Lovely Bones: Lara’s landed a Christmas Vogue. She looks awfully ladylike in pastel pink tulle on the cover of British Vogue. {Models}

Viva Versace: Guy Trebay sits down with Donatella for a rather sad story in today’s Times. They discuss her past, including Gianni, her friends’ intervention and her stint in rehab, as well as the possible future of Versace. {NY Times}

Well-Heeled: Lara Bohinc, the Brit behind a line of stellar knot jewelry, is launching shoes. She finds the process loads easier than designing bags and jewels. {VogueUK}

Holy Cuteness: I (Abby) need to be revived after overloading on adorable thanks to this street style blog for kiddos. One of the post titles is “Andre Leon Smalley” (dying!!!) and there is one wicked Tina Turner costume from Halloween. This is most definitely one of my new favorite things. {Planet Awesome Kid} via {Refinery29}

Not Faris: Anna Friel is the West End’s new Eliza Doolittle, so Vanity Fair photographed her in loads and loads of pearls with touches of Alberta Ferretti & Julian Macdonald for a supplement to their UK edition. {VanityFair}

Venezia Bound: Tom Ford’s directorial debut, A Single Man, will screen at the Venice Film Festival on September 11 which means it’ll have a teeny, tiny, if any, fashion quotient in the audience. {LATimes}

The Mulberry Bush: Mulberry’s look book gets re-invented for the cool kids. It must be an English thing - we’ve never seen the Bayswater look so impossibly hip. {Nylon}

Ooh-La-La: Bonpoint’s founders opened Merci in Paris this March. Here’s a peek inside the charity shop with its specially designed Stella & YSL. It also houses food, vintage, perfume and furniture and looks positively heavenly. {Dazed}

It amazes us that Scottish designer Graeme Black isn’t more widely known.

After all, he was senior designer at Armani for years (not to mention the great Giorgio’s boyfriend for much of that time), and before that Creative Director of Ferragamo. He launched his luxe, very tailored, eponymous label a few years ago.

Victoria Beckham’s a major fan; her own line was equal parts inspired by Black as Mouret. His fiercely loyal following also includes Arab princesses, political wives, English (celeb) royalty including Elle MacPherson and Yasmin LeBon, whose daughter walked Graeme’s AW09 runway and so on.

The designer’s been more quietly successful stateside, his new Saks concession is ka-chinging along and he’ll be part of the new ninth floor in September. In London, he’s launching an entirely new retail concept - think a more luxe Colette - this fall.

And why are we talking about him now? Because the Scottish Fashion Awards were kind of irrelevant until Scotland started producing the likes of Alexander McQueen, Louise Gray, Christopher Kane etc. and since Jonathan Saunders was more than expected to take home designer of the year, everyone’s eye has turned toward Black after scooping the award this weekend.

So for now, Black gets to be the Great Scot.

—CHARLEY B.

With every designer from Roland Mouret to Carlos Miele entering the menswear market, you’d assume it’s one area that’s seemingly recession proof, or at least suffering on a smaller scale.

It looks like that may not be the case. If Men’s Vogue going under wasn’t the first indication of trouble on the menswear home front then Thom Browne might be the perfect warning to those considering suiting up the boys in the near future.

Browne’s known for his too-cool-for-school designs - outfits that look like you picked them up off your bedroom floor and suits practically built around bow-ties. But apparently investors just realized said suits cost about $5,000 a pop and they’re not holding their own on the rack. Which means canceled orders for Spring and Fall from small boutiques to big department stores and the possibility of bankruptcy.

It’s a bit of a surprise for two reasons:

1. Thom Browne has quickly become the fashion world’s sweetheart.
2. His multi-million dollar partnerships with Harry Winston, Moncler and Brooks Brother continue into 2011.

With that much established success and future potential, how could anyone not be surprised he’s flailing? Is this an omen for all the designers we previously assumed could ride this out and a warning to those trying to expand?

