There is something a bit awkward about a designer choosing to repeat their “one-time, exclusive, limited edition” collaboration.

We love it - the more the merrier - but for the handful of people influenced to buy because it’s now or never, it must be disappointing when really, there’s nothing exclusive about it.

If you’re not in that camp, you’ll be thrilled to hear that Stella McCartney’s teaming with Gap for yet another collection. It’s still Gap Kids, for Spring, but by now you should know whether you need a girl’s size 12 or 14 and whether you prefer the fit of the boys’ or girls’ jackets.

Also on repeat? Jil Sander’s collection for Uniqlo. Unlike Stella, she’d left room for the possibility. We’re pretty sure her brilliant coats caused the line down Broadway, but we’re curious to see what she does with spring.

Love Strong: To sit front row this season, you needed an invite and an Eddie Borgo spike bracelet. If we’re taking trend cues from Rihanna (and really, who isn’t) you’re going to need a gauntlet come February. Meanwhile, the spike bracelet’s still sitting on top of my Christmas list. {Barneys}

Double Duty: Marios Scwhab and Raf Simons discuss designing their own line while designing another. The former thinks designing Halston brings something new to his own label while the latter switches on and off between Jil Sander and his eponymous collection. {VogueUK}

Color Us Surprised: Claudia Schiffer wants her own line. As my mom would say, “If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you really feel the need to do it, too?” {Telegraph}

The Styled Life: Keegan Singh might be a bit young for a retrospective, but who doesn’t want to stare at his Abbey Lee/Rodarte shoot from The Last Magazine over and over again? {TheMalcolm}

If you’re freaking out because you thought you might have to go a whole week without scrambling for a must-have collaboration, relax.

Jil Sander for Uniqlo launches this Thursday, October 1st.

It sounds like collection will be pretty big, consisting of both men’s and women’s outerwear, knitwear, tees, sweats and accessories (in fact, Sander’s Wikipedia page says there will be almost one hundred and fifty pieces). And we’ll bet the line down Broadway features a totally different kind of customer than usually spotted outside the H&Ms and Uniqlos and Topshops.

Speaking of designer collaborations, a pair of Pierre Hardy for Gap ankle boots would look pretty great with that coat. We’d tell you when you could buy them, too. Except we don’t know, because no one seems to know.

So Dear Gap, if you’re listening, we’d buy them all if we just knew when.

Coty’s launching Jil, the new fragrance from Jil Sander, in Europe this September and America next spring.

Yes, there was a Jil in 1997, but they’ve discontinued the old perfume and revamped the whole thing to reflect Raf Simons’ successful work at the label. The scent includes tangerine, pink pepper and ambergine and the streamlined pink bottle’s inspired by Simons’ complicated simplicity.

“It’s exactly like what Raf Simons does so successfully with the dresses. At first glance, they are extremely simple, but more you look the more you see subtle details that makes the beauty of them.” says Coty’s VP.

Julia Roitfeld’s the face of the line, thrilled because it’s both “tough…and feminine and fragile,” she told WWD. We’re loving the fresh faced ad and its call to a much younger customer - models should smile more often.

Earlier this summer, Carolina Herrera waved aside any Elle Woods’ prejudices and gushed about the color orange, calling it “the new red” and using it prominently in her lovely Resort 2010 collection.

I love orange, and am totally willing to jump onto the trend, but unfortunately something about an orange dress - on me- is not quite right. I have yet to find an one that I can rock like Karlie or Sessilee did on the runway, instead I end up looking like an elementary school teacher dressing for Halloween.

Enter orange accessories. I’m particularly drawn to this clutch and these pointed flats that I saw on Net-a-Porter. Both are from Jil Sander, where Raf Simons also gave us some beautiful orange dresses for fall. Loving that clutch: great color, great design.

Barney’s has a ton of orange wallets and accessories, mostly by Valextra. And of course Hermes has gorgeous options. But the pickings are still a little slim at this point. Tell us, have you spotted any good jewelry or shoes in “the new red”?

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Our guesses were off, neither Wang nor Proenza are forging ahead with ad campaigns in these tough economic times - but Raf Simons is.

His first ever ad, following the likes of Zac Posen, Rodarte and Derek Lam, will debut in magazines this fall and showcase his eponymous menswear line.

