Last week, I spent a few days in LA soaking up the other side of the fashion industry, one that loves the art as much as we do, but revolves almost entirely around celebrities.

So I dove right in, starting with a celebrity stylist: Nicole Chavez. Never heard of her? Well, you probably love her work since she styles Rachel Bilson (who, let’s face it, is best known for her style), Scarlett Johansson and Kristen Bell. I’d spent time with my fair share of editorial stylists, but for a career that has the same name, it couldn’t be more different.

We spent the day pulling clothes for three events for Scarlett - Comic Con, the LA Shorts Film Festival and a Dolce & Gabbana in-store appearance - which means we ran from her loft to a designer’s house to Dolce’s showroom to Prada’s store stopping to pick up shoes on the way and unloading FedEx boxes at home. It was a never ending parade of pulling and editing and choosing and trying on and my peppering Nicole with a million questions.

So how’d she get started? What was it like working on The OC? Does she ever want to do editorial? Find out after the jump!

FrostFrench might have been rescued but Jovovich Hawk is over - for good.

Milla Jovovich started her line of boho clothes in 2003 with her also-a-model friend, Carmen Hawk. In the past five years, their clothes have made it into stores like Fred Segal, magazines like Vogue, and they’ve partnered with both Mango and Target.

But her whirlwind designer stint has come to an end. She says rather underhandedly, in the September Lucky, that, “When one door closes…” We assume another will open?

Meanwhile, we’ve been spending a lot of time window shopping on-line (fashion week’s on the brain), and we’ve spotted some signature Jovovich-Hawk dresses.

We’ll be snapping those up right about now.

Sometimes, we wish we were in the army. Okay, maybe not. But we wouldn’t mind wearing the uniform. Case in point: this cute little military inspired number by Jovovich-Hawk on sale at Shopbop.

Military was all over the runway for Fall 08 and this dress fits the bill perfectly, kind of reminding us of the Temperley show, over which we obsessed. It’s simple enough that the military influence isn’t overwhelming and the brocade fabric makes it evening appropriate while it’s gold buttons and classic cut kind of make you feel you just scored a gem at some obscure vintage store.

We could totally picture it with little black flats in the summer but if we paired it with black tights and boots we’d rock it all through winter. The best part? A $500 dress at 70% off - click quick!

—HAYLEY PHELAN

Target has decided which designer will follow Jovovich-Hawk and Rogan for their GO International line -

New York designer Richard Chai.

Chai made a name for himself after working for Marc Jacobs (and helping launch Marc by Marc) and reviving Tse.

We have a feeling Richard Chai is going to become a lot more well known outside the fashion community in the coming year - In the past month alone, he’s announced plans to design resort, pre-fall and a men’s line in addition to this capsule collection for Target.

The line will debut in August, so expect little jackets with rounded seams, a bright dress or two and at least one sheer, flowing top.

Those waiting on Jovovich-Hawk for Target are (sort of) in luck:

Net-a-Porter has a rather unbeatable deal on a black slip dress and leggings from the label, sold together for $92.

But gazing at the outfit, we realized it was more than a killer bargain.

It also represents what a heap of LA designers offer for Fall:

Fabrics in light weight and breezy cut, with the detail, shape, and color that follows Fall trends.

And though we’ve talked about “seasonless dressing” a lot, a trip to Jeffrey’s today revealed that even the sleeveless and weightless offerings for Fall - like this insanely great dress from Oscar de la Renta, hanging lonely on a rack - still fit the whims of Amy Larocca’s 5x10 trend board.

Is this the future of fashion?

A tidbit for weekend Fashionista addicts:

Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk will bring their stuff to Target next year, after Erin Fetherston’s winter collction.

The move marks the first time a “celebrity” line goes to Target, but also something stranger:

Jovovich-Hawk already did a range for the chain store Mango. Although Mango’s main presence is in Spain and France, it does have US branches, especially in California.

Now that we know Target doesn’t mind a brand with a mass market past, we can cross our fingers and hope for Karl Lagerfeld - a former H&M contributor - to hit the bullseye!

Meanwhile, look out for a Target commercial directed by Milla herself, plus those signature J-H smock dresses this Spring.

They will now cost $30, but if you can’t wait that long, they’re about $100 on Net-A-Porter’s sale site.

Usually we temper our jealousy of models by rationalizing that it’s their sole job to look good.

But Aussie model Jacqui Alexander isn’t just this year’s face of Melbourne fashion week. At 18, she’s also the youngest designer ever to be picked up by Harvey Nichols.

Yet, before we put her on our list of girls to envy, we have to wonder:

If a model works with the texture and fit of high fashion clothes all day, isn’t she inherently bred to be a good designer? Or is it foolish to assume that a model’s mere proximity to Zac, Marc, and Karl will give her talent by osmosis? And can anything replace years of design school and internships?

There’s another issue: A model’s job is to look good in her clothing. So can someone with a “perfect” body understand how clothes can fit “real” girls?

Jacqui’s clothes kind of look like regurgitated Alice + Olivia. But since Jacqui’s modeling them on the site, they look wonderful— and we kind of want them.

Other models-turned-designers have a similar appeal - Carmen and Milla for Jovovich-Hawk, Jayne Mayle, and Georgina Chapman of Marchesa all look like their own ad campaigns. But will you get the same effect in their clothes?

Perhaps Kate Moss’s “design” adventure was actually the best compromise: She recreated her own clothes for TopShop, in more sizes, vaguely affordable pricing, and a team of seasoned designers behind her.

Maybe Jacqui should meet up with H&M…

— NATALIE MATTHEWS

Mango is a Spanish retail chain, but the star of their new ad campaign is American royalty:

Mamie Gummer (aka4 daughter of Meryl Streep).

Mamie was photographed in April for the store’s new advertisements that will appear in Britain and Spain.

She follows in the steps of other Mango models like Milla Jovovich (who also took a turn as a designer for the shop when Mango featured a capsule collection from Jovovich-Hawk) and other celebrity offspring like French model/actress Lou Doillon (daughter of Jane Birkin) and Lizzy Jagger (daughter of Mick and Jerry Hall).

Mango has a low profile in this country - they have only twelve stores in the US, none of which are near NYC - so we’re not sure if the ads will be out in the USA, where Mamie is also the face for the indie clothing label These Three Things.

And of course, you can see her looking cute around town…

Paper’s March issue stars Milla Jovovich and Carmen Hawk, with a story called “How to Succeed in Fashion - While Really Trying.” The piece has seven gorgeous photographs of the girls in their own clothes, plus an explanation of how the Jovovich Hawk line came into the loght - when Milla was offered an Emporio Armani modeling gig, her contract came with an option to “guest design.” That never panned out, but a new desire to make clothes did.

Meanwhile, author Mickey Boardman plainly reveals that the team had some work to do:

“Both girls were armed with lots of fabulousness and cute taste, but neither had much design experience. (To that, Milla says to Carmen, “Well, you took a class at Parsons.” Carmen responds, laughing: “In printmaking!”)

Compare this article to yesterday’s Times piece on Marchesa questioning whether the label’s success is due to talent or to Harvey Weinstein - the boyfriend of Marchesa designer Georgina Chapman.

And also, there’s this: during Fashion Week, we remember running to the Jovovich-Hawk for Mango presentation. Directly ahead of us was a harried English journalist. “Hello,” she said to the PR girls at the front, “I’m here to see Marchesa… I mean Jovovich Hawke… I’m sorry, which is it?”

Milla’s electric shadow at the back of the room let her know.