Video: A Front-Row View of the Beginning and Ending of Fashion Week’s Most Fun Show

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New Shows: Calvin Klein, Naeem Khan, Isaac Mizrahi, and More

New York Fashion Week is doooone! The last day of shows includedCalvin Klein, who played with varying shoulder proportions crafted from soft, fuzzy-looking materials. Also on the docket wasNaeem Khan, whose ripe-for-the-red-carpet gowns were bursting with feathers, beads, and sequins; meanwhile,Isaac Mizrahi's models walked lavender poodles down the catwalk. See all the runway galleries, plus loads of new details shots, below.

RUNWAY
•Calvin Klein
•Christian Cota
•Frank Tell
•Isaac Mizrahi
•L.A.M.B.

•M. Patmos
•Naeem Khan
•Ralph Lauren
•Stephen Burrows

DETAILS
•Anna Sui Details
•Badgley Mischka Details
•Derek Lam Details
•Diane Von Furstenberg Details
•Doo.Ri Details
•Herve Leger Details
•Jenny Packham Details
•Karen Walker Details
•Max Azria Details
•Oscar de la Renta Details
•Rachel Roy Details
•Reed Krakoff Details
•Ruffian Details
•Suno Details
•Tommy Hilfiger Details
•Tory Burch Details
•Y-3 Details
•Yigal Azrouel Details

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Video: Lea T’s Nude French Vogue Photo Shocks Oprah’s Audience

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Sui He Is Thursday’s Top Model

Three of America's most iconic designers showed their fall collections on the final day of New York Fashion Week. Francisco Costa atCalvin Kleinselected this season's leading face,Daphne Groeneveld, to open for the second season in a row, whileLara Stoneclosed it. ArgentineTati Cotliar, who appears in this season's Prada campaign, scored the first look atIsaac Mizrahi, and Brazilian top modelBruna Tenoriohad the last look atRalph Lauren. But, in what is this season's most surprising casting to date, casting director Jennifer Starr chose Chinese newcomer Sui He to open Lauren's runway. This marks the first time in recent history that an Asian model has opened for the venerable American label. See these key opening and closing looks in the slideshow ahead.

Watch the Slideshow»

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Shiny Pants Are the Party Garb of Next Fall

The shiny metallic trousers that showed up in several collections conjured an era of liberated, bohemian cocktail parties; part Betty Draper, part Gloria Steinem. Stacy Bendet's version atAlice + Oliviawere cut loose and easy, whileJill StuartandMarc Jacobskept theirs trim and paired with tailored jackets.

See the complete Alice + Olivia collection
See the complete Jill Stuart collection
See the complete Marc Jacobs collection

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Marc Jacobs's Show Cost About $1,750 Per Second

The inspiration for the set— consisting of white vinyl columns, a mirrored runway and mirrored benches— was a padded cell, his business partner Robert Duffy half-joked to theTimes.“It could be more, but it’s definitely at least $1 million,"Duffy said of the show's cost. It lasted about 9 and a half minutes. {NYT}

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The Fug Girls: Fashion Week’s Good, Bad, and Punishingly Claustrophobic Moments

As we waited for Matt Damon to make his nonappearance at L.A.M.B. on Thursday night, we ended up chatting to several familiar faces— reporters, photographers— likewise biding their time in the press melee. After a week of bumping up against these folks, you start to feel like you're war buddies. Even the redheaded security lady, tasked all week with trying to shoo people into their seats, felt like an old friend."Last one!"we chirped at her. She patted our heads."It is the last one,"she sighed."Thanks for being so good!"Aw. We feel the same about Fashion Week itself. Herewith, please enjoy our assorted final thoughts, extra tidbits, and even a kind word or two. Yes, it does happen.

Watch the Slideshow»

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Diane Von Furstenberg‘Embarrassed’by What She Said About Michelle Obama Wearing McQueen to the State Dinner

TodayDiane Von Furstenbergspoke with Tina Brown to journalists to hype her annual DVF Awards, given out to empower women. Of course she also had to address the statement she issued on behalf of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, saying the organization (of which she is president) was"disappointed"in Michelle Obama's decision to wearAlexander McQueento the state dinner honoring China.

