Girls who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw churros. Or so it was at Katy Rodriguez’s presentation last night. Guests could peek at the designer’s Spanish-inspired collection only through the glass of the swanky John Lautner Harpel house where the models kept cozy by a fire; hipsters sipped Belvedere cocktails and ate the aforementioned fritter treats while huddled around heat lamps and taking in the stellar view from atop Mulholland. Sound strange? Guess you just had to be there.

www.katyrodriguez.com

Rumor had it that Whitley Kros, everyone’s favorite made-up muse, was swept off her feet by an Italian stallion by the name of Alessandro while stomping around Sydney last season. Well, the clothes seen in Sunday night’s show at Smashbox prove it.

Models in morning-after makeup and messy top knots walked the runway in looks inspired by Whitley’s romantic jaunt through Morocco, Greece, and the African safari. Once we laid eyes on the Baboosh jumpsuit, chic cropped Cameroon jacket, and playful bloomers trimmed in lace, we fell for her, too.

www.whitleykros.com

Autumn schmautumn — and not just because we’re in the land of eternal sunshine. Last night’s Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion opened to MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” and conjured outdoor tea parties with ruffled silhouettes in saturated colors (candy pink, emerald) from Quail. But the freshest face of all was Laeken’s redheaded designer, Mallyce Miller, whose racer-back dresses had us doing something we thought we’d never do: wish our closets had more tie-dye.

www.quisforquail.com
www.laekencollection.com

Aaaand we’re off, floating in a sea of bamboo jersey and beech tree fiber at Fashionably Natural, Gen Art’s ecothemed Fashion Week kickoff. Maggie Gyllenhaal spoke for one hot minute before fledgling L.A. labels Velvet Leaf, Brigid Catiis, Popomomo, and The Battalion sent a diverse mix of daywear down the runway. Our favorite moments: The Battalion’s Anais Nin-meets-’80s New Wave theme and a Velvet Leaf model’s lace-up socks paired with open-toe heels.

Oh, and our chat with Velvet Leaf designers (and adorable sisters) Laura and Becky Carter backstage.

DC: Your models’ hair was a mix of braided bangs and messy bouffants, which reminded us of Tippi Hedren post-attack in The Birds. Was that what you were going for?
VL: Um, kind of. We wanted it to look like they were wearing little pillbox hats, only made out of hair.

DC: So is it easy being green?
VL: It’s not as hard as everyone makes it sound. The costs are a little bit higher, but it forces us to be more creative.

DC: We tried tonight’s tofu skewers, but we’re still starving. Let’s talk restaurants.
VL: We’re vegetarians, but there’s an amazing vegan place on Sunset called Flore. In Santa Barbara, we love Zen Yai. And you have to try Cafe Gratitude in the Bay Area.

velvetleaf.uber.com
www.popomomo.com
www.thebattalion.us

It’s London Fashion Week. Between now and Friday, more than 50 British designers will show their spring/summer 2009 collections in more than 50 venues across the capital. We’ll keep you updated on the madness daily with the latest news, views and who’s whos of the week. Oh, and there’ll be some extremely fashionable giveaways, too.

Before it kicks off, however, swat up on your survival tips. Below are those from pros in the know.

Charlotte Clark, Director, Inca Productions
I’ll need stacks of Green & Black’s chocolate, gallons of coffee and a fabulously handsome taxi biker to take me from show to show. And an amazingly organized, creative team of people to work with.

Mandi Lennard, Head of Mandi Lennard Publicity
I may be shattered, but my makeup will be impeccable with gold Powersurge eye kohl liner and purple Electrolady liquid liner by M.A.C., both stolen from Danielle Scutt’s show goodie bags.

I’ll be stopping for a mani-pedi at Anna Nails on Mile End Road in the East End. I’m going for Chanel’s navy on my toes and airbrushed fluoro-pink tiger stripes on my nails; it’s the only nail bar in London that has all the Nike stencils and in every spray paint colour.

Hilary Alexander, Fashion Director, The Daily Telegraph
I recommend sleep, water, a smile, comfortable shoes, plenty of Marlboro Lights and bags of enthusiasm.

Daniella Isaa Helayel, Founder, Issa
I will need champagne, ginger water and a vitamin B12 injection. Or three.

John Vial, Creative Director, Realhair
I’ll be taking a small bottle of vodka around with me at all times. Any brand will do.

A dance party, an installation, a mechanical sequence. Whatever was going on at Love Brigade’s fashion presentation, it sure was entertaining. Asymmetrical haircuts, neon makeup, and fitted miniskirts rocked out on a dance floor.

In another corner, bored robo-models cut up Love Brigade logo confetti. Heavily tanned girls laid on chaise lounge chairs with cheeky expressions and sun reflectors that said “Viva la Future” (the title of the spring clothing collection). At one point, we held hands with a man named Tiny Pants. Wish you were here.

www.lovebrigade.com

It’s not that we love the ’80s so much as we’ve always crushed on Kelly Kapowski. Luckily, Alexander Wang shares our affection with a spring collection plucked straight from the Bayside beauty’s closet. Sea foam and hot pink wool blazers with sherbet shorts beg for a side ponytail, while a comfy gray sweatshirt dazzles with fringe. A black-and-white splotched notebook jumper is perfect for the teacher’s pet, and oversize crop tops and Swarovski-encrusted bloomer shorts were made for the Max. If only Ms. Kapowski could work her bangs into those sweet suede and rubber do-rags.

www.alexanderwang.com

The weather might’ve been gray and rainy, but the models at yesterday’s Elise Overland show were ready for a sunny road trip (colored specs included). Each woman wore her hair pulled back in a tight bun; many had headbands or attached head drapings to tie down any flyaways. Cropped jackets, loose A-line dresses, and a salmon jumpsuit had a retro-casual appeal that would be stylish at any pit stop. Even the chunky belt buckles looked like seatbelt fasteners in an homage to the open road. We figured the message is that you can (and should) take it with you.

www.eliseoverland.com

Hot young Spaniard Frank Tell showed off his decidedly nonspring-like spring collection at the Soho Grand yesterday. Frizzy-haired models with painted-on lashes stomped down the makeshift runway in stripper-meets-biker boots and bold party frocks. No pastels here; just purple, blue, black, and white. But not even the shots of rum disguised as mojitos could distract us from the pretty details: tiny pleats, visible bra outlines, cinched waists, and shiny paillettes. Do tell us more.

