To put it one way, Cristobal Balenciaga’s first model was rather feline: “At age six, Balenciaga cut his first coat,” Vogue’s Hamish Bowles informed an intimate group at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute in New York last night. “For his cat.” Not your typical first fitting, but a pivotal one nonetheless. “The cat kept [...]

Nothing says New Year’s Eve like a look-at-me metallic dress, and Spring gave us plenty of glittery possibilities. We wouldn’t have any issues finding a suitor to smooch at the stroke of midnight if we looked like Britt Maren did in Donna Karan’s marbleized copper silk. Ditto Shena Moulton in Thakoon’s thigh-grazing electric python dress. [...]

Over in London, the fashion set celebrates Fashion’s Night In, with exclusive deals, live chats with designers, and get-it-first opportunities. Don’t know about you, but after Halloween, we could definitely use a night in. Let’s bring this one to the U.S., hmm? [Vogue U.K.]Bloomingdale’s is known for its shopping bags—it’s Big Brown Bag is something [...]

To celebrate her new denim collection, Tory Burch turned to the pros—a handful of online fashion editors and bloggers, that is, who descended on her Meatpacking District store on Tuesday to check out the new goods. Each one styled an outfit on a model, and in a bout of friendly competition, Tory’s put the results [...]

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 [...]

Tory Burch has opened her largest store to date—in Seoul. South Korea, brace for Reva fever in 5, 4, 3, 2… [WWD]Jean Paul Gaultier, Paul Smith, Giorgio Armani, and Vivienne Westwood are among the designers who have signed up to costume Snow White and the Seven Designers, a pantomime show that hits London this October. [...]

“Any china, any soup tureen, any teapot or coffee pot will make a pretty vase with two or three flowers. Any glass bottle, any sauce bottle, any beer bottle. I just found these great paint cans from Home Depot that cost like three dollars, and they’re amazing.” Just some of the floral advice Carlos Mota [...]

Tory Burch’s second limited-edition mix CD is now available, and I, for one, am excited. Her first, which was released around Christmastime in 2008 and, like this one, benefited the Tory Burch Foundation, is a total gem. I put it on whenever friends come over and pretend that it’s me, not the designer, who has [...]

This week I was supposed to be downing vodka and caviar with Naomi Campbell in Moscow. But no, all that ash from Iceland ruined any chance of that. The good news is, I wasn’t without backup plans. Last night I hit hostess extraordinaire Rena Sindi’s dinner for Dior, alongside Tory Burch, Rachel Roy, and Tinsley [...]

Chace Crawford is guest-editing Grazia Daily this week, making him the most famous fashion intern since Sean Avery. The guy’s not exactly known for his high-fashion bona fides, but we’re guessing this matters to the smitten girls who’ll be tuning in, oh, not at all. [Grazia]Helmut Lang menswear has a new guiding light: Naoki Takizawa, [...]