“I said that Mrs. Obama has been extremely supportive of American designers, but clearly we were disappointed that she chose to wear a British designer for the state dinner…From there, I was so embarrassed that I am definitely going to write to her. She has been super supportive to American designers.”

Asked Brown:“Why did she decide to wear it?”“I don’t know,” von Furstenberg replied.“Maybe she liked the color! I’m sure she had options like all of us. Or she asked {President Obama},‘Which one do you like?’”

Oh, please. When a woman has her hands on a McQueen ballgown, she doesn't ask her husband if he likes it!

Diane von Furstenberg Honors Women at New York Fashion Week{TDB}

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Marina Diamandis Wears Her Mice on Her Sleeve

Marina Diamandis of Marina and the Diamonds is almost as well-known for her crazy stage getups as she is for her music. So it wasn't too shocking when she accessorized her knit frock with a cluster of crocheted vermin.

But in the battle of stuffed animals as clothing, how does her mouse dress compare toLady Gaga's Kermit coat?

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Yaeger: Wrapping Up With Mick Jagger

"Vulgarity is a very important ingredient in life,” the endlessly quotable Diane Vreeland once opined, and you can’t help but wish that Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa would now and again add a splash of something really tacky to his impeccably conceived garments. His show is classic CK— butterscotch leather dresses, creamy shifts— but the only thing even minimally surprising is that the models’ bare knees are showing, since this has been a season of long lengths and covered legs (sometimes wackily so, as in the striated black affairs at Prabal Gurung, which I loved, but many people hated.)

It’s the 30th anniversary of Michael Kors, and though it is 10 a.m., the stars are aligned— Bette Midler sitting next to Anjelica Huston sitting next to Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones! The clothes include a plethora of cashmere tanks, halters, and catsuits that looked so scrumptious on Patti Hansen back in the day— and here is Hansen herself in the audience. Practically everything is sleeveless, since you are apparently meant to keep warm with one of the many fluffy furs on the runway here— and at a multitude of other catwalks this week, from the Row to Joseph Altuzarra. But will young people embrace these controversial cats, goats, and lambs? Is there a new generation of cool kids out there anxious to don these politically charged garments?

I wear my best vintage reindeer sweater to Ralph Lauren’s show— it’s just the sort of thing his minions snap up as they sweep through flea markets— since I am expecting to see some version of Ralph’s home-on-the-range ersatz-vintage winter dressing. But wrong again. He has exchanged the turquoise jewelry for swinging ropes of jade and red lacquer and cranked up“Little China Girl” (at least it has words, unlike the cacophonous banging and bonging that has assaulted us at so many other shows).

Lauren offers a lesson in what constitutes, at least in his eyes, Chinese-themed dressing, by which he means overwhelmingly black examples that round up all the usual RL evening suspects— tuxedo jackets, etc.— but enhanced with dragon motifs, along with beaded flapper dresses that in this context make you think of Anna May Wong. If this is a naked ploy to corner the Chinese market, Lauren should bear in mind that the prospective customer in Beijing and Shanghai would probably much prefer a Fair Isle cardigan.

You know how sometimes by a miracle you meet someone and the attraction is so immediate, the atmosphere so charged, that you can barely look at the person and have to turn away? This is apparently what has happened between me and Mick Jagger, a man I have been convinced I will marry since I was 12 years old. Mick can barely bring himself to glance in my direction at the L’Wren Scott show, which he attends because Scott is his girlfriend (well, at least for now— it certainly has been a week for Glimmer Twin consorts). Maybe because it is the last day of the New York presentations, but everyone is in a celebratory mood— and not just since the show comes with a free lunch, though that certainly helps. As we eat our chicken pot pies— lots of crusts left untouched on plates in this crowd— a purple brigade, a veritable mauve decade parades in front of us, all trussed up in Scott’s trademark ultranarrow, tailored silhouettes. And if some of the sequined extravaganzas lay on the glimmer with too heavy a hand, who can resist the naughty Goth child bride who closes the show, in a beaded black and gold number, a bit of black veiling askew on her dazed empty head?

