illustrious company: "The model, who is best friends with Demi Moore's daughter Rumer Willis, has just been signed to star alongside the MisShapes' Leigh Lezark and another famous Hollywood child, Isabella Rossellini's daughter Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann, to front the new season campaign for Italian fashion house Hogan." [ElleUK]
• Ho-hum. Another naked dame for PETA. This time it's Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard, which is, I guess, at least promoting a healthy body image. [Reuters]
• Speaking of which, designers like Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen are cashing in on the Olympics. "More and more we are seeing fashion brands getting involved in sports like the Olympics or Wimbledon or the U.S. Open." [Yahoo]
• Shockingly, all those "modeling agencies" on Craig's List aren't on the level. Sadly, a lot of teens are falling prey to them. [The Sun]
• Vids of Lauren Conrad's ads for Avon's new Mark Cosmetics, the younger line. [ONTD]
• An Australian study shows that women are way more concerned with the size on a garment's tag than they should be. "People are paying more attention to the size tag than the price tag and feeling down when they can't fit their standard size." This is why we're all 2s at Banana Republic, people! [Reuters]
• Sudanese model Alek Wek on breaking industry stereotypes: "I was told, 'You can’t make it – you're this, you're that, your nose is too wide, etc.'" [Daily Express]
• Thanks, Vogue: freckles are "in." [The Independent]
• Recessionistas, take note: Patricia Field's podcast on styling H&M. It's actually totally unhelpful, but still kinda entertaining. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Fashion mags launch search for "real women" (because we're so hard to find.) The Condies are searching for veritable dames with "interesting careers" to shoot for "major fashion layouts." So, if that sounds like you and you're between 20 and 30 years old, five foot five and five foot eleven, and wear a 2 to 6 dress size, you qualify to be one of those "real women." [New York Magazine]
• Dior profits way up. [WWD]
• Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear. "Kelly Rutherford's baby is a real fashion victim. The hot mom in Gossip Girl was shopping recently in the Hamptons and was overheard saying that she and her husband, German businessman Daniel Giersch, named their nearly 2-year-old boy Hermés Gustaf Daniel Giersch because she loves the Hermes designer label. She also said her husband once worked as a mailman and the messenger god is Hermes." [Page Six]
• The case of the suited crook: "A former Saks Fifth Avenue suit salesman used his access to fine clothes to gain access to Midtown buildings, where he swiped cash and credit cards from empty offices." [New York Post]
• Is some random store ripping off Lanvin's Elaz tees? [Fashionista]
• Cosabella's fall Sex and the City lingerie collection is here. Some feel Charlotte, Miranda are somewhat misrepresented. [Fabsugar]

[London, June 19. Image via Splash.]

• “There so many celebrity clothing lines out there that just really suck!” says Perez Hilton in this new video about his collaboration with Hot Topic. Thanks Perez, now there’s gonna be one more! [YouTube]

• Fashion iconoclast and actress Chloe Sevigny is teaming up with the designers at Opening Ceremony again, this time to do a men’s line. The cool thing, and this shit has “cool” written all over it, is that the men’s clothing will be for women too. "Not only did I want to do something for the guys in my life, but a lot of my girlfriends prefer to wear men's stuff," Chloe says. Why hasn’t someone thought of doing this before? [fashionologie]
• More Sex and the City fashion news! It never ends! The Notorious P.A.T. (that’s Patricia Field) has been tapped to create a line for England’s own Marks & Spencer (aka “Marks and Sparks” to London city-dwellers) this coming fall. [Telegraph]

• I guess old coke habits do die hard, because it seems as though Kate Moss is back Burberry's good books. Images from the spring campaign have leaked showing Moss donning a bikini and a veil. If the company dropped poor Agyness due to overexposure, what's the rationale for using Kate again? [Sassybella]

