Photo: Los Angeles Times

Hudson’s emotional performance was one of several poignant moments during the telecast, including Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt paying tribute to the late Etta James and Amy Winehouse‘s parents accepting their daughter’s trophy with Tony Bennett for their duet, “Body and Soul.”

While Adele had to hitch a U-Haul to her limo to take home her six trophies, the Foo Fighters walked away with five including Best Rock Album for Wasting Light while Kanye West won four, including Best Rap Album for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Best Rap Song for “All of the Lights.”

Last but certainly not least, one Ms. Diana Ross was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award, her first Grammy after 800 years in the business. The supreme diva took to the stage in a cloud of hair at the end of the night to present Adele with her Album of the Year award. And while the show featured countless moments that would best be forgotten — I’m looking at you Katy Perry and Taylor Swift — the symbolic passing of the torch from Whitney to Jennifer and Ms. Ross to Adele made this a night to remember.

Check out the full list of winners here.

With big hair, big cleavage, dramatic cheekbones, a pouty lip and an always-welcome cat-eye, Adele brings to mind a young Brigitte Bardot and introduces a more grown-up and sexy side of the Grammy winner. What do you think of Adele’s Vogue debut? [Styleite]

SD: I saw you sitting front row next to Anna Wintour at Fashion Week. Genius! Such a fabulous couple. What was going through your thoughts?

NM: Yes! I was screaming out loud inside my head. Me sitting next to the Queen of Vogue! It was such a strange experience. I felt like I was dreaming. And I thought she would be snobby or something. But she was so incredibly sweet to me.

I bet she was, Nicki. I bet. She. Was. [Paper]

- Karlie Kloss, movie star. Kloss’ rise to superstardom in the world of modeling means that Hollywood will begin knocking on her door, if they haven’t rammed it down already. Karlie may be following in the strides of other model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and is eschewing the catwalk for the film studio.

- Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s a beauty contract. While the runway pays well for girls of Karlie’s stature, a beauty campaign can set a model on the catwalk to Easy Street for the rest of her life. Since snagging Estée Lauder, when’s the last time you saw Hilary Rhoda walk a show?

- Karlie Kloss, new creative director at Christian Dior. This may be a bit of a stretch, but the house does love them some Kloss. She hasn’t missed a step in a single Dior show — from couture to resort — in years and Bernard Arnault might want to just keep her around.

- Strike a pose, there’s nothing to it. As everyone knows, models making the cover of Vogue is as rare as a viable Republican candidate for the presidency. So what better reason to cancel on Fashion Week than to jet off to Paris for an exclusive shoot with Mario Testino for a star-making cover?

- Karlie Kloss DiCaprio. After she walked in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly smitten with the leggy Ms. Kloss. He’s landed Gisele and Bar Refaeli, why not add the newest bright young thing to his collection of catwalkers?

What do you think — Where in the World if Karlie Kloss?

- Stella McCartney has a new video for PETA that Cathy Horyn thinks is worth watching. Let me know, will ya. [NYT]

- Much like every diffusion line worth its salt, Jason Wu for Target sold out in, like, a day. [Racked]

- But this isn’t Target’s first time at the rodeo and the retailer is restocking their online shelves later this week. [InStyle]

- During the final three minutes of the Super Bowl there was an average of 10,000 tweets per second. That’s a lot of hashtalk. [TechCrunch]

- Vogue and Anna Wintour let Madonna have their logo free of charge for her half time show and as a result had the biggest bang for the smallest advertising buck of any of the big game’s blockbuster commercials. [WWD]

- Gisele can drop as many effing F-bombs as she effin’ likes since she’s the highest effing paid supermodel in the effing world. Dammit. [Modelinia]

- It’s no “The Boy Is Mine” but Brandy and Monica‘s new duet, “It All Belongs to Me,” is here. Sadly there’s no lyrical weave-snatching this time around. [Rap Up]

Though for a cover that boasts and toasts the end of minimalism, her makeup is awfully minimal. Sure the collar is over the top, and Adriana Lima needs little to nothing on her face to make her stun, but if we’re talking “Maximum Effect”, than Vogue Brasil, perhaps you should have maximized.