-CARSON GRIFFITH

I got to Elie Saab this morning, drinking a triple espresso and eating a croissant out of a brown paper bag while laughing at my wrinkled, plaid self in the presence of Rodarte-wearing Kate Lanphear and French movie stars in sequin mini-dresses.

They were, I’ll admit, more appropriately dressed to watch a vampy collection of red carpet ready dresses parade down the white runway. Jessica Stam, looking particularly perfect and glowing, opened the show with a polished French twist, red lips and a beige Roland Mouret-y dress. The palette went black, with feathers, capes and sequined leggings pulled down over patent heels, before turning to baby blues and dusty greens.

In a Zac Posen repeat, someone murmured, “Work it girl!” when Coco came strutting down the runway - she really does ooze personality. Meanwhile Sasha looked dizzyingly thin.

There were rhinestone encrusted bodices over flowing skirts, and more than one look featured a single dainty driving glove. The only question is, who will wear the black beaded gown first, Halle Berry or Debra Messing?

Designers are falling into two very different camps these days.

On the one side, we’ve got those pulling out of the tents for Fashion Week (Vera), consolidating stores (Marc), and focusing on accessories (Olivier).

On the other, we’ve got those moving from womenswear to menswear (Roland, Gareth, Carlos, Decarnin, Ferré), womenswear to kidswear (Gaultier) and now, from menswear into womenswear.

Tim Hamilton will be showing his first women’s collection at Paris Fashion Week this March. The designer told Style.com that the capsule collection, built in Japan and Italy, is inspired by his mother’s, “avant-garde, all-black look and mid-century postmodernism.” So, very New York?

Also? Shoes! He hasn’t decided if he’ll sell them or not, but the more shoes in the world, the better.

Gareth Pugh is taking on menswear.

The very important and semi-surprising piece of information was kept under wraps until the official announcement of the Paris Men’s Fashion Week schedule yesterday. In the past month, Matthew Wiliamson, Carlos Miele, Christophe Decarnin and Roland Mouret have all announced plans to introduce menswear. Pugh, the least commercial of them all, will close the week with his show at Palais de Tokyo, the same venue in which he showed his women’s collection last September.

Pugh’s incorporated menswear into past collections but never produced a full line. We can’t help but picture a more masculine version of his Spring 09 collection - very tight, futuristic, entirely black and white and hopefully no where near Jay-Z’s next tour.

It’s a risky move - Fendi, Valentino and Marni have all cancelled their men’s shows thanks to the tanking economy and Zac Posen told WWD that he will absolutely not move forward with plans for a secondary line despite wanting to for years.

But Rick Owens, who with his wife Michelle Lamy has a 49% stake in Pugh’s brand and is also showing a full men’s collection in Paris, would rather we just go with it.

“Just come with an open mind,” he says.

No problem. A ticket to Paris, however, not so easily done.

Phillip Lim’s starting a line for dogs.

While Zac Posen and Doo. Ri get to work on their bridge lines and Carlos Miele and Roland Mouret work out their menswear launch plans, Lim thinks his design skills could be used elsewhere.

So he’s found inspiration in his darling French Bulldog, “his best friend and muse,” Oliver and designed a few sweaters - grey, navy, pink - and collars for the holidays.

But for a man who prices his human clothes so reasonably (in high fashion speak, at least), doggy prices are surprising. They range from $150 to $375 and you can get them in his LA and New York stores.

If we could stretch our way into the navy striped one, $150 would be totally worth it.

The best thing about Victoria Beckham is that she doesn’t ever take herself seriously.

If you watched even two minutes of her Coming to America special, or have heard her laugh front row, or have seen even one of her Marc ads, you know she’s giggling behind those bug-eyed glasses. And you know she had a ball making this video for her new collection of Roland Mouret-inspired dresses.

