- Lady Gaga, who was supposed to wear Prada to the Met last night, never walked the red carpet — and then performed in a sparkly catsuit nearly identical to the one she wore under her Grammy Awards dress. [The Cut]
- Here's a nice round-up of some of the less-crappy TwitPics that guests like Coco Rocha, Rachel Roy, and Liya Kebede published last night. [SheFinds]
- "I made two passes through the exhibition, which is called "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity," and was really struck by the pale, almost silvery colors, the fantastically modern designs of Madame Grès, James, and Madeleine Vionnet, and the smallness of women at the turn of the 20th century. Tiny shoulders and waists and, of course, not very tall. I mentioned this to the curator, Andrew Bolton, who I think did a superb job with the exhibition, and he agreed and then mentioned that Queen Victoria was so short and wide she was buried in a square box. Oh, the things you learn at the Met. That's almost as good as hearing from the painter John Currin that you can learn from YouTube how to tie a bow tie." — Cathy Horyn [On The Runway]
- Taylor Swift, on what qualifies her to be a CoverGirl face: "I love makeup." [People]
- Celeb-favorite L.A. boutique Kitson has dedicated a window display to its dislike of some local television presenter. Who was it who said that thing about how academic in-fighting is so vicious precisely because the stakes are so low? Goes doubly for retail. [Radaronline]
- A provision for VIP visas for foreign fashion models is in the draft of the Senate immigration bill — but it won't be in the final version, according to Chuck Schumer's office. Rep. Anthony Weiner had previously sponsored legislation in the house to make it easier for fashion models to get working visas. [Politico]
- "I didn't know how dangerous they were until nobody was going to air my commercial," says Lane Bryant model Ashley Graham. "I didn't know how much power they really did have." [Strib]
- Elle editor Robbie Myers went on national television yesterday to say Elle MacPherson "is not a skinny girl." [The Cut]
- See Narciso Rodriguez and Marie Claire editor-in-chief Joanna Coles in action later this month when they teach a class at the Learning Annex. The title? Breaking Into Fashion. [Learning Annex]
- Or you could learn about the history and construction of the Chanel 2.55 bag, when the New York flagship hosts an exhibition on the subject. It opens Saturday and closes on May 16. [WWD]
- "My mother always taught me that 'fear is not an option.' As a Holocaust survivor, she never saw herself as a victim, and to this day I still think of those words when I am confronted by challenges." — Diane von Furstenberg. When she was married to Egon von Furstenberg, she had a mother-in-law who thought Hitler was "very charming" and "very, very cultivated." [HuffPo]
- Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is the subject of a biographical comic book. Margaret Thatcher, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and J.K. Rowling are all subjects of the same series. [WWD]
- The BBC would not confirm whether or not Sophie Dahl's cooking show will be renewed for a second season. [Daily Mail]
- However, you can read about her cookbook, and try a sample recipe, here. [WSJ]
- Gap is voluntarily recalling 6,500 baby swimsuits because of a strangulation risk. The suits, which were made in Indonesia, were sold between February and April in Canada and the U.S., and they have a plastic ring at the neck that can press against a child's throat. No injuries have been reported, and full refunds will be given. [UPI]
- Meanwhile, the latest Pierre Hardy for Gap collection launches May 10. [InStyle]
- Roberto Cavalli ran afoul of the Italian tax service when he claimed a deduction for a Florentine villa in 2002, and found himself brought up on charges of tax fraud. However, the case has now been resolved in Cavalli's favor: since the villa houses a showroom, it is apparently a legitimate write-off. [DFR]
- Philip Lim talks a good game about the versatility of his lingerie, and how it can commingle faultlessly with regular clothes for daytime excursions. But all the models pictured still look like they're wearing underwear. [WWD]
- Ann Taylor's sales for the first quarter rose to $475 million. [WSJ]
- A company called Milkcrate Athletics is suing Nike over its LeBron James line of sneakers. Milkcrate alleges that Nike's shoes, which feature a milk crate pattern and the words "milk crate," infringe on its trademarks. [NYPost]
- The totally charming New York-based label Lyell, which sold a spin-off diffusion line, Fletcher by Lyell at Urban Outfitters, is shutting down within the month. All stock is currently heavily reduced at Lyell's downtown boutique. Sadie raced over and bought a purse at a steep discount as soon as we heard this news yesterday. "Bittersweet," she said. [Racked]
- Saks Fifth Avenue is closing its San Diego store by mid-July. The company earlier shut down its Portland stores, and confirmed more closures are planned for this year. [Crain's]
- After there were murmurs that alleged store vandalism by anarchists in New York might be some kind of a guerilla marketing campaign cooked up by American Apparel to court controversy and up its cool cred, the company issued a strong denial. "Unfortunately this is very real and not an ad campaign — as the broken windows and broken arm of our employee can attest to," said a spokesperson. One store employee fractured an arm in the May Day fracas with police and protesters. [The Cut]
- Patricia Mears and Yeohlee Teng were among those who gathered to remember the influential American designer Charles Kleibacker, who died at the age of 88 in January. Known for his mastery of bias cutting and construction, Kleibacker's clothes "sold like hotcakes" when he launched his collection in the early 60s, said Koko Hashim. "They were $150 to $200 dresses that were cut on the bias, lined in silk shantung and were hand-overcast. He was making couture clothes that were sold at ready-to-wear prices. That's the reason he didn't make any money." [WWD]
- Buoyed by the World Cup and the Superbowl, Adidas earned $222.4 million in the first quarter, a large jump over last year's profits for the same period. [AP]
- Working out in a top hat sounds like the sort of thing John Galliano would do, actually. But then you could tell us almost anything about that man — that he likes to fish for marlin in Cuba, that he derives great pleasure from walking his serval through the streets of Paris, that he throws steampunk parties — and we'd have to nod and say, 'Sounds like the sort of thing John Galliano would do, actually.' [WSJ]
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