>> After Karl Lagerfeld sent out a Chanel couture collection of muted pastels yesterday, with nothing but flat patent mules on the models' feet, he told Style.com: "I was sick of all those Eiffel Towers, sick of all those violent colors." He later told Cathy Horyn of the collection, she writes: “'There’s no flower design.' This is a little like Eve ignoring the apple, but I guess he didn’t think this was a moment for Chanel flowers. 'I don’t think it’s very modern,' he said." [Style.com, On the Runway]

>> Designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Erdem, and Valentino showed plenty of lace creations on their runways, which only means one thing: Spring will be blooming with fresh femininity. We suggest you get in gear and amp up your current Winter wardrobe now with cozier key picks, like a sharp lace and leather coat from Valentino, and then later, come warmer weather, with a perfect pair of shorts from Diane von Furstenberg.

>> Miuccia Prada, politician? "Yes, it's true," the designer confirmed when asked if it was true she'd like to enter politics one day. And is she considering the path seriously? "Probably, yes," she replied. "Politics have always been a little of my passion. And now I [could] use my work as a tool to do things other than fashion."

But for now, she's still focusing on fashion, which she says has been made more difficult — creatively — by globalization: "I always say that up until the '70s, fashion was white, Catholic, Western. Now fashion embraces the whole world with [different] religions, costumes, et cetera, et cetera. Before, it reflected the spirit of a small group. There is just one collection, and we don’t make specific things for specific markets, but [the clothes] try to accommodate a world which has become a lot bigger. It’s a lot more difficult in this sense…[but] I think it enriches [the design experience] because it’s bigger."

Because of this need to be in touch on the global scene, Prada is opening design studios in both Hong Kong and Paris this year: "We decided to do this because not everyone wants to live in Milan.…I made a curious twist on the French word flâner, which means that when the people wanted to understand what was happening, they strolled the city. Now people travel the world . . . I’d say it was almost a practical necessity…also it’s clearly an opportunity to get some young minds, fresher minds."

Prada also reads blogs to stay in touch — but not on the computer: "I have reports sent over. Every week I have a summary sent over of the positive blogs, the negative blogs and the interesting blogs. I read them on paper. It’s interesting to see what is making the rounds, what people are talking about. All of our work as designers is to understand what people are thinking, where the world is going, how things work. It’s one of many sources of information.…It’s not that I do it to do my job better. I do it because it interests me.…Definitely everything that leads me to know more about what’s happening probably makes my work more interesting. At least I hope so."

And despite the fact that she doesn't seem to mind the immediacy the Internet brings to information, it doesn't sound like Prada will be pulling a Burberry and selling clothes straight off the runway anytime soon: "I think that, for now, this is the way it is. You can’t avoid it. It’s like being in denial about the future. The future will be even more like this because it’s an opportunity that’s so big and convenient. I don’t use a computer, but I see everyone around me using them. It’s immediate access to information, a way of communicating. I think it’s a real, great revolution, perhaps bigger than the Industrial Revolution . . . Sometimes people criticize us because we aren’t technological enough, because we don’t sell on the Internet…but [to have people] click on a runway show and sell it, I don’t think that’s the essence of the change."

>> This one's strictly for the lovers: Valentine's Day is soon approaching and if you're in need of a bit of a nudge, look no further. Our 16 sultry ideas, ranging from a scintillating lace bodysuit to sexy footwear from Christian Louboutin, are sure to raise your body temperature from warm to red-hot in no time at all.

>> Diane von Furstenberg was planning on spending a week skiing in Aspen, but unfortunately it didn't turn out that way, she emailed WWD: “Barry [Diller] and I were skiing happily. Some Brazilian man, who could not ski, lost control and went straight at me, hitting me badly on my face and ribs (with his camera). I went to the emergency room and then flew to UCLA. I look like Mike Tyson on his worst fight. Broken nose and some light facial fractures. At home in L.A. now waiting to heal. Will be staying here the week because I have my children and grandkids. I guess it could have been worse…but it does NOT look pretty.” She later Tweeted: "I guess i was lucky although i get scared when i look in the mirror." But it sounds like her Fall 2011 collection won't be affected: “Thank god I have Yvan Mispelaere [her creative director] in the sample room.” [WWD]