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Buffalo Plaid Transcends Its Hipster/Lumberjack Confines

Derek Lammade the oversize pattern a subtle counterpoint to his collection of mostly solid-hued separates. AtLibertine,designer Johnson Hartig used neon tones to make his versions modern, whileChris Benz's softer-hued version seemed almost nostalgic for the prairies.

See the complete Derek Lam collection
See the complete Libertine collection
See the complete Chris Benz collection

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Hot Shot: Cat Hats at Anna Sui

Furry, feline-themed accessories ruled the catwalk at tonight's show.

See the Complete Anna Sui Fall 2011 Collection

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Backstage Video: Betsey Johnson Explains the Difference Between Fantasy and Reality

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Fug Girls: Alice+Olivia Show Interrupts Weddings at the Plaza

Here's the thing about having an event— say, an Alice + Olivia presentation— at the Plaza on Valentine's Day: A lot of people apparently really want to get married at the Plaza on Valentine's Day, and your guests, therefore, will end up walking through several wedding parties en route to your shindig. In this case, that included one where the bride looked super-irritated by the stream of intrusions. It was kind of like being a walk-on extra inBride Wars, minus Kate Hudson's heinous bangs.

Maybe that particular bride was just peevish because she wanted to have her reception in the space Alice + Olivia had taken over— and we do mean taken over. The presentation spanned four rooms— two for the models and D.J. (one of which included a grand piano), one to house the show's red carpet and press corps, and one devoted solely to a full open bar, from which uniformed Plaza employees scurried carrying trays of mini- and maxi-sized cupcakes, chocolates, and pink-frosted cookies. We even spotted one of the waiters singing along to"New York, New York."So as far as Valentine's Day parties go, it was actually pretty fun. We spied designer Stacey Bendet dancing around the room wearing a super-tight and very spangled black sequined minidress that showcased her ready-to-pop pregnant belly.

Like many baby bumps, Stacey's doubled as a magnet. We saw several people cooing over it, and figure skater Johnny Weir actually patted it before hunkering down with fellow skater Sarah Hughes for a long chat. We assume they were talking about the current dire state of U.S. Ladies' Figure Skating and whether Sarah needs to jump back into competition to show today's whippersnappers (whipperskaters?) how it's done.

Speaking of sports, we also spied sideline reporter (andDancing With the Starscontestant) Erin Andrews wearing a skimpy silver minidress and working the press line for nearly 30 minutes, alongsideThe City's Louise Roe, who is really trying to make"fetch"happen—"fetch,"in this instance, being herself. There were, in fact, more than a few people at this particular event who seemed very excited to talk about themselves, including a woman who claimed to be onSkins, despite the fact that neither IMDb nor MTV's website seems to know who she is. She was closely followed in the press line by two people who can do more than just claim to be onGossip Girl: Kelly Rutherford, sporting chunky-framed glasses and a Dalmatian-print blouse, and Brittany Snow, the young Lily van der Woodsen on the ill-fated spinoff episode ofGG, who looked a bit overtired and in need of some restorative Champagne. Bringing up the rear was Vanessa Hudgens, who was wearing one long feather as an earring— a style we most associate with ABC Family'sPretty Little Liars. If the events on that show are anything to go by, Vanessa better start watching out for someone who wants to cruelly toy with all she holds dear. Hope someone's keeping an eye on Zac Efron— having something nefarious happen to your on-again, off-again boyfriend on Valentine's Day of all days would be simply too cruel.

But our favorite sighting of the night— and easily the most random— was stocky bald actor Michael Chiklis, famous for yelling at people onThe Shieldand being indestructible onNo Ordinary Family. We can't imagine what he was doing there— surely Michael Chiklis is not a secret megafan of sequined party dresses. Maybe he was downstairs at a wedding and heard about the cupcakes?

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Robert Geller Tries to Recapture His Youth

Robert Geller’s Fall 2011 models were to-the-manor-born gone a bit seedy. A gentleman wore preppy cardigans and a dress shirt paired with motorcycle boots and metal studded gloves. Many wore multiple scarves,— creating an effect as thick as a lion’s mane— or a cowl-like, hood-scarf number that Geller didn't have a name for. But the designer dubbed baggy long-underwear bottoms (worn as outerwear, of course)"lounging pants."“They’re not meant to be worn under anything,” he said."I think they’re great to pair with a shirt and tie and blazer.”

