“A friend of mine suggested that all the celebrity designers (Gwen Stefani, et al) get together with their friends and have Celebrity Fashion Week. They can get their business out of the way, knock themselves out, and then the rest of us can do ours.” —Cathy Horyn talks Paris on On the Runway.

“Karl Lagerfeld’s boudoir show for Fendi made you think a giant pair of old pantyhose had fallen over Milan.” —Cathy Horyn talks Milan, which she didn’t particularly enjoy, in The New York Times.

While the rest of Fashionista was out and about at Alexander Wang’s show and crazy raucous afterparty, (making me consistently more and more jealous from their tweets) I took a fashion week staycation and trekked over to the School of the Visual Arts Theatre to watch a discussion between Juergen Teller and Cathy Horyn. Here’s what I learned.

1. Has been shooting Marc Jacobs’ advertisments for eleven years, and did not get paid in the beginning.

2. Uses a 35mm camera and refuses to go digital.

3. Does most of his shoots by himself and with his one assistant.

4. Dakota Fanning’s whole family was on set for her Marc Jacobs’ ads, and Dakota sent him a few handwritten letters afterwards saying thanks and recommending books.

5. The legendary Victoria Beckham in a shopping bag ad campaign for MJ only happened because of a personal call Teller put in to Ms. Beckham. Beckham’s lawyers wanted to review all the photos before the ads ran, and Teller refused, so he called Victoria directly instead and the rest is fashion history.

“I think people would be surprised that all the product is produced from the five people who work here. I think that would be shocking—that the brand seems much bigger than the actual process is.” —Ashley Olsen on the size of The Row’s team in The New York Times.

“High-level editors at Condé Nast said that a decision by the company to hire the consulting firm McKinsey & Company to review how things are done at the magazines — presumably with the objective of improving efficiency and saving money — has made staffers nervous. ‘That sent shudders, of course,’ an editor said. ‘It’s the fear of the great unknown: What if their consultants really question the culture we live in at Condé Nast?’” - Cathy Horyn on the changing times at 4 Times Square and how The September Issue will be a reminder of much happier times. They’ve already lost their newspaper subscriptions and receptionists…whatever could be next?

“They have no feeling for the actuality of life, no sense of a lived experience, and frankly I’d be worried about getting too close to one of those prickly, encrusted numbers. You might get a rash.” -Cathy Horyn on the dresses at Valentino. Man we wish she blogged every single day.

“Mr. Lagerfeld said to forget about it. He was going to die with his boots on. He also mentioned that Alain Wertheimer, whose family owns Chanel, said he would sell the house when the designer leaves. This might not be the case, Mr. Lagerfeld said, but it was a nice thing to be told.” Cathy Horyn on asking the Chanel designer about those pesky Alber rumors.

An Awesome Spectacle: We must have these glasses, like immediately if not sooner. {Garance}

More Coco to Love: A new American trailer for Coco Before Chanel makes us very excited for the September release. It also makes us think about how much we loved Audrey Tatou in Hors de Prix, the last thing we saw her in. {Elle}

We’re #3! Forbes rounds up the most stylish cities in the world. Though we’re guessing Cathy Horyn no longer agrees about their choice for the top spot. {Forbes}

We Cannot Tell a Lie: If we were pregnant, we would totally want to dress like Nicole Richie. {People Stylewatch}

“Recently, however, it has become clear that Paris fashion is less the creative hub of the industry than an isolated universe whose weakness can be sensed even by children. Sometime in the last decade, the industry discovered that fashion was a terrific means to an end — so long as the end was anything but a useful new fashion. It could attract investors, sweeten a hotel deal in Dubai and serve as a communications tool.” Cathy Horyn in one of her surly NY Times reviews of the men’s shows.

The Cat’s Pajamas: Catherine Holstein talks past, present and future collections and about how hard it is for a small designer to make quality clothes at a reasonable price point. {Coutorture}

Hair Raising Good Time: We’re just completely obsessed with this picture. And Agyness clearly agrees with our stance on pants. {Jezebel}

Ohh Johnny: This must related to fashion somehow - outtakes from Johnny Depp’s Vanity Fair cover shoot styled by Samantha McMillen and shot by François-Marie Banier. {VF}

Star Trek: A sit down with jewelry designer and Central Saint Martins alum Tomasz Donocik and a peek at his super awesome jewelry which might be made for men - but we still want it. {Starworks}

“No one would bother disputing the assertion that Wintour is the most powerful person in fashion, and that she exerts her power in a variety of directions, beyond editorial decisions. But what’s the impact of all that power? And, more, what’s the downside?” —Cathy Horyn, on Anna’s “60 Minutes” segment.

