Blog-alicious: Meet Caroline. She’s guest blogging for Lucky (how we found her), but she’s actually a textile designer with her own blog full of illustrations, both fashion and otherwise, and other very pretty things. {ItLooksGoodToMe}

Oscar & Valentino: The designer’s doc is on the short-list for an Oscar nom. Sadly, The September Issue is not. But we’re still pulling for a fashion victory. Also, we couldn’t be more excited for Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin to host. {Vogue UK}

Thigh High: The kids over at Nylon sound like they had a grand old time recreating Miuccia’s super festive socks and they’re letting us in on the scheme. Just in time for party season. Hooray! {Nylon}

This is the End: They may be denying it, but sources say there’s a major brawl going down between executives at Ungaro over what else? La Lohan. Let’s hope the best man wins. {Page Six}

If you thought Lindsay Lohan might give fashion a rest post-Ungaro, you’re wrong.

After hanging out with jeweler Pascal Mouawad at Jermaine Dupri’s house late last week, she told Access Hollywood that the two are actually working together, “we’re doing something with a friend who owns bebe.”

We wish we knew the terms of her Ungaro contract; if it doesn’t forbid her from working on other fashion collections, especially an American mall brand, CEO Mounir Moufarrige must be kicking himself (if he wasn’t already). That is, assuming Lindsay hasn’t made this up.

Poor Ungaro, if he reached the soul-sucking stage of grief last week, this news might put him over a dangerous edge.

Please forgive me while I rant for a moment.

When we heard Ashlee Simpson-Wentz was possibly being shot for Vogue, I had a minor fit in the office. Of everyone in young Hollywood that the magazine has yet to feature, I couldn’t believe this was the choice.

The younger Simpson sister perhaps irks me to a disproportionate degree, but that’s just how it is. (I did dress as her on Halloween for a “Come As Your Most Loathed Celebrity Party.”) Now that she’s been axed from Melrose Place, rumors are surfacing that she wants to do a clothing line.

It’s just too much. Is Joe Simpson not paying attention to what’s happening to Lindsay Lohan in the fashion press this week—because you know he’s still pulling the strings on those girls’ careers? And of the two sisters, Ashlee certainly hasn’t been the “fashion” one, if you can even categorize them that way.

Is she going to start knocking off Chucks and Vans? Is there another rocker tee and hoodie line in our futures? Ugh. Okay, off to do some yoga breathing.

The whole world weighed in on Lindsay Lohan and Estrella Archs’ SS10 collection for Ungaro.

Except Emanuel Ungaro himself. The founder’s kept quiet since he sold the house in 2004, but yesterday, at a film festival outside of Lisbon, he was quite blunt, “Lindsay Lohan’s collaboration was a disaster.”

“I am furious but I can’t do anything about it,” he told the Independent, adding that his vision “is in the process of losing its soul…That happens to a lot of designers. We were the creators and patrons, responsible for the creation and destiny of our houses. But when we gave up our houses, we gave up our souls.”

We can’t imagine the man ever coming to terms with heart pasties stamped with his name, but as the outcry over the collection settles down (or had until now), we wonder what happens next? If no one buys the collection, stores or customers, how long does it take until CEO Mounir Moufarrige gives up?

More importantly, if another Ungaro collection sees the light of day while Luella doesn’t, we predict a massive fashion temper tantrum.

For those of you that might not follow celebrity news as closely as others, lately there’s been a rash of break-ins to celebrity homes including those of Rachel Bilson, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, and Orlando Bloom.

While this is not surprising in itself, given that there would likely be some very nice goods found in any of the above, what is surprising is the news of who allegedly committed the crimes and why—a band of teenage girls obsessed with clothing and jewelry. Talk about a new level of high school shenanigans.

According to police sources of the LA Times, the girls studied celeb magazines, television shows, and websites to pick out what clothing they wanted, cased the homes and stole their chosen items.

Seriously, that is (allegedly) a super creepy extreme to take your love of fashion. And this is coming from people who really love fashion.

“Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I didn’t expect everyone to be completely loving the collection. It is the same with everything I have done. I knew that people were going to target me. I am a target. I don’t know why I am, but I am, and I accept that. I just don’t pay attention to it.”—Lindsay Lohan to the Sunday Times. Really, Lindsay, you don’t know by now? C’mon.