Geller's blue- and white-collar clash was inspired by Luchino Visconti films."He always uses luxury and wealth and then shows the fucked-up underbelly,"Geller explained."He often has older men longing for their youth and falling for young men or women."The designer nodded to his own teenage years with pink-tipped blonde models."It represents youth to me,"he said."When I was younger I tried out having different colors of my hair. When you mature, you don’t really do that anymore."

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Loeffler Randall and Suno’s Collaborative Shoe Collection Drops Tomorrow

The stacked wedge heels and flat sandals that Loeffler Randall cooked up forSuno's spring 2011 collection feature four of Suno's cotton canvas fabrics inspired by"kanga,"a brightly printed African garment. The zippy, colorful collection goes on sale on Loeffler Randall's website tomorrow. Check 'em out in our slideshow.

Watch the Slideshow»

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Carine Roitfeld Will Reveal Her‘New Project’in One Month

Last night at amfAR’s annual gala, Carine Roitfeld— wearing brand-new Givenchy couture— dropped hints that she’s got something serious brewing in Paris. Since announcing her resignation as editor of FrenchVoguein December, Roitfeld has been tight-lipped about what her next move might be, but she told us last night at the amfAR gala that she has something planned."I have a new project, and I’m just coming here for this event because I’m working with amfAR and it’s very important for me to be here tonight. Tomorrow my son has an art show. And I have a book that was very late to finish with Rizzoli,"explained Roitfeld, who will not attend New York Fashion Week."And {Saturday} I have to go back to Paris."She’s"too superstitious"to discuss the details of this project, which is"in fashion, of course,"but promised to reveal more"in one month."

She spent the night flanked by her stylish children, Vladimir and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, who also refused to spill their mother’s secret.“We talk about everything together,” said Julia, wearing a Louis Vuitton gown.

Tomorrow, the family ought to continue to keep mum at the RETNA show that Vladimir is curating at the 560 Washington Street gallery.

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@Cutblog Is Tweeting #NYFW Starting...Now!

We're kicking off our up-to-the-minute coverage of New York Fashion Week with tonight's Heart Truth's Red Dress Fashion Show, which we're about to toddle off to. Follow@cutblog on Twitterfor the latest updates from shows, parties, presentations, cold sidewalks, and wherever else this week leads us. {@cutblog}

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The Complete Fall 2011 Fashion Week Calendar

Holy cow, Fashion Week is the day after tomorrow!!! Time to freak out! Or, well, at least mark your planners. Whether you're going to be tromping around town to the shows or keeping up through the Cut's 24-hour coverage, this comprehensive calendar will come in handy. Shows, presentations, and parties are viewable by date and designer (along with times and locations), and the calendar will be continually updated as details are confirmed.

New York Fashion Week: Fall 2011 Collections

See more from the Fall 2011 Preview:
•Slideshow: 65 Designers Reveal Their Fall 2011 Inspirations

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Gisele’s Publicist Explains That She Didn’t Really Mean to Call Sunscreen‘Poison’

AfterGiseleangered dermatologists 'round the worldby calling sunscreen"poison"that she"cannot put"on her skin, her publicist issued a release today clarifying that the statement was simply a mistranslation."Gisele would never say not to use sunscreen because she has had family members who have had skin cancer. She simply stated that her all-natural skin-care line does not have SPF because there is not an all natural SPF available,"her publicist, Amber Clapp, explained. {StyleList}

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Only International Monthly Magazines Will Get the Honor of Looking at Tom Ford’s Second Womenswear Collection in Person at London Fashion Week

Tom Ford has said he'd show his womenswear stuff each season to editors in his London showroom. After reporting that Ford would show at London Fashion Week earlier today, Catwalk Queen has updated its story with a statement from a spokeswoman who says the event"will only be a small presentation for international monthly magazines."Goes with his whole"Screw you, Internet!"meme. {Catwalk Queen}

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Fug Girls Book Club: Lauren Conrad’s L.A. Candy

