Last night was the Council of Fashion Designers of America Awards, which is like the Oscars of the fashion industry, except it wasn't televised, we didn't speculate about the winners for months on end, and there were even more gay men in attendance. Naturally, with anything fashion-related, there were a ton of wacky outfits. Let's look!
Who: Known for her over-the-top dresses in floral and leopard prints, the queen of stylish excess is loved equally by prom queens, rock chicks, and bohos.
Who hasn't slept with Tiger Woods? An actress who debuted in The Wonder Years, then went on to OMG Stop Tickling Me joins Tiger's stable; Lohan looks surprisingly hot in a faux-threesome; reality stars eat rats. Monday gossip ahoy!
Designer Betsey Johnson is creating an Eloise-themed suite at The Plaza, which is also where she held her Fashion Week show on Tuesday. According to the press release, "The Plaza's two-bedroom Eloise Suite will be whimsically decorated in a color palette of 'Eloise pink' and black, and will be full of surprises and distinct "Eloise moments" throughout the guest room."
• Agyness Deyn isn't bidding goodbye to NYC, after all. But her little sister's moved in with her. [Grazia]
• Just before he died, Michael Jackson was supposedly in talks to launch a clothing line with Christian Audigier. Naturally, the slight turn of events isn't putting Audigier off from moving ahead with a Jackson-themed line. [MSNBC, SW]
• In news that will be of precious little value to you, Rachel Zoe's QVC collection is hitting Fashion Week this year; Kenny Chesney is launching a line of clothing; and some company is under the impression the public wants a collection of Desperate Housewives-inspired perfumes.
• Betsey Johnson chats with PlumTV about her retirement plans. [PlumTV]
Fashion survivor Betsey Johnson turns 67 today. Real estate developer Harry Macklowe is turning 72. Actress Angie Harmon is 37. Author, political commentator and blogger Andrew Sullivan is turning 46. Model/actress Devon Aoki is turning 27. Rosanna Arquette is 50. Times art critic Roberta Smith is turning 62. Legendary federal judge Jack Weinstein is 88. Harriet Miers, who served as White House counsel under George W. Bush, is 64. Actor Justin Theroux turns 38. And Antonio Banderas celebrates his 49th birthday today.
• QVC has tapped Isaac Mizrahi to host a show that's "part pitch, part reality show." The shopping network will air eight hours of "Isaac Mizrahi Live!" a month beginning in December. [WSJ]
• Rachel Roy is opening a pop-up shop in Soho in September. [NL]
• Tory Burch has sold a stake in her company to a Mexico City-based private equity firm. [NYT]
• Marc Jacobs' latest collection of t-shirts take a stand on gay marriage. "I pay my taxes, I want my RIGHTS!" is stamped on the front. [Cut]
• Betsey Johnson reports that she's thinking about retiring this fall. She plans to hand over the reigns to Eric Sartori. At least assuming he manages to "Betsey-fy himself," that is. [Cut]
• Kanye West's line of sneakers for Louis Vuitton has been delayed, but photos of the $700 kicks can now be viewed online. [Racked]
• Lauren Conrad, Mandy Moore, Jennifer Lopez: These are not very good times for celebrities-turned-designers, as you may have heard. Not that the bad news is stopping J.Lo from launching yet another fragrance, of course. [ABC News, People]
• Believe it or not, but some celebrities have been forced to wear the same outfit twice now that we're in the middle of a recession. Or (like Lindsay Lohan, left) they're now passing their hand-me-downs to family members. Sad times, friends, sad times. [NYDN]
• A preview of the 60 Minutes segment on Anna Wintour (which airs Sunday) is online for your viewing pleasure. [NYM]
• Phillip Lim is expanding into bathing suits, shoes, and lingerie. [Pipeline]
• A visit to Betsey Johnson's house in East Hampton. [Hamptons.com]
• Matthew Williamson's second H&M collection hits stores tomorrow. [Racked]
