First the actresses thought they should have runway shows, then came the singers, and finally - thank you, Lauren Conrad - the reality stars.

Now it seems some athletes want in, too.

Next week, Maria Sharapova hosts her own fashion show in London, where she’ll show off her latest “lifestyle” wares:

New Sony Ericsson phones.

How a runway show can serve a cell is one thing, but whether a tennis star can bring fashion to the tech world - well, that’s quite another.

But at least the models on her runway won’t be sickly skinny - Maria herself has a slamming, muscular body and we hear she’s demanding the same of her other catwalk girls.

The New York Times has a great story today on Parish Nation, a clothing label popular with hip hop artists that goes into troubled public schools and produces fashion shows.

The brand’s founder, Tony Shellman, argues that producing a fashion show teaches teamwork, responsibility, business skills, creativity, and risk taking.

Of course, it also produces consumerism, superficial judgments and solutions, and class division, or at least heightened class awareness.

When we were in college, there was a “charity fashion show.” It was a huge deal, where if you got cast as a model, you were automatically deemed one of the school’s most desirable girls, and if you weren’t somehow working on it (as a “stylist,” an art director, a publicist, a producer, whatever) you decided you hated the whole crew - even in the high school from the article, Camden High in New Jersey, only a little more than half of the students were allowed to attend the show with priority going to athletes, honor students and those with perfect attendance, arguably the kids who need the extra attention the least.

Obviously, using a Fashion Show as an opportunity for self esteem and business experience is different - but is it different enough to encourage in all schools?

It’s always fun to see footage of a model from when she was just first getting to be known, so here’s a fun clip of Daria at the Fall 2005 shows.

Her voice is a little deeper than you might expect and we had no idea she was such giggly gal pals with Carmen Kass, but we love the shots from the Versace show, after Donatella got out of rehab and started designing clothes that made people use words like “electrifying” and “beautiful as hell”.

But the best part’s the little factoids that pop up in the corner of the video - they remind us of Fashion Trance, our favorite late-night tv show from back when the Style Channel was actually good.

Enjoy!

At last night’s Dior Cruise show, Christina Aguilera sang along to her own song during the big finale while a lot of glitter fell from the models’ nails and eyelashes.

Meanwhile, Allure countess Linda Wells had two empty seats next to her in the front row, leaving everyone to wonder whose they were supposed to be.

All sorts of rumors flew, from Madonna to Beyonce, and the clever boy who speculated the seats were for the ghost of Dior’s past, but if you actually know, then you know the drill:

Email tips@fashionista.com and reveal all.

Tell early; tell often.

xoxo Fashionista.

Last night’s unveiling of Banana Republic’s Fall 2008 Holiday/Fall line was like a lot of other fashion week shows, except in April.

It started twenty minutes late, PR girls everywhere, editors pretending to ignore the free champagne, assistants in standing room only - the Vogue girls even held court from their first and second row seats, just like the good old days of February.

The clothes were, of course, perfect Banana Republic - cozy coats, elegant dresses, a muted color scheme of mostly blacks and grays.

But we think the real standout of the night was the models. Not only did Iekeliene walk for the label’s 30th anniversary, but we fell in love with a new girl, too -

Meet Arlenis (she’s so new we don’t even know her last name), a newbie at Marilyn who’s not only rumored to be involved in the already infamous Vogue Italia set to drop this July, but who’s also a favorite of COACD.

Every time she stepped out on the runway, eyes stopped staring in the direction of the clothes, and went up to try and figure out where in the world this girl came from.

Can’t wait to see what she walks in September…

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

Karen Elson - pre-fall at Zac’s Fall Show

Freja, Coco, Irina, Chanel - Just posing pre-Posen…

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

Maggie was at Tommy?

Hmm….

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

Looks a little wasted…

Oh yeah, it’s almost the end of Fashion Week…

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

“If anyone asks if that’s really your seat, just say yes in a foreign accent.” — One girl to another as they squeezed next to the Vogue row at Phillip Lim…

Caroline, we know Fashion Week is insane…

But please pull out someone else’s hair…

Yours is too pretty…

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

When we saw Ali Hilfiger whip out a pair of thick, black nerd glasses at the Form show last Saturday, we thought “Oh, interesting choice.”

We believed they were the real deal since she put them on only after the lights dimmed and the first model stepped on the runway.

But then we saw her walk in with them at Chris Benz, and now Jeremy’s snapped them on her face once again at the Ksubi and Sex + Fashion party.

So what do you think - visual aid or hipster accoutrement?

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

Everybody knows…

Diesel is so about the faces…

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

Fergie, Marc and Carine - that’s quite the trio.

Check out the rest!

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.

I spy:

- Agyness

- Coco

- Karlie

- Hair extensions

And so much more…

Yesterday’s Rodarte show was unbelievable, in more ways than one.

The clothes were ethereally pretty - one girl after another walked around the stage in floaty, barely-there dresses, and the show closed with three gowns so sheer the girls appeared to be ghost-like.

In fact, there was something kind of eerie about the show in general - maybe it’s that the clothes are clearly not made for people (except for, maybe, Keira Knightley,) or that the collection ended with Karlie Kloss’ slow, creepy walk, which actually worked to stunning effect at this particular show.

We don’t think there is a person out there who could hope to actually wear any of these dresses, best described as delicate, tangible holograms.

But isn’t that what’s so great about Rodarte? It’s all about the idea, not the reality, as seen at almost every other show. In fact, upon leaving, we didn’t hear anyone give that old complaint, “But it’s just not wearable” as you tend to hear at any show that ventures into questionable territory. No, at Rodarte, all you heard was, “Beautiful, just beautiful.”

And the most unbelievable part? A smile on Anna’s face on her way to the door…

A few of the lovelies from Y-3.

Vogue.

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

For more, check out RoidRage.