>> After showing her Spring 2010 Versace men's collection in Milan last week, Donatella Versace touched down in Manhattan to celebrate daughter Allegra Beck Versace's 23rd birthday today with an intimate gathering last night at the Gramercy Park Hotel.  Close family friend Rupert Everett was there, as well as Alek Wek, Leigh Lezark, and to add a little of Donatella's much-loved celebrity factor, Rihanna and Taylor Momsen.
*image: Bauer-Griffin Online

>> One big party wasn't enough for the fashion crowd this week: Max and Lubov Azria gathered designers, editors, and models alike for their third consecutive year of sponsorship, simultaneously celebrating twenty years of BCBG, at the Whitney Art Party.  "Have you ever seen so much BCBG in one room?" Max mused. "Even I haven't!"

The usual party circuit models — Hilary Rhoda, Dree Hemingway, Hana Soukupova, Sessilee Lopez — who loved her dress — were out in full force, but Jules Mordovets, Diana Farkhullina, Sasha Pivovarova, Arlenis Sosa, Charlotte di Calypso, Constance Jablonski, and Julia Stegner — who was in the market for some wall decorations — were also out to play. Even with the CFDA Awards on Monday, everyone seemed recovered: "It hasn't been that bad," said Jason Wu. "I used last night to recover from the CFDAs." Plus, attendees got to take home an artist-designed print umbrella, useful with all the rain New York has been getting.

>> American designers are trickling in at Alice Tully Hall for tonight's CFDA Awards — CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg was first to arrive, International Award winner Marc Jacobs walked the red carpet arm and arm with fiance Lorenzo Martone, Kirsten Dunst came with Womenwear of the Year nominees Rodarte, presenter Diane Kruger arrived with Swarovski nominee Jason Wu, Doutzen Kroes is resplendent in Zac Posen, and all were greeted on the front steps by a crowd of models in the nominees' creations.

Swarovski nominee Alexander Wang said he's "not nervous at all" — he woke up today and "forgot it was the CFDAs," but we'll have to wait and see if this turns out to be a night to remember for him, after all . . .

The ceremony is now underway, and host Tracy Ullman opened with a Kiefer Sutherland-headbutting joke — Proenza Schouler is an Accessory Designer nominee, and arrived with Daphne Guinness in tow — the CFDA crowd is a notoriously tough crowd, and the joke was met with "weak laughter."

Later on, Tracy, known for her designer impressions on her eponymous TV show, took a crack at impersonating Anna Wintour.  Michelle Obama, who wasn't there in body, accepted her Special Tribute Award by video, and Rodarte's Laura and Kate Mulleavy accepted their Womenswear Award saying they watched Midnight Cowboy this afternoon to calm their nerves.

And the winners are . . . (nominees here):

• Accessory Designer of the Year: Proenza Schouler
• Popular Vote Award: Ralph Lauren
• Menswear Designer of the Year: Italo Zucchelli for Calvin Klein and Scott Sternberg for Band of Outsiders (tie)
• Swarovski Award for Menswear: Tim Hamilton
• Swarovski Award for Womenswear: Alexander Wang
• Swarovski Award for Accessories: Justin Giunta for Subversive Jewelry
• Womenswear Designer of the Year: Rodarte

>> Stefano Pilati has been in New York since the weekend, hanging out at the Mercer Hotel with Purple's Olivier Zahm, Chloe Sevigny, and Waris Ahluwalia, but last night he got down to business, hosting the launch of the Yves Saint Laurent sustainable "New Vintage" collection with Barneys.  All the bags, shoes, and dresses were cut from archive fabric left over from previous seasons, and Barneys fashion director Julie Gilhart reports that it went fast — only a few pieces left, and she grabbed one of the bags for herself.

Today, Pilati presented his Cruise 2010 collection to press and buyers — where Chanel Iman was apparently called out for Twittering while she modeled.

>> The Venice Biennale contemporary arts exhibition attracted plenty of familiar fashion faces by last Thursday, but it wouldn't have been complete without an appearance by contemporary art patron Miuccia Prada, who obliged on Friday with a party courtesy of the Fondazione Prada.  The opening was temporarily put off by torrential rains, but still managed to attract the likes of Marc Jacobs, Lorenzo Martone, Franca Sozzani, Carine Roitfeld, Carla Sozzani, and Dasha Zhukova.

Many of the guests then carried on to Francois Pinault's Palazzo Grassi, where Gucci Group was sponsoring a party in honor of L'Uomo Vogue's art issue.  Naomi Campbell — who one observer noted was keeping a lower profile than at the Biennale in 2007 — joined the crowd, apparently making quite the entrance with boyfriend Vladislav Doronin and his bodyguards and causing one guest to joke, "Does he need them to protect himself from Naomi?"

>> Where art goes, fashion is soon to follow, and with the contemporary arts Biennale going on in Venice right now, there are plenty of designers, editors, and even models in town.  On Wednesday, Olympia Scarry’s installation brought out Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue Russia's Aliona Doletskaya, and POP's Dasha Zhukova, as well as Justin Portman and Natalia Vodianova, the latter whose face was reflected in a luminated, aged sketch on display called Dorian Gray, by artist Dasha Fursey.

Naomi Campbell and boyfriend Vladislav Doronin stopped by a lunch for the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and popped up again yesterday at the opening of Francois Pinault's new museum, the Punta della Dogana. Stella McCartney was there with husband Alasdhair Willis to support her financier in his new endeavor, as were Franca Sozzani and Marc Jacobs, always the fan of contemporary art, who apparently kept exclaiming, "This place rocks."

