[New York, May 5. Image via WENN]

[New York, September 9. Image via Splash.]

A story in the New York Times a few weeks ago reported that the pressure among men to be "one of the guys" can be overwhelming and create a conflict between being loyal and doing the right thing. (Take all those unreported sexual assaults in Iraq!) The paper quotes Jackson Katz, who writes on issues of masculinity: "[Katz] said before acting, men often weigh the risk of ostracism and loss of status. 'Guys make calculations all the time that it's not worth it,' he said. Men 'have this notion that you try to prove yourself as a man.'"

But what about female friendship? According to the Times of London, some female friendships are so close, they're basically sexless marriages. The singer Kate Nash has a best friend called Laura, and, Nash explains, "There's a part of us that just wants to hibernate together for ever". Adds Laura: "My boyfriend knows I have four types of love - for my family, my friends, him and Kate." Though these platonic friendships can end badly — one woman quoted in the Times of London says that her ex-best friend would "get jealous if I went for lunch with a friend and she couldn't come." — these women seemed blissed out on female affection. The paper also quotes famous BFFs and sometime-lovers Virginia Woolf and Vita Sackville-West; of Woolf, Sackville-West wrote, "I do love her, but not b.s.ly [backstairsly, or homosexually]. One's love for Virginia is a very different thing: a mental thing; a spiritual thing, if you like, an intellectual thing."

Do you take Rihanna's tack by being mostly friends with men? Or do you find non-backstairs love with females? Or do you take people on a case-by-case basis and simply see what happens?

Rihanna Favors Male Friends [Oh No They Didn't]
We're Friends, Right? [New York Times]
Are You Too Close To Your Best Friend? [Times of London]

• "Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington would go to big designers and say: 'If you don't want Naomi to be in your show, then I don't want to be in it'...Women of colour are not a trend...That's the bottom line." — Naomi Campbell, still fighting for the cause of models of color. [Vogue UK]
  
• Speaking of women of color: Liya Kebede is looking to diversify! The model will be launching a children's clothing line made in Ethiopia but sold in the United States. [Chic Report]
  
• Dylan McDermott on why he attended the Proenza Schouler show: "My publicist said I should come." We admire his honesty. [WWD, 1st item]
  
• Saleisha from ANTM walked in the Tibi show yesterday. No one cared. [Fashion Week Daily]

• And this is why I can't get enough of wunderkind designer Chris Benz: "Fall was kind of inspired by the time when I was staying in the 8th arrondissement in Paris...and there were these amazing old women with their slips showing, who would wear a hat from 1952 that they just pulled out. It was very Carol Channing. This will be known as the granny collection!" (Though Benz told me at his presentation on Monday night that the collection was inspired by The Royal Tenenbaums, but whatevs.) [Fashion Week Daily]
• Natalia Vodianova isn't really retiring! Says the Russian model, "I think maybe I'll do one a year. I don't want to get rusty." [FabSugar]
• Marie Claire editor-in-chief Joanna Coles on the Halston show: "I actually thought a lot of the models were too young to wear the clothes!" Obvs. [Chic Report]
• Rihanna on why she designed her umbrella line for Totes, "We ladies hate walking around with clumsy umbrellas all the time." True 'dat. [WWD, 2nd item]
• Why Rachel Zoe claims to have not been at the Halston show on Monday, "I have five clients in town and my television show, and my day job comes first." Haha — bitch totally got fired. [WWD, 5th item]
• Through the magic of Facebook, spoiled teens (and bored bloggers who spend way too much time on Facebook) can tell all the world if they prefer Barneys to Coach and Marc Jacobs to Victoria's Secret. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Cole Haan's new CEO wants the label to re-invent itself and become super-cool. LOL! [WWD, sub req'd]
• In case you still haven't heard: The economy's really bad. Which is why Macy's is thinking of consolidating its regional operations. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Liz Claiborne has sold Laundry by Design and C&C California to Perry Ellis. We hope they're happy together. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Ralph Lauren's net income: Up by 2%. People still love that stupid little polo horse? [WSJ]
• Wish you were at Monday night's Chloe Sevigny for Opening Ceremony launch party? Pretend that you were with this video. [NYT]
• And watch the Proenza Schouler show for yourself here. [Sassybella]