It wasn’t the political event of the weekend (that would involve Osama bin Laden), but the White House Correspondents’ Dinner was definitely the big #2 on the Washington scene. President Obama roasted Donald Trump, SNL’s Seth Meyers roasted Obama, and Barry Diller proclaimed the evening “a ratfuck.” Success!Honorable mention to the fashion, which, thanks to [...]

Fashion Meets Football was the name of the party, and in some cases, it seemed as if it might’ve been a first meeting. “I was quizzing people on who’s playing,” reported host (and Style.com contributor) Darrell Hartman, “and one girl guessed the Idaho Indians.” No Indians this year—the only Indians in sports play baseball for [...]

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. [...]

The Olsens are adding eyewear to their fashion repertoire, with plans to launch a collection for The Row this spring. The shades come in four classic shapes (oversize? check) and will retail from $325 to $390. There’s a joke in here about seeing double, but we’ll spare you. [WWD]L.L.Bean makes a play for a chicer [...]

Escada joins the recession deathwatch; the label plans to file for insolvency this week. For those unfamiliar with business euphemisms, that, sadly, means it’s broke. [WWD]
Obese mannequins, yards of polyester, and shoes that might “emit sounds of heavy panting” are only some of the wonders awaiting you at JCPenney’s midtown Manhattan flagship. Well, [...]

Think of a fashion brand as a seafaring vessel. The bigger the brand, the bigger the boat, and when a brand is as massive as Escada, with 420 stores around the world, hundreds of retail accounts, thousands of employees, millions of dollars in sales, etc.—the apt metaphor is a cruise liner. Now imagine trying to [...]