He’ll also be opening two more stores and working on a furniture collection with the Belgian firm that previously collaborated with Ann Demeulemeester. Simons pretty much answers our earlier ad question saying that, “It’s another way to communicate with your audience. Fashion shows can only do so much.”

In other ad news - remember that epic OP for Wal-mart campaign from last year? Well they’ve done it again with a cast of 90210 meets reality stars at a Good Charlotte concert and added Solange Knowles to the bunch.

After sitting front row at shows from Gareth Pugh to Tracy Reese this past year, we kind of expected more.

YSL’s launching a “new vintage” capsule collection at Barneys next month.

The clothes will be made from fabric recycled from the YSL archives and built into some of their most memorable designs. Does that mean safari jackets made from Yves’ original left over fabrics or a reconstructed le smoking jacket made from pieces he actually sewed?

Not sure, since the above news is buried in this morning’s WWD article on the luxury world’s latest tactics for attracting those customers still willing to drop thousands but unwilling to do so without pampering.

The trick is, according to Robert Burke, “to get traffic that’s not associated with sales.”

So they’re getting personal. Jimmy Choo hosted a party at Tamara Mellon’s house, Hermes launched a traveling photo exhibition (of course, the photographs are of Hermes product) around which they throw intimate shopping parties and Jil Sander threw a fashion show for 250 of its nearest and dearest clients which resulted in solid sales for the week directly after.

Apparently, there’s no limit on how far luxury brands will go to attract even a single new client - though we bet they’d stop short of tattoos.

You fall into one of two camps these days: Either, “I’m not shopping til this thing is over” or “I’m only buying really spectacular pieces.”

And in the midst of Fashion Weeks, it’s pretty difficult to stick to the former, especially when Style.com’s just let us in on a major secret.

Matches, the uber-hip British boutique, has teamed up with a handful of designers - McQueen, Stella McCartney, Balenciaga, Jil Sander, Belstaf, Louboutin, Herve Leger - to bring their most devoted shoppers a few select gems. Most of the designers have produced about one hundred pieces of their exclusive designs (some, like Balenciaga, at left, have only made five) and each will sell with a numbered certificate. Most cost a fortune, but some are within reach. Most, actually all, are gorgeous.

And even if you’re sticking to a no shopping mandate, it doesn’t hurt to look.

If you think pretty editorials could benefit from a little bit of life, Nick Knight’s on the job.

Because while it’s nice to see images of models frozen mid-jump in this season’s runway looks, it’s even better to see them actually jump - half the beauty is in the movement.

As of today, you can see the final results of SHOWstudio’s “Let There Be Light” project. Knight, in collaboration with Ruth Hogben (one of Nick’s close associates), has directed Lily Donaldson dressed up in the best of Spring 09 - a Margiela jacket, a Jil Sander bodysuit, Lanvin pants, Balenciaga shoes.

Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at Lily’s photo shoot. Head to SHOWstudio for the final cut and highlights from V’s editorial.

—JULIA HERMANNS

Linda Dresner, the legendary Park Avenue boutique, will shutter next month.

While magazines go out with a bang, the city’s retail gems - this year’s seen the demise of Leontine and Dernier Cri along with others - quietly close their doors in the face of still-skyrocketing rents, invisible shoppers and major department store sales they’d never dream of competing with.

Dresner, who brought the greats - Yamamoto, Demeulemeester, Margiela, Jil Sander, Commes des Garcons - to the Upper East Side more than twenty years ago sums it up best, “There’s too much of everything right now. Would I open a store in New York today? No. Retailing has to be reconsidered. It’s become a commodity that’s less creative. There’s too many stores selling the same kind of merchandise and it’s not as beautifully chosen. It’s ruined the enthusiasm for fashion.”

Basically, the retail market, especially in New York, is totally oversaturated. You try on a pair of jeans in one store and they don’t have your size? Skip down the block, and if they don’t have them there, you might have to go three whole subway stops to yet another store carrying the same brand. It’s as easy to buy a pair of Sevens in this city as it is a grande latte.

Staying alive in this economy will be rough. Small boutiques will have to carry things the big stores don’t, whether that means different lines or just a different buy, because they just can’t mark things down the way Barneys can. Customers will need incentives - buy this, get that - they’ll need motivation and they’ll need, most of all, encouragement because even those who have the money to shop right now are terrified.

It won’t be easy, it will require patience and creativity and a passionate love of the game, but please, little stores, don’t close your doors!