• Catfight! A roundup of fashion's biggest feuds ever. [TDB]
Jay McInerney's latest book, How It Ended, was feted at the 21 Club on Wednesday night. On hand for the occasion: McInerney's wife, Anne Hearst, Brooke Shields, Candace Bushnell and Charles Askegaard, Gay and Nan Talese, Morgan Entrekin, Nina Garcia, Pamela Fiori, Bob Colacello, Richard Johnson and Sessa Von Richthofen, Peggy Siegal, Muffie Potter Aston, Bettina Zilkha, Cornelia Guest, Debbie Bancroft, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, Nina Griscom, Somers White Farkas, Patrick McMullan, Robert Couturier, George Farias, Tatiana and Campion Platt, Kimberly Rockefeller, Pamela Gross, Harry Slatkin, Dana Hammond, Harry Benson, and Deborah Norville. [PMc, VF, P6]
Jennifer Aniston checking her BlackBerry while walking with a friend ... Mary-Kate Olsen getting in an SUV in Soho ... Naomi Watts on Bond Street pushing baby Alexander in a stroller ... Whitney Port walking in meatpacking district ... Tony Hawk skateboarding outside the Gramercy Park Hotel ... Kate Hudson carrying a cup of coffee in the West Village ... Shannen Doherty holding onto her stylist's arm ... Katy Perry shopping in Soho ... Kylie Minogue heading into her hotel in Tribeca ... Patti Smith leaving lunch at Da Silvano ... Kate Bosworth and James Rousseau getting in a cab ... Rihanna shopping at Intermix, and later leaving dinner at Da Silvano ... and Amy Ryan leaving a movie set in Central Park.
• More photos, commentary, and criticism from last night's Costume Institute Gala, assuming you're not totally sick of hearing about it by this point. [W, Pipeline, Glamour, NYM, NYT, SF]
• Rumor has it Kate Moss is planning to write her autobiography. We can't wait! [Grazia]
• Narciso Rodriguez, Thakoon Panichgul, and Maria Cornejo —all three of whom happen to have dressed Michelle Obama—have lovely things to say about the first lady's sense of style. [WWD]
• A tour of Jason Wu's apartment. [NYM]
• Eva Mendes and Jamie Dornan will be appearing in the new ad campaigns for Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear. [WWD]
A recap of the shows, parties, and gossip you've missed at Fashion Week thus far after the jump.
When Bryant Park Corporation tried to evict New York Fashion Week in 2006, Anna Wintour wrote to the mayor; the alternative, Lincoln Center, was said too small. Funny how a recession can change things.
• The star at Jean Paul Gaultier's couture show in Paris this week? Inès de la Fressange, a 51-year-old model and mother of two. [WSJ, SF]
• After six seasons away from Bryant Park, Narciso Rodriguez is returning to the tents this season. [WWD]
• Betsey Johnson says she plans to revive some of her old designs as part of a new line. [Pipeline]
• Sales of luxury goods are expected to fall 3% and 7% this year. [WSJ]
• Five trends from couture week in Paris to keep an eye on. [Pipeline]
• LVMH has confirmed it's helping out Gareth Pugh. [Vogue UK]
• The lookbook for Isaac Mizrahi's Liz Claiborne collection is online. [Racked]
• Fabien Baron is leaving Interview. [WWD]
• A pair of Sarah Palin's shoes sold on Ebay for $2,025. No joke. [NYM]
• In what will probably come as soul-crushing news to Arden Wohl, Mischa Barton is launching a line of headbands with Stacey Lapidus. [WWD]
• How do you rope in shoppers during a recession? Staying open 24 hours a day is one popular approach. [WSJ]
• More bad news for retail: As if the recession wasn't painful enough, snowfall during the final days of the season is expected to make things worse. [WSJ]
• Just in case you missed the news, leggings are back. [LAT]
• Tim Gunn has sent out "videotaped personal pleas" to Giorgio Armani and Donna Karan to urge them to stop using rabbit fur from China. [P6]
• Betsey Johnson is not, in fact, planning a diffusion line. [NYM]
• Sorry, folks: Burger King's meat-scented body spray, is sold out. [Racked]
