There’s been a lot of “What’s going on?” with Heatherette this year, but we procured the full story from Richie Rich himself at the Screaming Mimi’s dinner last night in Chinatown. Here’s the deal:

The Weisfeld Group, which bought Heatherette for $6 million in 2005, declined to renew Richie and Traver’s contract at the end of their three year tenure. The company - which also owns Fubu - then claimed ownership of Richie and Traver’s names, leading to a state Supreme Court hearing earlier this Fall.

“That’s the real reason we couldn’t launch Celebutante,” says Richie, “Because it was Celebutante by Richie Rich, and the Weisfeld Group wanted to block that.”

Thankfully, Richie won the hearing, and his name will go on a new line of dresses - just called “Richie Rich” - sometime in 2009.

Stay tuned, little glitter junkies…

The official release for Richie Rich’s album, Celebutante (yes, that’s the same name as his Hot Topic shoe line), is now out:

The electro-techno-glitter-pop (ok, we made that up, but we’re sure it’ll have an equally hip hyphenate for genre) mix drops October 22nd, to be followed by a huge club kid bash the following night at Citrine, a Flatiron club that’s so new it’s not even open yet.

Look out for a red carpet that’s sure to host Lydia, Tinsley and every other well-glittered socialite in Richie’s care, not to mention everyone that wishes Heatherette would get back together just for the shows.

So cool, you wish you didn’t care, right?

MAC is teaming up with Ungaro’s Esteban Cortazar for fall.

It’s the second “from the runway” collaboration for the make-up giant, after partnering with Alexander McQueen last year. (They don’t count Heatherette because their make-up wasn’t based on anything runway related.)

The Ungaro colors, set to debut this fall, will feature a “softer palette of delicate shades of pinks, blues and lilacs” said MAC make-up artist Sharon Dowsett, “It’s a colorful collection but very transparent so you don’t have to worry about overdoing it.”

Sounds pretty, but we still don’t understand limited edition designer make-up. Unless Pat McGrath’s in your bathroom every morning, armed and ready with liquid eyeliner, you’re not going to look like you walked off a Parisian runway, no matter whose designs inspired the color on your lids.

Still, if we had our pick, we’d love to see someone partner with Luella - can you imagine the pink lipsticks and glitter eyeshadows?! Maybe Stila can give her a call once their Marchesa shades sell out?

More news from the business of Richie Rich:

He’s launching a new solo line.

For Hot Topic.

It’s going to be called Celebutante, and we have no idea who will be the new face - but since Avril Lavigne and Perez Hilton have both done lines for the mall brand, maybe they can get together and pose in the latest line of dresses, tees, and jeans.

Then again, Tinsley would look pretty cute in a t-shirt and shorts, too.

But where’s Traver? “He didn’t want to do it,” sighs Richie. “They asked Heatherette to do it initially, but Traver said no, so I was like, well I’ll do it! I love Hot Topic!”

Is Heatherette finished?

We still can’t get a straight answer, but here’s something that helps our decision:

Tonight, Richie Rich is launching his own line of shoes in the Lower East Side… all by himself.

The shoes are different from the super cute footwear Heatherette already made for Irregular Choice, but their muse is the same:

We hear the model / actress / writer / cat lover / philanthropist / shiny blonde Lydia Hearst will preside over the party, and wear Richie’s very first pair of solo heels.

Cinderella, scoot over (and you, too, Carrie Bradshaw).

We all know there’s been a ton of rumors lately that Richie Rich and Traver Rains are walking on separate yellow brick roads these days, but some recent developments might prove otherwise -

First, the glitter boys shot a prom-themed spread for ELLEgirl with Lydia Hearst right after the rumors of their demise swirled Gossip Girl-style all over the internet.

Now, we’ve learned that they’re flying out to LA with Paper Magazine today as special guests at Playboy’s Playmate of the Year Luncheon since they custom designed the winning bunny’s dress - and we were told this by a concerned Heatherette fan that wanted to help “squash the rumors.”

So now the real question is - are these one-time events for the sake of the good old days?

Or can we all expect a blowout show in September?

Industry insiders have keenly noted two departures from Heatherette in the past two weeks:

First, technical designer Macky Dugan got his own label and his own studio, and then publicist Lysee Webb took a new job at Paper magazine, running their events and promotions.

Now we hear (from a TV producer, no less) that Traver is trekking out to Los Angeles, leaving Richie in New York to start some new solo projects.

That sort of makes Richie like, the Fergie of glitter t-shirt fashion, but whatever.

