Foreign Explanations: Of all the nutty fashion people, explaining Olivier Zahm to the unsuspecting masses is most entertaining. If the post itself doesn’t make you giggle, the comments definitely will. {Gawker}

Royal Snap: Kate Middleton’s taken a job assisting photographer Nikolai von Bismark while Prince William takes royal tours to Australia and New Zealand. It’s not her first fashion job; she was an assistant accessories buyer at Jigsaw in 2006. {DailyStar}

Posh Model: In other British tabloid news, Victoria Beckham and Simon Fuller are allegedly developing a plan for a modeling agency. We’d crack a joke, but we actually love her collection, so we’ll wait and comment post-launch. {DailyMail}

Valley of the Dolls: Ruth LaFerla profiled Mattel’s new Fashionista Barbies (no relation), this weekend. The thought of “aspiring primary-school Rachel Zoes” is surprisingly disturbing. Its makers say the dolls are suited to this economy and promises they won’t be driving limos anytime soon. {NYTimes}

“Despite the current economic apocalypse, there are still places where semi-employed journalists like myself can suckle at the teat of an open bar, subside for days on passed hors d’oeuvres, and listen to the plaintive rumblings of famished supermodel stomachs, even when the DJ is playing Lady Gaga really loud. They’re called Fashion Week parties.” —Chris Wilson, Gawker’s new Fashion Week writer.

Models in the BK: I’m fairly obsessed with Abbey Lee Kershaw, even though I think she spells her name wrong. Plus she likes watching fireflies in Prospect Park, which I also find to be quite lovely. {W}

The Results Are Almost In: McKinsey’s wrapping up their work over at 4 Times Square. Sounds like the photo departments and maybe Details could be in for some bad news. {Gawker}

Congrats Dries: Van Noten is being honored right now at the by FIT’s Couture Council at a benefit luncheon. He is also not opposed to dressing Britney Spears for a tour. Who knew? {The Moment}

Bend it Like the Other Beckham: Heidi Mount plays Posh Spice in this on-line only editorial from V. Though “chasing her kids all day,” really? {V}

Not So Fast: Gen Art, the nonprofit organization known for supporting emerging designers (including at points Zac Posen, Sari Gueron and Phillip Lim) is having serious financial trouble. This tipster says, “Gen Art deserves to die.” {Gawker}

Biba-licious: Biba’s up there with Halston as one of the brands we can’t quite keep track of. It’s just been announced that online retailer Marisot will launch Biba for fall using inspiration from past collection. Um, okay. {VogueUK}

Made Over & Under: Trinny and Susannah, the British makeover artists extraordinaire, are coming to America. Actually, they’re already here, taking Eric Wilson shopping and plucking poor souls out of Times Square and into Zara, including one woman who’d never heard of Elle MacPherson. {NYTimes}

When I heard that Lauren Conrad’s book LA Candy was sitting atop the New York Times Bestseller List for the second week in a row, I may have puked in my mouth a little bit. I haven’t read it and don’t ever plan to do so.

And before you all start in on me, of course, I’m mildly jealous. What writer (and I use that term loosely when it comes to Lauren) hasn’t dreamed of being #1 on that list.

Now, this is not to say that I don’t like to dabble in the chick lit/industry roman à clef genre from time to time. But I want something that if not highly literary, is at the very least juicy!

It seems our item about how far you’ll go to undress for fashion has caused a bit of stir in the comments section.

One debate currently going on is regarding male and female perceptions about the human body, and what reactions to clothing (or lack therof) say about both sexes.

So when we came across this very telling picture on Gawker from a local newstand, we immediately thought of our opinionated readers.

It’s quite the ridiculous double standard, no?

So this weekend Karl Lagerfeld took a “dig” at Heidi Klum, his second of the year.

In February he said, “Heidi is no runway model. She is simply too heavy and has too big a bust. And she always grins so stupidly. That is not avant-garde - that is commercial!” and now he claims not to know who she is, “I don’t know Heidi Klum. She was never known in France. Claudia Schiffer also doesn’t know who she is.”

First, you can’t break down someone’s body and then say you don’t know they exist. Second, which high fashion designer is more commercial than Karl Lagerfeld? Third, you don’t make money when Claudia Schiffer knows who you are, you make it when Middle America knows your name (though we don’t believe for a second that Schiffer’s never heard of Klum). Fourth, Lagerfeld makes gorgeous, brilliant clothes, but avant-garde at this stage? Non.

Most frustrating of all is the unfortunate truth that models don’t make major money walking Balenciaga or doing editorials for Purple, but from major beauty contracts, from Victoria’s Secret or J.Crew catalogs and eventually, from becoming a brand.

It’s kind of like how designers don’t make money by designing the most extreme avant-garde clothes, like say Gareth Pugh or Olivier Theyskens, but by hooking themselves up to a major brand, like say Fendi or Chanel and putting their name on overpriced teddy bears.

Anna Wintour’s having a bit of a love affair with the cameras lately.

The September Issue’s just debuted and according to Gawker, Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief is already being followed by another set of cameras, this time from 60 Minutes.

Apparently, they’ve been working on the profile since December and already attended one “glitzy fashion event.”

It sounds like Anna’s looking for a way to reach beyond Vogue’s targeted readers, like those who can buy Valli mid-recession, to grab the attention of the masses and their accompanying ad dollars - or at least what’s left of them.

The only question greater than why Anna’s suddenly embraced camera-life (don’t forget Model.Live, too) is which lucky journalist gets to interview her. We know Andy Rooney usually does his own thing but we think they’d make a wonderful pair (though we’re betting Leslie Stahl).

Maybe they can talk about this.