In our latest “After Hours” video, filmmaker Alexis Dahan hits the party circuit with the near-legendary show producer and scenographer Alex de Betak. You may be less than familiar with his name—you’ll definitely be familiar with his work.De Betak is the go-to for the biggest labels, designers, and companies, and has been responsible for some [...]

The haute couture shows start on Monday, and in addition to the schedule’s usual suspects—Lagerfeld, Gaultier, Galliano, et al.—newcomer Maxime Simoëns is throwing his (presumably) hand-beaded hat into the ring. At 26, Simoëns is the first designer to join the official Couture calendar without ever having staged a runway show—unless you count his prize-winning [...]

Marc Jacobs, uptown boy? Brand president Robert Duffy is fresh from his honeymoon and back to work, confirming today that the label will open a store on New York’s Madison Avenue, and has plans for a bookstore/retail shop in Hong Kong in the works. [WWD]Speaking of Jacobs, his contract is coming up for renewal at [...]

Dovima has a new home: Chez Christian Dior. The iconic Avedon portrait of legendary model Dovima in a Dior gown, surrounded by elephants (pictured), was snapped up by the house of Dior when it went on the block at Christie’s much-anticipated auction in Paris. It went for $1.1 million (at current exchange rates), the highest [...]

All eyes at Dior are fixed on China, where next week, John Galliano will unveil his Resort 2011 collection in Shanghai. Residents of the Chinese metropolis are also getting a newly refurbished Dior boutique at Shanghai’s Plaza 66, which reopens its doors to coincide with the Resort show. The flurry of activity should be enough [...]

Pour a little out for French denim label April77. The Paris-based line (and record label, incidentally) announced it is shuttering operations, effective immediately. [WWD]iPad mania is the Apple craze of the moment, but Diane von Furstenberg hasn’t forgotten the iPhone. She’s just released her own hot-pink iPhone/iPod Touch case, available at her stores and emblazoned [...]

Fall 2010: brought to you by the Global Association of Hosiery Manufacturers? Fall is always when the best of knitwear hits the runway, but this season, luxe socks are getting their turn at some of the most directional shows. At Rag & Bone (left), David Neville and Marcus Wainwright kitted their mountaineers in thick, multicolored [...]

Flying the friendly skies lost most of its glamour around the time of shoe scanning, but that doesn’t make it acceptable to turn up in a sweatsuit and trainers—especially if you’re angling for an upgrade. Take a cue from Charlize Theron, who managed to look polished after a half-day journey from LAX to Charles de [...]

With the Golden Globes and the SAGs down—and their red-carpet fashions suitably assessed here and here—and the Couture shows, from where many of the awards season’s dresses are plucked, now under way, the tea-leaf reading, rune consulting, and general oracle beseeching for who’ll wear what to the 2010 Academy Awards can begin. Attempting clairvoyance is [...]

So much for couture’s supposed stiff upper lip. We usually expect the drama to attend the ready-to-wear collections rather than couture—especially this season, with Christian Lacroix off the schedule—but a note circulating from Mr. Giorgio Armani himself seems to indicate otherwise. His presentation next Monday is being moved from 7:30 to 9 p.m. due to [...]