There is something tragic about dashing out first thing in the morning to purchase a hot-from-the-storeroom copy of Lauren Conrad's debut fiction novel. (Announcing"It's for WORK, we SWEAR"only made the clerks more skeptical.) But from the moment LC announced she'd be penningL.A. Candy, the first in a loosely autobiographical young-adult series, we've been dying of curiosity. Could she write better than she feigned interest in herHillsjobs? Could she write better than she designed A-line jersey dresses? Could she write,period? And how much transparent gossip wouldL.A Candycontain? We swallowed our pride— for you, dear readers, for YOU— and blazed through Lauren’s magnum opus so that you don't have to. Let’s call it taking one for the team. Here's the verdict:

Thinly Veiled Mudslinging: Marginal.
The gold standard, Nicole Richie's secretly awesomeThe Truth About Diamonds, refers to the Paris Hilton character as functionally retarded; compared to that,L.A. Candyis practically a love letter. We craved cracks about, say, a douchey, self-impressed blond man of moderate height, minimal intellect, and Mephistophelian facial hair; the best we get is a bitchy, vain boss who becomes a different person for the cameras (Teen Vogue's Lisa Love, mayhap?). But the first 70 or so pagesdoinclude copious jabs at girls who move to L.A., bleach their hair, plump their lips, get boob jobs, and become generic, useless bimbos. Hello, Heidi!

Best Dis by Omission: The acknowledgments.
LC thanks none of her cast mates except Lo. Maybe she's hoping none of them can read?

Parallels to Real Life: Basic.
The book hews to the general details: Girl from beach town joins reality show on a whim, gets in over her head. But aside from a bland Whitney-style office-mate who is great at asking leading questions, the only specific similarity to LC's own life is when the heroine, Jane, has embarrassing semi-nude photos leaked to the tabloids by her fame-hungry, villainous female co-star— recalling the summer Spencer Pratt spread the infamous sex-tape rumor about Lauren. Even the scene-obsessed Hollywood boys don't bear much resemblance to Brody Jenner, or Lauren's myriad exes. Maybe LC didn’t realize these books are only fun if the reader is busy ferreting out which character is based on which real-life celebrity. Or, in this case,“celebrity.”

Behind-the-ScenesHillsInsight: Obvious.
Shoots for the show within the book are scheduled meticulously, locations aren't spontaneous, the show provides telegenic accommodations, and the edits don't reflect reality. Shocking! But the executive producerisportrayed as a scheming puppet-master who arranges plot twists without cluing in the cast, and doesn't want his main characters to follow their hearts if it won't lead to good ratings. So we assume LC didn't invite her former bosses to the book party.

Name-dropping: Predictably limited.
Plenty of locales familiar to anyone who watchesThe Hillsmake a cameo, from Les Deux— scene of so many Speidi-related tear-fests— to an awkwardly gushy description of the boutique Madison. And we give props to Lauren for setting a pivotal scene at sports bar Big Wangs, if only because it’s the most amusingly named bar in town. But we wish she'd tossed in offhand references to actual people, for verisimilitude; presumably her lawyers disagreed.

Level of Soap-iness: Too low for a summer read.
People booze and backstab, but no character’s motives or actions are surprising or terribly unique. In fact, this entire enterprise could stand to be more scandalous— can’t someone develop a raging coke habit or accidentally sleep with her own cousin? We suggest LC spend some quality time in front of SoapNet before penning the sequel.

Quality of Author Photo: Hilarious.
Lauren lookstremendouslyserious in the full-size head shot plastered on the back of the book. We're shocked they didn’t also make her wear glasses and hold a pencil.

Quality of Actual Writing: Better than anticipated.
The bookstore salesman asked us,“Do you think she actually wrote this?” We shrugged. In truth, while we’re sure Lauren had plenty of help, it’s also not wholly unbelievable that she did much of it herself. Should she be clearing any room off her mantle for the National Book Award? No. But words are spelled correctly, sentences are properly constructed, and the plot and structure hold together. Admit it: That's more than you expected.

