They may have earned their New York cred—and become, in the process, Yanks fans to boot—but Rag & Bone’s David Neville and Marcus Wainwright are English boys at heart. “There is a kind of anonymity being here that I really relish,” says Neville, who described his childhood as “classic English boarding school” at a dinner on native soil last night. “When we first landed in America, we wound up in the Midwest, where people would ask us to speak just so they could hear our accents. We certainly don’t get that here in London.”

The duo was in town to celebrate the line’s being picked up by Liberty of London, whose head buyer, Ed Burstell, called it an emblem of “downtown cool.” Guests like Poppy Delevingne and Liberty’s CEO, Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye, listened intently as Neville described the odyssey of the brand, including an explanation of how they arrived at their name. ” ‘Rag and Bone’ basically means a peddler selling odds and ends,” says Neville, who often has to explain it in the U.S., where the expression isn’t much used. “We felt that pretty much described us in the beginning.”

No one would accuse them of being rag peddlers now. Toasted by Liberty with a sumptuous five-course dinner—complete with fine wines and liveried waiters—the boys were feeling flush, too. Guests left with the mother of all goody bags: a scented candle (lovely), a cashmere snood, and a Rag gift certificate for a whopping £500. If word of that generosity gets out, they won’t stay anonymous on this side of the Atlantic for long.

Just don’t call it a retrospective. That was the message at the Prada store in Soho today, as a new book documenting the world of Prada was unveiled to members of the press. Formally launched at an event earlier this week at the Prada store in Milan, PRADA was conceived and edited by Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli in collaboration with designers Michael Rock and Sung Joong Kim of New York City design firm 2×4. Rock, who was on hand for the event this morning, explained that the book’s 708 pages can be broken up into two separate investigations, Inside and Outside. The Inside sections of the book trace Prada’s history, document the design and production process, and catalog the product Prada has introduced in the years since Miuccia Prada took over the company’s helm. (There are 3,885 thumbnail photos of the “looks” at Prada runway shows since 1987; bring your own magnifying glass.) The Outside section of PRADA, meanwhile, covers Prada’s various engagements with the worlds of commerce and culture, including stills from videos such as Trembled Blossoms, documentation of projects such as the Prada Transformer in South Korea and Double Club in London, photos of Prada on the red carpet and on the street, and even descriptions by eBay sellers of the Prada objets they are putting up for auction. The book also gives much love, naturally, to Rem Koolhaas, revealing the ruminations on the meaning of “luxury” that led to the launch of the Prada “epicenter” stores. Mediating the Inside and Outside sections is a chronology of Prada campaigns—images from every womenswear and menswear campaign from 1987 to the present. Prada COO Sebastian Suhl, offering remarks on the book this morning, said that the book’s focus on Prada’s accomplishments over the past 30 years does not make the book a retrospective, or a summing up; rather, he said, when you look at all that’s been done, “you see how much can be done.” “This book,” Suhl underscored, “is about the future.” At present, PRADA is available at Prada stores worldwide and via www.prada.com.

This year’s little movie that could is shaping up to be Precious, the inspirational tale of a supremely disadvantaged teenager in eighties Harlem. The curious crowd that dropped by last night’s Cinema Society screening for a preview included Donna Karan, Agyness Deyn, and Tommy Hilfiger, the evening’s sponsor.

Sure, it’s a big deal now. But before the game-changer known as Oprah, who signed on as executive producer after the indie film’s Sundance triumph, the fate of Precious was less than certain. “I didn’t know if it would just end up on Netflix, with us having the premiere at my mother’s house,” cast member Paula Patton said before the screening, which took place at the Crosby Street Hotel. She was in a buoyant mood, despite a dress that looked just about ready to pop. “It’s too tight to find out, but we’re pretty sure it’s Tadashi Shoji,” Patton joked.

Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, and (in a bravura turn that’s surprised just about everyone) Mo’Nique round out the cast. Although none of them came by last night, the film’s breakout star, Gabby Sidibe, cruised through the after-party, and Colin Powell (not exactly a regular at movie premieres) made a surprise visit. What does it mean when a little movie comes with so many big names? “It means the movie better show and prove,” offered Terrence Howard. Judging from the responsive audience last night, this one is doing both.

