Sometimes it takes a little dose of reality to make us appreciate what we’ve got and how lucky we are and boy did we just get some.

We just read very sad news over on The Cut that Imitation of Christ designer Tara Subkoff has been diagnosed with a benign brain tumor. She’s only 36 years old.

They need to operate very soon and some of her friends in the industry and otherwise are pulling together a benefit to help defray costs of all her many specialists and help support her during the recovery period when she won’t be able to work.

It won’t be held in a funeral parlor or anything, but Imitation of Christ’s having a sample sale tomorrow, and we really insist you go.

What: Sample sale (\ˈsam-pəl - ˈsāl\) - as in, stuff for up to 80% off retail

Where: 201 Mulberry Street (between Kenmare and Spring)

When: Tomorrow (9am - 8pm) and Saturday and Sunday (12pm - 8pm.)

Bonus: There’ll be other labels, too (Chris & Jaime, Orthodox and Margaritasaplala), but whatever - gather round in the street, Jesus Freaks.

Spaghetti after?

Here’s an interesting fashion week tidbit - if you can handle any more -Tara Subkoff is playing artistic director for FORM’s Spring 09 show.

The actress/designer/party girl is in charge of the “feel, quality and experience” of the runway - so unless she’s picking the music and doing the lighting, we’re pretty sure artistic director is just fancy for stylist.

And to make things more interesting, Jerry Tam, the Project-Runway-rejected designer behind FORM, was one of Subkoff’s interns way back when Imitation of Christ was the coolest thing around. (The thought of one day bossing around our former bosses gives us a thrill).

As for the show, the collection’s inspired by the Rococco movement, which is a long way from Subkoff’s latest escapades at Bebe.

And we mean that in a good way.

You’ll either love this or hate this, depending:

Besides the usual crush of TV actors and stylists coming to Fashion Week from LA, there’s a new infusion of style seekers that hail mostly from Cinespace.

They’re the LA scenesters, and they’ll be out in full force next week.

Starting the party is Imitation of Christ, who’ll launch their diffusion line on September 4th at Snitch. The DJs are Paul Sevigny, the Czar of the Beatrice Inn, and cutie David Katz. And we’ll be looking for designer Tara Subkoff and her neon blonde hair.

Meanwhile, Steve Aoki will spin at Alexander Wang’s show and party, while rumors swirl that his sister, Devon Aoki, will walk the runway. Those whispers are very unconfirmed, though we can promise that supermodel Erin Wasson will be there - she’s styling the clothes for Wang’s latest collection.

Finally, Jeremy Scott’s muse, Cory Kennedy, is in Manhattan for two weeks. She’ll attend various shows and parties, and pose for countless MySpace pictures along the way.

And now, back to the clothes…

Women’s Wear Daily reports that Chloe Sevigny is the new face of Chloe fragrances.

The actress has previous modeling experience as the face of M.A.C Viva Glam, the muse for Imitation of Christ, and the roller skating babe who preceded Kate Moss in those cute / totally weird ads for Chic Blesk Krasota. She also modeled for us with Liz Goldwyn at the Benjamin Cho show this Fall (and there’s the photo at left)!

We think Chloe is a perfect fit for Chloe, and we’re also having huge fun thinking of more brand synergies.

Like… Reese Witherspoon is obviously a Nina Ricci hit, but wouldn’t it be more fun if Christina Ricci wore Nina Ricci?

And if model Erin Heatherton became the face of Erin Featherston?

You guys are awfully good at these games… who else should go together?

Black nails may be suddenly last season, but the goth inspiration hasn’t fled the beauty counter, it’s merely rearranged itself:

Vampire luster returns this week with Imitation of Christ’s new lipstick by Smashbox Cosmetics.

We fell hard for it on the I.O.C runway last month.

Now ELLE reports that the shade is finally for sale - four months before the actual clothes are for sale!

But really that’s okay, because we do like Tara Subkoff, but we admit:

This time around, the lipstick was better than the outfits.

In truth, there wasn’t a flood of amazing ideas to come out of LA Fashion Week, but the rush of California clothes did have some interesting highlights.

Our favorite runway moment was Lydia Hearst on the Alvin Valley catwalk.

Our favorite collection was by Juan Carlos Obando, though we admit we’d probably choose to wear the Tarte stuff and the dresses by Corey Lynn Calter before anything else.

Our favorite makeup, as mentioned, was the blackly beautiful lipstick at Imitation of Christ.

And our favorite roundup comes from ELLE.com, where you can sift through pictures from the catwalks, the parties, and the red carpet, and also see our favorite LA model, Devon Aoki.

She’s dreamy.

Yesterday’s Imitation of Christ show took LA by storm - literally.

With swirling capes, tempest-tossed hair, and faux bones scattered along the runway, the show was a fashion tornado that infused Los Angeles with a goth-glam feel captured most powerfully by - of all things - a lipstick.

Smashbox Cosmetics collaborated with Tara Subkoff to create a limited edition shade just for her gorgeous gloomsters, applied alone to make the color of bloody velvet, or stacked with slick black pigment for a look we’ll call Buffy the Vampire Player.

According to Enid at LA.com, the lipstick is called Enchanting, and isn’t yet available - unless you were at the show, in which case, it was found in your gift bag!

There are many talented designers in Los Angeles, but the one we’re most excited about is Tara Subkoff for Imitation of Christ. Even if we don’t always “get’ IOC, the decision to show the line in LA is important.

Why?

Each season, amazing LA talent liquidates to New York. Libertine brings their vintage shredded style to the Tents, Jenni Kayne gears up with at least one Olsen, Mishon Schur brings the Kirsten quotient along with its swishy dresses, and Trovata makes every East Coast girl wish she was in California. Even Rock & Republic moves its trash-tastic party to Manhattan, leaving the L.A. runways with a lot of leftover denim, hot pink silk dresses for Paris and Nicky, and small handfuls of substance.

Tara’s L.A. return may inspire some other labels to Los Angeles, too, showing the style community that L.A. is more than Chip + Pepper jeans (though of course, we do love those).

How cool is ELLE fashion editor Kate Lanphear? Let’s put it this way: when Imitation of Christ showed their Spring ‘07 collection in September, they made sure she was sitting next to Scarlett. When Kate walks out of a fashion show, every assistant in the room turns to her third row friends and says, “she’s my girl crush.”

When we spotted Kate ditching the Marc Jacobs party at 205 (along with half the Marc Jacobs staff), we knew the routine: “She’s my girl crush,” I grinned to my date, then ditched him and promptly asked Kate to open her bag.

Kate: Sure; what do you want?

Us: Do you have any candy?

Kate: I have Reeses Peanut Butter Cups! The best kind! You get sugar lows during Fashion Week and they’re horrible; you’re waiting for a show to start and all you want is candy.

Us: You also have a lint roller.

Kate: I do. I wear mostly black and white, and in the winter with so many knits, those colors love to shed. Look, and I have a map of New York! I’m such a tourist! But people have shows in the most random places. Sometimes I look at the invite and I’m like, “Are you sure this show isn’t in London? Because I’ve never seen that address before.” It’s like streets get invented for Fashion Week.

Us: Why do you have an eraser?

Kate: I refuse to write in pen. I take all my show notes in mechanical pencil.

Us: Is there anything you do write in pen?

Kate: My name!