The major fashion titles were generally up in advertising from last year with W posting the greatest  gain at 25%  or 41 pages — though at a total of 204 pages, it is still only fifth in the rankings. InStyle had its biggest ad count since stomping onto the newsstand 18 years ago with 344 pages — a 13 % (39 pages) increase — bringing it in at number 2. And this is how the rest of the list shakes out:

1. Vogue — 442.74 pages, up 3.7%

2. InStyle — 344 pages, up 13% (39 pages)

3. Elle — 319 pages, up 2% (6 psges)

4. Harper’s Bazaar — 271 pages, up 16% (37 pages)

5. W — 204 pages, up 25% (41 pages)

Meanwhile, what really matters in this story is that the March issue of Vogue will feature one Ms. Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, which — just saying — will be a marked improvement from the current Grammy gal gracing the February issue.

Photos: Christopher Hall Photography

While one could argue that the statement — “Twenty years ago the average fashion model weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today she weighs 23% less.” — doesn’t take into account the fact that women 20 years ago probably weighed less than they do now — two decades of fast food will do that to you — one only has to consider who the average fashion model was 20 years ago. Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Fucking Evangelista…these women were Amazons and Glamazons; healthy, gorgeous and glowing with the energy of life and $10,000 a day paychecks. Then Kate Moss came shuffling in and changed the game. Despite the veracity of the facts, if anything the spread stimulates a debate. And more importantly, it offers images of a beautiful woman who is not only clearly proud of her voluptuous body, but also pretty damned flexible to boot. [Buzzfeed]

Ok, wait, I can say one nice thing: her bangs and cheekbones look really good. Wow, that wasn’t so bad…but why does it feel like a part of me has died inside?

The hair is laid and shellacked to one side, decolletage is out and ready for a party and Theron is serving movie star realness for Mario Sorrenti, who shot the cinematic stunner for the mag with styling by the always amazing Edward Enninful.

Photo: Vogue.com

Wintour and Vogue have reportedly been “instrumental” in coercing assembling the 22 designers, including Marc Jacobs, Diane von Furstenberg, Tory Burch, Alexander Wang, Tracy Reese, Joseph Altuzarra, Rachel Roy, Narciso Rodriguez, Rag & Bone and Jason Wu. Wary of alienating Republican voters from their brands, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton initially nixed their labels from participating in Runway to Win, but Marc Jacobs — of which LVMH owns a majority stake — designed his T-shirt anyway, “following pressure from the magazine,” according to WWD.

On the other hand, Donna Karan, also owned by LVMH, did not bow to Wintour and is therefore not participating in the fundraising effort. And therefore won’t be seen in Vogue anytime soon…Kidding!…Not really.

Runway to Win’s e-commerce site, runwaytowin.com, officially launches on Thursday, but Wintour’s re-election campaign is not stopping there. She will also co-host an Obama fundraiser with actress Scarlett Johansson in February — which I’m taking as a sign that ScarJo will be on the cover around that time. See, kids, and you thought fashion and politics had nothing in common. They both require a steely nerve, a willingness to compromise and the ability to turn a blind eye to corruption. The blatant abuse of power doesn’t hurt either. [WWD]

If the talks prove succesful, Nicki Minaj would — correct me if I’m wrong — be the first rapper on the cover of Vogue. Although god knows Gwyneth Paltrow‘s been known to drop a hot verse in her day.

What do you think, Indies? Are you excited for a Nicki Minaj Vogue cover or has Anna finally gone over the deep-end?

