Stella McCartney sent pants-less looks down her runway as early as her Spring 2008 collection (September of 2007, when Gaga was still just a noise babies made). She carried the look through to last spring’s line-up of pants-less suits and rompers, but this season almost every designer jumped on the bandwagon.

Charles Anastase showed a killer nude and black playsuit; Marc layered pants-less options under military jackets; Miuccia showed hotpants in Milan last night; Brian Reyes’ opening look was nothing but a white bodysuit. As if a lack of pants wasn’t enough, Alex Wang sewed sheer panels into his and Jenni Kayne added a matching leather bandeau, conservatively draped with a grandpa cardigan, of course.

But, well, you know which question remains.

at jenni kayneLast night, what I’ve been calling day 1/2 of Fashion Week, was a whirlwind.

I left the office and ran to Jenni Kayne’s presentation in a tiny slip of a room in Soho. Models stood on one wall while editors and photographers stood six inches away on the other. The clothes were great, easy comfortable California-cool with neon yellow, slouchy khakis and my favorite, blue and white striped tops.

From there I ran uptown to the opening of the Merci.Gap pop up on 5th Avenue. Patrick Robinson sat in the corner amidst the carefully curated vintage and customized trench coats and editors shopped the charming housewares and one-off jewels. Then I walked (ouch, out of heel practice) to the Audi forum on 47th & Park to catch Mikael Kale - the Canadian designer favored by Rihanna and Beyonce. He hand sews each and every one of his intricate dresses and I was told to keep my eyes on the VMA stage to see more.

…Because they were all over the New York runways for Spring.

They came huge (Threeasfour, Jenni Kayne), they came small (DVF, Alexandre Herchcovitch, Phillip Lim), they even came minuscule and in body art-like swirls on sheer tops and leggings (Ohne Titel).

We fully expect to see them in every store come February, but the bigger question remains: Will we see them on every girl come April?

Only if we don’t mind looking like disco balls (or Sienna Miller circa 2006)…

You can’t really beat the quickie like thrill of a runway show - but from a purely professional perspective, presentations make way more sense.

You can circle around the clothes, see them up close and linger in front of your favorite look as long as you like. But the poor models get tired just standing there in pretty shoes which means thirty minutes into the thing they slouch, sit, get cranky etc.

So when we walked into Jenni Kayne’s presentation at Industria Studios yesterday we said, “Finally! Someone used mannequins.”

Jenni displayed her very grown up collection in a U-shape. There were colorful chiffon prints, belted jeans, sequin dresses (are these required now?) and lots of black on white outfits, most of which was belted with a double wrap-around brown belt.

We found out later Jenni used mannequins because she’s due to give birth any moment and couldn’t fly to New York to cast her show. We’d forgotten for a second that she was a mom to be, but it explained how she got from her I’m-a-cool-LA/NY-girl-with-all-the-right-rock-star-friends Fall collection to this.

We’d wear half - but our Moms would look pretty cool in the other half.

To: Natalie@Fashionista.com

From: ShirtDresses@Francophile.com

Hey!

Went to the sale at Curve yesterday, and your favorite (Isabel Marant) is very on sale.

They’re about half-way through, but there’s still a lot of good stuff left, sometimes marked down 50%.

There’s also some Vivienne Westwood and Jenni Kayne, in case you’re interested.

xo

Curve is at Mercer right near Spring. See you later…

We feel like we should officially mention that it’s LA Fashion Week.

Well, it’s almost over now, but it’s been highlighted by celebu-spawn designs by Lauren Conrad and Nicky Hilton, and front row appearances by Sean William Scott and Jenna Jameson (No love from Lisa Love, LC?). Even as an LA native, intern Jazzi has to admit she has never paid much attention to the West Coast mini to-do, and never had the urge to go hang outside of Culver City’s Smashbox Studios or sneak into shows like she might consider for Bryant Park (Though this season Erin Fetherston did host a party she would have liked to attend).

We think the fact that the Pussycat Dolls’ lingerie line showed in the closing slot says a lot about the way things go in LA. Well, that and the fact that LA’s most notable talents, Monique Lhullier and Jenni Kayne, show in New York.

We get that LA is not a “Fashion Capitol” and more of a “Lifestyle City”, but as hard as it tries to be legitimate, we wish we could expect a little bit more. We know there’s a lot of talent to be had. After all, LA did give us the Olsens, Jenny Lewis, Santino, Jeffrey, and Rami.

