Good news:

Hayden-Harnett’s having a sale on their site today, where they’re offering totally unique pieces from Fall 09 - as in, pieces that won’t be produced with the rest of the regular collection.

That’s right, you can have your own one-off from HH, as long as you’re willing to shop for it auction style.

The sale starts later tonight, around 6:30pm.

Good luck!

Lace has popped up in a few different ways this season, but it’s at its best, and most interesting, when used in panel form.

It’s come in extremes - the black and very fine sheer lace dress from Preen isn’t for everyone, but the girl who wears it is the guaranteed center of attention. Stella McCartney’s version is a little bit sweeter. She cut strips out of her black, evening nightgown-dress and filled the holes with classic lace. And Christian Lacroix carved little lace windows in each side of his otherwise conservative black dress making Siri Tollerod’s waist look even smaller.

Pretty much anyone could wear a version of this trend - but it’s one that won’t translate well with poor quality fabrics which could inhibit its trickling down. Though you could always cut holes in your favorite dress and sew in your own strips of lace. Or not.

The room at the Louvre in which Wunderkind showed their Fall 09 collection was completely coated in white plastic which lent an even creepier air to the Tim Burton-esque collection.

It started out with lots of stripes, blouse-y fabrics pulled and bowed through button holes underneath exaggerated suits with contrast stitching, and peek-a-boo slits. There were brightly checkered leggings underneath sheer overlay skirts paired with chunky striped heels. Up top, some girls wore Mad Hatter top hats while others suffered from oversized fabric head wraps topped with caps, and hands were covered in scrunched patchwork gloves. It was like, how many pieces can you fit on each girl?

The clothes were actually really pretty. The styling, however, made it look like a bomb had exploded in the poor designer’s studio. If you threw on the colorful sequin leggings with something a bit more subdued they’d look amazing. Not that it isn’t fun to see something wild walk down a runway - it’s just that the showmanship is supposed to enhance the product, not distract from it.

Hypothesis: Fall 09 is mostly a season of repeats.

Proof:

1. Balmainia.

2. The entire decade of the 80’s turning up… everywhere.

3. Marni loving Prada perhaps a bit too much.

4. Jean-Charles Castelbajac sending his models onto the runway from a giant mouth a la Viktor & Rolf Spring 08.

5. Jeremy Scott giving out his Longchamp bag to Beth Ditto and Kanye West to tote around at the Fall 09 shows like it’s really Spring 06.

And so on.

Conclusion: Discuss!

Everyone was pretty impressed with Gareth’s video for Fall 09 - It was creepy, it was cool, even if you couldn’t really see the clothes.

But Dazed Digital has something arguably better - a behind-the-scenes video of Natasa Vojnovic trying on the clothes, and trying out her freak moves for the camera.

Enjoy it, but most pressing: Would you wear the trash bag cocoon now that you can actually see it? (Our answer: It’s actually a lot cooler than we thought…)

The thing about Swarovski-sponsored shows is that while designers can’t afford to show without the sponsorship, the requisite use of crystals within the collection is often too forced, too obvious. So it was great to see, for the first time, a designer really make use of the Swarovski elements without ruining the actual clothes.

Antonio Berardi showed his Fall 09 collection in what looked like a little chapel in the 11th. Editors and buyers squeezed into the tiny venue like sardines. (I held my knees to my chest to avoid repeatedly kicking Glenn O’Brien, seated directly in front of me.)

I spent the first few looks staring at the hot pink lipstick but recovered in time to admire the paneled black and white dresses. Everything was level, so even in the second row I missed all but the over-the-knee part of the boots - some were loose black leather, others shearling. There were furs with crystal armbands and little lilac dresses over charcoal tights. The structured Balenciaga silhouette popped up again, like at Manish, this time in black brocade-like shifts.

The clothes were well-tailored, wearable and just plain pretty.

There’ve been a lot of pressing model questions this show season, one of the most common being, “Where the hell is Caroline Trentini?”

It turns out she was an exclusive for YSL, which she just closed in Paris, minutes ago.

Mystery solved.