• Next up for the Target Go International line is none other than Jonathan Saunders. You might remember Mr. Saunders from such memorable pieces as "that pretty dress someone once wore" or "I have no fucking idea." The line will be out in early October so here's to hoping that Mr. Saunders will make us something we'll remember forever. [racked]
• House of Dior is set to launch a new line of luxury cell phones, which is good news for rich housewives in China, rich housewives in Russia, Paris Hilton, and Paris Hilton’s dog. That thing has a phone too, right? [WSJ]
• Paul and Stella McCartney team up for a night of fashion, music, and really fucking rich people at Paul’s old Alma Mater in Liverpool…Marc Jacobs gripes about the money side of fashion to students at Central Saint Martins, and dishes some queeny gossip about Tom Ford and how he was "different" back in the day, plus, another fancy store opens in The Hamptons, which is weird. That neighborhood used to be so much cooler when it was filled with junkies. JK! Read about fashion scoops here: [WWD]
• Queen Elizabeth seemed to be riding Camilla’s fashion dick this past weekend: the two attended a wedding looking like a much fancier version of the Bobbsey Twins. And did you know the palace has its own in-house fashion designers? Siiiick. [Telegraph]
• A weepy model who got the boot from Australia’s Next Top Model talks about how she was bullied on the show and she doesn’t want her parents to watch it. Alamela Rowan says she is relieved about getting kicked off and who can blame her? I guess reality shows just aren’t what they used to be. Or, they have always been exactly the same. [News.com.au]
• Writer Hadley Freeman talks about celeb clothing lines and the difference between Kate Moss and Lily Allen, who was never a fashion icon to begin with. [Guardian]
• “Rocket scientist” Maureen Kelly, founder of Tarte cosmetics, wants to the world to know that aside from starting her own makeup line, she also has a Ph.D and is like, totally smart. [TeenVogue]
• Somewhat-annoying Kristin Bentz from The Street takes us on a little tour of some of the biggest chain stores. She high fives J.Crew, stone-cold disses The Gap, and proceeds to rock the world with her stock predictions, Lollapalooza style. [TheStreet]
• Check out the a sneak peek at the video for Tod's starring Gwyneth Paltrow. [Fashionologie]
• Lower East Side retailers/designers Dana Foley and Anna Corinna say it sucks to get ripped off all the time by bigger brands like Forever 21. “Shoppers would still prefer to pay $12 for a copied handbag than $400 to $800 for the original.” No shit, Sherlock. [NYTimes]
• A gallery in the UK is set to celebrate Vivienne Westwood's life's work with an exhibition beginning next week. [TheStar]
• Talbots just may be tanking. [Reuters]
• In other Talbots news, the retailer has hired a new designer to revamp its women’s line. Chris Jackson, who has also designed for DKNY, French Connection, and others, is so excited about joining the Talbots team that he just wet his Talbots pants and bought another pair. [WWD]

• Stella McCartney calls dibs on bride-to-be Scarlett Johansson: "I'm definitely doing her wedding dress. She doesn't know it yet." Awkward. [People]
  
• Says Marc Jacobs on the bride-to-be, "I'm really happy for her. She's a great girl. I just think Scarlett is great and I hope she is very, very happy. She's super funny. I love a smart, ballsy, New Yorker and that's what she is. I wish her the best." And by "the best" he clearly means, "Do why didn't that bitch ask me to design her wedding dress?" [Vogue UK]
  
• Chris "Mr. Big" Noth has some strong feelings about Victoria's Secret, "I'm not into Victoria's Secret so much. I find it over the top. I like subtlety and I like elegance. I think their things are gaudy and they are really trying too hard. If I could make a fashion statement, I think that Victoria's Secret looks to me like somebody who is putting on too much make-up. It's too gaudy, man. I mean, come on take it easy, you don't have to have a fuckin' bouquet of flowers on your underwear. Sorry Victoria's Secret; I hope they're not one of our sponsors!" [Oh No They Didn't]
  
• "You can get diamonds cheap," says Heidi Klum, which is why she's going to start sewing them into the pockets of her Jordache jeans line. Clearly, she has not seen Blood Diamond. [WWD, 9th item]

