>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's book, Influence, doesn't come out until Thursday, but The Cut got an advanced copy — an advanced look at all the interviews the Olsens conducted for the book — among their subjects are favorite designers Francisco Costa, Diane von Furstenberg, John Galliano, Christian Louboutin, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Giambattista Valli, favorite photographers Peter Lindbergh and Terry Richardson, plus pictures by Rankin of the interviewees and their work. 

Needless to say the Olsens didn't leave out their favorite Karl Lagerfeld — The Cut excerpted parts of his interview, including his views on models:

KL: [N]owadays you start to model because you're young. Now the girls are sixteen, seventeen, fifteen, and Russian. They are like from another planet.
AO: They can look very bizarre!
KL: I hate all these tall women. They are all giants!
MKO: If only I were a little taller — that would make me happy!
KL: You are one meter fifty-one. You are taller than that?
AO: We're five feet and one inch.
KL: Oh, I thought my office told me that you were four-foot eight or something. Not that it matters. What you need is a face. If you have a face you don't need height or a voice. Models know this; that's why the good ones don't need to talk much.
KL: I like to work with models for a long time. Sometimes the girls change, but some girls I work with for years and years.

Enlightening, perhaps, since some think the Chanel Spring 2009 campaign will host not long-time Chanel girl Claudia Schiffer but either Heidi Mount or Russian model Sasha Pivovarova . . .
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>> INSIDER WIRE —Donatella Versace hosted the Whitney Museum's gala last night, so her daughter Allegra Beck Versace skipped out of her classes at Brown to join her mom for the occasion: "I love when mom is New York.  She's the best person to shop with. We love go to the theater and movies. The last film we saw was The Duchess."  Earlier this year, Allegra's facebook listed her graduating in 2009 with a degree in Theater and French Studies — it will be interesting to see if she takes on a bigger role in the company she owns half of post-graduation. [FWD]

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>> Sasha Pivovarova has long garnered comparisons to fellow model Gemma Ward, and vice-versa, but lately, she has been resembling some other models . . . and they her.  Take Kate Moss, left, in a lookbook picture for her Topshop holiday collection — and then have a look at Sasha on the right, in the Fall 2008 Zara campaign — same blonde hair, sideswept bangs, smoky eye, and even the mouth shape.

And then there's Aline. »

>> THE MODELIZER — Some were calling the rumors yesterday about a Gisele Bundchen-Tom Brady wedding reception at Tavern on the Green a PR plant, and his "shocked" friends agree . . . mostly: "I really doubt (a wedding) is happening, but stranger things have happened."  So I guess we're back to square one. [Page Six, Boston Herald]

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>> Come Dec. 29, we'll have a new reality TV show on our hands — and Diane von Furstenberg is involved.  The first trailer for The Hills's New York spinoff, The City, is out, with Whitney Port replacing Lauren Conrad as main girl and socialite Olivia Palermo filling in as supporting sidekick.  Both girls are employed by Diane as part of her in-house PR, and although the designer doesn't make an appearance in the preview, the whole show is sure to be an extension of her branding, targeting the show's audience of girls looking to buy printed wrap dresses.

Magazines have caught on to the power of TV as part of their business model — Teen Vogue with The Hills, Elle with Stylista and Project Runway, Vogue with Model.Live — if Diane has as much success with this as Michael Kors has on Project Runway, there could be a lot more designers investing time in TV in the future.

Swedish borne, Paris based brand Burfitt is new at Marie Saeki showroom and an exciting addition indeed--the headpieces and masks jumped out at us from the table, they are a favorite of stylists and an avant garde addition to Burfitt's ready to wear collection. The clothing itself is totally wearable as much as it's left-of-center, baggy, and artsy. Two main components made up the Spring 09 collection, namely, dark denim pieces and paint-splattered/silk screen pieces. Very cool indeed. 

Right now we are insanely jealous of Temptalia because she is trying out a TRIA Laser which is an at-home permanent hair removal device created to mimic the laser treatments done in dermatologist offices. This may be the ONLY major beauty procedure that we have an intense interest in and our desire to test out one of these puppies before the public eye is pretty strong. But we suppose we may have to settle for watching Temptalia instead. We are seriously considering getting permanent laser hair removal at a dermatologist so we will be watching intently. And hoping the TRIA people read this post. No really we are that obsessed. Yes its sort of pathetic.

Cuffington asks why does it always have to be snakes? Actually come to think of it there really is a lot of snake jewelry out there.

In the spirit of our own Bridal Fashion Week coverage we feel we must point to some solid bridal makeup work at Makeup and Beauty Blog.

Couture in the City is on crave overload. No seriously honey why so aspirational product hungry? Anything we can do to help?

Couture Cult has a post on Denis Guidone watches. Mmmmmmmm.

Acote, the footwear brand that's a sibling to (or branch of) Cotelac, put out two pairs of Spring 09 shoes that we just couldn't get over--how can two perfect pairs of flat ankle boots not be on sale when we want a pair most? The first was a nude suede boot with a fold over cuff. We pictured wearing them into the ground and never, ever throwing them away. The second was a charcoal grey pair with a contrasting nude interior. We imagined them with Spring dresses and skirts...and just about keeled over. Cotelac, much like Coclico (and, in fact, the other brands at Marie Saeki showroom) is a brand that veers more toward 'classic' than 'high fashion' and what we like about this is that you get the sense that these items are long lasting. Nothing in the Acote Spring 09 line is something you'll be tired of seeing by Spring, nothing is too trendy that you'll fear wearing them the following season if you like. We're starting to see the value in this aesthetic more and more these days...

It is comforting to us that there are still designers who view "merchandising" as a positive, do their own textile sourcing, and have the business acumen to form their company around local production. Bradley Scott is an just such a designer whose background as a Parson's graduate, experience working for an international fabric agency, and genuine love of the New York fashion district way of life make him a serious presence in the contemporary designer market.

Certain young designers seem to prefer designing intimidating insular "fashion" clothing and hard partying over the serving their customers and while they may get all the cool credits for their lifestyle it is in the end designers like Scott that are likely to weather the storms of the fashion market.

Scott aims to make his collection a one stop shopping experience. He is proud to merchandise jackets, tops and bottoms together. In essence, he has done the homework for consumers, making his collection one that is easy to shop. Not only does that make good economic sense but it is a sure fire way to gain customer loyalty. Of course Scott, sensible businessman that he is knows he needs a bit of whiz bang to get attention. It is in his attention to detailing and fabric that allows his collection to balance both the need for a basic whole wardrobe and the desire for something unique. Adding to his business sense? The garments are produced in New York City and each piece has its own dedicated sample maker so that production remains uniform. That is sure to appeal to eco-conscious consumers, fair traders and save the garment district folk a-like.