>> I've been trying to get to the bottom of all these Gwyneth Paltrow pictures floating around the web, since everyone was saying she was filming a Tod's commercial.

Now we've got answers.  Gwyn was being filmed by actor/director Dennis Hopper for "a day in the life of Gwyneth Paltrow in Italy with her Tod's Pashmy bag."  The short film will be four minutes long, debut at The Cannes Film Festival, and then play on the Tod's web site. 

Gwyneth is the second celebrity to be tapped by Tod's in an advertising capacity . . . the first was Sienna Miller, who appeared in the brand's Fall 2007 campaign.

*image: bauer-griffin

>> Elle could be in a pretty pickle if Nina Garcia goes with Marie Claire.  The magazine doesn't want to give up sponsorship of Project Runway until after the upcoming fifth season — they've seen an upturn in their main moneymakers, circulation and advertising, since the show became a hit (No wonder they're desperate to do it again with reality show Fashionista).   

Apparently, it was assumed that Nina would take the offered editor-at-large position, and Elle has "already sold significant ad inventory against the new season."  Essentially, since Harvey Weinstein, whose company owns Project Runway, has expressed strong interest in keeping Nina on board as judge, it would be odd for Elle to sponsor the show but not have a judge — it would definitely lower their profile.  What to do, what to do . . .

*image: photo courtesy of bravo

>> Preview looks for the Fall 2008 collection of Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's contemporary line Elizabeth and James have surfaced, with lots of solid (albeit expensive) staples in the mix, much as expected: slouchy navy boyfriend cardigans, high-waisted tweedy pants, extreme-ruffled camisoles.

Where the line continues to fall short for me is when prints are attempted — the flannel jacket with illustrated back and ruffle tiered plaid mini, for example — it's the same with the Spring collection.  The Olsens should stick to solid colors — it's what The Row does best, and it's how successes like the Elizabeth and James ostrich plume vest ($565) are birthed.

>>  When Giorgio Armani spoke at FIT on Tuesday, The Cut caught up with him briefly and got some great tidbits out of him.  He speaks only in Italian — George Clooney was interpreting for him on the Gala's red carpet Monday night — so hopefully nothing got lost in translation, but interesting, nonetheless.

• So diplomatic when asked about Anna's Costume Institute gala dress choice — he knows how to who not to cross, unlike some others: "Well, Anna made a choice based on theme.  The theme of the evening was superheroes, so she decided to dress within the theme.  One may like it, one may not like it, but she was definitely within the theme." 
• When asked about the drama with Cathy Horyn and if she'll ever be invited to an Armani show again, he was much more frank:  "It depends, maybe we'll have a meeting and clear things up, but I'm someone who speaks through his clothing and therefore I let my clothes speak for me.  If somebody is not able to understand my message through my clothes, then they should ask me.  And when I explain, they should write what I say, and not other things."

I have to say that I disagree with his stance on his relationship with critics . . . yes, your clothes should speak for you, but as for someone not "understand[ing]" what you're trying to get across, it's bound to happen.  It's a subjective thing, and not everyone is going to have access to ask you what you were trying to do. 

The whole point of being a critic is to say what you think, your impressions, if Cathy was to write what Mr. Armani told her to, it would nullify the point of her being a critic, and make her more in the category of public relations, no?

>> Rachel Zoe is infamous for many things, but perhaps one of the most career-staggering moments was the one in which she humbly uttered on the record last September: "Anna Wintour is one of my heroes, but they say that I’m more influential."   

Last week, it was reported that Zoe was invited to the Costume Institute Gala by Brian Atwood to sit at the Bally table, but somehow ended up being disinvited.   Her stance at the time was that she "wasn't planning on going anyway because of my filming schedule and commitments to clients."  It's well-known that the gala is "Anna's Party," and she personally approves everyone who attends, so one can't help but think Anna was putting Zoe in her place. 

Although her original statement last week was nonchalant, when Zoe was asked about the change of plans on Wednesday at Allure Magazine's "Most Alluring Bodies" Exhibit, her curt response was: "I don’t really want to talk about that. I’m here to talk about the event."  And she must have learned her lesson about talking about Anna, because when prompted about Anna's style, her vague reply was: "Everybody's different."

However, if you want to ask her about what she thinks this Summer's wardrobe staples are, she'll more than happily divulge: "Anything and everything Marc Jacobs or Louis Vuitton.  The oversized white Chanel bag and all the Lanvin shoes. I don't know, trends come and go."  And so do people . . .

*image: source