If indeed there is a Heatherette diaspora, the big question is, “Who will throw an insane fashion show next season?”

Then we remember Sean Combs and Gwen Stefani both have their own lines in the tents and we feel a little bit better.

But only a little bit…

Giorgio Armani makes roller skates now.

1. If any designer’s making roller skates - shouldn’t it be Heatherette?

2. That new business plan - the one where he refrains from sticking his name and logo on everything in order to re-establish himself as a luxury instead of mass market brand - was introduced less than six months ago. So has it not started yet or did they just ditch the idea?

3. Why don’t they come collaged with pictures of David Beckham rocking his Armani briefs?

4. Does Giorgio himself roller skate through the streets of Milan? Because we would LOVE to see that.

5. Who, exactly, is the target consumer for this $425 product? We’re dying to know.

Last night’s hysterical launch of Heatherette’s makeup line brought a lot of cotton candy, a great streak of Teyana Taylor (who is gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous in person), too much glitter (who’s surprised?), and one bit of sad news:

Heatherette’s technical designer, Macky Dugan, is going out on his own.

The New Zealand native, who came to Heatherette almost five years ago, is opening his own studio (well, actually sharing a studio with super-cool designer Sue Stemp) and starting a new collection of clothing called “Macky Dugan” - which, we suppose, is better than Mackarette.

His contributions to the brand won’t be forgotten - Richie and Traver have been pretty constant with their praise of the cute blondie (left) and how his technical expertise helped the label build more sophisticated shapes and complicated patterns - plus that infamous paper pineapple dress as seen on Lydia Hearst last year.

“I’m doing menswear,” he told us, but when we pouted, he quickly amended it to “Unisex! Unisex!”

We wonder if those tuxedo jackets will come with purple sequins (please?).

The Miu Miu Harlequin girl is haunting us.

Seriously.

We see her face on Kirsten when we flip through Vogue. She stares up at us from the “dress” on Byrdie Bell. She even shows up when we scroll through Net-a-Porter. But the odd thing is, we never see faces on girls in real life.

Whether it’s the futuristic Lanvin dresses from Spring 07 or the Dorothy dress from Heatherette Fall 07, wearing someone else’s face on a dress just seems innapropriate.

Okay, certainly if you’re Paris Hilton, wearing your face on your chest is as natural as wearing one of the Kitson-induced “Team…” tees of years gone by. And I’ll admit, I actually fell in love with Naomi Campbell all over again when she wore the “Naomi hit me, and I liked it” tee shirt to poke fun at her own violent habits.

But honestly, could someone without an ego the size of Alburquerque pull off an outfit dominated by someone else’s beautiful face? Are most women really that secure?

—BRETT KANE

We guess British socialite Peaches Geldof was taking notes when she beat out Agyness to open PPQ’s show in London last season.

The young label (think Richie Rich and Trevor Rains’ style, except British and with less glitter), has just announced that Peaches will design a capsule collection of mostly dresses, all around a color palette of peach and black.

The line hits racks this Fall.

In other Peaches news, Catwalk Queen has been reporting for a while now that Peaches has scored her own MTV reality show (to be produced by her father’s company, Ten Alps), in which she will play an editor of a celebrity magazine, to air in the UK.

We have no idea how this qualifies as reality TV - even taking into account the new mock meaning of “reality” - but sit tight for details.

Fafi’s MAC collaboration hits stores tomorrow. The famed grafitti artist’s collection is sure to be another Special Edition sell out for MAC.

We loved the Barbie lipsticks, and the Alexander McQueen eyeliners, and with Heatherette next in line, we’re curious:

Do you buy collector beauty?

We can maybe see the appeal if you’re a big Fafi fan, or a makeup artist, but our big fear is falling in love with a particular limited edition shade, then poof! It’s gone…only to be found for triple the price on eBay.

Do you simply use the empty compacts to accessorize your vanity? Or will you skip the eyeshadows and just purchase the adorable “Fafinette” doll as a keepsake?

— JAZZI McGILBERT

ps: Fafi herself will be at Henri Bendel tomorrow from 4-6!

Tonight at the Prada party, we bumped into Richie Rich and Traver Rains, creative directors of Heatherette.

They were lovely and amazing, as usual, but they had some rather bad news:

“There’s no secret Heatherette show!” screamed Richie. “It’s just a weird rumor. We’re not doing anything until next year, but we will have a party this spring for our Heatherette for M.A.C line, probably with Lydia. But no, there’s no secret show! I’m sorry, honey!”