- Breathable caffeine. It’s a real thing. Though for my money, there’s a much more effective, albeit illegal, way of snorting your way to a quick pick-me-up. [Nylon]

- Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, 69, wants to put those pregnancy rumors to rest! She may be getting married to “forever fiend” Willie Wilkerson this summer, but there’s no royal bun in that majestic oven. The Queen is reportedly considering Donna Karan, Valentino and Vera Wang to do the dressing honors. [People]

- “How you Zoe-in’?” After sending The Baby Skyler an Hermès tower of toys, Brad Goreski told Wendy Williams he never received a thank you note from former boss/current rival Rachel Zoe. [Jezebel]

- Ad Age didn’t think Rihanna‘s Armani ad was the sexiest of the year, though apparently everyone else thought they thought it was. [Ad Age]

- Remember that whole Marc Jacobs sexual discrimination case? Yeah, I don’t care either, but seems like it’s been settled out of court, “to the satisfaction of both parties.” [Vogue UK]

- Cosmopolitan is oversexed, Glamour’s definitely hiding something, and Vogue is surprisingly romantic. The buzzwords magazines used most on their covers for 2011 painted a telling portrait. [Fashionista]

In a pose strikingly similar to her July Vogue cover, also shot by Testino, Watson nevertheless looks fresh and fabulous. But more than just a pretty face, the enterprising Watson also provided her own input on the “Rouge in Love” line’s 24 shades, which will be hitting stores in February. [Telegraph]

Link Love: WWD

- Eva Hoeke has stepped down from Jackie in the wake of Niggabitch-gate.[Fashionista]

- Brad Goreski denies rumors that he stole clients from Rachel Zoe and accuses the superstar stylist of character assassination. But  in all fairness, Brad’s character was really asking for it. [Styleite]

- Elizabeth Taylor‘s auction brought in a record-breaking $158.8 million —  Liz and Dick Burton are cackling at each other over martinis in hell. [NYT]

- You take the good, you take the bad, you take ‘em both and there you have the facts of Vogue. Here’s the good: Adele probably will be covering Vogue‘s March issue.  And now for the bad: Taylor Swift probably will be covering Vogue‘s February’s issue. [Fashionista]

- Speaking of Swift, her CoverGirl ad has been banned for making unsubstantiated claims, the most egregious being that Taylor Swift is worthy of being a CoverGirl. [The Cut]

- And speaking of cover girls, Justin Bieber is rumored to cover V Magazine‘s “Music Issue” shot by Inez and Vinoodh and dropping January 12. [Page Six]

-  Apparently some ladies  riding the crimson wave have begun to hang ten on a crime wave at Duane Reades around town with a rash of tampon thefts, prompting the NYPD to pull off a sting operation. Because that’s what happens in New York. [Racked]

- Mariah Carey brings out the twins, John Legend and her 90s “Vision of Love” hair for her newest holiday classic music video, “When Christmas Comes”:

Several designers have been requested to create special outfits for cover consideration in size 14 and 16 — Adele’s size — for the March 2012 Vogue issue.  The magazine declined to comment on the speculation, which is sure to be a bit embarrassing if it turns out that Ms. Wintour isn’t actually considering the songstress and just wanted extra material for draping.

-Anna Wintour‘s biannual HJ to the industry, Fashion’s Night Out, will make an uncalled-for return next year to once again haunt the sartorial streets. [WWD]

-  Jonathan Saunders, Mary Katrantzou, Marios Schwab and Nicholas Kirkwood are among the finalists for next year’s British Fashion Council/Vogue Fashion Fund. [Vogue UK]

- Michael Kors IPO is listed at $20/share, which will probably be the least you’ll ever pay for a Michael Kors anything from here on out. [WWD]

- The First Family posed for a new family portrait and while it’s all cute and familial, we can clearly see Michelle‘s roots and homegirl could use a touch-up. [Just Jared]

- Vera Wang is getting in touch with her inner dude by outfitting some real dudes. While brides will wear her doomed David’s Bridal gowns to their weddings, their grooms will wear her new Men’s Warehouse tuxedos. And then everyone will go to the Olive Garden and cap the night off with a few PBRs. [WWD]

- While Vera slums it in the discount wholesale bin, Levi’s is classing their game up. The jeans giant will show at New York Fashion Week for the first time come February. Hopefully the CFDA will have cut whatever day said show is by then. [WWD]

It’s been a tough year for women’s fashion magazines across the board, except for Vogue, which has managed to increase its ad pages by 9% and its newsstand sales by 13%, thus earning it the title of Ad Age‘s Magazine of the Year. Conversely, Glamour‘s ad pages and newsstand sales are down – by 7% and 17%, respectively. As Condé Nast‘s biggest seller, it’s imperative that Glamour turn a strong profit for their publishing parent; and so to ensure that, Leive is planning a redesign and overhaul of the mag.

