KARL [LAGERFELD]: You clutch my face. My head is a farm of inspiration, and it’s the harvest. REAP.

KATY [PERRY]: Oh, great, because I have so many questions…

—Imagined Fashion Week genius courtesy of GoFugYourself

“A friend of mine suggested that all the celebrity designers (Gwen Stefani, et al) get together with their friends and have Celebrity Fashion Week. They can get their business out of the way, knock themselves out, and then the rest of us can do ours.” —Cathy Horyn talks Paris on On the Runway.

We’d gotten so used to waking up every morning to the news that yet another designer would be returning home to London for Spring 09 that we don’t know what to do with the news that Giles will be showing in Paris.

First, we should congratulate him for winning the ANDAM award, the same €160,000 endowment that sent Gareth Pugh to Paris one year ago. The prize, given by France’s National Association for the Development of the Fashion Arts has been previously bestowed upon designers like Margiela and Viktor & Rolf putting Giles in even higher company.

But really we’re kind of devastated. His clothes and spirit are so thoroughly British that the grand celebrations of the BFC’s 25th Anniversary will be lacking without his presence, not to mention that despite the crazy fun that is British Fashion Week there really are just a handful of internationally known designers in town - Luella, Westwood’s Red Label, Chris Kane and now probably Marios Schwab which makes Giles’ show one of LFW’s stars.

Meanwhile, we are excited to see how or if his designs change for such a different atmosphere and probably audience. Can we expect Anna’s presence?

“Having brought the house down with the spectacular “Standing in the Way of Control,” Beth decided to execute a celebratory stage dive, a move that I can only describe as ill advised with a mosh pit comprising various supermodels and sundry fashionistos in aching want of a square repas. In fact, as far as I could determine, there was a parting of the waves as the svelte and deeply panicked hordes flung themselves out of the oncoming path of the potential weapon of mass destruction that is la Ditto, and there was something closely resembling a resounding thud in place of the expected slap of flesh on expectantly upraised palms.” - Hamish Bowles, in his post for Vogue Daily.

Lace has popped up in a few different ways this season, but it’s at its best, and most interesting, when used in panel form.

It’s come in extremes - the black and very fine sheer lace dress from Preen isn’t for everyone, but the girl who wears it is the guaranteed center of attention. Stella McCartney’s version is a little bit sweeter. She cut strips out of her black, evening nightgown-dress and filled the holes with classic lace. And Christian Lacroix carved little lace windows in each side of his otherwise conservative black dress making Siri Tollerod’s waist look even smaller.

Pretty much anyone could wear a version of this trend - but it’s one that won’t translate well with poor quality fabrics which could inhibit its trickling down. Though you could always cut holes in your favorite dress and sew in your own strips of lace. Or not.

Morning.

Half of us just got back from the Louis Vuitton show in Paris, and we’re super excited, because the show was pretty sick.

So if you’re not already clicking on our homepage incessantly, please do check back in about thirty minutes, or however long it takes Britt to upload her 70+ incredible pictures.

In the meantime, enjoy the (semi-NSFW) sneak peek.

Talk soon.

xo

The room at the Louvre in which Wunderkind showed their Fall 09 collection was completely coated in white plastic which lent an even creepier air to the Tim Burton-esque collection.

It started out with lots of stripes, blouse-y fabrics pulled and bowed through button holes underneath exaggerated suits with contrast stitching, and peek-a-boo slits. There were brightly checkered leggings underneath sheer overlay skirts paired with chunky striped heels. Up top, some girls wore Mad Hatter top hats while others suffered from oversized fabric head wraps topped with caps, and hands were covered in scrunched patchwork gloves. It was like, how many pieces can you fit on each girl?

The clothes were actually really pretty. The styling, however, made it look like a bomb had exploded in the poor designer’s studio. If you threw on the colorful sequin leggings with something a bit more subdued they’d look amazing. Not that it isn’t fun to see something wild walk down a runway - it’s just that the showmanship is supposed to enhance the product, not distract from it.

Everyone was pretty impressed with Gareth’s video for Fall 09 - It was creepy, it was cool, even if you couldn’t really see the clothes.

But Dazed Digital has something arguably better - a behind-the-scenes video of Natasa Vojnovic trying on the clothes, and trying out her freak moves for the camera.

Enjoy it, but most pressing: Would you wear the trash bag cocoon now that you can actually see it? (Our answer: It’s actually a lot cooler than we thought…)

The thing about Swarovski-sponsored shows is that while designers can’t afford to show without the sponsorship, the requisite use of crystals within the collection is often too forced, too obvious. So it was great to see, for the first time, a designer really make use of the Swarovski elements without ruining the actual clothes.

