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. [...]

Today in Milan, hundreds, maybe thousands, of Italians are remembering why America is the best country ever. Two words: Abercrombie; Fitch. [WWD]
Daily Candy joins the Gilt Groupe group with Swirl, its own members-only e-commerce site, set to launch next month. We’re going to shop our way out of this recession if it’s the last thing [...]

Unlike last season, nothing will defy gravity at tonight’s Nina Ricci show. “I like wearable clothes,” says new designer Peter Copping. Though he does admit to a soft spot for Lurex. [WWD]
And over at Copping’s former gig, Louis Vuitton will stream its show live at 2:30 p.m. on its Facebook page. (That’s 8:30 a.m. EST [...]

He’s a designer. He’s retired. He’s a designer. He’s a filmmaker. He’s a designer?! Tom Ford is the subject of the week’s best rumor, which claims that he’s returning to womenswear, possibly with the help of Alessandra Facchinetti. [Grazia Daily]Would you like a Dolce & Gabbana sneak peak? Yes, we thought so. Click to watch [...]

Blame it on the Gossip Girl costume department, but Leighton Meester won our hearts with the fashionably prim getups she dons to play Blair Waldorf. As if to shake the notion that she lives in headbands, Meester has lately taken to showing up on red carpets in somewhat challenging ensembles (her Louis Vuitton Met ball [...]

Hungry Russian models now have a place to go for some Slavic home cooking, just like Babushka used to make: Mari Vanna. The Gramercy Park eatery, which opens officially on Wednesday after a soft launch in June, even looks like Grandma’s place, what with the peeling wallpaper, dusty bookshelves, and shabby-chic chandeliers courtesy of the [...]

Camille Miceli is one of those Parisian girls who gets it right every time with seemingly zero effort or contrivance. At last night’s opening of Nike and Lance Armstrong’s Stages art show to benefit cancer research at the Emmanuel Perrotin gallery, the creative director of LV’s jewelry pumped up the volume on her sheer black [...]

Beyoncé and her mom are launching a junior apparel label inspired by the singer’s alter ego, Sasha Fierce. The line will hit stores just in time for back-to-school shopping. Principals, you’ve been warned. [WWD]
Madonna ditches the hard-body look in her new ads for Vuitton and gets the solarization treatment. For photography neophytes, this is [...]

See all the pictures from last night’s Alice Tully Hall ceremony. Here’s a complete list of the winners:
Board of Directors’ Special Tribute
First Lady Michelle Obama
Womenswear Designer of the Year
Rodarte’s Laura and Kate Mulleavy
Menswear Designer of the Year (tie)
Calvin Klein’s Italo Zucchelli
Band of Outsiders’ Scott Sternberg
Accessory Designer of the Year
Proenza Schouler’s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez
Swarovski [...]

Although the trendy neighborhood just below Houston Street isn’t exactly lacking fashion-conscious people, last night’s trio of parties helped draw a bigger crowd than usual. Early in the evening, former New York It girl and current Hollywood power wife Minnie Mortimer Gaghan was hocking her cute, completely wearable wares at a trunk show at Georgia [...]