The Times' Lisa Armstrong writes:

Vidal didn't think that his clients looked like lesbians. He thought they looked modern, liberated - which they were: liberated from the rollers, the perming, the setting, the back-combing, the huge dryers and the humungous output of aerosol particles that constituted a trip to the salon throughout the Fifties.

Sassoon became a CBE— Commander Of The British Empire — as of yesterday, cementing his already-secure status as an icon. Though his products are no longer sold in the US or Europe, he makes millions in Asia. And there's his reputation. As Armstrong puts it, back in the '60s and '70s, "hairdressers were extravagantly heterosexual sex gods." But if you watch old movies, or Mad Men, it's easy to see why Sassoon's unique cuts were buzz-worthy, and why they arrived at the perfect time. It was in the air, he says: "You had only to look at Mies's [van der Rohe] Seagram [a 1957 New York skyscraper] or Breuer's Whitney [the 1966 art museum, also in New York] to know." The architecture, the clothes, the vibe of the '60s was geometric, no-fuss. Sassoon created hair to match.

But there was also an androgyny happening, a refusal to maintain norms like "boys have short hair, girls have long." When he chopped Mia Farrow's hair for Rosemary's Baby, it flew in the face of what it meant to be "feminine." Yet, as Armstrong writes: "A zillion women copied the style."

These days, most women want bouncy waves and lots of length (often through extensions). Armsrtong asks what Sassoon thinks of that. He answers: "To be honest, I've been out of hairdressing so long I can't really judge." Diplomatic. But you've got to wonder what it would be like if he got back in the game and liberated a few heads.

Vidal Sassoon: The Man Who Made English Hairstyling Great [Times Of London]

• Literary sensations Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen premiere their first book, Influence. '"Ashley and Mary-Kate take readers on a journey through their celebrated young lives, pausing to reflect on what has helped shape them into who they are today," the book's publisher said in a statement. "They interviewed 20 people and wrote brief essays about each other." Those interviewed include fashion designers Karl Lagerfeld, Diane Von Furstenburg, John Galliano and Christian Louboutin. "We interviewed the people who have inspired us, with the hope that they will inspire and teach others," Mary-Kate said. "We want to explain culturally how ideas evolve."' [People]
• The first "Cavalli Club" will open in Dubai this Fall. Says Roberto, '“living against monotony, with the enjoyment of music, of good food, of pleasant company” is the club’s philosophy. In his goal to offer “multiple culinary and sensorial experiences,” Cavalli plans an Italian restaurant flanked by a sushi bar and a wine bar on the top floor.' We can only assume this will be convenient to Lagerfeld's "Fashion Island." [WWD]
• A new investor allows Sadie Frost's company to live another day. Said a rep of the Jude Law ex and her design partner Jemima French, "Sadie and Jemima relish the opportunity to be fully hands-on again and being able to return to the creative and business helm of a fashion label. Both designers are currently working on their next collection" [Independent]