Add A Slash: As in model/actress. Next up is Agyness who’s shooting a short film with the guy who plays the ADA on Law & Order. Also we now have “Celebrity Skin” running through our heads, which is not a bad thing at all. {Page Six}

Is Adidas the New Target: They’ve had Jeremy Scott and Stella McCartney, but now they’re onto British brand PPQ. Here’s your first look at their stripe-y, Catwoman-y collection. {Nylon}

Rita Hayworth Gave Good Face: Lindsay Lohan does not. God love (or hate) the Daily Mail for pointing out what we also witnessed last night, some seriously weird expressions that did nothing but age the girl in a major way. {Daily Mail}

So last night, Versace and the Whitney threw a very fancy party. There was a dinner where people like Donatella (of course), Shakira, Gerard Butler, and other patrons of the arts got together upstairs at the museum.

There was also a downstairs party where they all made their way afterward. I got the chance to see the beginnings of this charity endeavor with Donatella back in July, and it was so nice to see the children’s art displayed on actual handbags that will be sold to raise money for the Starlight Children’s Foundation and the One Foundation.

Not for nothing, they created a graffiti wall where everyone could draw and have fun. So of course someone went for “balloon boy” and started sketching a CNN screen grab of America’s latest reality travesty. Oy, America. But that’s a discussion for another blog on another day…

And of course, the usual fashion crowd was out in full effect—Alexa, Leigh, Peter, Hana, Fabiola, Alexandra, Amanda—but there was really only one star in the room—Chuck Close.

“I am going back to Paris for the next collection. I am learning. It’s in January. I thought it was in March.” —Lindsay Lohan’s Ungaro learning curve.

These past few weeks we’ve seen a resurgence of all things juvenile. From pigtails at Prada to side braids at Wang, girlish hairstyles are a go for spring, but it doesn’t stop at the head.

Tao, Moschino, YSL and Ungaro embraced the youthful phenomenon in their Spring collections. Each designer topped their ready-to-wear with prints that would make any little girl giddy. Tao and YSL chose strawberries while Moschino opted for cherries (as did Anna Dello Russo on her feet all week). The playful prints are charming and romantic, stopping just short of saccharine, but the reviews weren’t, to put it mildly, nearly as positive at Ungaro.

“But Ms. Lohan’s arrival at a 45-year-old Paris house known for $1,500 dresses and a tradition of couture craftsmanship is entirely different, something akin to a McDonald’s fry cook taking the reins of a three-star Michelin restaurant.” —The New York Times’ Eric Wilson in his review of Emanuel Ungaro.

Oh boy. Ungaro.

When Lindsay Lohan took her strut and bow down the runway, the word is, she had tears in her eyes (sorry guys, I wasn’t close enough to see.) I guess it was an emotional process for her first fashion line consultation, and by the looks of it, her consultations were all over the collection.

First of all, there was not a single gown in the collection. Not a one. Which was very un-Ungaro-like. And there were a lot of skintight mini dresses, also very un-Ungaro-like. You know, come to think of it, the whole thing was very un-Ungaro-like.

Emanuel Ungaro learned how to be a designer directly under Cristobal Balenciaga, and whether you liked Ungaro’s work or not, the man knew what he was doing when it came to clothes. He was one of my lecturers at Saint Martins and he, as a designer, is freaking brilliant and I will always hold him in the highest regard.

And now the house, built on the name of a man who had a knowledge of design and construction that just simply cannot be taught, is (partially) under the direction of Lilo.

Draw your own conclusions.

—REBECCA SUHRAWARDI AUSTIN

So that Lindsay Lohan situation at Ungaro that we talked about a while back? Yeah, it’s happening.

Late last night, WWD reported that Ungaro had name Ms. Lohan the “artistic advisor” to the house. They’ve also got a new designer, Spaniard Estella Archs, who has shown her own collections in Paris as of late, though we’re not super familiar with them. She’s a Central Saint Martins grad who apparently has Nina Ricci, Cacharel, Hussein Chalayan, Emilio Pucci and Prada on her resumé. But according to the article Lindsay “kind of oversees everything [Archs] does, while working with her. Different generations have different ideas.” This is sounding more press hungry by the minute. Oy.

