Victoria Beckham's new dress collection won't be shown on the runway at New York Fashion Week, but that doesn't mean Posh will be a no-show. She's taking a different route -- allowing pre-approved editors and buyers to fondle the frocks "by appointment only over a several day period" during Fashion Week.

Michael Buckner is a fashion and celebrity photographer who travels around the world taking pictures on the red carpet. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the hottest entertainment industry events.


Former Dawson's Creek star and Tom Cruise wife, Katie Holmes, debuted her new line of clothing at the Tropic Thunder premiere last night. The stars swooped in at the last minute to a baffled crowd of photographers, who were amazed they came. Holmes has been working on a clothing line for Georgio Armani, and this might be the first ever look at what she can do.

The dress looks amazing, blue satin on the bottom half with a leather halter-top and a strap running around the neck. I know one thing: she sure can design for her bottom frame.

Along with TomKat, came the stars of the film Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr and Jack Black and surprise co-stars Matthew McConaughey, Justin Theroux, Amy Adams and Tobey Maguire.

The epic fashion wars between America and the UK have just gotten a little more heated -- or at least they have in our imaginative little minds.

Much like our Urban Outfitters stateside, the British operation is beginning to carry designer's lines that our exclusive to their store. While Luella Bartley can be found on the backs of every French Vogue guest editor and party blogger darling, the punky-princess whimsical pieces are usually hard to track down in the stores.


So imagine how jealous we were when we first heard that the UK's Urban Outfitters stores would be selling Luella's bewitching checkered tops and party girl dresses exclusively on their side of the pond. We were bitter, to say the least.

But thank god for the internet, because all of us high fashion fiends in America can now purchase Luella's pieces on the UK's Urban site. Everyone now: Yes! There's a couple of cheeky graphic tees, a sleek bomber jacket, and few other swoon-worthy items.

Happy Shopping.

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Now here's one to watch. Adorable actress Emma Stone, who is making rounds promoting her new flick, The Rocker, combines simple yet flashy pieces into incredible look after incredible look. Her formula seems to be a streamlined yet eye popping dress, the perfect belt , and killer heels to finish it off.

Here, at TRL, she channels a glamorous rock n' roller in her Mike & Chris shoulderless dress which was complimented by a sparkling, waist cinching belt and Jimmy Choo gladiator heels. With hair so brilliant, who needs accessories anyway?

One of the country's preeminent, fashion boutiques, Atelier New York, is known for a strict color palette of blacks, grays, charcoals, and other, sophisticated urban tones. And the designer lineup is truly second to none: Ann Demeulemeester, Undercover by Jun Takahashi, Label Under Construction, Number (Nine), Carpe Diem and others.

Now, in collaboration with Atelier New York, one of the store's most popular and acclaimed designers, Rick Owens, has his own flagship boutique at 250 Hudson Street. Owens designed the space, which includes a few chairs and benches of his own design (for sale through Galerie Philippe Jousse) plus a towering, 6-way mirror and unique, fog installation (he calls it a "fog aquarium").

We realize it's supposed to be a joke, but deep inside our hearts, we believe these guys might be on to something real with The Fuxedo!

Stuckey and Murray don't mention the price, but how can you put a price on genius? There are many men in our acquaintance who would very much appreciate a graceful sewn-in cummerbund and bow tie. Most have spent their lives searching a graceful two-way zipper fly.

So much grace for one item of clothing! It's practically couture.

Oh, don't just take our word for it. You must see for yourself. Safe for work, unless you sit near someone with delicate fashion sensibilities. You know, the kind who get hives from sale racks. They just won't get it.

Chic and streamlined, tailored women's wear from Skaparinn is demure, as in modest, but with a bold, seductive quality. The collection's designer, Dusa, studied fashion design at the Vienna Applied Arts University, graduating in 2000.

She apprenticed with Jean-Charles de Castelbajac and Viktor & Rolf before founding Skaparinn, Icelandic for, "the creator". Although not yet available stateside, the Skaparinn online store launches in July. Or pop by the Skaparinn boutique at V/Skalholtsstig, in the 101 neighborhood, near Reykjavik's city center.

