“For over 42 years we have built a brand based on quality and integrity. After further investigation, we have learned that we are responsible for the poor imaging and retouching that resulted in a very distorted image of a woman’s body. We have addressed the problem and going forward will take every precaution to ensure that the caliber of our artwork represents our brand appropriately.” —a statement issued by Ralph Lauren about the ad we’re all discussing.

Last night’s Paperball, at the MAD museum, was full of beer, paper and Madeline Albright.

The exhibition and party and dinner were split amongst five floors which meant me and my boots got quite the workout (the elevator moved at a glacial pace) and though the party party was mean to be on the sixth, everyone gathered on the second floor.

Bill Cunningham wove his way in and out of the exhibit, snapping pictures of girls in paper dresses, paper flowered hats and paper bow ties while I obsessed over Jen Kao’s dress. I’ve never touched anything in a museum (duh), but I had to reach out and poke it to make sure that it wasn’t leather. I still don’t really believe the laced up, shoulder padded shift is built from paper; it sat next to Bliss Lau’s corseted dress, inspired by The Great Gatsby (though we’re pretty sure Daisy would blush) and Zaldy’s fantastical swirling cocktail dress.

“They fired me because they said I was overweight and I couldn’t fit in their clothes anymore…I was shocked to see that super skinny girl with my face. It’s very sad, I think, that Ralph Lauren could do something like that.” —Model Filippa Hamilton on the Ralph Lauren ad/Photoshop debacle in the Huffington Post.

Holy Hotness: Current girl crush Georgia May Jagger looks smokin’ on the November cover of British Vogue. Maybe the staff at American Vogue should take notes because the quick look we just got of Nicole, Marion, Kate, and Penelope was not so cute. {Vogue UK}

Team Grace: She wears her heart on her sleeve through much of The September Issue. Now you can wear Grace Coddington on your chest, in the form of a very cute t-shirt. {Refinery29}

Fight the Power: Boing Boing got into a bit of a fair use legal squabble with the corporate lawyer types at Ralph Lauren over the site’s criticism of an RL ad. Kudos for sticking up for yourselves, but really we’re still freaking the f out over how scary the model looks. Jesus. {BoingBoing}

At the Balmain show this morning in Paris, Twitter was again on fire. From Derek “@dizzyblazeberg” Blasberg’s: “‘This is some hooker military shit,’ the stylist next to me observed” and “It’s a slutty sexy tent city over here” to @TheMoment’s “Savage Balmain! Think G.I. Jane meets Cher! Super sexy- again.”

And then we came to Joe Zee’s TwitPic of the sequined jeans. We’ve seen lots of sequins already this season, but I can only recall one other, Ralph Lauren, that involved a pair of jeans. I believe I stand alone at the office in liking this particular Ralph look (and the entire collection for that matter.) But I cannot be swayed. The sequins on those jeans are cool.

Now the Balmain version is of course much flashier, and will indeed cost a phenomenal amount more money. But these are definitely going to be all over the Beyoncés and Rihannas of the world. Riri even watched them go by in person from the front row.

And granted there could be some ugly trickle down versions that happen that happen as a result of this trend. But I’m on board so far. What about you?

In what was the most literal statement on the ongoing economic crisis, Ralph Lauren sent out a collection that drew from the Depression Era. More than one editor could be heard referencing The Grapes of Wrath as they exited the downtown studio.

The thing was, it wasn’t at all depressing. And it felt decidedly American, in that very Ralph way. The show notes included a quote from the designer that summed it up nicely, “I believe in the resilient spirit of America. Hard times seem to sharpen our capacity for idealism and our optimism that tomorrow will be a better day. I am inspired by the character of the worker, the farmer, the cowboy, the pioneer women…I have always admired the honesty of their work wear…”

There was tons of incredible denim, newsboy caps right and left, chic overalls, pinstripe blazers, denim-inspired blue evening wear (with the finale dress evoking that overall feel), and sparkly sheer long tops over jeans. I pretty much loved every piece, save for one of frilly evening look that seemed a bit overwrought.

Ralph walked the runway waving and saying hello to front row friends to the sounds of Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone”, and Dylan always brings a smile to my face. Well played all around, Mr. Lauren. Go team American sportswear.

So my first presentation of the week was in midtown, at a car showroom. I’ve always had a thing for Audis, so it was all good. But seriously, the Audi Forum on 47th and Park is playing host to a lot of presentations this season. So I appreciate the auto makers for making the space available for designers, even if girls spinning around on a large circle feels a little car show-esque.

Now, I wasn’t Jillian Lewis’ biggest fan back in her Project Runway days, but I did appreciate her preppy Ralph Lauren aesthetic. Her evolution…I’m not so sure about. The pieces she showed today seemed late to the game Balmainia meets equestrian/medicinal leggings meets metallic purple meets hard and soft that is just a bit off.

I know I sound harsh, but I just can’t find a lot to love about the collection. And I did really want to…I swear.

We’re one month and one day away from Gossip Girl’s season three premiere - can you feel it?