• Good for you, Adidas, for winning your lawsuit against Payless shoes for their blasphemous thievery of what is clearly a design that only you own: Stripes. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Seriously, Suri Cruise does not need custom-made Roger Vivier shoes. I, however, do. [WWD, 1st item]
• So what did More editor-in-chief Lesley Jane Seymour do Monday night in lieu of attending the Met Costume Institute Gala? (She wasn't invited.) "I dressed up in my best Versace and barbecued on the my outside deck in the suburbs! Only kidding about the Versace! I wore Prada." [Fashion Week Daily]
• Oh also, Christina Ricci left the Costume Institute Gala in a huff after realizing upon entering that she and her boyfriend had not been seated together. [Page Six]
• If only I had been trapped in an elevator with Giorgio Armani yesterday. [Wowowow]
• So Gwyneth Paltrow is all, "I don't get why there's this big fuss about my S&M footwear fetish." [USA Today]
• Video footage of Gemma Ward trying to slay Liv Tyler: Here. [Fashionista]
• Video footage of Karlie Kloss doing ballet: Here. [NY Mag]
• Model and sometimes di Caprio girlfriend Bar Rafaeli sorta needs to pony up and serve in the Israeli Army already. [UPI]
• Oh of course Jimmy Choo is trying to usurp as much press and glory as they can from the opening of the Sex and the City movie. [Vogue UK]
• Ksube + Kanye = Pretty cool. [Sassybella]
• Diet Coke + Patricia Field = Pretty random. [Sassybella]
• OMG why did The Sartorialist get fired from the new Gap ads as a model already?! Why?! Why?! [Fashionista]
• Beth Ditto will be entertaining guests at the opening of the Alexander McQueen store in L.A. next week. [Fashion Week Daily]
• In the midst of economic downturn Barneys New York and Target seem to be entering into one of those "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" sorta things. [WWD, sub req'd]
• And young design bad-ass Danielle Scutt is designing for Topshop. Seeing a theme here? [WWD, 8th item]
• The Turks? Love them some Dior. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Just what you needed: How to dress like celebrities, made easy. And a little stalker-ish. [TechCrunch]

The Good:
Who are you, gorgeous Anita Briem? And where can I get your flawless Grecian goddess gown?
Did you really think that Charlize Theron and Stuart Townshend were going to look bad? Seriously.
Easy, breezy, beautiful dress on Emmanuelle Chirqui.
Mika. Stripes. It's a good thing.
I really wish that Rashida Jones's dress either had both its straps or was strapless, but her looks is still a great balance between lovely and casual.
Normally, I would find it disconcerting to see a woman like Rosanna Arquette in a dress that looks made for a little girl...but damn, she looks great. Even if she's doing the pee-pee stance.
Stella McCartney: Annie Hall 2.0


The Bad:
Amber Valetta fails to shine in awkwardly cut gold...lame?
Eliza Dushku's dress: the material looks a little Charlotte Russe and the fit looks a little inadequate .
Someone did not teach January Jones the cleavage-or-leg rule.


The Ugly:
No no no no no floral chiffon jumpsuits, Angie Harmon!
No no no no no teal tents, China Chow!

[Images via Getty.]

The Good:
Christy Turlington glows in a red dress in an unexpected silhouette.
Emily Mortimer went a little gladiator for the superhero theme.
Stella McCartney and Kate Moss shine perfectly.
Camilla Belle looks wrapped in clouds.
If I were Christina Ricci, I would never ever ever take this dress off. Ever. It is one of the greatest things I have ever seen. Love. Speechless. Sigh.
Diane Kruger looks a little bit like the Tin Man, but I love that she went for a short dress. Also, love love the shoes.
Iman. Always perfect. What else is new?
Kate Mara! Yellow! Yes! Yes!
Tom Cruise looks weirder than normal, but Katie Holmes looks fantastic, which of course I hate to say. But there's no denying all that red.
Dear Mischa Barton: Strip and give me that dress right now. Kthanxbai.
Please God let my face age like Natasha Richardson's.
Rachel Bilson looks like a total freak and I love. Clearly, she mistook "superheroes" to mean "Morticia Addams."
ScarJo is simultaneously old school and somewhat infantalized in her D&G but she looks hot, so good for her.
I still am not entirely sure who Taylor Swift is, but I like her chainmail-esque dress.
Sorry, you just can't hate on Victoria Beckham.
Emmy Rossum is a head-turner in this black-and-white floral frock.
Claudia Schiffer's dress is downright ethereal. Valentino is downright orange.
Ellen Barkin manages to always play it classy.
Jessica Stam is sorta a bad ass!
Michelle Trachtenberg? Or Liza at Studio 54?
Molly Sims must know my weakness for the color yellow.
Call me a crazy motherfucker, but Wendi Deng looks incredible.
Almost-goth Amanda Peet is fabulous.
Um, I love that Amber Valetta's dress has wings.
I totally heart you and your kick-ass black dress Ashley Olsen.
Can we discuss how awesome it is that Barbara Walters is there with Charlie Rose?
Claire Danes is sorta channeling Angela here, no?
This is seriously the best I have ever seen Fergie look.
Yeah, same for Hilary Duff.
Lake Bell went for it.
Lauren Bush is one class act in royal purple.
Margherita Missoni: Crazy-awesome.
Michelle Monahagan should only ever wear copper. Wow.
Paula Patton: Pretty.
Sofia's shiny drop-waisted number is delightful.
Tilda Swinton? Or Mr. Roboto?
Vera Wang and Karolina Kurkova play their metallics en suite.
Be my flamenco dancer, Ingrid van der Bosch.
Maggie Gyllenhaal knows you gotta go big or go home.
Venus Williams is a beacon of light.
Be still my heart, Zoe Kravitz-as-a-Clara Bow.
Bee Shaffer's dress is phenomenal. But why is Andre Leon Talley relegated to straightening her train?!

