Via: USDish.com

Although it’s easy to be underwhelmed by any dresses coming before the Oscars, there are some ladies who really turned it out last night. We put our top 10 at the beginning of the gallery for your viewing pleasure. All photos from Huffington Post Style.

- Neil Patrick Harris and house husband David Burtka need to get a room, but instead the happily married queens put their love on display for the February issue of Out magazine. [Out]

- Grammys Love Cool J. Rapper/actor/my baby daddy LL Cool J will host the 54th annual Grammys, the first time the “awards” show will have a proper host in some seven years. [Deadline]

- After 14 years of clandestine lovin’, Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis are allegedly hitting the proverbial rocks. [People]

- PETA is taking issue with fox fur merkins. Because a fox and a pussy should never cohabitate. [Huff Po]

- A commissioner in Shreveport, LA is pushing to have pajamas banned in public. And I say bravo. Back in my day you didn’t step out of the house without a full face — and by “you” I clearly mean “I” and by “my day” I clearly mean “yesterday.” [Shreveport Times]

- Funny ladies/Cover Girls Ellen DeGeneres and Sofia Vergara apply a little lip-shtick on the former’s daytime show.

“I appreciate everyone’s support for my clothing line but I wanted to clarify a few things…The name of the line is Kanye West not DW… The Dw was a design element placed on the invite in homage to my mom : )…I really appreciate the fake DW twitter page but since it’s not official I can’t co sign any information on it,” West revealed in a series of tweets.  He further explained that he funded his first show out-of-pocket and that he’s “been working at this for 8 years now …from the first offers to do urban clothing lines that I turned down.”

Among other opportunities Kanye turned down included a position, one assumes an internship, at Versace “wich [sic] I could not take due to my contract with LV which was for 2 years.” After designing his Kanye West for Louis Vuitton shoe collection, West expressed his disappointment that he wasn’t asked to do  a second. He did, however, work “at Fendi for 4 months under cover,” alleging he was “there to give ideas for the men’s collection.” West then continued his covert couturier career when he “snuck [into the] Giuseppe Zanotti Factory still under contract and learned to design woman’s shoes for 2 years before” his first show.  While in Paris, Azzedine Alaïa, whom Kanye refers to as “the master,” even came to pay his studio a visit.

From there, he talks about creative directing the Jetsons movie (?), his love/hate relationship with the Grammys, the pressures of fame, the problems with the public school system and his desire to make a difference. West also announced the creation of a new company called DONDA (“the best name ever of all companies of all time!!!”), which he describes as “a design company which will galvanize amazing thinkers and put them in a creative space to bounce there dreams and ideas.”

My first impression is to wonder what Kanye was on at the time, but as he explains, it was his dreams that kept him “woke” and tweeting from London at 5 am. Yeah, I’ve been there — must be some quality, uncut dreams. Either way, I’m fully supporting everything that West alleges, if only for the image of Kanye West sneaking into a Giuseppe Zanotti factory and chillin’ with new BFF Azzedine Alaïa.

Images via Design Scene

Photo: Daily Telegraph

Kensington Palace is undergoing a $19 million renovation for the 2012 London Olympics and Queen Elizabeth II‘s diamond jubilee, so they’re using the occasion to cart out a handful of the late princess’ greatest stunners — some of which have never been shown in the U.K.

Included in the exhibit simply titled “Diana” are the black taffeta Emanuel gown she wore to her first official engagement with Prince Charles in 1981; a silk, fuchsia sari-style Catherine Walker dress worn to Thailand (shown above); another Catherine Walker dress, this one in ivory silk crepe; a Bellville Sassoon Lorcan Mullany (yeah, I have no idea who that is either) white cocktail dress and a black Versace shift. [WWD]

Gisele and Ryan Barrett were shot by the imitable Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and styled by Joe McKenna and David Bradshaw dramatically entering a pool somewhere in the California desert.

Much like La Bündchen, I know that if and whenever I go for a swim, there’s always a Lucite platform involved. [WWD]

Kim counts Taylor as her “idol” and “icon,” so it comes as no surprise that the Big K would shell out some clams to have a piece of Liz in her life: “If you have a piece of jade, the energy goes into the piece and you absorb the energy,” Kardashian said via phone. “So I can feel Elizabeth in the piece.” Good for you, Kim, feeling up Elizabeth Taylor — but you’re going to need a lot more than one failed marriage if you’re going to “Keep Up” with that legacy.

Among the most popular items was a Christian Dior evening gown and matching clutch that fetched $362,500, over 60 times its estimated worth, and a Versace jacket featuring Taylor’s iconic face emblazoned in rhinestones all over it (#dead), which sold for $128,500.