In today’s anticipatory news, Tory Burch and Georgina Chapman both went to Long Island City (that’s in Queens) to film cameos for a particular episode set to air on October 5th. No word on what they’re doing exactly, though if they’re both in the same episode we’ll go out on a wild limb and suggest the episode might revolve around Fashion Week.

More importantly what will they wear? Because if we were Tory Burch, no matter how much we love our tunics, we’d die to wear one next to Georgina Chapman in a Marchesa gown. Georgina, by the way, says she’s “a huge fan of the show,” which explains the uncredited, impossible piece Blair wore to prom last season.

In other GG news, Nacho Figueras, Argentine polo god and face of Ralph Lauren, guests in the premiere episode, just in case you hadn’t already cleared your calendar.

Five questions for the Fashion Week calendar:

1. Why is a man named Cesar Galindo going up against both Anna Wintour and the Mayor of New York City by staging a runway show in the middle of Fashion’s Night Out? And how does he have that much money to throw away? Also, is he related to Rudy Galindo?

2. Why does Vladimir Roitfeld get a box on Tuesday September 15th (which, by the way, he shares with DSquared2 which is interesting)? His event, or whatever it is, lasts from 6-11 and overlaps with Narciso’s show.

This is turning into the summer of the fashion crowd running into trouble with the law.

Last week, a major drug bust went down in Ralph Lauren’s tony New Canaan, CT store. The stock manager, 34-year-old Ricky Sullins, was arrested for accepting a FedEx package loaded with 14 pounds of marijuana. FedEx contacted the police before delivering the package since they could smell the drugs through the box and an undercover cop posed as the delivery man.

Oddly enough, though, New Canaan’s citizens remained blissfully unaware this weekend. They had no idea the store was involved in the bust since local police chose not to mention the high profile merchant’s involvement in their press release.

This September doesn’t just mean Fashion Week, fall and my 25th birthday (yikes!), it also means the first ever Vogue Night Out.

Mayor Bloomberg and Anna Wintour announced the initiative in May, hoping for a revitalization of fashion and retail in New York City. The event’s taken on international proportions, with counterparts in London and Paris on the night of September 10th.

The best part of the night’s shaping up to be something other than endless promotional tees and charitable tie-ins: the presence of the designers themselves.

Today, Vogue UK lets slip that Alexander Wang will be on hand at Barneys teaching customers how to walk a runway which means we’re left wondering how the the other participating designers will feature. If it’s cold enough, can Vera Wang teach ice skating at Rock Center? We’d like Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren conducting traffic at 57th and 5th and Donna Karan drawing horse carriages from Bergdorf to Saks.

Is that too much to ask?

Roger Federer and Serena Williams won Wimbledon this weekend, but tennis isn’t the only sport we at Fashionista love. We’re also incredibly obsessed with the Olympics.

It’s summer time, but Vogue UK is already thinking about next winter, and now so are we. Skating and skiing and hockey, oh my!

The opening ceremony is always a huge deal, and we’re pretty psyched to see how Vancouver is planning on following up the incredible show in Beijing. We love comparing each country’s get-up and deciding on our favorite. It was just announced that Ralph Lauren is again designing for the US team, as he did for the 2008 Summer Games.

At least New York was kind enough to place a couple of days between the CFDAs and the Whitney Art Party - London decided to cram it all into one very fashionable evening.

First up, the Hoping Foundations charity event to raise money for Palestinian refugee camps. Sienna Miller and Kate Moss held court on the dance floor, the former laughing loudly above the crowd and the latter admiring Sienna’s shoes.

We ran into Sienna again at Quintessentially’s summer party, but she, as well as we, left when we realized the bar was dry.

So it’s a good thing Grey Goose sponsored Ralph Lauren’s Summer BBQ at the Kensington Roof Gardens. Tennis stars mingled with princesses though we had our eye on Dolce & Gabanna model David Gandy. He’s unphased by Jesus’ turn in the Dolce spotlight, in part because he’s busy penning a column for the new magazine Fash-ism, launching next month.

—CHARLEY B.

After the lovely afternoon we spent on Governors Island on Saturday, we’ve officially become polo fans. And also please sign us up for the Nacho Figueras fan club. We knew his face was dreamy from all those Ralph Lauren fragrance ads. Let us just say the real thing is unbelievably better.

You know how excited we were to don our hats and watch Prince Harry play.

And by the way, thanks to all of you who recommended The Hat Shop on Thompson. How I’ve missed popping in there over the years is beyond me but I found the perfect Chapeau Chateau fedora that worked for the match and will now become one of my summer staples.

The people watching at the Veuve Clicquot Manhattan Classic was a dream. The best dressed of the afternoon was certainly Chloe Sevigny in Chloe. And the cutest couple: Marc and Lorenzo, who was wearing checked shorts. (Madonna, Jesus Luz, and little David Banda joined them in the VIP tent later on. Oh, to have been at that table!)

After Vogue Italia’s Black Issue last summer, a lot of people wondered if the well-publicized move would actually do anything about the lack of black models in the fashion industry.

