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}

She’s Back Y’all: Gemma Ward’s not going anywhere, thank god. She’s just taking a mini-break from modeling. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if she got back into it without losing those twenty pounds? {Fashionologie}

Blurry Blogging: An even deeper look into the world of fashion blogging. Do you embrace the industry? Stay away from it? Can you be a part of it and still be a real-life blogger? {Blackbook}

One More Time: The age-old, never-ending debate about whether or not girls can be both into fashion and smart, or more importantly, taken seriously. {Telegraph}

Getting Technical: Nicholas Kirkwood and some other major players in the shoe industry teach us all about how they make heels more comfortable from materials to techniques. We love a mini-tutorial. {NY Times}

Dear Fashionista,

A friend found this dress on Bebe’s website the other day. Since then, I think I’ve gone through all the proper stages of grief.

It might look like a disturbing coincidence to some, but I splurged on the Valentino Red original on Net-a-Porter last month and Bebe’s copy kind of breaks my heart. They’ve captured the idea: black tube shape with lace on the neck and ruched sleeves. The pattern on the lace even looks the same, though I guess their factory couldn’t handle the tiny details like the outline of the collar or the delicate ribbons.

I take some solace in the difference of quality, the dresses hang differently even online, but I don’t understand why they can’t take the ideas - lace, black, ruffles - and make something on trend that’s not an exact copy.

Grr,
A frustrated customer

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

When I found Alice Dellal backstage at Valentino, she was busy bickering with her elegant mother.

Apparently, they disagreed about the right look for the night’s parties. Mom, in head-to-toe Valentino red, favored the Valentino look Alice sported during the show while daughter preferred her cozy shearling, torn t-shirt, jeans and massive shoes - though she couldn’t remember where they were from, “Somewhere on the high street?” she said, “It’s all I can afford.”

The jeans and t-shirt won, quelle surprise, and she looked gorgeous. One always wonders about the pseudo-royalty-becomes-model-types, but up close and personal, there’s no wondering about Alice. She has an air about her and when you stand next to her, you just get it.

Despite its less than stellar performance since Valentino’s exit, the industry’s VIPs continue to flock to Valentino.

Today’s show played host to a stellar trifecta: Linda Fargo, Michael Roberts, and Anna Dello Russo sat front row for Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli’s second effort.

Their collection was pretty - very, very pretty.

The clothes weren’t overly complicated, nor dramatic or groundbreaking, but their sense of lightness looked comfortable and desirable. If they were going for dreamlike, they succeeded with a palette of dusky nudes and lilacs. Sparks of Valentino’s signature heavy handiwork appeared on mini-dresses and a gown or two, and of course, there were bows.

As for the showmanship of the show itself, no expense was spared. Black and white images of mutating orchids and flames were projected onto the walls of the tent and the tones of grey translated to the seats, which, by the way, were the most plush seats I’ve ever seen at a fashion show - soft banquettes, only three rows deep, perfect for resting my Fashion Week ridden body.

Of course the lingering question is, and will be for some time, what did Mr. Valentino think?

—REBECCA SUHRAWARDI AUSTIN

Finally — the first live action peek of Terry Gilliam’s The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus‎ — and it’s packed full of Lily Cole.

The model, who looks more doll-like than ever, plays Valentina, daughter of Doctor Parnassus who’s played by Christopher Plummer. Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell take turns as Tony, collectively make this the most attractive film ever made. Lily’s in the background of at least half the clips, sometimes naked, once in a Valentino red dress, once making out with Heath and always framed by her wild red mane.

Our reaction to this is probably like a twelve-year-old’s to Twilight.

It’s easy, while flipping through magazines and seamlessly perfect luxury advertisements, to forget what kind of work goes into building such perfect little worlds.

So here’s a peek behind the scenes of the shoot of Valentino’s latest fragrance ad starring a kohl-eyed Siri Tollerod, Erin Heatherton, Marloes Horst and a mirror. The song is, of course, written just for this: “Valentino Loves You” by Sophie Carpentier.

It’s most fun to see the comic book-like sketches and instructions detailing the shoot’s order. Hop in!

“They have no feeling for the actuality of life, no sense of a lived experience, and frankly I’d be worried about getting too close to one of those prickly, encrusted numbers. You might get a rash.” -Cathy Horyn on the dresses at Valentino. Man we wish she blogged every single day.

Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli took some serious hits from critics after their first couture showing in January.

But the press seems to have warmed a bit to the collection they presented yesterday in Paris.

There is definitely a new vibe at the house. While an occasional bow did make an appearance, the looks were dark, almost entirely black. And for the most part very short and sexy. There were no splashes of color and definitely no Valentino red to be found.

