»All of the above, plus Christopher Bailey staring down a pig and a martyred John Galliano in the June issue of Esquire UK [The Cut]

»Julia Restoin-Roitfeld just shot her younger brother Vladimir in a campaign for Rock & Republic, for which she was the art director [WWD]

»Joke or no joke?  Lily Donaldson on Picassos and Man Rays [Fashionista]

»Joe Zee shot an '80s-inspired editorial for the September issue of Elle this week [Elle Tell All]

»Gucci Group CEO Francois-Henri Pinault may be getting married to Salma Hayek next August [People En Espanol]

»A bill has been introduced in Congress to make it easier for models to get work visas [NYDN]

»Vogue's design director Charles Churchward resigns after 13 years, is writing a biography on photographer Herb Ritts [FWD]

Prada's latest creation, the Prada Epicenter, is located in Tokyo’s fashionable Aoyama district. The six-story and five-sided glass building features multidimensional architecture that plays out with a continuous flow of traffic. The diamond shaped glass panes come in convex and concave versions that simultaneously reflect the interior of the boutique and draw passers-by inward. At ground level there is an outdoor plaza, which slants conveniently toward the entrance and, once inside, movement from floor to floor is dictated by three tubes which slice through the space and function as changing rooms.

Gorgeous natural light bathes the store during the day, drawing linear shadows on the uniform white décor, and, at night, glass tables are lit from within and sparkling ceiling lights shine down from the perforated ceiling. When the store is closed, between sunset and dawn, animations are projected onto the three ventricle tubes that, as if this were the heart of Aoyama, pulse with increasing intensity as the city sleeps.

>> A LITTLE TURN ON THE CATWALK —Frida Giannini knows how to party.  For resort 2009, she can't let Chanel and Dior get the best of her, so she too is staging a full Gucci runway show, followed by a party, in Rome on July 8.  

The whole ordeal celebrates Gucci's 70 years in Rome plus their newly renovated Roman flagship, but Frida couldn't wait another month to show the collection off, so she gave a preview yesterday in New York.  "It's a bit hippie but not too much." [WWD]

Ford Models Host "For Arts Sake"; New York, June 11.
*images: source

>>  For Stefano Pilati, video installation is the new runway show.  After showing his Fall 2008 Yves Saint Laurent menswear collection on video rather than the traditional catwalk presentation, Stefano chose the short film route again for the YSL Resort 2009 collection. 

So that's the "innovative, new experience" hinted at was all about . . . I wonder if this new format is a way of cutting costs, or just the designer's personal preference?  Because me, I find the runway, or even a presentation, much preferred.

>> THE MODELIZER —Plan your newstand run now: The September 2008 issue of Vanity Fair is set to be supermodel extravaganza, with Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, and Claudia Schiffer all making their way into the pages.  Linda is said to be a strong contender for the September VF cover, and she's also back on set with Steven Meisel for another Vogue Italia shoot — yep, it's very soon after this month's cover.  Ayyyy! [TI, TI]

Ford Models Host "For Arts Sake"; New York, June 11.

*images: source