Still, every season we wonder if LA will finally get its day in the fashion spotlight… but then we get back to daydreaming at the beach.

—JAZZI McGILBERT

Jenni Kayne is from Hollywood, and accordingly, her collection was too:

Giant glasses perfect for deflecting glares, grins, or paparazzi.

Shredded furs and tumbling gowns to get caught in the door of a valet car.

Slouches to hide secret pregnancies; jackets to wear to a power lunch where you have a crush on the neighboring agent; deep purples and brushed grays the color of sunset smog. Actually, the whole thing looked very Olsen, which makes sense, since Jenni is friends with them.

In a corner stood Brent Bolthouse; we were thisclose to asking him why, exactly, he hired Heidi Montag, and then we realized the answer was obvious and he’d never give it to us.

And onstage stood another Heide, the one from 8th and Ocean who booked an Abercrombie campaign, stole the adorable Britt’s crush, and still looks (to us) like Cintia Dicker with very blonde hair.

The whole thing is below. Have fun.

Brie Cross, 26, publicist at Bismarck Phillips Communications

Got Her: Outside our lunch mecca, Whole Foods Bowery

Stalked Her: Because it’s okay to wear just one color - as long as you play with proportion.

Shot Her: We have a weakness for military jackets. And gray tights. And big scarfs. Don’t you?

She Says: The skirt is by Jenni Kayne, the Californian designer. And the shoes are by Maloles. But this jacket, true story, I found it at H&M and I had to fight for it!

We Say: Paint it black.

There’s a roundup of hot new labels in Variety today, and the piece accidentally highlights two very big issues:

1. Celebrities are as important, if not more important, to a new designer’s success as the fashion press.

2. People actually buy clothes they see on celebs - maybe the most telling quote from the article comes from Jenni Kayne, the former Olsen babysitter who says “Michelle Pfeiffer wore one of my dresses to the L.A. premiere of ‘Hairspray’ and it was a great branding experience… That dress ended up being one of our bestsellers. People from around the country were calling to find out about it.”

We’ll admit this news was surprising - we like to wear outfits that nobody’s ever seen, except maybe, sort of, on the runway.

But it seems there’s a massive pack of girls who take their cues from the red carpet and not from the catwalks, from vintage photos, from art, music, film, or from the mess of old clothes heaped up in their bedroom. It’s all Page Six, all the time, and as Jenni found out, it pays.

But is it fun to wear something As Seen On TV? When can you do it and look like a fashion girl, and not just a fan?

The first few seasons that Jenni Kayne hit the scene, we weren’t so excited.

The designer herself was lovely, and her collection of celebrity fans like Mary Kate and Cameron was impressive - sometimes more impressive than her actual collection of slouched LA sportswear that leaned hip but also looked droopy.

Last season, though, we were somewhat converted:

Sharp black sheaths, streaks of leather jackets, everything short, boxed, pointed, cute, done.

These clothes could make you look great but not slutty, the kind of dresses you’d wear around a guy if you weren’t sure he liked you back.

This season, it’s more of the same - fun stuff to wear when you want to look cute. In fact, our only criticism is that sometimes, the clothes are too mellow and pretty to have a real point of view. Looking at them, you might not say, “That’s so Jenni Kayne,” you might not know what she’s all about.

In fact, the entire collection reminded us of the blonde LA starlets who will no doubt wear it - appealing, blinked, and usually interchangeable (witness the mix-ups backstage with Ashlee Simpson, Brittany Snow, and Carrie Underwood this week).

But sometimes, that’s okay too - we’d be lying if we didn’t secretly dream sometimes of an US Weekly moment.

Memo to celebrity publicists:

If you have a cute client who needs a little push, RSVP her to a fashion show.

We’ve been hearing from PR Blackberries around the city that so far, there are way less celeb confirmations than in the past - in part because MTV’s Video Music Awards happen at the exact same time, in Las Vegas, “and we’ve lost so many regulars because of it,” confided one fashion publicist.

Of course a few famous faces will show for the shows, but this trickle could be a continuation of last year, when Mary Kate’s arrival at Jenni Kayne was received like the gift of the Magi. Just look at New York’s backstage photos to see the star drought.

But why have celebs stopped mobbing the runways?