The new Glamour will launch in March with new columns and contributors and an increased focus on pop culture. Michael Angelo, Nylon‘s former art director has also been brought on to assist with the redesign. “The format of many women’s magazines — Glamour included! — hasn’t changed much for a decade,” Leive told WWD, ”but young women are consuming media in totally different ways now. Our team is creating a new Glamour and glamour.com for this new generation of readers….”

Hopefully someone informed Ms. Leive that this  new generation of readers doesn’t actually read. [WWD]

Streep is pretty much a shoe-in for her 17th Academy Award nomination — and that’s no hyperbole — for The Iron Lady, a biopic on English prime minister, Margaret Thatcher.

In the film, Meryl plays Margaret from age 49 to 85, an experience that certainly took its toll both physically — ”We were on a tiny budget, we had very long days and there was no rest. Standing for 12 hours at a time was very painful and all I wanted was a great masseur” — and emotionally –  ”With something like It’s Complicated, I really left it at the set. But this I carried with me more, because it was more personal,” Streep said referring to her 2009 romantic comedy starring noted frequent flier, Alec Baldwin.

Meanwhile, in her Vogue story, Streep puts aside her Lady pains to loll in a few jokes about age. Now 62, Meryl claims that she’s the “oldest person” to land the mag’s cover and reminisces about being offered three roles as witches after turning 40. Taking it to mean that women her age were “grotesque on some level,” she then turned to her husband and said, “It’s over.” That Streep’s done some of her best work in those resulting 22 years proved that not only was it not over, but really just beginning. [Telegraph]

Oh, and check out the trailer for The Iron Lady, out in in wide release January 5th:

“I remember getting quite a bit of criticism for my first Madonna cover,” Wintour said of the May 1989 issue. “And you know, ‘She’ll never sell.’ And it was a little bit risky. And it was up something extraordinary, like 40 percent on newsstands. So that was an eye-opener to all of us.”

This was just a year after Wintour had taken over at Vogue, and her word was not yet law. There was even some doubt surrounding her first cover from November 1988, featuring model Michaela Bercu in (a stunning Christian Lacroix top and) a pair of regular old blue jeans, of all things: “To me, it just said, ‘This is something new. This is something different.’ And I remember the printers called us up because they thought we’d made a mistake. Just wanting to check that that actually was the cover.”

Wintour  has always followed her instincts, for better or worse, and claims she doesn’t care much for market research. “Sometimes they’re successful and obviously sometimes they’re not. But you have to, I think, remain true to what you believe in.” Not a bad philosophy to live by. [WWD]

So this whole shebang is getting all kinds of complicated so here’s a quick run-down:

New York, London, Milan and Paris had agreed — at least in the minds of New York and London — to always and forever start the fashion show calendar on the second Thursday of February and September way back in 2008. Milan and Paris claimed they had agreed to no such thing.

In accordance with this — the “second Thursday rule” — NYFW would start on September 13, thus moving everyone else back one week. Milan said, “Not cool, bro” and threatened to decide its own dates and Condé Nast threatened a boycott by all Vogue editors.

Milan said “Screw you guys, bring it on,” by deciding to keep their original dates, September 19-25, thus conflicting with both New York and London, prompting DVF to ask, “Can’t we all just get along?”

Then New York said, “Fine, you win” and offered to move the dates of the September 2012 shows, to Septembr 6 (the first Thursday) through September 13.

Milan said, “Damn right we win,” then decided to throw its weight around by stipulating that New York had to cut out the September 13 date to accommodate London’s men’s collections. And New York said, “Fuggedaboutit.”