Overall Quality: Totally average.
Since LC's clothing lines were uninspired at best, in a wayL.A. Candy's cheerful mediocrity is its biggest success. But it would have been more entertaining if it hewed to an extreme— incredibly terrible, bizarrely cracked-out, or, in the best-case scenario, wickedly witty and juicy. There's little point in a dishyromanà clefif you don't include heaps of actual, recognizable dish, so for book two, may we suggest a character named Claudrina who just can’t get over“Dustin-Robby,” a tool with an increasingly horrifying array of headwear? Throw your readers a gossipy bone, Lauren, and they’ll come back for more. You can thank us later.

For more of the Fug Girls, check outGo Fug Yourself..

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Chanel Mounts Museum Exhibit in China; Stella Tennant Models Zara’s Spring Collection

• To market their products in China,Chanelis teaching prospective customers about the history of the brand by launching an exhibit called“Culture Chanel” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Shanghai. {WSJ}

•Stella Tennantstars in Zara's spring 2011 look book. {Fashionologie}

• British designerDavid Komahas done a capsule collection with Topshop, available in stores February 18. {Vogue UK}

•The Wall Street Journal’s Tina Gaudoin on workout gear:“I truly believe that over the age of 16, one should only be working out in black, navy, grey or, in extreme cases, deep red or burgundy (white T-shirts are permitted).” {WSJ}

• Giovanna Randall, the designer behind the label Honor, is opening a store at 68 Gansevoort Street on February 22. {T Magazine Blogs/NYT}

•Christian Lacroixillustrated a children's storybook by Camilla Morton. {T Magazine Blogs/NYT}

•Thakoon Panichgul’s Yorkshire terrier-Chihuahua mix Stevie has become quite snippy lately, reportedly going so far as to bite one of the designer’s interns. {Page Six/NYP}

• Paco Rabanne just hired Indian designer Manish Arora as creative director for womenswear. {WWD}

• The latest in unsubstantiatedTom Fordrumors: Word is that he'll show at London Fashion Week. {Catwalk Queen}

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Jennifer Lopez Looked Very Sparkly Last Night

Jennifer Lopez celebrated her new gig as thefacelegs of Gillette razors at last night's Venus Goddess Fund for Education Campaign launch, where she wore a tiny sparkly skirt by Haute Hippie. She paired her disco-ball mini with a silky tan blouse, Louboutin platforms, and plenty of bronzer and baby oil.

Do you like this look? Or is it time for J.Lo to branch out from all things nude and sparkly?

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Theory Names Brian Blake As Its New President; Lea T’s and Kate Moss’s Solo Love Covers Are Out

• Here areKate Moss's andLea T's soloLovecovers. {Modelinia}

• Theory founder Andrew Rosen has appointed Brian Blake, the former Gucci chief president and CEO, as the new president and CEO of Theory and Helmut Lang for the U.S. and Europe. Andrew Rosen will stay on as co-CEO. {WWD}

• There have been some staff shake-ups at the Gap: Art Peck, the company’s head of outlets, will succeed Marka Hansen as the president of Gap North America. {WSJ}

• Alex Gonzalez joinsWas a new creative director. He's not replacing anyone, just giving Stefano Tonchi some much-needed"extra help."{WWD}

• Ann Taylor is casting Columbia students to model for their online look book. {Fashionista}

• Terry Richardson shot the look book for Opening Ceremony’s latest collaboration with Levi’s. {Opening Ceremony}

• Madonna reportedly made Kelly Osbourne sign an"extensive"confidentiality agreement before naming her as the new face of her Material Girl clothing line. {Daily Mail UK}

• Anne Christensen has made some changes toGlamour. {WWD}

•Naomi Campbellon that blood diamond scandal:“I was afraid for my own life and I was afraid for the life of my family. If you hear someone has killed thousands of people— of course I was afraid! One more person is not going to make a difference. People forgot that I was a witness and thought I was a defendant."{Vogue UK}

• Gilt Groupe has partnered with Nicole Richie to host a sales event featuring her House of Harlow 1960 and Winter Kate spring collections. {WWD}

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Helen Mirren Mounted a Motorcycle in a Glittery Gold Dress

This evening in London, Helen Mirren attended the premiere ofBrighton Rockwearing a shiny, textured gold dress and a black knitted shrug with lace trim. She added glittery gold shoes, a gold purse, gold elbow-length gloves, and a shiny gold watch.

Do you like Helen's all-gold ensemble, or is too matchy-matchy?

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