In part, because they’re scared of the press mobbing them. Fashion shows are notoriously open season, with the understanding that if a famous person comes to a catwalk, they want the exposure - and the constant paparazzi.

We’ll never forget the arrival of Paris Hilton at Nanette Lepore last year - the panic was like the apocalypse. And at Zaldy’s show, when we had the bizarre experience of sitting next to Hilary Duff (who was awesome, we should admit), we had to wear our sunglasses because of all the flashes.

We suspect the other reason celebs fear fashion week is this story from The New York Times. Called “Look at Me, Look at Me, Please Look at Me,” it mocks Mischa Barton’s front row occupation during Spring ‘07 showings.

By Fall ‘07, Mischa didn’t appear at all, and celebrities who did deigned to make multiple shows got called out on their needy flashbulb habits.

Note the sneer we heard from two fashion insiders this weekend, when each remarked separately, “At least Debra Messing will be there.”

And maybe Evan Rachel Wood, too, since she has 3 movies premiering…

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).

Mary Kate and Ashley witnessed the return of the black plastic jacket at Jenni Kayne, but you can beat them to the punch at Club Monaco. Their black patent trench is a hallmark of their spring collection, and it just hit stores this week.

Suggestions:

*wear it with jeans, messy hair, sunglasses, and flats during the day.

*wear it over a “where are your pants?!” miniskirt at night.

*when the rain comes, pair it with proper boots and not wellies.

*also excellent should you be starring in an episode of Dr. Who, or building a time machine.

Speaking of Ashley Olsen, here she is stacked between her sister and Rachel Zoe at the Jenni Kayne show.

Her appearance there (instead of at Marc, Proenza, etc) raises an interesting trend of this week: the younger, less known, less practiced designers are getting more boldface action than any of the style titans thus far.

But why?

Part of it is location - Jenni is from L.A., which gives her more access to starlets. Erin Fetherston is from California too, and she had Zooey Deschanel sing in her show. Meanwhile, L.A. native Stephanie Schur from Mischon Schur had a private viewing with Kirsten Dunst last week.

But maybe more relevant than address is this: a starlet’s style might be as important as her movies. Nicole Richie does virtually nothing, yet she’s an A-list star because of her clothes. Mischa Barton’s talent has yet to be tested, but she sure looks amazing in Chanel. But nobody wants to admit that Rachel Zoe, etc, has picked out her outfits. If an actress aligns herself with an up-and-coming designer - as Hilary Duff did a few years ago with Zac Posen - it proves her taste, her fashion know-how, and ultimately a big part of her It Girl appeal.

Also there might be some empathy involved - once they’ve started showing on runways, young designers learn their craft in a very public space. Actors are the same - everyone remembers Zooey Deschanel in Almost Famous, though she was still a newbie. There must be some alignment among young creative talents that makes them glom together in support - though we doubt Zooey will wear Erin Fetherston’s clothes to the Oscars.

PS: In case you were wondering, Ashley wore red gloss to Jenni Kayne’s show, and Mary Kate wore full-out red lipstick, Proenza style.

The problem with Fashion Week is it always leaves you wanting more - specifically, more to stuff inside your closet.

So if you’re itching to shop the runways, you can actually start right now. Six young designers showing this week have exclusive tees available on ShopBop.com, with all proceeds going to charity.

Commissioned by Glamour magazine, the tees retail for $68 and come from Vena Cava (pictured), Rachel Roy, Jenni Kayne, Thread Social, Rodarte, and Sari Gueron. Best of all, unlike most runway delights, the shirts come in small, medium, and “actually, I think starving myself is rather boring.”

Click here to buy.

Fashion’s reputation may be fragile, but its designer duos are strong - Dolce & Gabbana broke up years ago but they still run a brand. Proenza’s romantic detatchment did no harm to their clothes. Heatherette’s Richie and Traver are polar opposites with a booming business.

So why is designer Heidi Middleton, a half of Sass + Bide, missing in action for Fashion Week?

No, there hasn’t been a fight. In fact, Heidi is home in Australia expecting her second baby. That means co-conspirator Sarah Jane Clarke has to go it alone this season, “but only backstage!” she assured us last night. “Heidi and I designed the whole collection together, as usual. And we miss her!”

Aww, we miss her too - but we’ll never miss her show!

Other shows you shouldn’t miss: Charlotte Ronson and Jenni Kayne - rumor has it that Nicole Richie will be at both!