Which more or less brings us up to speed. So the CFDA is waiting to hear if the Camera Nazionale accepts this latest development. As for the second Thursday rule, the CFDA proposed revisiting it after three years and meeting with the Camera in 2013 to discuss the 2014 show dates.

Still confused? Don’t blame you. Which is why they should just settle this with a good old-fashioned walk-off like civilized people. [WWD]

Vogue and Lexus also challenged Eddie Borgo, John Patrick and Moss Lipow to this oh-so-Project-Runway-like adventure. See it all the results en Vogue.

Do you know who invented Rihanna’s iconic haircut, “The Firefly”? Patrick Melville, renowned specialist in high fashion chic and red carpet glamour, did. This really comes as no surprise if one considers his track record. Patrick got his training in London while working for British Vogue and, from there, he went on to have his work immortalized by the lenses of Patrick Demarchelier, Gilles Bensimon, and Kurt Marcus (among others) for the pages of W, Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and many more. Success is a stressful thing, but instead of taking a spa-cation, in 2007 Patrick opened The Patrick Melville Salon and Spa at The Sports Club/LA, the internationally reputed sports and fitness complex at Rockefeller Center. His sleek venue quickly became a top beauty destination, as it features all the amenities of a world-class spa—from luxury manicure and pedicures, to acupuncture as well as organic body and hair treatments—along with superb hair cutting and a full-service color bar. So if you were looking for a place to get your do done for those upcoming festivities, this would be it. Should you be unable to make the trip to Rockefeller Center, however, then check out these five practical holiday hairstyles from Patrick.

Tomboy Girlfriend

Neil Moodie engineered the “tough pony” for the BCBG Max Azria show here in NY, but it was also seen at Rochas and Calvin Klein. This self-wrapped pony is easy to do yourself.

The Vogue Lounge

Thursday Dec. 1 and Friday Dec. 2, Noon – 7pm

Sagamore Hotel, 1671 Collins Ave

A two-day shopping event with Vogue featuring art and fashion collaborations from Keds x Opening Ceremony, Bond No. 9, Dee & Ricky and Lexus. Lexus will host a fashion workshop on the transformation of luxury auto parts recycled into fashion accessories. Since you’re in Miami, grab some beach accessories from the 2012 Artist Towel Series, designed by Barbara Kruger and Rirkrit Tiravanija.

“My focus is really old-fashioned,” Ford told Vogue.com. “I want to do classic clothes. I don’t want to do trendy collections that swing around from season to season. I want to do things that will stay in a woman’s wardrobe a long time—quite ‘forever’ pieces. So I’m looking for consistency.”

[Vogue.com]

Starring  as a series of deadly and devilish balloons, the devil has apparently moved on from wearing Prada to rubber.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery, aleXsandro and for another wonderfully inappropriate portrait.

Photo: Fashion Gone Rogue

This is Kloss’ eighth international Vogue cover, though she has yet to score that grand daddy of covers — American Vogue. However, the S.S. Karlie is blasting into outer-space considering her recent strut down the Victoria’s Secret runway.

And then there’s the guaranteed seal of supermodel approval – the not-at-all-creepy attentions of noted supermodelizer Leonardo DiCaprio.  Come 2012 — mark my words —  Anna Wintour will render her in some disappointing cover story shot by default photogs, Mario Testino or Annie Leibovitz.

From there, next stop: world domination.

The Fashion Fund, created by the CFDA and Vogue to aid young and emerging designers, includes a mentorship program and a cash prize. Altuzarra took home $300,000 while runners-up Pamela Love of Pamela Love Jewelry and Shane Gabier and Chris Peters of Creatures of the Wind walked away with $100,000 each.

Those that went home empty-handed were Suno’s Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis; Carlos Campos; Antonio Azzuolo of A.A. Antonio Azzuolo; Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs of Cushnie et Ochs; Ohne Titel’s Alexa Adams and Flora Gill; Fenton/Fallon’s Dana Lorenz, and Soraya Silchenstedt of Finn Jewelry.