Photos courtesy of WWD

www.frank-tell.com

The Chelsea Art Museum seemed a fitting host to the Vena Cava presentation, where models could just as well have been an art installation. Egyptomania was the theme of the collection with symbols, patterns (like zodiac symbols), and text adorning many of the pieces. The models wore their hair gelled back off their faces and bronzer-rich makeup to showcase bone structure, drawing a likeness to heiroglyph women.

We loved the shoes, a debut collaboration between Vena Cava and Via Spiga. Hardware designs reappeared on much of the footwear, but that isn’t surprising, considering zodiac symbols even covered the foam beer koozies yesterday. Must be a sign of the times.

www.venacavanyc.com

Camel #1: Was it just me or was Friday hotter than the Sahara? Good thing we weren’t making a desert trek — but lounging on the Atelier building rooftop for Form’s fashion show.

Camel #2: What ethereal and elegant Bedouin wanderers those models made. I bet I could carry five of them at once without breaking a sweat.

Camel #1: And thank heavens for midday lemongrass-ginger cocktails. Those sponsored concoctions are usually about as appealing as a glass of sand.

Camel #2: I stored some in my hump for later. But let’s keep that entre nous, d’accord? Was feeling at home in the fiery sun, but I did notice a girl pretending she hadn’t sweated straight through her borrowed Isaac Mizrahi. Poor dear. At least she seemed distracted by that J.J. Cale cover they played.

Camel #1: The view from that rooftop was worth the perspiration. Once the show finally started, the clothes came along like an oasis. It’s Tam’s most wearable, feminine, cohesive collection to date.

Camel #2: The muted taupes, beiges, blues, and that goldenrod he used were subtly stunning. The palette felt washed out in a good way and allowed the wee shots of color he did use — and those blue and silver sequins — to surprise and delight.

Camel #1: The drapey layers reminded me of when our passengers sleep nude in their tents and a sandstorm forces them to throw on whatever they have near them. The miniature leather breastplates radiating fine chains conjured desert warriors and spice traders. The knit pieces, that black fabric tail trailing behind, the rough-edged dresses, even that short tuxedo-esque jacket — all made sense.

Camel #2: You know what didn’t, though? That sultan of swing hawking apartments in the building as everyone tried to push through to the elevators.

Camel #1: That should in no way diminish how much you loved Form’s show.

Camel #2: You’re right. It was the funky cold medina.

The hipsters set their alarms and came out early (11 a.m.) in all their fedora-wearing, latex-legginged, hair-braided glory for Charlotte Ronson’s show today. Even hetero boys showed to ogle Annabelle Dexter-Jones (Charlotte’s little sis) and Daisy Lowe (Mark’s current squeeze), strutting the catwalk to Mark’s boppy beats. Samohan were front and center with Mom, making it one big happy family affair.
Photo courtesy WWD.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have seen the future. It’s provocative, it’s feminine, and it’s Cushnie et Ochs, a fantastical new line from ’07 Parsons grads Michelle Ochs and Carly Cushnie. The designers, who were difficult to tell apart from the models, showed off their collection this afternoon at The Glass Houses in Chelsea.

Although the women say they got their inspiration from Patrick Bateman in American Psycho, the pieces seemed a little more Battlestar Galactica cylon than psychopathic serial murderer to us — though some of the models nearly killed themselves trying to get through the violently rotating door that led to the runway.

Sheer fabrics, bare midriffs, and highlighter-bright colors show great potential. We can’t wait to see what tomorrow holds for this duo.

www.cushnieetochs.com

Generra’s new ecocentric spring collection made its debut on a midtown rooftop Friday, complete with sunshine and lemonade. Twenty perfectly chiseled boys — dressed in light khakis and stripes — perched on white platforms; girls wrapped in flowy skirts and high-waisted cropped jeans showed us how to layer effortlessly.

Models sported comfy Toms (which donates shoes to children in need for every pair bought). We couldn’t get enough of the dark denim suspender shorts, floor-grazing tiered dress, and an oh-so-soft pelican leather motocross jacket (we’re already scheming a way to borrow it for the day). Ikat prints, tie-dyed cotton, and pretty reef coral served as a reminder of the summer that follows spring. And who wouldn’t want to skip ahead to live that season all over again?

www.generra.com

The pretty girls were all in a row for Geren Ford’s spring ’09 presentation Wednesday night at The Bowery Hotel. Designer Geren Lockhart delivered her signature easy, breezy layers in a punchy, fresh palette inspired by days spent lazing in a wooden boat off the coasts of Capri, Sydney, and Buenos Aires (a holiday she has yet to take). Models were accessorized to the nines with Bylu jewels, Te Casan sandals worn with flippy little socks, and vintage Rodo bags Lockhart trolled eBay for all summer long (beware — she will outbid you). First place goes to the four-piece green silk suit. Second place goes to the vodka ginger lemonades, Lockhart’s ode to restaurant Casa Cruz in B.A.