Antonio Berardi showed his Fall 09 collection in what looked like a little chapel in the 11th. Editors and buyers squeezed into the tiny venue like sardines. (I held my knees to my chest to avoid repeatedly kicking Glenn O’Brien, seated directly in front of me.)

I spent the first few looks staring at the hot pink lipstick but recovered in time to admire the paneled black and white dresses. Everything was level, so even in the second row I missed all but the over-the-knee part of the boots - some were loose black leather, others shearling. There were furs with crystal armbands and little lilac dresses over charcoal tights. The structured Balenciaga silhouette popped up again, like at Manish, this time in black brocade-like shifts.

The clothes were well-tailored, wearable and just plain pretty.

WHICH two veteran models got into a “full-on serious fistfight” in a Paris nightclub this Fashion Week? The fight was so demode, Uncle Karl himself had to break it up…

There’ve been a lot of pressing model questions this show season, one of the most common being, “Where the hell is Caroline Trentini?”

It turns out she was an exclusive for YSL, which she just closed in Paris, minutes ago.

Mystery solved.

In other exclusives news, just how many do you need to stage a real Givenchy show? Not only were Dree Hemingway and newcomer Ranya Mordanova signed to make their Fall 09 debut at Riccardo Tisci’s show, but also Adriana Lima, whom you may not have recognized under all those sleeves and pant legs.

C’est tout.

Did the Times just confirm Peter Copping’s appointment to Nina Ricci?

The speculation surrounding Olivier Theysken’s departure from Nina Ricci has been accepted as fact, even though no official announcement from Puig Group, Nina Ricci’s parent company, has been made. But what every front row gossip wasn’t totally sure about was who exactly would take Olivier’s place.

Peter Copping seemed the most likely contender, especially after he supposedly put in his resignation at Louis Vuitton at the beginning of the year, after having met with Mario Grauso, Puig’s president. But now, Eric Wilson’s gone ahead and stated that Olivier will be “replaced by Peter Copping,” which pretty much sets it in stone - obviously, Eric knows something nobody else does (at least not officially).

So who’s taking Peter’s spot as women’s studio director at Louis Vuitton? And how long before Olivier comes out with his own label?

Doubtless you’ve heard about the “model fights” at Jean-Paul Gaultier over the weekend.

In case you had a hard time picturing it, don’t worry: Coco got some of it on film for you, which we think is the perfect accompaniment to that bagel and probable rain.

So enjoy. And remember: Don’t mess with the models.

Bea, Bumble & Bumble PR

Got Her: Backstage at Sharon Wauchob.

Stalked Her: Because she’s the perfect example of our, “You don’t have to wear heels to rock Paris Fashion Week” mantra.

Shot Her: Because she’s wearing an almost all-white outfit and that is very, very hard to pull off. Plus, she was Fashionista’s first ever streetwalker and we thought it was time for a sartorial update.

She Says: “One of my stylists looked at me this morning and said, ‘Bea, you’re so Buffy the Vampire Slayer! But not the show, the movie.’ So I guess that about sums it up, I think it’s all about the boots.”

We Say: Because you can’t kick fashion ass in 5” Louboutins like you can in Rag & Bone.

Update: We also have a shot of the shoes!

After disappointingly monochromatic line-ups in Milan last week, Paris may be the ticket to a more colorful Fall 09.

Balenciaga showed this morning, on the first big day of shows at Paris Fashion Week, with Ethiopian-born Liya Kebede opening the show, the first black model on a Balenciaga runway in years (Chanel Iman also walked).

Could this be the beginning of a new direction for the season?

We wouldn’t count on it just yet - Balmain was the same story as it’s always been (and we’re not just talking about the clothes).

One half of us is backstage at Rick Owens in Paris right now, armed with a camera and curiosity.

So here’s a sneak peak of the Rick Owens show, courtesy of Britt’s surreptitious shot of his look book board (in case you’re not addicted to our Twitter yet), before the show has even started.

How’s that for real time?

Bon matin!

Gareth Pugh’s Fall 09 collection is now online, look by look, thanks to Style.com.

Even with a designer known for being “out there” there are still some recognizable trends, like the dark, monochromatic looks and the over-the-knee boots seen in every city of the big Month.

But without the music and video to complete Gareth’s world, do the clothes work as just… clothes?

We know the dress at left will be everywhere editorially and on a few New York girls and we’re particularly loving the short coat that seems to come to a point at the front - but the dress that looks like it’s made from a bronze trash bag?

You decide.

The Balenciaga show is famously impossible to get into - even Fashion Week addict Kanye West was publicly denied entry a couple seasons ago.

But guess who does get to go? According to The Moment, 60 Minutes anchorman Morley Safer will be sitting Front Row and center alongside Anna, as part of his ongoing profile on Mrs. Vogue.

Hopefully, no standing editors feelings will be hurt.