• The new Calvin Klein "Secret Obsession" campaign, starring Eva Mendes, was deemed too provocative for U.S. air waves - so it's to preview on the 'net. "TV networks will simply not allow Steven Meisel's commercial to be aired - it's too raunchy and risque, featuring Eva enjoying a private, intimate moment, set to a seductive sound track, wearing very little." [ElleUK]
• Lipstick Queen Poppy King should stick to cosmetics: "To be in fashion right now means to understand the difference between feminine and female and to get the balance right: too feminine and we are back in the submission of the '50s, too confrontational and it becomes '80s power woman. But in between these two is that wonderful space that it just 100 percent female—neither overly hostile nor apologetic. Perhaps if Hillary Clinton had got this sense of female right it may have turned out differently for her." [JC Report]
• Ashton Kutcher to return as face of Pepe Jeans London. [VogueUK]
• Cartier apparently thinks it's 2005, teams up with MySpace. [Guardian]
• Denim line Rock & Republic launches makeup line for unclear reasons. [Cosmetics News]
• Hockey player and novelty Vogue intern Sean Avery now dating Calvin Klein's ex-wife, Kelly. Well, they said Wintour was crushing on him, too...[Page Six]
• Modeling agency sues other modeling agency for model poaching. [UPI]
• Jewelry designers haggle over intellectual property. [Fashionista]
• Good old J. Crew weathers economic storm through "honesty and communication." [AdAge]
• Vidal Sassoon on his "rags to riches" story of hairstyling to the stars. [KQED]
• LVMH, Sony settle over musicians playing fast and loose with their trademarks. Kanye West, "Louis Vuitton Don," we're looking at you. [WWD]
• "Supergirl" line a fashion dream team: "Warner Bros. is moving full-steam ahead with a long-term, global Supergirl branded contemporary sportswear line, ready for resort selling. The line is designed by the trio of Shoshanna Lonstein Gruss, Alice Roi and Laura Poretzky." [WWD]
• Weak global economy means less direct sourcing from India. [Business Week]
• Despite Blane's desperate attempts to force a catch-phrase, "boring contestants" and an earlier time slot have Project Runway off to a slow start, ratings-wise. [Portfolio]
• Canadian con man convicted of selling fake Gucci stock options. [WWD]

• Rumors are swirling that Aggy will be making her "major" acting debut this holiday season as Dr. Who's "Christmas companion" (don't look at me) in the show's major 12/25 episode. [Gallifreyone.com]
• It takes a lot to replace Naomi Campbell. After, ahem, legal troubles prevented the beleaguered mannequin from walking in Rosa Cha's Sao Paolo swimsuit show, her replacement (a guy (?)) sauntered out in a Speedo, which he summarily doffed on the runway. [Page Six]
• And speaking of male nudity...Borat-style banana hammocks have hit the runways, hard. [News.com.au]
• Blind item!!! "Which Italian designer told a woman he was groping on a dance floor that he likes "slutty girls who dress badly"? She pointed out she was wearing one of his dresses." How many straight Italian designers can there be, anyway? [Daily News]

• Curiosity of the moment, Vogue-intern-cum-hockey-player Sean Avery, talks about his time at 4 Times Square: "I like clothes," Avery writes. "Always have. What started innocently enough with my first tie-dyed Chip & Pepper shirt at age 12 has evolved over a decade and a half into a closet full of Dries Van Noten, YSL, Dior, and Costume National, to name just a few." [E!]
• Making a mental note to never hit the beaches of Sao Paolo, where the press just savaged Karolina Kurkova's "cellulite" and "back fat" in a recent runway show. [TMZ]
• Charities feeling the economic pinch. [WWD]
• Tom Ford dresses Daniel Craig, James Bond. [Los Angeles Times]
• More on Vidal Sassoon's Habitat for Humanity project: [WWLTV]
• The cardigan is risky business, as Roger Federer found out firsthand: "Federer resembled nothing more than an aging Harry Potter, although one suspects that this was not the effect he was aiming for." [The Independent]
• "Recession-proof" fashion mag digest, Distill, aimed at YOU! [Guardian]
• Luxury market needs to get with the times: not taking advantage of online marketing! [Time]
• More retailers felled by recession. [WWD]
• "The reason that Yohji Yamamoto gives for staging the first fashion show in the Ancestral Temple of Beijing's Forbidden City seems highly suited to his enigmatic image. 'For me, the name sounded so beautiful,' he whispers, backstage after the night-time event. 'I liked the idea of the forbidden.'" ("What the hell?" I whispered.) [The Independent]
• "Femme" awards nods boost designer spirits. [WWD]
• Jemima Khan (aka Hugh Grant's sometimes-paramour) is designing a capsule collection for French house Azzaro. [ElleUK]
• Patricia Field for Diet Coke? Twenty-five limited-edition sets of four Pat-designed bottles (representing career, passion, love, and fashion) sell for $100 each on her web site or in London at Selfridges. [Fashion Week Daily]
• Following in my footsteps, Vera Wang to guest-blog. [Sassybella]
• Tom Ford returns to Milan. [WWD]