Meanwhile, down the river, Angela Missoni held her annual party on boyfriend Bruno Ragazzi's yacht.  It was quite the family and friends affair: Angela's daughters Margherita and Teresa, plus son Francesco were all mingling, Franca Sozzani brought son Francesco Carrozzini, and Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld arrived with Carine Roitfeld, who neglected to follow the rest in taking her lace-up shoes off: "It would just take too long to undo them." Bee Shaffer was sans Anna Wintour, but Jefferson Hack brought fiancee Anouck Lepere.

Even those who aren't in Venice in person are there in spirit — Mario Testino sent one of his art consultants to scout the exhibition.

>> Fifty guests pulled up to a long white table at Harvey Nichol's Fifth Floor restaurant for a private dinner co-hosted by Rodarte's Laura and Kate Mulleavy and Kate Bosworth.  Daphne Guinness flitted in, spritzing at least one guest with her yet-to-be-released perfume, frequent Rodarte collaborator Nicholas Kirkwood also appeared — his shoes were represented on at least one guest's feet, Kate Bosworth — and told Grazia of his work with the designers: "We didn't even meet the first few seasons that we worked together. Everything was over the phone and email. It was so great when we finally met. We get on so well and are on the same wave length. They always want to do something different — we've even made shoes out of electrical wire!"

Attendees Plum Sykes, Bella Freud, Trish Goff, and Lula's Leith Clark, who was seated next to Laura, were served nettle soup and trifle, and around midnight, when all headed home, the Mulleavys, Kate Bosworth, and Nicholas Kirkwood "headed out and onto another club."

>> New York Mayor Bloomberg declared yesterday "Burberry Day," in honor of the lighting of the brand's logo atop its new US headquarters — watch a video of it going down here — and the weather complied with rain, appropriate for a brand known for their trench coats. "I was worried about the drizzle before, but now I love it," said Christopher Bailey, in town to celebrate. "It's all very English."

Christopher arrived to the unveiling last night with Lily Donaldson on his arm, who grinned and gushed about being "a Burberry girl" and "part of the [Burberry] family."  He went on to explain what an honor it it is to have the Burberry logo lit in the first place: "It's one of only six grandfathered buildings in New York where you can do that, so it's a big deal for us to be able to affect the iconic Manhattan skyline, which I love."

The excitement seems to have made him chatty — he covered a range of topics, from admitting that he dyed his hair blue once to discussing advertising fees — like Mario Testino's, which runs $140,000 a day: "You’re buying talent. And I think talent never goes away with the changing economy, and talent is something we all need to keep nurturing."

Models (Hilary Rhoda, Helena Christensen) mingled with editors (Kate Lanphear, who apparently has dyed her hair black underneath, Amy Astley, Cecilia Dean) and it girls (Byrdie Bell, Alexa Chung, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Harley Viera-Newton), and the mix left at least one girl confiding that she didn't recognize Blake Lively — Lily Donaldson, who admitted: "I don't watch Gossip Girl. But you can't blame me. I don't even own a TV at the moment!"

The celebration seemed a success, except for skimping in one area.  An alcohol shortage kicked in around 9:30 pm, leaving one guest unhappy: "That's the driest party I've ever been to."  Same goes for Harley, Leigh Lezark, and Derek Blasberg, The Cut tweeted: "The party has run out of glasses, and the trio is displeased."

>> As this year's Cannes Film Festival wound down Friday, fashion fixtures were still going strong that afternoon — Carine Roitfeld pulled out her favorite floppy hat and pair of flats for the Amend Charity Luncheon at Hotel du Cap, Stefano Gabbana hosted Claudia Schiffer and Eva Herzigova on his yacht, and then they all convened that night for Dolce & Gabbana's annual "Fabulous in Cannes" bash at Le Baoli.

The party's guest list was reduced significantly from previous years, and the VIP room completely abolished, but sunglasses were handed out to guests because, Gabbana explained, “All the movie stars wore sunglasses in the Fifties, and at the end of the night when you’re drunk, it’s always better to have a pair.”

Carine, her son Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld, Anna Dello Russo, Vogue Russia's editor Aliona Doletskaya, Eva, Claudia and a smattering of British it girls all hit the mirrored dance floor, while Natasha Poly reflected on her festival experience: "I'm having so much fun here in Cannes, I already forgot about the stresses of the campaign season. That felt like ages ago."

Host Domenico, too, was elated: "This has truly become our favorite little party of the year.  We come here and spend time on Stefano's yacht, see friends, and really leave happy and relaxed."  Unfortunately the relaxation didn't last long — as of Monday, the duo could be liable for more than a billion dollars in unpaid taxes, an Italian police spokeswoman confirmed.

The designers have already released a statement denying any wrongdoing — “It’s a paradox! Since when does one have to pay taxes on money one never actually collected? It’s an absurd demand based on a completely abstract calculation. This higher taxable sum . . . is a virtual figure we have never received, the result of a theoretical accounting exercise” — and vow to "strenuously defend ourselves to avoid being unjustly forced to pay for something that never existed in the first place.”

>> This evening's amfAR Cinema Against AIDS gala in Cannes promised the appearances of chairs Donatella Versace and Carine Roitfeld, and it more than delivered.  Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana, who are hosting their annual blowout tomorrow night, have officially docked their "mirrored floating disco" yacht, according to T's Stefano Tonchi, and joined in on the fun.  Natasha Poly, who needed the help of two women to get into her Cavalli gown yesterday, reappeared in a leopard dress.  Claudia Schiffer made her first red carpet appearance of the festival.  And Carine Roitfeld made the rounds, stopping to chat with Twilight's Robert Pattinson.