Its going to be a fall full of Rei Kawakubo thanks to her high profile collaborations. While the Third Estate has to wait till November for her collection with H&M. But her work with Louis Vuitton is making its debut next Wednesday in a temporary concept store in Tokyo designed by Rei herself. Because its not a money making venture for Vuitton supposedly (har har, though it does "quietly mark its 30th anniversary in Japan) you can only place your orders at this pop up but you will not be back to get your bags till 2009. If we were planning a trip to Tokyo anytime in the near future we might actually consider buying this "noodle" handle bag.

Vogue and and the New York Times remember modeling maverick Jerry Ford.

Form versus function frustrates athletes. The sister debate, modesty, is also gaining some traction.

Reports are coming out of WWD Magic that buyers are sticking to comparatively cheaper American made lines.

Charles Nolan is doing his part to keep his partner Andrew Tobias, The treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, hip despite the best efforts of handlers.

J. Brand Jeans and Topshop are working together for a lower priced denim collaboration coming out November 30th. The jeans are to be named after New York neighborhoods. The skinny jean, one of J Brand's classics, is to be named the Brooklyn. We would have gone with the Williamsburg.

Even though fashion can be seen as frivolous, there are often serious moral questions to be answered. Take a look at real issues in this morning's Must Read posts from: When a piece of aspirational fashion gets under you skin, sometimes it's hard to shake. Urban Socialite is completely captivated by a piece of jewelry by designer Megan Auman that is just a bit out of financial reach. As often noted with fashion and beauty, we're not curing cancer. The Beauty Bunny has found a beauty product whose proceeds go to a cancer organization. So true, we may not be curing cancer, but we can sure help! Catwalk Queen touches on another sensitive subject: fur. How do you feel about fake fur? How do you feel about real fur? With Fall coming right around the corner, the fur debate once again becomes a hot topic. With the publicity machine, it's often difficult to hear about the fashion related books that aren't written by public figures. Worn Through offers a look at the next set of stunning and informative fashion books coming out this month. Trend de la Creme has discovered another recurring trend in fashion: the fashionable nun. You'd never see the inspiration until she points it out.

>> RIP — Gerard "Jerry" Ford, who with his wife Eileen Ford created Ford Models, passed away on Sunday at 83.  He is credited with creating modeling contracts to promote brand exclusivity, and represented such big names as Lauren Hutton, Christie Brinkley, Veronica Webb and Kristen McMenamy over the years. [NY Times]

*image: source

>> Plenty of models put their whole body into their work, but Erin Wasson, she fractured her foot while filming an ad campaign — and kept right on going.  All this happened back in May, so she's long since lost the cast, but we're just now getting to see the short films that brought on the injury.

Erin gets to use her Texas roots for this one, adopting a thick drawl as "Birdie," love interest to William Rast, a "mysterious rebel" played by Justin Timberlake. The two run through woods, make out a little, escape some gunshots, make out some more . . . all in the name of a group of mini-documentaries advertising Justin's line, William Rast. 

The trailer is below, with the first three short films after the cut.

Three more! »

Even though are Network Partners are bloggers, most are experts in their chosen field. You'd be surprised at how much they know, but you can find out from today's Must Read posts from: We love when one of our expert Network Partners finally gets the attention they deserve./Debutante Clothing is getting a lot of attention for noticing a blatant Anna Sui knockoff of a vintage bag. Shame, shame, shame. The Manolo always has an eye for the savviest shoe deals. He discovered the most interesting ribbon wrapped boots, and of course, they're on sale! Speaking of shoes, there has been a lot of shoe fusion going on in recent seasons. Shoe Blog is confused by the merging of boots with sandals, and we don't blame her. Would you wear it? Platinum Blonde Life can't stop gushing about the Charlotte Ronson Fall 2008 collection. From darling dresses to daring color combinations, we totally see the appeal. It's a shame when you find yourself repeating exact outfits or similar outfits. Thrift Eye is going through this plight with a particular shirt and needs to break the habit.

>> IN PRODUCTION —He's done Topshop, and now he's doing Target.  Here's a first, very slight look at what the Jonathan Saunders for Target line gives us to work with — the full line comes out in October. [Forbes]

Just a few updates in case you make it your business to stalk the deliveries of Louboutins--like we do. Call us predictable, we believe in the canon.

If you can say this three times in a row, we'll come to your house and paint all of your shoe soles red. The Altadama Astrakhan Platforms, which we pulled for today's editorial, Fall's Top Five: Past & Present, deserve a note on their real-life presence. Net-A-Porter articulates them as being appropriate from late summer through mid-fall but we're pretty sure they're fabulous (and we don't use that word lightly) for any temperature (with hosiery, of course!). For our shoot we went monochrome and opaque. We're all about the colored tight and the monochromatic styling, so call it by osmosis that our stylist showed up with this pairing in mind. The shoes are larger than life, is all we wanted to say. Just in case you can't tell from the picture.

The New Simple Pumps, which we wrote about the second they hit Net-a-Porter, only to find them sold out by the end of the day, are back in stock. Never underestimate the power of a reorder! Some sizes have started selling out but we wouldn't bring it up if there weren't a significant run of sizes left. As we said before, these grey flannel pumps would probably take you miles this fall. We don't expect to see them on the site next week.

There's nothing better than falling in love with a pair of shoes and then finding out they come in multiple colors. The Very Brode Pumps (or, the Passementerie Pumps, as they're known to Neiman Marcus) so far, we've seen in yellow, red, and hot pink. The hot pink pair we pulled for our shoot (though, sadly, it didn't make it in) and we have to say that they are outfit-making if ever. As perfect with crisp jeans as with a proper cocktail dress, the only tough decision is which color to indulge in. Yesterday we thought pink but today we're leaning towards yellow. As if we needed something else to worry about right before fashion week!