Mention Ruffian to anyone in the fashion industry and they’ll squeal, “Oh my god, I just love those boys.”

So maybe it’s because of that or maybe it’s because they always use stellar models that their show is such a good time. Once I stopped eavesdropping on front row conversation - “But I don’t understand Tom Ford! For the price of one blazer you can get two suits made on Saville Row!” - the intimate show started.

Brian and Claude were inspired by Paris this season, or “the aesthetic archetype of New Yorkers in Paris and the French romanticism of Americana” which came through in their point d’esprit hosiery, nipped jackets and silky dresses. There was silence when Arlenis popped out from behind the curtain and a quiet clap for Vlada’s jacket. Ikeliene got to wear sequined leopard print and Liu Wen rocked ruffled cuffs.

I loved the clothes - but I spent most of the show coveting the red lips and towering Louboutins and jumped for joy when my gift bag held a tube of MAC’s Ruffian Red lipstick which I promptly applied.

Let’s just say it was a very happy Valentine’s day - thanks boys.

It’s that time again - In this edition, we ask, who would you have wanted to be (in fashion!) for just one day in 2008?

Britt:

Posh: Because in twenty-four hours, I could know what it’s like to wear Roland Mouret and 6” Louboutins on a play date, get a rave review from Style.com, call Marc Jacobs and sleep with David Beckham.

Arlenis: Preferably the day she signed her Lancome contract so that I could grasp the hugeness of going from relative, or total, obscurity to almost super status in like three months.

Carine Roitfeld: Because I would stand in her closet for twelve hours, wander Paris wearing Alaia for the three, style a Demarchelier shoot for five, and hang out with Nicolas Ghesquiere for the last four.

Natalie:

Katie Grand: Because then I could know everything happening with LOVE, which would make me infinitely satisfied.

Cathy Horyn: The power…

Kate: Because why the hell not?

Brett (for fun!):

Olivier Theyskens: On the day of Lauren Santo Domingo’s wedding, to touch the most amazing wedding dress ever and think his thoughts for a little while.

Don Draper: To look that cool, be married to January Jones, cheat, run an ad agency, and drink and smoke all day.

Simon Doonan: Hello, he designs windows and has opinions for a living. That’s my ideal situation.

And you?

In our second installment of year-end thinking, we ask you, which models do you think will be famous in 2009?

Britt’s picks:

Lara Stone: So maybe she’s been around for a bit, but she’s just now sort of everywhere. Is it weird that I hope Carine’s Loving-Lara issue puts her on Hollywood’s radar?

Gemma Ward: You probably think she’s famous already, but one more movie role and even my mom can add her to the list of current girls she knows - currently composed of just Stam and Agyness.

Natalie’s:

Arlenis: For the obvious reason of her becoming one of the new faces for Lancome and one of the VS girls, which means you won’t be able to click or turn a page without seeing her face very soon.

Lily Cole: Again, you might think she’s famous, but I think even my non-fashion friends will know Lily’s face once The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus and Phantasmagoria hit the big screen in the next year.

So, who’d we miss?

We think Arlenis deserves some kind of award. Maybe something like a Most Successful Model in the Least Amount of Time award?

Not even seven months have gone by since we first spotted her at the Banana Republic Fall 08 show approximately one week into her career, and she’s already been in Vogue and WWD, starred in the legendary Black Issue of Vogue Italia, landed a major beauty campaign, and now? Well, now, she’s an angel, having walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show extravaganza this past weekend.

Too bad there aren’t modeling Oscars, but at least she’s got the money.

Wow, this just in from WWD:

The news we broke way back in July - that Arlenis is the new face of Lancome - is absolutely true!

Lancome can’t say exactly for how long the Dominican cutie will front their array of mascaras and lip glosses, but they can say that her ads, shot by Dusan Reljin, will break some time after the new year.

We’re ecstatic that our pick for best new model got such a huge (and coveted) beauty contract so soon out of the gate - remember that just at the beginning of this year, Arlenis was still a student without any idea she’d be posing for several editions of Vogue and walking for big shows like Oscar by the end of what would have been “next semester.”

And do we even have to mention how much we love that Lancome seems to be diversifying their stable of models more and more?

This just in:

Arlenis, the model love of Fashionista who’s signed with Marilyn, is the next face of Lancome!

If there’s ever been a Cinderella story in the world of modeling, this has to be it -

Everyone knows the kind of big bucks a beauty campaign can rake in, especially from a beauty giant like Lancome, which is even more amazing considering this girl’s been modeling for less than four months.

And to think, we just thought she was so pretty.

Move over Daria everybody, this girl’s about to explode.

Update, September 5, 2008: Though Arlenis’ agent vehemently denied that Arlenis is the new face of Lancome (he even had a lawyer badger us to take this post down), it seems that this in fact is true, just as we always knew. Clearly, we don’t think much of how Marilyn handled the situation, but we do love Arlenis, so we guess we might be able to let this one go.

This just in from our Inbox:

Arlenis hamming it up alongside Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn in July’s Vogue!

We knew she was being shot for the mag, but we didn’t put together how amazing that would be for her until we actually saw it.

Picture it - this girl was just heading to class just a few weeks from her nineteenth birthday not even three months ago, and now she’s smiling in the pages of one of the glossiest publications in the world, walking runways all over, and who knows what next.

So, July issue of US Vogue - check. July issue of Vogue Italia? Hm…

We’ve been noticing Arlenis around a lot since we spotted her at that Banana Republic show a whole six days into her modeling career. So we kind of freaked out when we saw her on the homepage of WWD yesterday, clad in Derek Lam resort, doing her best model-wearing-glasses face.

Pout on, Arlenis.

A source just filled us in on our newest love,Arlenis, Mystery Girl.

The Marilyn model’s been working for just two weeks, and she’s already on the verge of blowing up.

She met with W yesterday, is being shot for Vogue US this week, and has already done a spread with Testino.

Oh, and she’s definitely in the upcoming Vogue Italia - twice. She scored one spread all by herself, and another alongside Jourdan, Chanel and Alek Wek.

The Dominican cutie was also spotted hanging with the models at the Met Ball Monday night, some people even say she looked better than most of the girls there…

And to think, we still have no idea what her last name is.