She, and a couple of younger girls, flit around a very English looking home hiding behind curtains and tables, pulling tights, sweaters and lamp shades over their heads, laying across chairs and spinning on their very high heels all the while wearing the body conscious zippered dress Posh showed in New York this past September. There’s nothing stuffy or pretentious or even very high fashion about it, just a few girls playing dress up and running around the house.

I’ve watched it three times: I want all the dresses and Posh to be my new best friend.

Walking on Houston the other day, I noticed a change on the perennial Calvin Klein billboard: men. Good bye naked Eva Mendes, hello guys and girls in jeans.

Then last night on Bleecker, I spied a sparkly jacket and jeans in the window of Cynthia Rowley, for men.

Not to mention both Nicolas and Roland Mouret (re-)adding menswear to their repertoire.

And, Scott Schuman’s recent editorial in Fantastic Man features Chanel menswear.

All of this, coupled with the fact that my best friend (a girl) keep stealing my clothes, the preponderance of boyfriend jeans, and Band of Outsiders, Michael Bastian, and Thom Browne showing up in Vogue on women and men have me thinking that we’re having a manly moment.

Am I nuts, or does it seem like menswear is the new womenswear?

—BRETT KANE

From a conversation last night:

Yet another designer is breaking into a new category soon, but this time, it’s significant -

Roland Mouret is designing a line of menswear! As in, right now.

No word on exactly when the line debuts, but it’s definitely in the works, and we’re guessing it’s for next men’s Fashion Week.

This news comes just a month after Balenciaga showed men’s looks on the runway for the first time in a while.

But back to Mouret - does this mean the Beckhams can get matching designer outfits? Because they totally would.

His and hers towels make us giggle.

His and hers underwear ads positively thrill us.

We think this might be history in the making. From now on, for every nakey David Beckham for Emporio Armani Underwear ad, Victoria will get one to match.

WWD reports that Mert and Marcus have already shot the Spring 09 campaign starring Posh, whom Giorgio calls a “style icon, a dynamic lady whose influence and recognition will add great excitement to the continued international growth of our Emporio Armani women’s underwear business.”

Her body should also add some “great excitement” - we haven’t seen Posh in her underwear since that steamy W shoot over a year ago, since which her fashion cred has skyrocketed with a starring role in the Marc ads, a well-received line of Roland Mouret, ooops, her own, dresses and front row seats on major runways.

On another note, whatever happened to the Beckham reality show?

For some reason, I had big expectations for Fashion Fringe.

Maybe it’s because some super cool designers have emerged from it and I thought I might see the next big thing. Or it could’ve been because Tom Ford was a judge and I have a huge crush on him. But it could be because when I walked in, the front row names read: Jerry Hall, Georgia May Jagger, Dita Von Teese, and Princess Beatrice.

But in the end, it was about the clothes. (Well, sort of. I did get a huge kick out of seeing Emma Watson end up in Jerry Hall’s seat and next to Dita. And it was kind of amazing to watch Donatella Versace walk straight into Faran).

The competition included four designers. The first showed an all-white collection inspired by Sarah Jessica Parker which sounds doomed for failure but actually ended up the winner (Eun Jeong Hong’s line, Go By a Secret Path). The second featured super cute, super wearable brightly colored dresses. The third went on print overload with more than a little Miu Miu influence. And the fourth, well the fourth kid was banking on Donatella’s vote and showed a parade of vampy dresses set off with dark lipstick.

Do I think I saw the next Chris Kane or Gareth Pugh? No. But I had fun.

It’s times like this that we really wish we lived in London.

The London Design Museum is hosting a lecture series called Design Icons, and who did they get to give an appearance? Vivienne Westwood, of course.

Not only is she giving a talk on May 2 (Roland Mouret will speak on April 15), but she is set to perform her cultural manifesto, Active Resistance to Propoganda, which we take to mean as Vivienne yelling into the crowd wearing something Xena-esque and giving a straight up fist pump as finale.

So if you’re lucky enough to live in London and can spare the 15 pounds, request your tickets via tickets@designmuseum.org. We bet it’ll be better than anything that’s ever at the Met.