The Gina Fratini wedding dress Liz wore for her second marriage to Richard Burton went for $62,500, while the yellow chiffon dress she wore to their first wedding was removed from auction at the last minute and will instead be donated to an institution. Two diamond and gold wedding bands from both Burton nuptials, however, were sold for $1 million — 125 times more than its estimated $8000 worth.

The big ticket item of the night was a  lithograph of Liz  by signed by Andy Warhol — “To Elizabeth, with much love”; estimated at $30,000 to $50,000, the painting sold for $662,500. The Liz Taylor auction continues tonight and into tomorrow, giving more reality TV stars and alleged socialites plenty opportunity to claim a piece of Taylor for her own. [Telgraph, Forbes, Bloomberg]

Photos: Vogue UK

Military Styled Coats

Outerwear is highly important when the winter season rolls around. Everyone loves a great looking winter coat, and for men the military styled coat is stylish but still masculine. These coats lie a bit beyond the waist and have a lot of design details that give it more of an edge than your average pea coat. Buying in a darker color, such as a deep navy or charcoal, is a sure way to complement any outfit this winter season.

Preppy is Still In

Preppy winter clothing has yet to go out of style, and is a great way to add color to your winter wardrobe. Preppy styles for men are comfortable, casual styled clothing that come in a wide variety of styles and bright colors. Brands to try: Tommy Hilfiger, D&G

Say Yes to Exotic Fabrics

Velvet is still in this season as far as fabrics are concerned. Men don’t need to stick to boring cottons or wools to have their winter wardrobe fit in. Cashmere, leather, and even fur is in this season for men. Brands to try: Versace, Etro

Heavy Knit Sweaters

Sweaters with a chunky knit in bright colors are definitely a wardrobe must have for any man along with Nordic sweaters. These sweaters will not only keep you incredibly warm during the colder months, but will also keep your wardrobe interesting and from running on the bland side. Brands to try: Versace, Hermes, John Varvatos

Go Gray Not Black

While black is classic and sleek, let’s not forget about the stylish neutral gray.  Gray suits and overcoats pair nicely with the bright garments that are in this winter, and complete an outfit without having to be so traditional.

Just because winter is upon us doesn’t mean that men can get sloppy. Keep yourself looking good by remembering a few of your favorite winter trends.

“The Great Designers” will also be accompanied by the book The Great Designers: Fashion’s Hall of Fame from A to Z, highlighting 500 of the museum’s masterworks by 100 of the 20th- and 21st-century’s most important designers. Publishing in April 2012, the book will include an essay by museum curator Valerie Steele on the history of fashion museums and exhibits,  along with short bios on the 100 designers. Click through the gallery for some of the designs featured and to keep you occupied until you can make your way to the FIT Museum to see them in person. [WWD, FIT]

Marni’s founder and creative director, Consuelo Castiglioni – above with H&M’s Margareta van den Bosch – mined some of her favorite pieces and the label’s predilection for prints to create the capsule collection, with styles for both men and women.

Well, with spring around the corner…and down the block, across the street and a bit to the left, the Marni x H&M collabo might arrive just in time. If the runways were any indication, the season will be popping with prints and combusting with color — but what do you say, dear readers: are you excited for some marked-down Marni? [WWD]

Palazzo Versace, Australia

If you didn’t get to shop the Versace x H&M collection, have no fear – you can still get into some Versace design. The Palazzo Versace, designed by Donatella herself, drips with glamour. Indulge in your in-room spa, drink from designer glasses and teacups and boast to your friends that camped outside for Versace x H&M you are indoors relaxing on Versace ground. Plus, it’s summer in Australia. Extra plus, if you stay for New Year’s Eve, you can party in style on a golden playground.

Versace for H&M proved a retail juggernaut with lines wrapped around H&Ms around the world, the H&M website pulling a Target website and crashing last Thursday — it’s not up as of this post’s publication, FYI —  and items flying off the rack in minutes.  With an online-only collection, at least one can avoid the shoving and the pushing and the elbowing of overzealous shoppers — sorry, by the way, to that little girl I elbowed in the eye last Friday but there was a bustier with my editor’s name on it.  [WWD]

Now having seen the collection we’ve been going bananas over for months, here’s the scoop:

Donatella Versace herself crawled out of her crypt uncharacteristically before noon to pay a visit in London, decked out in a studded silk pink dress and studded black leather trench, her bleach blond hair casually swept over her oversized sunglasses. “I feel very emotional,” she told WWD. ”I really want to see how they are going to mix and pair the clothes, how they will wear them.”

Arriving at 8:30 am, when the line was already around the block, Donny also also expressed her approval of the quality of the garments that had produced such a clamor:  ”Do you see these studs? Usually, with low-cost clothing, they’re pressed on but these are real. And I only worked with pure materials – 100 percent silks and real leather.”

