>> I appreciate a lot of what John Galliano does.  I appreciate that he likes to wear spacesuits at the end of his runway and cultivate his mustache in the style of Louis XIV. 

What I don't know that I can appreciate, however, is the news that John has agreed, through the guise of Dior, to outfit Hello Kitty for a fashion spread running in the June 2008 issue of Vogue Nippon.  The cartoon cat will appear posing with the designer (?!) and enjoying a shopping spree in Paris.  Now this, I have to see.

*image: wireimage

>> Thousands and thousands of pictures are taken each week at events, parties, on red carpets . . . it's what makes the stylists' world go 'round.  Let the pot simmer, and we're left with the good stuff — last week's top five:

L-R: Linda Evangelista in Bottega Veneta, Joy Bryant in Missoni, Lisa Cant in Jason Wu, Tina Chai in Thakoon, Leighton Meester in Missoni
*images: wireimage

>>  Fashion feeds on fashion for inspiration, there's no doubt about that.  But it's always fun to see how certain things will pop up as coincidential . . . or more than coincidence.  Who's to say which category this falls into, but the setting of white panels against cloudy blue sky appear both in the "Light Bright" editorial from the May 2008 Vogue and the Chanel Spring 2007 advertisements.  Needless to say the photographers aren't the same. 

Top: Vogue May 2008; Center: Chanel Spring 2007; Bottom Left: Vogue May 2008; Bottom Right: Chanel Spring 2007

*images: tfs, tfs, tfs

>>  As daughter of Jane "Hermes named an expensive bag after me" Birkin, Lou Doillon was destined for the fashion spotlight.  A recent questionnaire with the girl who adores her top hats, is enamored with channeling the Artful Dodger, and occupies herself designing a capsule collection for British denim company Lee Cooper, reveals Lou and her enigmatic ways:

Brand endorsements: In the accompanying photo, she wears a shirt from the Olsen's The Row and Lee Cooper jeans, of course.  She also mentions recently acquiring a Chanel jacket and bag: "You can dress up like a tramp and have a little Chanel bag, and look so chic."

On why she always wears top hats: " I come from a very mad, very classic family that all wore hats. I have a vintage pop-up top hat that I wear a lot. I'm like the Houdini of nightclubs, pulling an enormous hat out of a tiny bag."

Her style credo: "What attracts me is something broken, something a bit off. I never comb my hair or make anything pretty. When people look too beautiful, it's too easy."  Funny, I remember reading Carine Roitfeld saying something very similar in Stylist: The Interpreters of Fashion about how things that are "off" inspire her editorial work.  Maybe it's the French girl credo . . .

*image: nyt

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It's a very simple formula, an old time favorite covered up with the trend du jour. Denim never goes out of style and so, with all of the bright colors that cropped up in the Spring 08 shows (see Lanvin, Jil Sander, and Marc Jacobs) the necessary (accessible) trend that's pitched to the masses is bright colored denim. It's the affordable staple with a Lanvin spin, if you will. It makes for a nice collage if you're a glossy and brightens up your look book if you're a denim brand. Everybody's happy. For the consumer, admittedly, it's also a fun trend to play around with. 'You say there's a recession coming on? I'm sorry, I can't hear what your saying, MY YELLOW JEANS ARE JUST TOO LOUD!' We're not going to rag on a little bit of color, even if this trend is so easy to pinpoint. We're down with it, and below, a spread of our favorites. For more on denim, check out our recent Garmento article where we went straight to the source.