Giorgio Armani looked towards the East for this season’s collection. Exotic silks, pagoda shoulders, Asian silhouettes with updated interpretations of Chinese floral and cloud motifs were seen throughout the collection. Colors ranged from sedate charcoals and taupe to dramtic lapis blue and reds. Embroidered motifs and knotted tassels embellished garments as well as the handbags. Purse shapes ranged from flat, larger clutches to scalloped evening pouches and delicate beaded bags. Marco Polo returned from China inspired by what he had seen. This Italian designer may also echo the sentiment.

While I can see the potential of the new Coach Spectator Leather Sabrina, I can’t quite gets past its sporty appearance. I do adore the pale violet color and the contrast against the darker colors, but I generally prefer a more classic approach to the design and color palette of an everyday satchel. This is more of a limited, occasional use carryall that definitely would work on a casual spring or summer day. It’s got all of those functional details that make it appropriate for holding everything comfortably, but it’s not exactly an office-to-dinner style that would suit every occasion.

Natalia Vodianova, hubbie Justin Portman and their three kids just spent a weekend in Rio for the first annual Claro Rio Summer, the beach collections of Brazil’s hottest labels, masterminded by advertising exec Nizan Guanaes. It was also a model-lover's paradise as homegrown babes Isabeli Fontana, Michelle Alves, Fernanda Tavares, Izabel Goulart, Fernanda Motta, Ana Claudia Michels, Daiane Conterato, Barbara Berger and Viviane Orth stalked the runways. Even the front row was also a gift for the hysterical local press, with Valentino, Hamish Bowles, Hilary Alexander and Colette's Sarah Leffer hitting most of the shows and glittering dinner parties...

We know that Katie Grand is leaving POP to start a new edgy fashion magazine for Conde Nast UK, but what's going to happen to POP after its founder leaves? And how did this all come about in the first place?

It turns out that Conde originally tried to buy POP — "we kept hearing [the magazine's publisher Bauer] weren't very committed to POP" — but Bauer declined. Instead, Conde Nast poached Katie, who looked at either option — moving POP or just herself to Conde — as okay: "I kind of knew that Condé Nast had put in bids for POP. I thought, if it happens, great. If not, it would also be great to do something new . . . Maybe it's better just to do something that's completely a fresh start."

By the end of her run at Bauer — which does a lot of business with its weekly titles like Heat and Grazia — Katie was feeling out of place: "There was a definite feeling of being a square peg in a round hole. We were acutely aware of doing something different from everyone else. By the end, to be walking through radio advertising or whatever and be openly called 'the weirdos', it was just unpleasant."

She's still currently working on the December issue of POP — likely to be her last — and is taking her whole POP team with her to the new, untitled magazine at Conde Nast. So what is Bauer doing with POP in the post-Katie era? According to David Davies, managing director of Bauer's women's magazines division, this is just a regular editor turnover, and POP will continue to exist: "We'll continue in the more maverick role. Katie has probably achieved what she's going to with the title. POP will be very different going forward and it's very exciting for us."

CHACE Crawford has reportedly been lined up to be the new face of Versace.

The Gossip Girl star - who plays Nate Archibald in the hit US TV show - is said to be close to signing a deal to replace Grey's Anatomy actor Patrick Dempsey as the face of the prestigious Italian fashion label.

Versace released a statement pointing out the 23-year-old actor has worn clothes from the company to three big events recently - Fashion Rocks, the MTV Video Music Awards and his Gossip Girl co-star Blake Lively's 21st birthday party.

When the label were approached about the rumours of signing Chace, a spokesperson said: "We have been working hard to develop our relationship with Chace - and that is all we can say on the subject.

"Patrick Dempsey is contracted with us through to Spring/Summer 2009. It is undetermined who will replace him at this time."

Recently, new breeds of t-shirt designers are emerging who combine fashion forward sensibilities while being ecologically and socially considerate as well. "We've taken extra effort to design our clothes without cheap shot political messages or cheesy catch phrases," says Joe Maluso, president of Brand of the Free, a family-run business that prides itself on its ethically-aware message. "We aren't out to point fingers or make a political statement. We also don't plan on force-feeding our agenda. We would simply like to give people a fashionable option to support America while remaining socially responsible."

The company sells t-shirts with bold graphics, colors, and slogans that, while thought-provoking, are not obvious. "Our design aesthetic is generally pretty minimal. We utilize clean lines and simple graphics to create a lasting impact. Although the graphics are fairly bold and thought provoking, the concepts usually remain quite subtle. We enjoy taking simple objects or ideas and presenting them in a surprising new way," explains designer Mike Maluso.

Promoting green ideals in this way seems to do the job of educating the t-shirt-reading public in a more intelligent, subtle and subversive manner than emblazoning the usual political mottos on one's chest.

NEW YORK, December 3, 2007 – As editors, buyers, socialites, and a movie star or two swirled about Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana's renovated Madison Avenue boutique at lunchtime on Monday, the designers took a break from all the air kisses to talk about the pre-fall collection that was displayed on mannequins throughout the new three-floor space. "It's about what people need in the moment," said Dolce. "Party dresses inspired by orchids for early summer; D&G classics with a new style and volume for our new markets, like Japan; and gray everyday clothes," for, well, everyday. Practical though all this may have been compared with their runway collections, the designers did offer a nod to Spring's extravagant paint-splattered confections: Among the line's highlights was a pair of softly gathered day dresses draped in acid-bright tulle.


MILAN, October 1, 2004 – By a poignant coincidence, the news of Richard Avedon's death reached Milan just as Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were referencing the great photographer's work for their spring collection. "Avedon for the beauty, and Penn for Africa," said Gabbana, gesturing toward a collage of seventies glamazons (Iman, Kelly LeBrock, Lauren Hutton, Rosie Vela, and Brooke Shields) torn from Vogue and pinned on the wall backstage. Their key image must surely have been that famous photo of the naked Nastassja Kinski entwined with a snake. There was scarcely a single outfit in the entire collection that didn't involve python. It began with Naomi Campbell in a reptilian corset dress, with arms and neck full of tribal-deluxe metal jewelry simultaneously signaling Africa. That idea progressed into a vast continent of python-smothered outfits, from trenchcoats to Coco-esque jackets to jeans and evening gowns, not to mention boots, bangles, and minibags that swung from every available belt loop. In their African theme, Dolce & Gabbana also struck on the current Milanese taste for raffia fringe and feathers (quail fluff on a blouson, exotic green plumes as a skirt, quills to create a hip-slung mini.) Along the way, they managed to work in their personal penchant for lingerie, inserting lace into denim and splicing it into the kick-pleats of a python skirt. There was the occasional signature pantsuit (now with a puff-sleeved jacket) and, of course, the usual tableau of major evening gowns for a grand finale.


MILAN, March 3, 2001 – A moss-covered stone water fountain, flowery arches and floors strewn with autumn leaves left no doubt: Romance was in the air at Dolce & Gabbana. But needless to say, the Italian duo's idea of gracious country life is far from sedate. From a wooden farmhouse emerged glamorous desert bohemians clad in extra-long hip-hugging, double-belted distressed leather pants, billowy striped tops and dangling fox tails. The vintage feeling continued with fitted corduroy trousers and oversize blazers, flea-market suede and fur jackets, and tattered blue jeans. Dolce and Gabbana clearly had a blast mixing the old and the new; slouchy pants and oversize hobo sweaters and scarves alternated with sheer floral camisoles, sharp military coats with multiple diamanté buckles, Wild West fringed bags and tall prairie boots. In a nutshell: anything and everything a sensible girl could possibly need.