Did the Times just confirm Peter Copping’s appointment to Nina Ricci?

The speculation surrounding Olivier Theysken’s departure from Nina Ricci has been accepted as fact, even though no official announcement from Puig Group, Nina Ricci’s parent company, has been made. But what every front row gossip wasn’t totally sure about was who exactly would take Olivier’s place.

Peter Copping seemed the most likely contender, especially after he supposedly put in his resignation at Louis Vuitton at the beginning of the year, after having met with Mario Grauso, Puig’s president. But now, Eric Wilson’s gone ahead and stated that Olivier will be “replaced by Peter Copping,” which pretty much sets it in stone - obviously, Eric knows something nobody else does (at least not officially).

So who’s taking Peter’s spot as women’s studio director at Louis Vuitton? And how long before Olivier comes out with his own label?

“I was looking over the New York show schedule when I thought, This looks like a duty roster for a trade show.” —Cathy Horyn, On The Runway.

“But the problem isn’t limited to design. The overwhelming number of people in their 20’s at the shows guarantees that everything will seem new to them. So Mr. Jones can do pointless things to tailored clothes. John Galliano can summon his pirates and tri-cornered highwaymen. Jean Paul Gaultier can pop on the Afro wigs and issue some jivey pinstripes (with a mini-me line of children’s clothes). And Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy can evoke a Teutonic fantasy with laced black-leather leggings and severely buzzed heads. There is little demand to do something that’s actually new and relevant.” - Cathy Horyn, on Men’s Fashion Week, in the Times.

“So I spent the day at a friend’s house in my sweat pants and Uggs watching the television with a Basset hound named Rembrandt.” - Cathy Horyn, on her own inauguration outfit.

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?

There are too many stories about socialites — or, at any rate, too few such stories that sufficiently demonstrate why we should care about these creatures. What once felt like a jolly skip through Bergdorf now feels like an intravenous feed. To read Vogue in recent years is to wonder about the peculiar fascination for the “villa in Tuscany” story. Ditto staff-member accounts of spa treatments and haircuts. - From Cathy Horyn’s “What’s Wrong with Vogue,” in the New York Times.

The New York Time’s Thursday Styles section has been more about botox and babies than Balenciaga lately.

But today, Eric Wilson answered a question that we’ve been asking since we were old enough to pick up a magazine.

He offers an in-depth explanation of that annoying credit listing, “Price Available Upon Request,” which we always assumed meant way too expensive unless you employ someone to make phone calls for you.

But it’s actually more interesting than that: Most of those pieces, aside from the jewelry, aren’t even manufactured, “Out of 30 items for which prices were requested, 21 were not available at the stores at which they were listed.”

Fewer and fewer runway pieces are going into production, while retailers focus on pre-season collections. Which means that ready-to-wear is like the new couture - a vision of the designer’s ideas and themes which get watered down into slightly less expensive, less fashiony, and more wearable clothes, which, given the current economic state makes a lot of sense.

But it also makes us nervous because at some point, some investor will say, “Hey, why should I pay for an extravagant runway presentation when these clothes won’t make a single penny back but serve just to satisfy your creative whims and fill the pages of Vogue?”

Because the fact is, those clothes aren’t couture, which actually can be bought anyway. And as high fashion brands make an increasing percentage of their money off of it-accessories and pre-season tank tops, it’s only a matter of time before ready to wear goes the same way as couture.

And that makes us want to cry.

Fact: Cathy Horyn says Karl Lagerfeld will be in his new house in Vermont (presumably for the first time), this weekend, to shoot the Spring 09 Chanel campaign in his Victorian house on Lake Champlain.

Better fact: It just so happens I will also be in Vermont this weekend - originally just to nap in the hills, but now, with a mission.

See you at Parker Pie, Karl.

“Backstage, in his fully furnished dressing room, John Galliano said that his vividly colored collection was inspired by James Gillray, an 18th-century caricaturist.

I’m sure my eyes glazed over. “I’ll Google him,” I said.” - Cathy Horyn’s Paris wrap-up in The New York Times.