In Milan, a transportation strike did not deter Versace devotees from lining up while in Paris, the racks were picked clean within fifteen minutes. Some shoppers, however, were luckier than others as the night before, French Vogue‘s Emmanuelle Alt hosted a special preview shopping party for 1,000 winners of a contest the magazine had conducted.

Some 300 people lined up in Hong Kong for the store’s 8 am opening and in Berlin, lines started forming at 4 am.

In Shanghai, professional queuers waited on behalf of shoppers too smart and/or lazy to wait in line themselves. Mingling with migrant workers who were also paid as placeholders, a fight broke out amongst the predominately male stand-ins before doors opened. In fact, most of the customers in line were male, with some openly admitting they were there to snatch up as many covetable items as they could to re-sell online.

Besides that slight altercation, H&M’s well-organized, and well-documented, process has been rather smooth. But we’ll see once the doors open stateside this Saturday. [WWD]

Photos: The Fashion Spot, Bellazon

H&M then responded to said hubub:

“We are very surprised by the NY Daily News article and do not understand how they came to this conclusion. We can only explain it as a misunderstanding and a series of miscommunication. H&M is a democratic fashion brand and it is not our policy to decide models for fashion features in media. Both H&M and Versace have, over many years, cast from a wide and diverse pool, not only of models, but of celebrities and personalities reflective of all ethnicities, gender, ages and sizes.”

Will these recent developments deter you from clamoring for the collection when it hits stores on Saturday? Or did all the rules and stipulations already do that?

[NYDN, Racked]

Photo: Racked

- Firstly, the collection hits stores statewide this Saturday, November 19th. There will no doubt be lines before the stores open — generally around 9 am — so bring some coffee, a flask and a friend to keep you company.

- Secondly, the first 280 people in the store will receive one of 14 different color bracelets, 20 people per bracelet color. The bracelets are only needed for shopping the Versace women’s collection, not the men’s or H&M’s other collections. So for the first time in…well, forever, I’ll be eschewing the ladies section. The bracelets will have a specific time for shopping and once your slot comes up, you’ll have 15 minutes to get down to business.

- Thirdly, once the first 280 have gone at the collection, every one else will get their chance to shop. But don’t worry because…

- Fourthly, there’s a shopping limit. Every customer is limited to a maximum of two pieces per product, so you can buy two sizes in a shoe or a garment or two of the same accessories but that’s it.

- And finally, to ensure your local H&M carries the collection you want, there’s a convenient store locator on the site for Ladies, Men and Home goods.

Sure, this sounds like a gigantic pain in the ass, but it’s Saturday morning and you’re going to be hungover anyway. Just keep drinking and by midday you’ll have the most coveted diffusion line of the year.

Photos: Zimbio

The Purple One and the Pink One will add some extra color to the collection’s ultra bold and bright prints, much to Donatella Versace‘s sheer delight. “I am so pleased to share with so many the excitement of this collaboration with H&M,” shared the designer. “To have my friend, the great, the amazing, the one and only Prince, and the extraordinary Nicki Minaj both perform at the event, will create exactly the feeling of joy and glamour I want this partnership to express.”

For those of us not invited to said press preview on November 8th — a-hem! — the Versace x H&M line launches worldwide November 19th. [WWD]

Link Love: Vogue.com

Photos: Fucking Young! 

*Kate Middleton‘s Alexander McQueen was a late addition and Rubenstein had to cut one of the dresses to keep the list to 100. So it was sayonara Nancy Reagan and her white one-shoulder inauguration ball gown. Michelle Obama‘s Jason Wu, however, remained in tact. [WWD, sub req'd]

Hitler John Galliano

Why not dress like the most controversial man in 2011 news? Add a Hitler mustache and Nazi uniform to the mix and you’ll have the most ferociously offensive costume at the party.

Essential Supplies

Hitler..errr “Chaplin” Mustache

Swastika Armband

Crown

Mert and Marcus shot this latest in the Versace x H&M fall campaign. Still a full month away, it’s not too early to say that this diffusion line might be the best thing that ever happened to anyone ever. And that’s putting it lightly. [Design Scene]

On pregnancy and motherhood: “It was important to me that I gave myself time to focus on becoming the woman I want to be, building my empire, my relationship, and my self-worth, before I became a mother,” she says. “Now God has blessed us with the ultimate.”

On her husband, Jay-Z: “We have been together since I was 20 years old. We took our time and developed an unbreakable friendship before we got married. I admire his ability to inspire others. To me, Jay represents the American dream. Jay’s music has helped define our generation. All that he has overcome and worked to achieve gives millions hope that they can become whatever they want to be. I respect him so much; he is a great man and a great artist.”