In other exclusives news, just how many do you need to stage a real Givenchy show? Not only were Dree Hemingway and newcomer Ranya Mordanova signed to make their Fall 09 debut at Riccardo Tisci’s show, but also Adriana Lima, whom you may not have recognized under all those sleeves and pant legs.

C’est tout.

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?

Doubtless you’ve heard about the “model fights” at Jean-Paul Gaultier over the weekend.

In case you had a hard time picturing it, don’t worry: Coco got some of it on film for you, which we think is the perfect accompaniment to that bagel and probable rain.

So enjoy. And remember: Don’t mess with the models.

Update: We also have a shot of the shoes!

After disappointingly monochromatic line-ups in Milan last week, Paris may be the ticket to a more colorful Fall 09.

Balenciaga showed this morning, on the first big day of shows at Paris Fashion Week, with Ethiopian-born Liya Kebede opening the show, the first black model on a Balenciaga runway in years (Chanel Iman also walked).

Could this be the beginning of a new direction for the season?

We wouldn’t count on it just yet - Balmain was the same story as it’s always been (and we’re not just talking about the clothes).

One half of us is backstage at Rick Owens in Paris right now, armed with a camera and curiosity.

So here’s a sneak peak of the Rick Owens show, courtesy of Britt’s surreptitious shot of his look book board (in case you’re not addicted to our Twitter yet), before the show has even started.

How’s that for real time?

Bon matin!

Gareth Pugh’s Fall 09 collection is now online, look by look, thanks to Style.com.

Even with a designer known for being “out there” there are still some recognizable trends, like the dark, monochromatic looks and the over-the-knee boots seen in every city of the big Month.

But without the music and video to complete Gareth’s world, do the clothes work as just… clothes?

We know the dress at left will be everywhere editorially and on a few New York girls and we’re particularly loving the short coat that seems to come to a point at the front - but the dress that looks like it’s made from a bronze trash bag?

You decide.

Even though Britt is right now in Paris and getting ready to head over to the Gareth Pugh show at 5pm local time, you should know that you, too, can watch the show live (except without watching the front row, but don’t worry, you’ll be filled in).

Nick Knight’s SHOWStudio is broadcasting the show live (11am EST), to be followed by a short interview with Gareth himself.

So if you work in the kind of office that allows popcorn, we suggest getting that all set up by 10:58. Also, wouldn’t it be fun if we all Twittered in unison?

Let’s play!

“Besides, clubwear is the kind of thing you want to be disposable so you can dance, drink, and leave it in a ball on your bedroom floor at the end of the night. Which means you might as well buy Bebe.” - Booth Moore, on why she thinks Gucci continues to look much cheaper than it costs, in the LA Times.

While we’ve always like the idea of capes, their structure has always been a little baffling. Even Britt, who wears hers no matter what her roommates say, finds the awkwardness of where to put your arms (no sleeves? Pseudo sleeves?) and temperature gauging for outside wear (50 degrees? Less? More?) to be a deterrent from sporting the witch-like frock.

But we think it’s about time for us to get over our fear if the Fall runways are any indication of what’s to come (and aren’t they always?). From Marc Jacobs’ bright yellow belted version, to Thakoon’s militaristic button down, we think it could be the right time to have some fun with our outerwear.

It might a good idea to start with something a little less intimidating, like Paul Smith’s simpler version. Or you could go all out and embrace the cape for what it is - a stylized version of the blanket, or, the original Snuggie - and throw it on top of your otherwise normal outfit with aplomb.

So, would you wear a cape? Or is this a look better left to Count Dracula impersonators?

— CARSON GRIFFITH

At Fall 08 Prada, the fashion world drew a collective gasp when Jourdan Dunn took to the runway bedecked in lace, becoming the first black model to be cast in Miuccia’s show in ten years.

She returned, again as the only black model in the long, leggy line-up, for Spring 09. But at Prada’s suited up show yesterday, the model line-up was back to an especially alabaster cast, which makes us wonder if Jourdan’s two season stint is just a flash in the pan despite recent reports of more diverse runways.

After all, the Prada runway is seen as a barometer of which models’ careers are about to take off. So if the usual holds true, it looks like another knock-out season for Sasha, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Karlie, etc and Ymre Stiekema, Prada’s season exclusive (again).