Well, once you’ve faked an orgasm in a Marc Jacobs shopping bag, there isn’t much left, is there?

Victoria Beckham says sure.

She’s already announced two new ready-to-wear lines in her name (one denim, one dresses) and now rumors swirl from London that Posh has yet another fashion plan in her playbook:

Guest-designing a line for Roland Mouret.

It sounds totally fine and cool to us except for one thing:

Roland Mouret’s clothes were put on the map because of their affinity for a woman’s real shape - his drapes and folds and hugs actually made a girl look sexy, not slouchy, and his most famous mannequin is the very healthy sex bomb Scarlett Johansson, with Dita Von Teese a close and corseted second place.

Posh knows a lot about gloss and glitter, and she’s got a hell of a sense of humor, but understanding what kind of dress hits a “normal” woman’s hips?

Our faith is flickering.

We may have swooned for the Roland Mouret dresses at the Gap this year, but most of America ignored them. Months later, the dresses still pop up on clearance racks.

Meanwhile, the designer hasn’t had a runway show in over a year, prompting Lisa Armstrong of the Times UK to ask, “Does anyone still care about Roland Mouret?”

Well, they do now.

The designer put out new dresses this week, soon available on Net-a-Porter. They’re all over $1000, but also quite gorgeous, and some of the only gowns on the market built for a myriad of women’s bodies.

In his interview with Lisa, Roland recounts his consideration for pear shaped women, women with flatter chests, and those who ditch the rules (and The Rules - one signature dress in his new collection is based on the gray suit his mother wore on her wedding day, which happened after she’d already had a child). His new collection even has a zippered hoodie and a pair of black hot pants.

But the line feels a little like Whole Foods - you’re supposed to want to pay more because it’s good for you.

With big luxury brands like Louis Vuitton and Prada, most women can’t afford the dresses, but there are bags and shoes and charms and perfumes and sunglasses, so everyone can buy into the label - even if they need to save for months.

A line entirely of clothing is different, especially when it’s nascent.

Will enough women buy into Roland’s steep and lush brand? We would if we could, but that won’t turn any profits.

Nicole Richie is about to arrive in Australia, and with her comes this rumor from the Oz fashion set:

If a designer - or a sponsor - can pay Nicole enough money, she’ll come to their show.

We’ve witnessed a celebrity get money for a Fashion Week appearance before.

The first time it happened, we were shocked. By the sixth time - when a major male pop star was courted by a sportswear label - our only surprise was how little the check would be.

According to our sources, who once tried (and failed) to hire Nicole to host their cosmetics party, the starlet costs about $30,000 per appearance.

Regardless, we have total faith that if Nicole does attend Aussie Fashion Week, it’s because she believes in the emerging design talent down there. The first time we met her, she was wearing a Roland Mouret dress (and was gorgeous in it).

Nicole would look just as incredible in something by Lisa Ho or Josh Goot; hopefully she’ll swing by their showrooms in Sydney to play dress-up.

For love, of course, and not for money.

Anya Hindmarch finally releases images of her American non-plastic bag, which is brighter and has navy blue lettering.

It’s not available until June, but Bagsnob reports Anya boutiques around the country are now accepting pre-orders.

Of course we called right away, and here’s what they told us:

*The bags come into the store June 20th (thanks Isabel!).

*If you don’t pre-order the bag, you may still get one, as they’re holding a stash for walk-in customers

*The bags must be shipped to you; you can’t just do fashion takeout, you must also order delivery.

*The cost of the bags here is $15. The cost of shipping is also $15, bringing the grand total of your new bag to $30.

What they didn’t tell us? That maybe, just maybe, the hype isn’t as necessary. Remember when Roland Mouret for Gap provoked fistfights among London shoppers, and then here in America… well, I just saw one of his dresses on the clearance rack, still.

Do you think this bag will cause a riot?