[Images via Getty.]

[New York, May 5. Image via INFDaily.com.]

[London, April 23. Image via Splash.]

• Luke Wilson is "designing" a line of golf products and accessories for Puma. Ah, the insatiable American hunger for the consumption of stuff and celebrity! Or the perception of the insatiability, or whatever. [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• Speaking of! Rod Stewart is launching a clothing line. [Guardian]
  
• Donna Karan is doing Passover with Demi and Ashton in Miami. [Fashion Week Daily]
  
• Really, how much longer can Christian Siriano hold congratulatory celebrations for himself? [Fashion Week Daily]
  
• Elle Macpherson is the latest face of Revlon. [WWD, sub req'd]

• English girl designers Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig are adding a bridal collection for their label, Marchesa, to debut next month. Chapman made herself not one but two wedding dresses for her recent nuptials to Harvey Weinstein, so she's totally qualified, btw. [WWD, 1st item]
• Marc Jacobs is already fighting with his new boyfriend, Austin A. Also: partying in sweatpants and wife-beaters.[Page Six]
• Mary J. Blige is taking sellers of knockoff Mary J. Blige concert tees to court. [Page Six]
• George Clooney may not be doing his own clothing line, but he does wear Belstaff in his upcoming film Leatherheads and the Italian label is sponsoring the film's European premiere. [Vogue UK]
• Steve McQueen also did not do his own clothing line. Though we think the fact that he's dead should have been evidence enough. [Reuters]
• Israeli fashion is apparently on the rise. I am going to be polite here and pretend like the words "Israeli style" don't actually evoke any sort of mental image for me because I love my people. But. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Jean-Paul Gaultier: Dressing Kylie Minogue for her upcoming tour. [WWD, 3rd item]
• Azzedine Alaia just received a French Legion of Honor. Who? What? [WWD, 1st item]
• Tom Ford has designs on Japan. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Stella McCartney is heading to India. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Agyness Deyn continues to find work. [The Sun UK]
• Drinking this water will apparently magically protect your skin from UV rays; LOL. [Chic Report]
• O.C. alum Samaire Armstrong: has a clothing line too. [Sassybella]
• How to recycle your clothing! [Utne]

• Agyness Deyn's mom Lorraine Collins is as amazed as we are that someone as FAT as Agyness could ever make it in fashion: "She has wonderful curves and a bit of meat on her. When she's home, she eats everything." [Mirror]
  
• Poor chivalrous BF-of-Marc-Jacobs Jason Preston! When he tried to stand up for a girl who got a drink thrown at her at a club, Preston got something worse thrown at him: a punch in the face. $10 says Marc incorporates a black eye makeup look into the Spring 2009 collection. [Page Six]
  
• Richard Chai is the latest designer to do a Target collection! [Who is Richard Chai? I asked Jennie. He's "very respected." And Asian. Okay. -Moe] [Nylon]
  
• But even more exciting: Alice McCall is designing for Topshop. [Who is...meh, forget it. I'm not the one reading the fashion news roundup.] [Sassybella]
  
• While we buy that Barack would smell like bergamot and musk, no way in hell is Hillary Clinton a "delicate floral." [BellaSugar]