• Carine Roitfeld and Nicolas Ghesquiere, who were rumored to have reconciled after being spotted having a cocktail together last week, were spotted having a drink again today at the Ritz Paris [@derekblasberg]
• Lea T. is reportedly taping her Oprah segment next week after opening the show of a "major swimsuit house" at Sao Paulo Fashion Week [@JasonFarrer]
• Chanel’s global creative director of makeup Peter Philips animated Chanel lipsticks, compacts, and glosses to make a robot, a model, and more in this fun short film (still, left) [Nowness]
• Thakoon.com is relaunching February 14, complete with “webisodes” that follow Thakoon Panichgul through his daily life working in the studio, prepping a photo shoot, or attending an awards ceremony; e-commerce is expected to launch in July [Style File]
• Watch Karlie Kloss get flames put on her eyes and white paint all over her lower legs for the Dior couture show [The Cut]
• Style Bubble's Susanna Lau says she “definitely” has the opportunity to make more money with her blog alone than when she was working 12 hours a day as DazedDigital.com's commissioning editor: “Each day I’m sort of dividing my time between four or five different things. The result of that is that you are gong to be getting more money than you are with a fixed wage at an independent publishing company” [BoF]
• Missoni heir Jennifer Missoni has a three episode arc on Gossip Girl starting next month, in which she plays Donna, a character “very serious about her job." Note that Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester is a current face of Missoni [Fashionista]
• Richard Nicoll responds to Cerruti closing its womenswear line, which he designed: "Of course I would have preferred longer to make a success of the womenswear, but I'm grateful for the experience gained at Cerruti. It makes total sense to me that Li & Fung should focus solely on menswear as that's where their experience lies" [Vogue UK]
• As part of the continuing CFDA Health Initiative, Diane von Furstenberg writes in a new op-ed, "Plans for education and awareness programs are under way, such as an Ambassador Program aimed at helping young models develop the tools to meet the challenges they face" [CFDA]
• A French version of Harper's Bazaar is said to be on the horizon [DFR]
• Miu Miu has tapped several notable female filmmakers for a new short film series called "Women's Tales," exploring the female love affair with Miu Miu; first director up is Zoe Cassavetes — preview of her short at the link [Fashionista]
• Apparently there's an unfounded rumor going around Europe that Tom Ford is set to succeed Giorgio Armani [@jcreportglobal]

>> Tom Ford covers Interview's February 2011 issue, shot by Craig McDean. In the accompanying cover story, Ford offers up his usual hot shots: "I think gay men make better designers."

Or: "There are moments where I am sexually attracted to women. But it doesn’t overpower my first impulse; my lust for them is the same as my lust for beauty in all things. It’s not like I ever think, 'Oh, my god, I’ve got to spread her legs and f*ck her.'”

And then he tells a story about how he did an interview "sitting with my legs wide open, completely naked," with a straight male reporter because Ford had told him, "When I come home I actually take off all my clothes, and I wear no clothes until I leave. I eat naked. I do everything completely naked." And the reporter thought it would make for a great interview.

But Ford willingly admits that he says things like the above as a front: "Most people don’t actually know me. They know the projection of me that I use to sell things. And they know me from an expression of material beauty. I’m actually very introverted. I’m very shy. I’m very emotional."

He adds: "I grew up mostly in New Mexico, which is famous for sunsets and mountains and trees. That’s the reason I have a place there and spend so much time there now. When I was a little kid, all I wanted to do was to escape what I thought was the country and get to a city. Probably film and television had influenced me so much, I really thought the key to happiness was living a very artificial life in a penthouse in New York with martini glasses . . . As an adult working in the fashion industry, I struggle with materialism. And I’m one of the least materialistic people that exist, because material possessions don’t mean much to me. They’re beautiful, I enjoy them, they can enhance your life to a certain degree, but they’re ultimately not important. Your connections with other people are important, our connection to the earth. And that’s why I go to New Mexico as often as I can. And what I find to be the most beautiful thing in the world now is nature — sunsets, trees, my horses."