The highly anticipated William Rast retail rollout has begun, and it’s “aggressive.” Sounds like Justin’s bringing sexy back again. [WWD]

Finally, an uplifting recession scorecard report: Shoe sales are way up. We swear we had no idea. [NYT]

The first Comme des Garçons/Beatles collection image is out. We were hoping for less apple and more strawberry field. [WWD]

It looks like we may get to keep Beyoncé all to ourselves. Her Malaysian concert was a no-go, and now Egypt has declared her tour an “insolent sex party.” Sounds horrible, right? [USA Today]

Donatella confirms rumors that Georgia May Jagger (our latest Beauty Icon) is the face of the new Versace campaign. This, plus Daisy Lowe’s new Louis Vuitton booking, means we are officially in hot British rocker progeny overdrive. [WWD]

Karlie Kloss totally knows how to change your oil. Explore the inner workings of models’ minds on www.modelsaresmart.tumblr.com. [HuffPo]

Escada: Saved! The label has finally been acquired. [WWD]

—Alexander Wang, who expects to complete his move to Soho in early 2010.

It’s approximately two weeks until Black Friday. Take a breath. There’s still time to consider the thoughtful gift, like a beautiful piece of vintage costume jewelry. Needless to say, that venture involves more effort than others, but according to jewelry collector and historian Deanna Farneti Cera, it’s entirely worth it. “It’s not something you can just buy. You have to choose it,” explains Farneti Cera, whose friends usually know what they’re getting come Christmas. “It’s totally unique. It’s extremely improbable that you’ll find someone with the same piece.” To ease the shopping path, Farneti Cera has been selling off parts of her sizable personal collection of vintage bijoux through Yoox.com. There’s another sale starting today featuring pieces from Coppola e Toppo (including the dégradé beaded necklace pictured here for $2,250), the influential Italian house that created pieces for Emilio Pucci and Valentino. But we asked Farneti Cera to give us some pointers on how to shop smart for the perfect vintage bauble this holiday season.


1. Know Thy Giftee This might seem obvious, but Farneti Cera stresses the point. “More than with contemporary jewelry, you give a gift of vintage jewelry to someone when you know how they think, how they dress,” she says. “It gives a very personal imprint.”

2. Buy Pre-2000 OK, 1999 might seem a stretch as vintage, but for Farneti Cera, the year 2000 is something of a jewelry watershed. “Anything made before then is higher quality,” she explains. “The whole global market hadn’t appeared then. What is stamped ‘Made In Italy’ was actually made in Italy.”

3. France Rules, Mostly Oh, the French. Le sigh. There are few areas of aesthetics they haven’t conquered. “Every time, the leadership is in France,” says Farneti Cera. “Chanel, Schiaparelli, Roger Jean-Pierre for Dior in the fifties, Cardin in the seventies.” She does, however, make exceptions for American pieces made in the forties and Italian ones from the eighties.

4. Trust Your Instincts (Well, Some of You) According to Farneti Cera, names matter, but so does your gut. “In my opinion, everything that has somehow a wonderful history behind it such as Gripoix for Chanel or Schlumberger for Schiaparelli is worth looking for,” she says. “But something is not necessarily beautiful because its trademark is Chanel or Dior. Follow your eyes, your taste, your heart. Or let yourself be guided by someone who knows what’s good.”

5. Clicks, Then Bricks “Nowadays the best place that gives you a precise idea of what’s out there is the Web,” she says. But if you’re not ultra-knowledgeable, Farneti Cera advises going to department stores with vintage sections or hitting good antique shows, like the Pier Antiques Show at Pier 94 coming up soon on November 14 and 15. “You can compare prices. You can ask for evidence of the information,” she says. “A good sign is whether a dealer is ready to guarantee his merchandise and let you make a return.”

The book grew out of an idea Ahluwalia and co-editors Tina Bhojwani and Mortimer Singer had to support Mumbai’s victims of terrorism as they felt they’d been supported, as New Yorkers, following 9/11. A few well-placed phone calls to friends filled out the contributors list, which includes Wes Anderson, Natalie Portman, and Rachel Roy. It was, to hear him tell it, a no-brainer. “From my end, it wasn’t so much a request as a demand,” Ahluwalia says of his outreach. “I’ve been to India with a lot of these people. I said, ‘I know you were there. I’ve got photos of you—want me to use those? No, you don’t want me to use those.’ ” The strategy worked. Submissions—photos, drawings, reminiscences—came pouring in, including his favorite, a shot of Cynthia Rowley and Bill Powers in front of the Taj Mahal just minutes after Powers had proposed.

It also happened to be the guy’s birthday. Any big plans? “Just this,” Ahluwalia promised, “and an intimate dinner.” Sounds like the scene of some improprieties, but no: “My mom will be there. She’s the inspiration behind everything I do. She’s a fabulous, strong, incredible woman—she’s who I make my jewelry for.” Honoring thy mother? Looks like the 2010 MO can wait just one more night.

About $370, www.delfinadelettrez.com.