The Dark Knight is receiving a huge amount of buzz, largely due to the astounding performance of the late Heath Ledger as The Joker. Apparently he is riveting, and this "sequel" maintains the high standards of excitement and action set by director Chris Nolan's 2005 Batman Begins.

We love us some Christian Bale around here, especially when he's dressed up, like at the film's New York premiere on July 14th. Naturally he looked devastating, and even better, everyone at the screening looked goth. They were all dressed in black, as if for a funeral, or a wake. Which in a way, they sort of were.

What do you most admire about Hedy Lemarr? Her story is simply fascinating and clearly shows that she was so much more than just another pretty face. She was also a scientist and she was the first woman to have an orgasm on the silver screen. Who can top that ?

Reykjavik seems to have a close community of artists. Is this accurate? What types of art or artists inspire you? There are many young, and old, talented, artists in Reykjavik and the art scene is great. All types of arts and artists inspire me. My cat also inspires me and the clouds in the sky.

What's your goal for the US market? To see Skaparinn in beautiful shops.

Anything else we should know about Skaparinn? So much, but it´s a secret!

What could be better than shopping for designer duds in your pajamas (imported silk lounging pajamas, of course)? Alexander McQueen is making that possible -- not with a flagship store slumber party, but with a new online store.

What does "indie designer" mean to you? If it´s similar to indie pop or rock, it definitely covers a large field.

What is the biggest challenge Skaparinn faces? Every new collection is a challenge, so right now it´s working on s/s '09 and keeping the Skaparinn boutique full of new clothes.

What do you see for Skaparinn in 5 years time? Excitement and more colours.

Tell us about the woman you design for. She´s a woman who likes to wrap herself in sensuous clothes and read good books when she´s not out on a glamorous adventure.

When did you first want to become a fashion designer? I guess at 15, when I started making my own clothes.

What advice would you give to an aspiring designer? To follow his or her dreams no matter what. Climb every mountain!

In regard to your f/w '08 collection, which elements of '30 or '40s style did you intentionally leave behind in order to update the sensibility for today? It´s not easy to explain because it´s always the feeling rather than something you can really pigeonhole.

continue reading for Part 2 and a lookbook gallery

What recession? You'd never know the country is in belt tightening mode by looking at the children's departments of upscale stores like Saks Fifth Avenue or Neiman Marcus. With designer names and totally impractical materials -- silk? cashmere? for a baby? -- the racks are full of high fashion and high prices.

We suspect that Suri Cruise is somehow to blame. Talk about the child most likely to become Claire, Molly Ringwald's character in The Breakfast Club, who got detention for skipping school to go shopping. Perfectly coiffed and dressed, she has a wardrobe full of Cavalli, Dior and Burberry. And she's just turned two. We can only imagine what she'll be wearing at 16.

Some fancy baby duds for folks with more money than sense, in the gallery.

real guy
Are you, or do you know, a real guy? If so, you most likely understand the frustration involved in finding stylish pants that fit. Even tougher is finding stylish pants that fit at an affordable price. It ain't easy.

Brian Spaly felt this pain, too. In fact, it bothered him so much that he decided to do something about it. He started making his own pants. He started making his own AWESOME pants.

Brian started to create pants for real guys. He developed a curved waist band to better accommodate the body, "a slight bootcut to flatter the figure, and less fabric in the thighs so they weren't so baggy and boxy."

Other real guys noticed. He started selling the pants out of his trunk to fellow college students and soon had professors investing in his promise. Bonobos was born.

Apparently Victoria Beckham is tired of just wearing expensive clothing -- she wants to design it, too. She has already designed a line of jeans (which hasn't actually done too well, in large part because she put very little effort into promoting the line), and now she has decided to try her hand at something with which she's a little more familiar -- upscale dresses.

Loden Dager is one of New York's smoothest up-and-coming menswear labels. A collective of four friends who design as a group, the collection is all about being clean, wearable and realistic for regular dudes.

Yup, it's a simple formula of updating classic pieces for today's audience. Far from a cliché, the Loden Dager spin is absolutely fresh and approachable.

Loden Dager's presentations over New York Fashion Week have been more like fun parties rather than traditional catwalk events. Now they're taking the formula to Paris with a spring/summer 2009 presentation, July 3–4, with some help from the group's showroom, Opening Ceremony.