• Project Runway's silver fox considers the difficult task of making John McCain work: "That’s a challenge," Tim Gunn says. "Give him some color. I'd give him better-fitting suits — Hugo Boss, John Varvatos. I mean, I will say, he's a man of a certain age, so at least he's cleaned up and polished." In other news, he hates L.A.'s car culture - though, as we all know, he enjoys tooling around the Cloisters in his Saturn Sky Roadster. [New York Magazine]
• "The Ass Crack is the go-to fashion ad allurement these days." —The Copyranter, on Joe's Jeans and American Apparel's latest NYC billboards. Isn't low-waist passé? The ass crack is a fickle mistress! [Fashionista]
• As mentioned earlier, serenity-challenged Naomi Campbell has pleaded guilty to assaulting British police officers in an incident her spokesman calls "regrettable." [MSNBC]
• Uh oh. War of words between fiery-haired doyennes Pat Field and Vivienne Westwood? "I thought Sex And The City was supposed to be about cutting-edge fashion and there was nothing remotely memorable or interesting about what I saw. I went to the premiere and left after ten minutes." — Vivienne Westwood, to WENN, via IMDB. [Fashionista]

• Avon's teen-targeted Mark brand partners with Lauren Conrad to launch their "Girls m.powerment Campaign," which is designed to help prevent dating abuse and partner violence. That's great, but "In addition to her role as campaign spokeswoman, Conrad will serve as first honorary co-chair of the m.powerment Expert Advisory Board together with (global Mark president) Poccia." [WWD]
• In a possible attempt to irritate Anna Wintour, Harper's Bazaar has hired "I-am-more-influential-than-Anna-Wintour" stylist to the slim Rachel Zoe to style an upcoming shoot. [Fashionista]
• Uptown bohemian juggernaut Tory Burch hires six new execs. [WWD]
• More Kate Spade, anyone? Deborah Lloyd's first collection. [Fabsugar]
• Recessionistas, sit up and take notice: Comme des Garcons at H&M!!!! [Fashionista]
• Luxury bag line Mulberry dips under the weight of recession. [WWD]
• Buy our sunglasses! We'll plant a tree! Anything! [Fashionista]
• Has Sharon Stone done enough penance? Tha karmically-inclined actress might be the face of Italian jewelry co. Damiani. [New York Magazine]
• In ongoing search for "perfect" Walgreens goes high(er) end with "The Face Shop." Sounds kinda Return to Oz. [WWD]
• Vidal Sassoon has a longer attention span than many: he returns to New Orleans to help still-suffering Katrina victim with his charity Hairdressers Unlocking Hope, a campaign benefiting Habitat for Humanity. [WWD]
• Kimora Lee Simmons + Juniors Line. You do the math. “Young teen girls are fabulous and my new collection will further build their confidence as they head back-to-school. Fabulosity is all about celebrating who you are and your individual greatness - living your dream and being whatever you want to be. This is a great message for young teens." [New York Magazine]
• That new Italian Vogue = awesome. [Fabsugar]

The Good:

Olivia Wilde played lezebel on The OC and now she's on House. I think she is super pretty and I like this sleek, city-chic outfit.

China Chow keeps it simple and showcases her shoulders. Some people just don't need lots of jewelry.

Rawr! Jacqueline Bisset is a stone cold fox in a leather jacket and pencil skirt.

This column makes Joy Bryant look like a tigergoddess.

Beth Ditto from The Gossip! She's a performer. She's on stage. Therefore this is good. At a premiere or a quiet brunch, a red sequin jumpsuit would not be appropriate.

I don't really know who Rose Apodaca is (Google says a fashion journalist?) but I like that she's got the ovaries to rock something weird and cool that no one else is wearing.

I think Eve's dress is good! Flowy, goddess-y. Let's look at it from another angle.

