Sure, this Pierre Hardy shoe’s from 2008, but the print’s so distinct that when we saw Nine West’s Bonfire pump we immediately knew what we were really looking at.

Prints on shoes are rare anyway, let alone 3D squares of bronze and black stacked upon each other. The size, the angle, the shadows of the square are all perfectly imitated (on an almost identical shape, too).

We’ll stop short of calling the shape irrelevant and focus on the fact that prints represent a danger zone for high street knock-offs, especially given the success of past print-based lawsuits from Anna Sui and Diane von Furstenburg.

Nine West makes the shoe in another print, one we haven’t seen before, no need for them to push it.

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.

The pop up shop might be the greatest little phenomenon of this recession - we never know where our favorite designer’s going to appear and what exactly they’ll be selling

Today brings word of just a weekend-long Stella McCartney store in a former garage in East Hampton. From August 22nd to August 24th you can buy from both AW09 and her much lauded Resort collection and a bit of the profits will go toward Pollock-Krasner House & Study Center.

Even better is Gap’s 1969 London pop-up.

It opens on September 10th and lasts nine days, just enough time for us to head straight from Heathrow to Carnaby Street. The shop will carry exclusive denim, designer and artist collaborations from people like Pierre Hardy, Albertus Swanpoel and Pharell Williams as well as self-curated exhibition from Garance Doré.

No word on whether you can buy any of her illustrations, but they will be on t-shirts and you can never have too many of those.

Gap’s Fifth Avenue pop-up shop’s currently full of ballerina clothes and six-year-olds twirling in pastel tutus.

But come Wednesday, April 30th, it’ll be an Urban Beach Pop-Up shop. Gap’s collaborating with Havaianas to kick off summer with an abundance of Brazilian, neon flip-flops.

You’ll be able to customize them, too - mix and match colors, add flowers, your initials, rhinestones, stars, whatever you want to have on your feet for the next three months.

Meanwhile, we’re desperately hoping their Pierre Hardy collection for lands early, like tomorrow early, because we need these sandals immédiatement.

Everyone’s talking about Zara - Hayley got a new dress, I got a winter coat and now they’ve overtaken Gap as the largest fashion retailer in the world.

The Spanish chain’s profits increased by 9% while Gap’s fell 10% in the first quarter according to the Guardian. Blame’s fallen on the American consumer for cutting back on spending - but shouldn’t some of it be placed on the Gap, too?

While Zara’s devoted itself to absorbing high fashion runway designs and interpreting them for the masses with an incredibly fast turnover rate, Gap’s flailed its image all over the place - Euro designers, capsule collections, the all-American Patrick Robinson - to no avail. Their profits might increase the week their new white shirts hit the racks, but that customer won’t return until the next special collection - they’ll probably be at Zara instead.

Why did I buy my winter coat full price from Zara two weeks ago? Because I know it’ll be gone by the end of the month, replaced with some other diluted Rick Owens interpretation. Meanwhile, Gap’s overproduction means that if I like something, I can wait months with the guarantee that it will go on sale for a fraction of the price (good for me, bad for Gap) - but the bigger problem might be that I don’t like anything.

If Gap wants to cater to a jeans and t-shirt customer, then do that, without mixing in Pierre Hardy shoes and ThreeAsFour dresses, but if they want to cater to a customer who cares about Philip Crangi and Rodarte, do that. They’ve overreached, leaving their customers, and apparently their own brand strategists, quite confused.

Zara picked a customer early on and continues to target her while opening almost 4,000 stores internationally. If Gap wants their crown back, they better start paying attention.

Sarah Sallee, Fashion Publicist with Kas PR

Got Her: Right outside our door, on Mott Street near Prince, getting out of a car.

Stalked Her: Because her red coat was billowing behind her, and we had to see the rest.

Shot Her: Because her mix of five colors actually looks cool rather than crazy.

She Says: “The shoes are Pierre Hardy, the jacket is Gryphon, the bag is YSL, the scarf is Wolford, the dress - I don’t remember, the necklace is from Curve, and, oh, the coat, the coat is Matthew Williamson.”

We Say: Hand over that coat! You’ll still look good without it…