Ungaro CEO Mounir Moufarrige told WWD, “Everything we’re going to get is going to be a plus. I think the noise level around Lindsay will be very, very big.” Um, duh. If Lindsay goes to the bathroom, it’s a story. But is tabloid press going to spark sales at the house? We’re not convinced. But obviously Mourfarrige is. He’s quite the smitten kitten about LL throughout the lengthy WWD piece, lauding the idea that she changes clothes five times a day and calling her closet a “mini-department store.”

Which celebrity do you think we’ll see more of this week: Lindsay Lohan (Twitter tells us she’s already in town), Taylor Momsen (her band’s playing at FNO and we sense that’s only the beginning), Maria Sharapova (ousted by America’s new sweetheart at the Open this weekend…speaking of who’s going to snag Melanie Oudin first?), or Sophia Bush (ridiculously omnipresent season after season)?

Bally needs interns!

The recently rejuvenated shoe company needs a couple of kids to help them out in both the wholesale and public relations departments.

The first will work with the selling campaign creating detail sheets, customer summaries, pricing line sheets etc. while helping to organize and maintain the filing system and samples. You’ll also help prepare the showroom for market appointments. If you’re of the business mind, you can email your resume and a very brief cover letter to mstrouse@bally.ch.

Ew: Miley & a Jonas are in the new LOVE. Thankfully, this editorial peek features neither. {Fashionologie}

“Deacon of Fashion”: Elio Berhanyer passed up the opportunity to work for Cristobal Balenciaga and sent a young man named Oscar de la Renta to New York City in his place, but no regrets. At 80-years-old he’s the most respected and apparently feisty Spanish couturier. {NYTimes}

Dirrrrrrty: Depending on where you work, these editorials pulled together by the kids at Refinery may be NSFW. Regardless, they are hot. {Refinery29}

Shop Swap: New York’s Lower East Side and London’s Newburgh Quarter are trading places for a spell in October. We’ll get some of their goodies like Cowshed and they’ll be treated to a full-on American Halloween party and street fair, along with their pop-up shops. {ELLE UK}

There’s nothing worse than the morning you have to drag your laptop to work or class or in our case, fashion week, and zip it into that ugly synthetic black protector pouch that totally cramps your style.

Well there might be something worse, but it is annoying.

So Paris-based, Italian and New York raised designer Gabriele Corto Moltedo developed a solution. His “pop-art luxe” creations have been catching our eye since 2004 and keep getting cleverer. His AW09 collection features the brilliant “Big Cassette Clutch” inspired by old school tape cassettes. They’re beloved by Giovanna Battaglia and Lindsay Lohan alike and they come in a handful of delicious colors and textures.

After much speculation over the past couple months, designer Esteban Cortazar and Emanuel Ungaro are officially parting ways.

As we mentioned earlier, it was thought that Cortazar was upset with the some of the marketing decisions being discussed by CEO Mounir Moufarrige, including possibly using Lindsay Lohan as some sort of creative consultant.

No word yet on Cortazar’s plans or a replacement for him at the House of Ungaro.

Or the fate of Lindsay Lohan’s career in fashion, for that matter.

I took a fashion road trip this weekend—after three years in New York, I finally made my way to the much lauded Woodbury Commons.

I’m not a shopping in a group kind of girl and I’m not an outlet kind of girl because it’s generally too much effort, but this was like walking through a living archive of legendary runway looks that had me squealing up and down the aisles. Plus at this point in the summer I’ll get out of the city any which way I can.

It started at Prada which currently houses an entire rack of AW09 lace priced around $2000—black dresses, gold skirt, blue tops. Anna’s favorite floral prints are on the clearance rack for about $400, along with the red and blue checked skirt, a single Harlequin Miu Miu mini and a lone black turban.

Balenciaga’s packed with SS08’s structured florals—skirts, dresses, jackets—priced under $1000, but it was the riding hats from AW06 that really made me gasp. Alas, they were low on shoes, though I found these at the Neiman Marcus outlet for $200 (along with the pink fur stole from Chris Benz’s AW08).