WWD just reminded everyone that Raf Simons is the newest collaborator with Dr. Martens, with his version on the angry kid classic hitting stores this January as part of Spring 09 shipments.

But we’ve been hearing something else, too, something about a waiting list for high-heeled Docs, somewhere in London -

But that’s all we’ve able to discern yet.

So if you see Cory Kennedy in some high-heeled Docs on Greene St, you know our e-mail.

One of our boy readers just won the award for Fashionista fan who pays the most attention ever - or who has the best photographic memory.

He’s alerted us to this stylish model on YesStyle.com. We’re not familiar with the site, but we do like this gray, light-knit shirt - it’s like the sweatshirt to the Kain t-shirts we’ve been wearing obsessively.

Except here it’s worn by a very handsome model who doesn’t even know he’s wearing it.

As Wayne astutely pointed out in his email, that hipster-y gray top has been Photoshopped over the chunkier mustard sweater said handsome model wore on Jil Sander’s Fall 08 runway. If you doubt for a second it’s not the exact same shot, check out the dude walking in the other direction, everything from his step to his shoulder matches up in both images.

Is this common practice? Can you imagine if Forever 21 took the girls from the Marc runway and superimposed their clothes on top?

Yikes!

Jil Sander’s launching a new fragrance for fall.

Scent 79, for both men and women, will debut stateside exclusively at Neiman Marcus in November, (it’s been available in Europe for almost a year).

It’s allegedly crafted “like haute-couture clothing,” combining notes of peach and cranberry with base notes of leather, wood and musk. The minimalist bottle is supposed to reflect the recent streamlined collections - mostly neutral but with pops of vivid color.

The fragrance could stand to be a bit less heavy handed than Raf Simons’ latest collection.

His sharp menswear-inspired looks matched with a lighter, feminine scent could get even the most crazed girl through fashion week.

It’s no secret that we heart Kate Moss. Usually she can do no wrong, but when she recently stepped out wearing a dress that literally showed off all her assets, we were surprisingly put off. And it’s not just Kate - lately we’ve noticed quite a few chicks on the street baring all in lingerie.

We understand lingerie inspired looks. We love a pretty slip dress or camisole for night. But that’s not what’s going on. The look we’ve been seeing is to actually wear what could pass for pajamas - in public. Even Shopbop’s encouraging us to go through the day in hot pants and a tank top!

We understand they’re comfy. But so are sweatpants, baggy t-shirts and yoga pants, and we aren’t wearing those to work anytime soon. Plus the whole thing is a little bit of a fashion TMI. We’re not sure we want the whole block knowing what we look like in our underwear.

We’re not saying the look doesn’t have potential to be cute - See Jil Sander and Marc Spring ‘08 for inventive and sophisticated applications of sheer. But for the regular girl, with a regular life off the runway, is it really acceptable?

How can there be at once a stigma against leaving the house in a sweat suit, but not against stepping outside in a see-through slip? Is it that outrageously comfortable clothes are acceptable if they maintain a degree of sexiness? Or is this the Juicy Couture sweat suit of 2008?

— HAYLEY PHELAN

It’s crazy, it’s overwhelming, it makes you want to scream…

It’s the Barneys Warehouse Sale.

But is it worth braving the insanity?

We did this morning, and you should too, if:

-You really wanted a pair of those satin cap-toe platforms Lindsay wore in the Miu Miu ads. There are lots, and they’re marked down to $235.

-You need a pair of pants for work. There are piles of basic black, white, and tan slacks from Jil Sander and Balenciaga in the $130-300 range.

-You really like Sophia Kokosalaki, or the line she designed for Vionnet, as Sophia has surpassed Alber Elbaz this year as the designer most represented on the sale racks. But be willing to shell out for it, since most of the pieces are still a few thousand dollars - and not that nice!

-You’re a tall girl who wants heels (there are lots of great pumps in sizes nine and ten), or a short girl who wants flats (there are lots of cute ones in size six and seven). If you want cheap designer shoes, there’s no in-between.

-You really loved those Louboutin espadrilles Sarah showed you yesterday - they’re heeeere.

-You do modern dance, and you want a Marc by Marc unitard - they’re everywhere.

-You like Dries van Noten and you like spangles.

There’s also the usual clutch of DVF dresses (some nice Vena Cava, too), mountains of Loomstate hoodies, a lonely feathered Giles gown, tons of Rick Owens tube tops ($50), and lots of great stuff from Balenciaga’s capsule collections (Knits, Silk, Pants).