We’re sorry too - without Heatherette, the only really goofy beauty we can photograph backstage is at Anna Sui, which thankfully happens tomorrow!

Cross your fingers for glitter.

On the short list for Doutzen Kroes’ Vogue shoot in the ice rink yesterday:

Luella Bartley

Miu Miu

Prada

Also, apparently the Dutch model really can speed skate, which just seems absurd but also strangely sensible:

Actually, if you told us Doutzen held a degree in nuclear physics, we’d probably be like, “Oh yeah…”

On another skating note: Last night, Richie Rich told us, “Don’t be sad Heatherette’s not having a fashion show. I’m not. Skating is way more fun.”

We’re bummed and we adore them, but stay tuned - they’ll be on an NBC special called “Fashion on Ice” on January 20th (or didn’t you know that Richie Rich was once a professional figure skater)?

Update:

Heatherette prefers not to comment on why they’ve chosen not to show, citing only business reconfiguration reasons, but they promise to be back in September for a relaunch, and they’ll still be launching their highly anticipated M.A.C for Heatherette collection this Spring.

There are also whispers about an afterparty, even without an actual show, which sounds a little bit like the bash without the Bat Mitzvah… which sounds sort of perfect and awesome.

We’ll keep you posted!

In August, we reported that Heatherette was in talks with a makeup line for Estee Lauder.

Now that it’s sealed and dealed, here’s the rest of the story:

Their collection will be for M.A.C and it debuts in March, just after their Fall ‘08 runway production.

The line includes nail polish, eyeshadow, lipstick, and pancake base, and comes packaged in day-glo hot pink plastic. While there won’t be an ad campaign for the line, there will certainly be promotional photos and cute makeup counter displays, so keep your eyes peeled for Miss Lydia Hearst, who’s modeled for M.A.C in the past.

Meanwhile, other fashion brands are also releasing new cosmetics this season: Calvin Klein just resurrected their entire beauty division, which has been in hibernation since Gwyneth and Brad were engaged.

Attention aspiring designers:

Heatherette needs a very disciplined, hard working, and glitter-obsessed intern to work from now until their February fashion show.

You must be based in New York and be a second or third year design student who can capably build simple pieces and help make much harder ones.

You should also be happy listening to the Scissor Sisters’ latest albums for ten hours a day, on repeat.

If you think you can handle it, email a brief cover letter and resume to Lysee Webb:

lysee@heatherette.com

Bonne chance!

You may be under the impression that show season is over after the Paris collections end October 9th.

But the global parade of fashion weeks will march on with LA Fashion Week, from October 12th-19th.

The funny thing?

The biggest shows could have second helpings of some of New York and Paris’s runway favorites. Grey Ant will be on the runway in LA after opening New York’s week in September, and Jeremy Scott will zoom with his clothes to LA mere days after his Paris catwalk.

Meanwhile, Heatherette’s tireless team will present an entirely new collection (!!!) geared towards the celebrity red carpet set, just weeks after they showed an entire ready-to-wear line in New York’s Gotham Hall.

We’re so excited… and craving Coffee Bean.

Tyra Banks is doing an upcoming segment on her talk show about race in the fashion industry - specifically, how hard it is for women of color to book on the runways.

Her special guests for the show?

Heatherette designers Richie Rich and Traver Rains, plus their catwalk opener and closer, Chanel Iman.

We’re slightly shocked that Ford would let Chanel do The Tyra Banks show - it’s not quite the same as a Vogue cover - but so psyched to see the poised sixteen-year-old discuss her own modeling adventures with Ty-Ty Baby.

The only irony?

We don’t think Chanel Iman would ever have won Top Model - weirdly, she would have been too modelesque for a shot at the title.

Last season, British GQ ran a story about the electric intelligence of Naomi Campbell.

Tomorrow might be her chance to prove it’s true.

The legendary model is slated to sit on a panel called “Blacks in Fashion,” along with Andre Leon Talley, Robin Givhan, Damon Dash and Tracy Reese.

According to the organizers, the fashion heavyweights will address questions like, “In an industry supposedly dictated by beauty and style, why are certain groups granted limited access? Why is the fashion model of color categorized by race? Why is this generation of Black models nearly invisible?”

We hope Naomi does address that last question, especially since every time an emerging model is black, she’s called “The Next Campbell” … something that’s always bugged us, since neither Gerren Ford nor Chanel Iman actually look like her.

The panel happens tomorrow at 10:30 AM, in the Bryant Park Hotel, and on a vague side note: the first 10 models at Heatherette were all black.