>> Confirming rumors, Marco Zanini has been named the man for the newly-resurrected house of Rochas. His first collection will show next March in Paris for the Fall 2009 season, with obvious hopes that he will last longer and achieve better critical reception than he did during his two-season stint at Halston, which he left in July.

Zanini put in nine years at Versace before he was tapped to rejevunate Halston in July 2007, making this new appointment his second brand restart in as many years.  Judging by the Versace education and the sleek, simplified look Zanini sent down the runway at Halston, the new Rochas may be quite different than Olivier Theysken's ethereal vision at Rochas when the brand was shuttered back in 2006.  But one thing's for sure — Zanini's Halston designs did well at retail, so there's hope that he can keep Rochas afloat.
*image: source

New York boutique Bess started out as a place where stylists and edgy fashionistas went to pick up studded leather jackets or lace-up boots and then came Alexander Wang and Erin Wasson and the return of the nineties and, well, OAK--and all of sudden, Bess blew up. Now, Bess has a full range for Spring 09 including tie-dyed shawls and worn-thin printed tanks, and the buyers who visit OAK showroom are snatching them up. Studs are everywhere, from mass market stores to the Paris runways and Bess couldn't have been better rewarded for their longtime dedication to the embellishment du jour. These studded moccasins (left) were our favorite from the Spring 09 collection, and we're sure we'll see them on chicsters paired with ripped denim shorts, boyfriend t-shirts, and unbrushed hair come summer. 

>> BLOWING THE COVER —Kate Moss has racked up her 26th British Vogue cover and her forth December cover for the magazine with this Nick Knight-lensed three-page foldout.  There's no accompanying editorial to the "Fantastic Fashion Fantasy" inside, but over the weekend, Kate was living another fashion fantasy, re-donning her famous Glastonbury PVC pants for a Catwoman Halloween costume in LA. [Vogue UK, TFS, PopSugar]

We've just hurriedly returned from the OAK showroom to bring you their Spring 09 offerings, and boy was it worth the trip--their lovely sales rep, Thomas, showed us around the brands, and Mary Meyer was the first on our list to capture. We first learned about Meyer in our G Shock Watch! photo shoot when we pulled one of her tie dye dresses for the occasion. This Spring 09 Meyer was inspired by indigenous drawings and insignia and so we saw eye-catching skeletal-like lines on various cropped t-shirts and low-slung tanks. Otherwise, there were plenty of non-printed cotton garments like drop-crotch trousers and jumpsuits. Meyer's aesthetic is easy and cool and we're happy to hear that the designer has just relocated to New York--we think she has a bright future ahead of her indeed.