This year’s selection committee included Vogue’s editrix-in-chic Anna Wintour, CFDA prez Diane von Furstenberg and CEO Steven Kolb, Theory‘s Andrew Rosen, Coach‘s Reed Krakoff, J. Crew‘s Jenna Lyons, and past Fund winners — Proenza Schouler‘s Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. [WWD]

Fashion editor Camilla Nickerson outfits Theron in Alexander McQueen, Marchesa, Christoper Kane and Salvatore Ferragamo for the aquatic-themed shoot. I’m assuming the water represents rebirth and all that jazz — considering Theron’s split from  Stuart Townsend and her new film with director Jason Reitman, Young Adult – but Leibovitz comes up dry once again.*

And what’s happening with the underwater shot? Looks like Leibovitz employed the same Photoshopper from those Kardashian Kollection Sears catalogs.

Photos: Vogue

*Annie, get your pun. Anyone?

Karachi Fashion Week

One must also consider the undeniable impact of the internet and blogs, bringing the latest and greatest in fashion to anyone with a decent internet connection. Now a teenager in Ohio can gasp at the fantastical creations from Beijing Fashion Week as a blogger in Thailand livestreams the latest Marc Jacobs runway show. But with this democratization of the fashion industry comes its inevitable oversaturation. “Every other city is doing a fashion week. I think there can be only one market in the U.S., and that’s New York,” Kolb opines. So fashion weeks in Moscow, Karachi, Berlin, Zurich, Huston, Dubai, Portland, Rochester, Islamabad and Tel Aviv won’t garner the kind of respect or attention paid to London and Paris; clothes from its runways won’t land in Elle or W – nor might they ever be worn outside of their respective countries. However, Glenda Bailey’s or Anna Wintour‘s is not the only eye foreign designers hope to capture.

For participants in Islamabad Fashion Week, fashion is a new form of expression that further immerses them in the global culture of the 21st century. When filming Fashion Week Internationale for Vice.com, hostess Charlet Duboc was surprised at the presence of women in full Burkas volunteering backstage:  “I couldn’t quite believe it. How does that work? How can you look at that and admire it and yet know you can’t wear it? But they were there, they were appreciating it and it didn’t feel like there was a divide. Like, ‘You do your thing, I do my thing’ and everyone got along.” Fashion transcends more than just clothing to become a force for cultural change. And a force for economic change. Speaking with the Wall Street Journal, Zurain Imam observed,  ”Fashion in Pakistan for a long time has been an entertainment sport; at [Karachi Fashion Week], we are trying to really make it about the business of fashion.”

While Kolb concedes that smaller fashion weeks can be good training ground for prospective designers, some bigger names are flocking abroad to show their collections. There probably is no hotter designer in America than Singapore-born, Nepalese-raised Prabal Gurung, whose last two presentations at New York Fashion Week met with near universal acclaim. Even he is considering showing his wares abroad in Moscow, Turkey, London and his native Singapore, saying, “There are so many emerging markets that we want to in some way be a part of, and I would love to showcase my collection in a more global way.” With a crowded and contentious calendar, Glenda Bailey won’t likely end up in Richmond, VA, but who’s to say that she won’t be stomping through a Singaporean jungle for the latest in spring ready-to-wear?

[i-D Magazine, Fall 2011]

Tapping his considerable resources, ALT has secured a gown worn by Oscar-winner Penélope Cruz to a Met Costume Institute Gala from Oscar de la Renta; a black  sequined wrap dress from Diane von Furstenberg; a coat trimmed with feathers and plastic fringe from Prada‘s fall 2007 collection; an evening column — what other kind of column is there? — from Tom Ford‘s first eponymous women’s collection; and a pair of blue satin Manolo Blahnik shoes from Sex and the City: The Movie.

In addition, the exhibit will include a video display showing Blahnik making milkshakes on The Martha Stewart Show, music from 2001: A Space Odyssey in the background and either Oscar de la Renta’s Live in Love or DVF’s Diane “wafting through the ventilation system.” But if you can’t make it down to Georgia for this multi-sensory experience, fret not. In December, Talley’s and de la Renta’s Joaquín Sorolla and the Glory of Spanish Dress will open at Manhattan’s Queen Sofia Spanish Institute.