Yeah, it's good.

Well you can't wear this to work at a law firm or even to a restaurant where you might have a pasta dinner, but this is Janet Jackson and this is a work of art and therefore it is good. As long as she doesn't try to light any candles.

We interrupt this post to bring you a picture of Vidal Sasson, who is 80 years old and still a handsome devil.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled critique.

The Bad:

I'm not feeling the pattern of the dress Tracee Ross is wearing.

Rebecca De Mornay's tube dress and doo-doo brown pashmina seem sad.

Ioan Gruffudd is ridiculously hot (did you see him in King Arthur with Clive Owen?) but this outfit rubs me the wrong way. I mean, those are jeans, right? With scuffed round-toe boots? Sigh.

Animal print made Joy Bryant glow; it just makes Lady Victoria Hervey look washed out.

Cat Deely is wearing the same dress Natalie my best friend from 7th grade wore to our semi-formal in the '80s, and not in a good way.

The Ugly:

Green is good, but this dress is drowning Kelly Lynch.

Ew. Ew. Ew. Jay Manuel. Of America's Next Top Model. How can someone who supposedly has good taste pic something so awful? Maybe cream and ivory are in his "palette" but matching your jacket and pants to your hair is just odd.

Magda Berliner is a designer who needs a makeover.

[Images via Getty.]

• You knew this already, but Project Runway judge/style tome author/ELLE fashion director Nina Garcia has parted ways with the magazine that made her. At least, ELLE has yet to tell anyone the rumors are false.
  
• Our sources say Garcia came in Friday morning around the hour fashion people usually get to work Friday morning, and was gone with all her earthly possessions by lunch time. Her assistants apparently cried all day, packing the rest of her things.
  
• New rumors are starting to surface that she's "in talks" with ELLE regarding some sort of position there.
  
• We suspect the fact that ELLE fashion news director Anne Slowey and creative director Joe Zee are getting their own Tyra-produced show this fall doesn't exactly make for a great environment. (Coupled with the fact that the magazine's fashion coverage has gotten a million times more interesting since Zee came on board.) But these are just our speculations. Know anything? Drop us a line! [WWD, MediaBistro, NYMag]
  
• And in other very important world news, Project Runway guest judge/style tome author/ELLE covergirl Victoria Beckham's denim line DVB has been dropped by Kitson and Fred Segal. Um, anyone else seeing a trend here? [News of the World]

• A reader wrote in to Guardian fashion writer Hadley Freeman asking when it is okay to wear shorts. Freeman's response? "When it's flipping well warm enough to do so, like, duh." [Guardian]
• Despite the rumors, Kate Moss is not on the outs with lingerie line Agent Provocateur and just shot a wedding-themed ad campaign for them. [This is London]
• Phat Fashions is suing Victoria's Secret for copyright infringement. Apparently, no one can use a frilly letter 'P' but the Phat designers. And while I can't believe I'm saying this, I think it's gonna be Kimora FTW. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Whoa, Vidal Sassoon was a resistance fighter during WWII?! [Telegraph]
• Elton John: Wears Tom Ford's fragrances! (Also likes that Tom Ford's ads frequently contain naked men? Again, JUST speculation.) [Page Six]
• The John Varvatos store in the old CBGB's space? Could suck more. [Washington Post]
• Yay for Cambodia, the latest country to allow its young female citizens to be exploited by the western world by making them into runway models. (And Cambodia is usually such a leader on the youth exploitation front.) In all seriousness, [ITN]
• Nicholas Huxley, the director of the Sydney Institute's Fashion Design Studio, says Australian women dress "cheap and nasty." [News.com.au]
• Want to have guaranteed success as a jewelry designer? Than go into a career in anything but jewelry design [WWD]
• OMG will or won't Prada go public in June? The suspense is killing me. [WWD, sub req'd]
• Carolina Herrera junior is pregnant again. Just what the world needs: Another kid with a trust fund. [WWD, 2nd item]