I will admit to not being the biggest Valentino (the clothes, not the man) fan in town, though I’ve always had a great appreciation for many things about the line. But this collection actually speaks much more to my personal taste. I think it looks young and hot and current.

Carlos Souza is going to be able to take this collection and run with it…all the way to Hollywood.

What say you about Valentino’s new direction?

We started hearing word from the Jean Paul Gaultier show earlier today via Tweets from lucky attendees. Old Hollywood was the theme and seating was even named after the major studios.

And may we add a quick thank you to the newest editor addition to Twitterverse, Joe Zee. The man is on it with the rapid details and pictures.

(He’s tweeting from Valentino as we write.)

When he wrote about crocodile overalls paired with a sable coat, we knew this was the look we had to see stat.

Bergdorf Goodman’s teamed up with the American Visionary Art Museum for their 5th Avenue windows.

The museum’s in Baltimore, Maryland, but its artists created a collection of fantastical backdrops here in New York for clothes from Jason Wu and Oscar De La Renta, brightly colored homes for Louboutin shoes, erratic sketches frame a bejeweled Valentino bag and a man carved from wood watches over a Rodarte look complete with slashed gloves and Nicholas Kirkwood boots.

The museum’s mission statement defines visionary art as “art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself,” which, when combined with the best of pre-fall fashion makes for a must-visit outdoor museum on the street.

Thank god it’s finally stopped raining.

Valentino’s been an utter disaster since Valentino left.

So yesterday the company announced they were bringing back Carlos Souza, the former model and current PR whiz to whip it back into shape. Or more specifically, to get back their devoted celebrity clientele.

He’s starting now, or next week at couture and working alongside HL Group here in the States to right what’s become the wrong Valentino image.

If anyone can do that, if anyone knows the brand well enough, it’s Souza, but how can all the PR in the world fix a label with disastrous, or worse, boring designs? From Alessandra Facchinetti’s controversial ousting to the lackluster clothes from Valentino’s former accessory designers the house hasn’t had the least success since Valentino left.

Here’s hoping Souza really is the answer. We’d hate to see Valentino be the new Halston.

Why We Worship: We didn’t really think Cecilia Dean could get any cooler but she’s gone and made the new issue of Visionaire solar powered. The images actually change in front of your eyes. {Refinery29}

Turned Tables: People think DVF ripped this jacket from Canadian label Mercy. We doubt DVF’s seen it. Bet we can guess what you think. {NationalPost}

Green Rage: W says no invites are the new invites. Not that you’re not invited, you just won’t have anything to pin on your bulletin board post-event. {W}

“What do you most value in your friends?” —Vanity Fair “They have to love my designs.” —Valentino

If the fact that it just snowed on the first day of spring is as confusing to you as it is to us, then you know there’s only one real response: shop!

This weekend’s a particularly good one for sales, so here’s a little guide for those of you who may have missed our sale calendar:

Tomorrow, you can sip champagne while getting 20% off at the new Hayden-Harnett store, then skip over to the nearby Staerk, Built by Wendy, Only Hearts, Libertine, and Abaete sales. And if you’re really into it, you could head west to hit up the Falls pop-up store on Greenwich, before you check out the Alaia, Proenza and Givenchy at the nearby Edon Manor. You also have Michael Kors in Chelsea and Lauren Merkin a little further uptown. Or if you’re in LA, we highly suggest the Kiki de Montparnasse garden shopping party.

Starting Sunday, you could pick up Valentino (and Roberto Cavalli, Blumarine) on 57th Street, or if you’d rather not leave the comfort of your bed and Sunday Times you can have a Blair moment on Colette Malouf’s sample sale online.

Finally, if you feel like feeding your weakness without spending too much cash, the Loomstate event at Kaight today might be the way to go - you get an exclusive, stenciled Loomstate shirt for free with any Spring purchase, which means spring shopping fever is officially in full swing.

Happy Friday.

And now, something that has nothing to do with Fashion Week:

Some lucky people may have gotten to go to advance screenings of the Valentino documentary, Valentino: The Last Emperor, but we have some good news for everybody else, too.

The film finally has a regular release date - March 18th. It’ll play at NYC’s Film Forum for two weeks, and then it’ll launch in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles and San Francisco on March 27th.

We suggest using Fandango.

But back to Fall 09 - Next up: BCBG, Costello Tagliapietra, Abaete, Lorick, and more pictures from Red Heart, Charlotte Ronson and more…

“When Valentino Garavani released a statement categorically denying that he had anything to do with the design of his former accessory designers’ first collection for the label, perhaps it was because he knew what was going to come down the runway today.” - Fashionologie, on Chiuri and Piccioli’s first couture try at Valentino.