I picked up a Balenciaga shell ($99) and pants ($138)…

But all I really want to put on are my pajamas. I think I need a nap.

—ANNA FIELDING GRIGGS

In the humble tradition of K by Karl Lagerfeld and Marc by Marc Jacobs, Raf Simons (of Jil Sander fame) has introduced a secondary line named… RAF by Raf Simons.

In an interview with Dazed and Confused, Simons explains his desire to create a second line.

The urge stems from Raf’s feeling of disconnection, both from the youth culture that’s inspired him (like Hedi Slimane), and from an industry that requires his designs meet other people’s expectations.

But despite the fact that RAF is technically a diffusion line, Simons is quick to point out that lower prices don’t indicate lower standards:

“I don’t want to be ruined, like other people have been, by their second lines. You can get to a point where the whole image is lost, and it becomes so tacky that it damages the whole brand.”

Judging from his F/W 07 collection, Simons shouldn’t be concerned. His RAF pants could be the Hedi Slimane suits of the future - chic girls everywhere might be vying to get into a pair of his graphic jeans.

—ALLIE MERRIAM

Milan is the only big fashion city so far to adopt official model regulations: According to the Italian goverment, models must have a BMI of 18 - 22 in order to work on the catwalks. Rumors have swirled about girls bulking up - even curvy Gisele gained a reported fifteen pounds for her Dolce & Gabbana cameo.

What’s odd is the rules don’t seem to match the models. Snejana The Svelte sat out New York because of the controversy, but now she’s back at the biggest shows - Prada, Jil Sander, Burberry - and she looks envious (read: so thin). But Snejana’s not the thinnest; that honor may go to Vlada Roslyakova. Vlada’s elegant face is exquisite, but it’s hard to focus on it when her neck is gnarled in bones and little hairs stand on end from her legs (observe this photo at Just Cavalli - killer outfit, amazing face, but oh).

Fashionista does not believe that “real girls” should be on a high fashion runway - far from it. In fact, Fashionista is obsessed and in love with models, and yes, we often wish we could be one, had been one, anything that could get us on a Henry Holland shirt.

We just want to know - why do the models in Milan look thinner and sharper than ever?

German Fashion Week just got official, thanks to a new partnership with IMG (who also produce the Fashion Weeks in New York, LA, India, and Australia). While Jil Sander, Wolfgang Joop, and Kai Kuhne would be the obvious choices for a runway lineup (and Karl Lagerfeld would be the dream-come-true scenario), we have another German designer whose clothes would garner a lot of attention… especially for shoppers who like “zee vind and zee vater and all zee happy colors.”

Plus, then Heidi Klum could host the whole week, and that would be super.

Today, the clothes-curious kids at Gawker sent us a challenge: Explain White Converse, and their bizarre blitz across the city.

This is the part where we confess that right now, our closet only has Vans. Plus, this is a big issue - Chuck Taylors are a New York icon, like black-and-white cookies, MetroCards, and Mary Kate’s sunglasses. For such an accessory, we need some help from the ultimate Converse experts - Teen Vogue and Nylon:

Gloria Baume, Teen Vogue Fashion Director: “To me, there is nothing quite as chic as the stark neatness of a White Converse. It’s that slightly nerdy Chicness that makes it so irresistible. Add a little black ankle sock, a pencil skirt and a simple Hanes Men’s neat white T-shirt and it’s very Luella Bartley. Wear it with a tailored black skinny suit and it’s very Jil Sander. Add to all that style the amazing comfort factor …how can you go wrong?

At Teen Vogue we have styled them with skinny jeans, school uniforms, volume skirts, even prom dresses. They run the whole gamut.”

Jane Keltner, Teen Vogue Fashion News Director: “White Converse are a classic—they’ll never go out of style. White is great because it’s like a blank slate. You can pair it with anything and create your own mood. Plus, it looks even better when it’s worn and aged.”

Joe Berean, Nylon Fashion Editor: “I just did a page of ’80s inspired clothing, and the White Converse are in the middle. They look amazing with skinny jeans - somehow, your legs get even longer. Also, it’s freezing cold. Last week it was 60 degrees. People are confused - White Converse are for people who can’t deal with Winter.”

Fashionista.com adds: Also: White Converse are obviously the best kind, because you can draw all over them when you’re bored!