We think there were definitely some more black girls and guys on the runways last season (though obviously still not in the numbers some hoped to see), but here’s at least one concrete piece of evidence of the magazine’s pull:

Ubah Hassan, the regal Somalian model who made her big-time debut in that historic issue, is now in her second season as the face of Ralph Lauren, joining Russian Valentina Zelyaeva, one of the highest paid models on earth who’s been in too many Ralph ads to count.

Here’s to hoping we see more of Ubah next month.

Natalie: I can’t believe all this news about ABS knocking off the Jason Wu dress. I mean who would wear that knock-off? It’s so recognizable anyone on the planet would be like, “Dude, you’re wearing Michelle Obama’s dress.”

Britt: But that’s what they do. All they do is knock off famous dresses.

Natalie: But I feel like it’s different this time. Everyone knows this dress.

Britt: But everyone knew Gwyneth’s pink Ralph Oscar dress.

Natalie: But this is different! You don’t have to follow fashion to know this dress.

Britt: I promise you people will buy it. It will sell out in minutes.

Natalie: God, I would love to meet these people, I have so many questions for them.

Britt: No you wouldn’t.

Natalie: It would be so embarrassing! I would never be able to get it out of my head, “I’m wearing a wannabe First Lady ballgown.”

Britt: Well if you see anybody in it, you should tell them they could’ve bought it at Jessica McClintock five years ago.

Natalie: It’s not even pretty.

Britt: I know, I know.

In October, we reported that Men’s Vogue would be absorbed into normal Vogue.

We figured the boy copy would get thrown in with the girl copy - a supplement a la Fashion Rocks - but they’ve gotten more creative.

Vogue’s Publishing Director Tom Florio explained the final chapter (we hope) in the magazine’s saga. Twice a year, starting in April for the first time in its history, Vogue will publish a reverse cover. That means Gwyneth on one side and Robert Downey Jr. on the other (Note: We don’t actually know who Vogue’s April cover girl is).

It’s kind of a brilliant move because we’ll definitely read it if it’s stuck inside our regular Vogue even though we’ve never bought it before. And instead of shrinking into oblivion, its circulation will more than double. And Vogue should, of course, be thrilled with their extra ad pages.

The only thing we don’t get is this sentence from WWD: “But sources estimate there are about 25 ad pages so far, including Ralph Lauren on the second cover.” Is Ralph the second cover star? Because a Ralph ad can’t be on the cover. Someone explain, please.

I finally went to Saks on Friday.

I knew things were bad - I live in New York, I work in fashion, I have lawyer friends and retail friends and finance friends, a roommate from Detroit and parents who aren’t too far, sorry, weren’t too far, from retirement - but seeing Saks in worse shape than Union Square’s Trader Joe’s on Sunday afternoon was, basically, horrifying.

Where YSL bags and Chloe clutches proudly sat are stacks of crumpled $50 cashmere. Rolling racks fill almost every aisle, so stuffed with this season’s merchandise that you can’t possibly see anything without ripping it from the hanger. Marc by Marc Resort 2009 is already 40% off and I found Alexander McQueen sequined leggings on the floor. Someone wrapped Alaia belts vertically around a pole by the Oscar de la Renta and I spotted the Miu Miu dress Isabeli Fontana wore on last February’s runway crumpled in a ball underneath a 50% off buffalo plaid Ralph Lauren coat hanging from one shoulder.

And the shoe salon, the shimmering bastion of exotic footwear so recently honored with its own zip code, looks tragic underneath tumbling piles of shoes that used to cost $1000. If you can wade through the Stuart Weitzmans to the scratched up Fendis, Viviers and Balenciagas, good luck finding your size because the defeated sales people are holed up in the middle of the room, the only place with regularly priced shoes and the only area without a single customer.

I still couldn’t find the handbags anywhere and not a single employee knew what I meant when I said they weren’t in their usual home - probably because they’re temporary employees, (who by the way are wearing jeans on the floor, which is a sign everyone’s pretty much given up).

I left, pouting, not even tempted by $200 Prada shoes. I should’ve skipped the trip altogether so that if, or more likely when, they finally close their doors, I remember the old Saks instead of the outlet version.

Because even though I know how important it is to “get it,” denial’s so much more comfortable.

When the economy started its downward spiral, we guessed Fashion Week would pass with a few less tote bags and water bottles.

Which was fine, as long as there were still macaroons.

Now WWD reports a surge in planned presentations, instead of runways, which we’d actually love. Both Vera Wang and J. Mendel are allegedly exploring runway alternatives while DKNY has gone ahead and penciled in a February 13th presentation date.

This comes exactly one month after the announcement that Donna Karan Collection would forego a model-fronted ad campaign in favor of “re-interpreting” her runway images and that DKNY’s ads will no longer feature Vlada, an established model, but it-girl Harley Viera Newton. While we can’t know the details of Harley’s contract, it’s highly unlikely she can demand as much as a well-recognized model.

So when you throw it all together, it appears as though Donna’s brands are making some major cuts obvious to the outside world - so who knows what’s happening behind the scenes. Unless of course she’s just being overly cautious, which might not be the worst thing.

Though we hope no one copies her ad idea, campaigns are way too much fun.