• L'Oreal is honoring women for scientific achievements. No really! And not even, like, achievements related to wrinkle "therapy", but real achievements like discovering a new class of RNA molecules, although we're sure there is an anti-aging angle in there somewhere. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Louis Vuitton and Murakami are once again collaborating with a new print, "monoflage," which will make its debut when the Murakami retrospective opens at the Brooklyn Museum of Art on April 3rd. Because what the world really needs is another Vuitton-Murakami bag showing up everywhere. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Dries Van Noten's response when Diane von Furstenberg called him to tell him he would be receiving this year's CFDA International Award? "I don't know what to say! We're in a bad storm in Antwerp and I don't know whether or not we're going to have a house!'" Oy. [Chic Report]
• DKNY Jeans has recruited comic book artist Paul Pope to collaborate with the brand on a new line. Which should be really exciting for skater geeks who worship Tim Gunn? [Nylon]
• For the first time since Stella McCartney and Adidas joined forces together, they are not introducing a new fitness category for the collaborative brand for the Spring 2008 season. We guess that once you've differentiated "running" from "trail running" there really aren't any sports left. [WWD, 1st item]
• After 2010, New York Fashion Week is out of Bryant Park and moves over to...the 10th Avenue Rail Yards? Delightful! [Gatecrasher]
• Japan Fashion Week was, well, big in Japan. [Reuters]
• Will Coach buy Burberry? And if so, can Coach get a firm grasp on the devastatingly complex details of selling logo-ed accessories at accessibly outrageous prices? We bet they can! [Independent]
• Meanwhile, Coach is going to replace its own president with the COO of Victoria's Secret. Um, there's a track record we wouldn't be so quick to acquire, but okay. [WSJ]
• Anna Sui president Michael Pellegrino has announced his retirement. With a 65th birthday coming up, he wants to travel and volunteer with Meals on Wheels. And they say fashion has no heart. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Claudia Schiffer: The latest fashion star to judge London's Graduate Fashion Week. [Vogue UK]
• Coldwater Creek: In the throes of existential crisis. [MediaPost]
• American Eagle: Also not doing so well. [Reuters]

• The body of former model Katoucha Niane, one of the first major black models, has been found in the Seine river, in Paris. Missing since January, she lived in a houseboat and is presumed to have fallen off after a night of partying and drinking. Her career highlights included walking for Thierry Mugler, Paco Rabanne, Lacroix and serving as a muse to Yves Saint Laurent himself. [AP]
  
• Tom Brady is rumored to be the next face (well, chest) of Calvin Klein underwear. [Page Six]
  
• The BCBG Max Azria Group: 100% fur-free starting with its Spring 2009 collections. This is a huge sacrifice for them since BCBG has always been sooooo closely associated with fur coats, so don't forget to spend more money next time you're there! [Fashion Week Daily]
  
• Rag Trade quote of the day: "Any woman over 40 has extra flesh here and here. I never hesitate to say to Alber [Elbaz, Lanvin's designer], 'Think of older women!'" Lanvin chairwoman Shaw-Lan Chu-Wang. [WSJ]

• Halle Berry is doing a fragrance deal with the sophisticated likes of Coty. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Why is Fendi excited that its new Paris flagship store has a courtyard? So that they can stage fur fashion shows there during couture season. Are you reading, Ingrid Newkirk? [WWD, sub req'd]
• In other Fendi news: Amy Winehouse is performing at the party for the store tonight. [WWD, 1st item]
• Twiggy's daughter is an assistant designer at Stella McCartney. [WWD, 3rd item]
• Julia Restoin-Roitfeld was given free clothes straight off the motherfucking runway by Givenchy. Because we all know she's truly a girl in need. [Fashion Week Daily, 6th item]
• Armani and Chanel are in the tennis racket business now. [Sassybella]
• Lutz & Patmos is doing a more "affordable" secondary line called Leroy & Perry. T-shirts retail for $300. [WWD, sub req'd]
• The Gap's key to success: shutting stores. [WWD, sub req'd]
• New Zealand: has a fashion industry?! [Economist]
• Shocker: Nicole Richie wears hair extensions. [BellaSugar]

The Good:
Was Stella peeping in Miuccia Prada's workroom? Her take on the peeping Tom lace theme is less fashion-forward, but certainly wearable, beautiful, and fresh.
Light as a feather, I would style this barely-there dress with black tights and flats.
An unexpected take on both suiting and separates and, if I could afford it, I would be running to wrap myself up in that blanket sweater.
Again, see above. It's cozy and slouchy and cool and could even be great n the summer with flip-flops.

The Bad:
This blanket-whatever is silly and totally impractical. Do not dress yourself in tapestries stolen from museums.
Did Stella steal this from Forever 21? Too big, hate the bubble hem, and it looks cheap.
The material is too heavy for the cut.