And of course there’s always next year when you can apply for admission to ALTCADOYPF. [NYT]

Citing the film’s Swedish backdrop, the Swedish retailer jumped at the chance to collaborate with the film’s costume designer, Trish Summerville. The result is lots of leather in jackets and boots, hoodies, tribal earrings, backpacks, tattered jeans and the always welcome knitted snood.

“We took her [Salander's] basic pieces that we used throughout the film and did a little more fashionable version for H&M,” Summerville says of the line, which goes on sale at 180 H&M stores worldwide December 14th. Just in time for the film’s premiere on December 26th. [Telegraph]

To an audience including Vogue‘s own Anna Wintour, no topic was off limits. Growing up in the same Bronx neighborhood as Ralph Lauren, Klein admitted that his childhood was “actually kind of a wonderful experience.” And while he knew Lauren from the “peculiar way” he dressed, they weren’t really friends: “[Lauren] was older than I. I grew up in a very Jewish kind of intellectual environment.”

The designer also tells of his early days in fashion and how he got started, though he only narrowly avoided a career in the supermarket business. His friend and business partner Barry Schwartz had inherited his father’s grocery store and Schwartz wanted he and Klein to “become the next A&P.” Conflicted over his love for fashion and a future of assured security he consulted his parents:

My dad said, “You know, I never knew exactly what you studied all these years, but I have a feeling if you don’t see it through, even though this is a great opportunity your best friend is offering, I think you will be unhappy all your life. You have to go through with it.” I left their apartment on cloud nine. That did it for me. It was the best advice I ever got.

Klein also spoke openly about his struggle with addiciton, referencing a very public meltdown at Madison Square Garden in 2003:

That was really a shameful, horrible moment. It had nothing to do with work. I’ve done enough therapy and enough work on myself. Addiction is not caused by stress on the job, even though lots of people in the fashion industry have suffered from the same problem. It’s not about the work. It has more to do with your childhood and lots of other things. You’re always in recovery. You’re always aware that this is something you don’t want to do, whether it’s drugs, sex, food. There are lots of addictions.

While he was married — twice — to women, Klein revealed that he is happy in his life now, which includes a young man who takes him paragliding.  Through it all, he’s learned that family and friends are really “what completes life.” Of course creating a multi-billion dollar empire couldn’t have hurt either. [WWD, sub req'd]

Users must register on Vogue.it and from there they can suggest article ideas as well as add to and revise already published content. Every article has a byline and all submissions will be reviewed by a Vogue staffer.

“We are trying not to misinterpret your articles, but some must be necessarily edited and you must accept it, not feel criticized and try to understand you are being assisted by an experienced staff,” Sozzani wrote before the launch of Encyclo in her always entertaining blog. So far the editrix is happy with what she sees and has plans to dedicate a page of Vogue Italia to “a recap of the best themes.”

Franca Sozzani, more than any other editor, Vogue or otherwise, always seems to be on the cusp and with Vogue Encyclo she purports to foster a new generation of journalists: “I cannot solve all your problems, but I do believe that through a regular collaboration with this project you may gain experience and demonstrate you are capable of writing for a magazine.” [WWD]

Lauren Hutton (Nov. 17, 1943) That signature gap has been captivating audiences for four decades. both on and off the runway. Hutton easily transitioned from model to actress with roles in American Gigolo and The Gambler, but never forgot where her roots lay. Lest we forget, our senior citizens can still turn it.

Photo: Life

For more information on The Fund, visit Vogue.com.

For Gatsby, the iconic jeweler created one-of-a-kind platinum and diamond-encrusted bracelets, rings, headpieces and long pearl necklaces that will hopefully drape down to the floor à la Dorothy Zbornak. The cast — including Mulligan, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Isla Fisher and up-and-coming starlet, Gemma Ward – will wear these and other period pieces inspired by the Tiffany archives. [WWD]