The Forbes list of the world’s 100 most powerful women is out, and fashion plates are well represented: There’s our impeccably attired FLOTUS, Michelle Obama (we like to think of her as Clotheshorse in Chief), holding strong at #1, as well as Carla Bruni-Sarkozy (#35), Heidi Klum (#39), Sarah Jessica Parker (#45), and Burberry CEO [...]

If you had any doubts about the power of a little black dress, Halle Berry is here to remind you. “A black dress always makes a girl look slimmer,” the actress (in a tiny black minidress) told us at Swarovski Elements’ 22 Ways to Say Black charity auction at Phillips de Pury last night. Julianna [...]

Topshop has announced it’ll open a second Tokyo store in September, which will be its new Japanese flagship, in the Shinjuku shopping district. Glad to hear it—we were worried there were ten square feet left in Tokyo without some amazing retail space, so Topshop should fill that in nicely. [WWD]Jean Paul Gaultier (pictured) has teamed [...]

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, no stranger to the L.B.D., is patroness of an auction of them. She’ll be in New York this September for Phillips de Pury’s auction of commissioned dresses by Lanvin, Givenchy, Armani Privé, Vivienne Westwood, and more, the sale of which will benefit U.S. and French cancer charities. [WWD]Speaking of good works, Diane von [...]

The issue itself—the much-blogged, Lady Gaga-covered September Vanity Fair—doesn’t hit stands until Thursday, but royal watchers, social chroniclers, and the legions of Little Monsters can get the answers they’ve waited for today: VF’s International Best-Dressed List is now online.Conclusions? It’s a good time to be in politics. Michelle Obama made the women’s list, as did [...]

Karl Lagerfeld added another laurel (and a medal) to his collection yesterday when the French government appointed him to the Legion d’Honneur. President Sarkozy and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy were on hand; the lady wore Chanel, bien sûr (pictured).The rumors are true: Victoria’s Secret Angel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley will play Shia LaBeouf’s love interest in Michael Bay’s Transformers [...]

Tom Ford is reportedly building his women’s team by poaching top designers from Alexander McQueen and Givenchy. Hard to blame him. We’ve always said the guy had good taste. [WWD]Speaking of good taste, speculation is running rampant that Victoria Beckham “borrowed” the design for her column gown from fellow English designer Osman Yousefzada. Reached for [...]

Fashion favorites the XX (pictured) hit the cover of April’s Dazed & Confused this month. In the accompanying video, styled by Dazed’s Robbie Spencer, they turn slowly and blurrily to tunes from their debut album. In fairness, there’s really no other way to move to that music. [Dazed]The Times declares Assembly to be one of [...]

This Saturday, 25 well-heeled newcomers will join high society at the Crillon Bal. Debutantes include Clint Eastwood’s daughter, Princess Diana’s niece, and Sea of Shoes’ Jane Aldridge (see: some girls, luck, all). [WWD]
Natalia Vodian-overload: The Russian beauty stars in no less than three major Spring fashion campaigns, in addition to fragrance and lingerie bookings. If [...]

Alber Elbaz got a present: “a capital injection estimated in the tens of millions of euros” for Lanvin. We’ll take two. [WWD]
Monday night’s CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund winner Sophie Théallet runs a tight ship. In her home-cum-studio in Brooklyn, it’s just a three-person show. Four including the baby. [WWD]
Zac Posen is heading to double-digit territory. His [...]