This is what The Joker looks like without that gaudy purple outfit. Here he is draped instead in runway looks from brands like Raf Simons, Supreme and Thom Browne.

Health goth is dead because fucking real goth is back, my cool little vampiras. All you fools in your little weenie Nike Free Runs, jogging tights and HBA jammies prepare to fall back because Real Goth is in town this fashion week and is set to destroy your downtown trustafarian personae with glares and severe face…

I mean it literally when I say for the demon in you — this collection, presented in New York City as part of New York Fashion week, is perfect for the woman-about-town who's possessed by a terrifying spirit from from a 19th century mental institution.

• American Apparel is struggling along. But in addition to its other problems, it is facing a "cash crunch." Dov Charney is reluctant to sell to more outside investors, however, because he wants to hold onto his 53% majority stake. [NYPost]

During Fashion Week, we've been milling around the tents, going to off-site shows, Fashion's Night Out events and sneaking backstage to find out how much people—designers, stylists, editors, celebrities, Real Housewives—pay for their shoes.

• Chloë Sevigny, on prints, and her latest Opening Ceremony collection: "Very Natalie Merchant, you know? It has this timeless, alterna-girl look. I still dress like how I did as a senior in high school, but with a higher heel." [DFR]

• Lily Allen told a British radio show that she is quitting performing for two years to open a boutique called Lucy In Disguise. She's also going to found a record label. [Elle UK]

• Did L.A. boutique Maxfield drop Victoria Beckham's dVb in favor of Holmes & Yang? Posh's people say Maxfield hasn't ordered the line for three seasons, and the decision had nothing to do with Katie Holmes, who is Posh's friend. [P6]

Holy mother of God, it's here. The September Issue, the long-awaited uncensored look inside Vogue, premiered last night at the Museum of Modern Art. And yes, everyone was there. And yes, there was a delicious mix of glam and bizarro.

• Geithner's proposed new regulatory framework buoyed retail stocks by 4.4% yesterday. Saks' shares rose 15%, Ann Taylor was up 18%, Macy's climbed 10.2%, and Liz Claiborne rose 16.2%. Finally, some good fashion economic news! [WWD]

• Thierry Mugler meets Sasha Fierce: a match made in shoulderpad superhero sparkle heaven. Mugler says he was exploring "The duality between being a woman and a warrior." [WWD]

Although Michelle Obama's Jason Wu inaugural gown received mainly plaudits, Slate's Jesse Sheidlower has a brickbat for the president. He mixed white tie and black! And his tux jacket had a notched collar!

• Nastia Liukin's long-awaited and appropriately bendy BCBG ad is the business! [Popcrunch]

• Pam Anderson is Vivienne Westwood's new muse. The two seem an unlikely pair but "when Westwood saw Anderson in one of her dresses she knew instantly that Pamela was the right person for her new campaign." [ElleUK]

• Shocking but true: MTV is investing in subversive style iconoclast Lauren Conrad's clothing line. What, Emily Weiss didn't tell her about "private equity"? We think this is a first for media behemoth Viacom and the apparel industry and we can only hope Toastie and Scott Baio's BFF are next, and that whoever owns Fuse…

• Marc Jacobs eats breakfast? Does he throw it up afterwards? [WWD, last item]
  
• Super-nice Australian dude Napoleon Perdis (yes, that's really his name) and his eponymous makeup line to become official beauty sponsor of this year's Emmy Awards. The guy is so genuinely nice, we don't even have anything snarky to say about…

• Sarah Silverman is going to be in ads for The Gap. What are the odds this genius plan was hatched in a corporate marketing meeting during which someone employed the term "edgy"? [WWD, sub req'd]
  
• Menswear designer Thom Browne: Now bringing his shrunken jacket, cropped pant stylings to (lord help us) a womenswear line.…

Our fascination with menswear? Kind of obsessive. And it was only further provoked by an article in today's Wall Street Journal on the new Thom Browne-designed line for Brooks Brothers, Black Fleece. In case you've forgotten, Thom Browne supposedly "revolutionized" menswear by creating a new men's suit silhouette: One…