>> Jourdan Dunn Not Walking, Sigrid Agren May Not Be Either; Daul Kim Switches Up Hair —Despite rumors otherwise spurred by the appearance of her show card, Jourdan Dunn's agency Women has confirmed she will not walk this season.  Now, word is another model may be sitting out as well: Sigrid Agren.  Daul Kim, who is walking, just switched her long bleach blonde hair for a shorter cut and more natural color. [The Cut, TFS, Next Models Blog]

>> Christopher Bailey likes to think of himself as a "home bird": he's at ease mulching — "the smell of manure makes me happy" — barbecuing, or watching TV with "soup on my lap," he tells the New Yorker in their September 14 Style Issue.  But he's also the creative director of three-billion-dollar company Burberry.

Bailey is anti-elitist, the New Yorker writes.  He "came from a working-class background in Yorkshire" — his father was a carpenter, his mother dressed windows for Marks & Spencer — and one of his main goals for Burberry is to be "friendly and warm and embracing." He continues: "I think there's an expectation that all fashion companies have to be cold and austere and arrogant, and I just think there are other ways of doing things." 

He loves chocolate »

>> Rumors of slashed budgets and diminished celebrity attendance have already plagued the 2010 Costume Institute Gala for months, but we've finally got some concrete details about the first Met Ball that recently-appointed Vogue director of special events Sylvana Soto-Ward will spearhead.  Themed "American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity," the gala will take place on Monday, May 3, 2010, with Gap's Patrick Robinson and Oprah Winfrey co-hosting alongside Anna Wintour.

The theme is already drawing questions of whether Michelle Obama will make an appearance, but for sure populating the exhibit are roughly 75 outfits, culled based on the idea of "how the American woman initiated style revolutions that mirrored her social, political, and sexual emancipation."  The pieces include designs by Coco Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiaparelli, Madeleine Vionnet, Madame Gres, and Paul Poiret and come exclusively from the new Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection; many haven't been on view to the public in over 30 years.

>> Kris Van Assche Makes First US Trip While at Dior Homme for Fashion's Night Out — Kris Van Assche is making his first official press trip stateside since he started at Dior Homme in March 2007 — and the event is open to the public. In honor of Fashion's Night Out in New York, he's making a personal appearance Sept. 10 on the third floor at Barneys from 8-9 PM, where he will be available for chatting and signing Dior Homme sneakers. [FNO]