>> Dree Hemingway Said to Be Already Booked for Calvin Klein Spring 2010, Is Featured in Purple's "Naked" Series —After walking solely in Givenchy last season, Dree Hemingway reportedly already has a spot on the Spring 2010 Calvin Klein runway — no world on whether it's an exclusive, but regardless, Calvin Klein is the New York show which generally sets the bar, model casting-wise, for the rest of Fashion Month.  Dree is also the newest participant (in the past, it's been Chloe Sevigny, Angela Lindvall, Shalom Harlow) in the "Purple Naked" series, captured by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin for Purple Fashion #12 — The Imagist has a peek.  And if you're dying to see the result of that Purple shoot by Paola Kudacki with Suvi Koponen and Hanne-Gaby Odiele, Models.com has the final cut (NSFW). [Fashionista, The Imagist (NSFW)]

>> Fashion Continues to Invade TV on the CW's Gossip Girl, The Beautiful Life —Zac Posen has staked out a position in the series premiere of the CW's model-centric drama The Beautiful Life and Nina Garcia just filmed for the show recently, but they're not the only familiar guest stars that are slated to appear: Matthew Williamson, Erin Fetherston, and Jessica Stam have all been booked and Versace and Calvin Klein are also somehow involved. As for Georgina Chapman and Tory Burch's mysterious Gossip Girl cameos, they begin in the upcoming season's first episode by hooking up with Blake Lively's character Serena, and according to the show's executive producer have to do with Serena's “decision [in terms of college] and what happens to her in the first couple of episodes.” [E! Online, People]

>> Calvin Klein — no stranger to pornographic epithets when it comes to their advertising — stirred up a little scandal last week when a still from the steamy Spring 2009 Calvin Klein Jeans commercial shot by Steven Meisel — which has been banned from US television — appeared on a Soho billboard in New York.

The image depicts what could be interpreted as a threesome — but Francisco Costa didn't see anything wrong with it last week at the CFDA Awards: “Please! It’s so, like, old news. Don’t you think we should be a little ashamed for even having to discuss? I mean, it’s great for us. So if you want to talk about it, let’s talk about it. But there was no intention of making that controversial . . . It’s New York City! It’s the 21st century! Honey, we have to move on!"

Calvin Klein menswear designer Italo Zucchelli, too, agreed: "It's my favorite campaign ever!" But it appears that the two designers don't have the final word on their billboards: Yesterday, the image was replaced with a shot of Doutzen Kroes in a red bikini.  At least one person was happy with the change — Doutzen went by the new billboard last night, took a picture of herself jumping in front of it, and posted it on Twitter: "BELIEVE IT!!!!!"

>> Is fashion finally getting sick of the shoe silhouette that has so pervaded the last few years — the painfully high heel?  Carine Roitfeld, notorious for her pro-heel stance, was snapped recently at a luncheon in Cannes wearing flats; Francisco Costa shod all of his Cruise 2010 models in brogues and flat boots, and Vogue's Mark Holgate noted at yesterday's Cruise 2010 Yves Saint Laurent presentation that even "the house that started the platform craze is coming down off them."

Today, Andre Leon Talley dedicated a whole Vogue Daily post to the phenomenon, observing that at a recent Alexander Wang Cruise 2010 appointment, "Meredith Melling Burke . . . walked in off the elevator in a beige 3.1 Phillip Lim chesterfield and beige trousers tucked into an impeccable black pair from Miu Miu — that were completely flat! A sign of things to come?"

He's not finished »

>> Resort season is well under way — Calvin Klein and Diane von Furstenberg are among the brands showing today alone.  Every year, designers reiterate how crucial the resort season can be, and every year, there's more media attention placed on collections that pop up at this time.  But all that increasing media coverage could endanger precisely why resort does so well — the collections typically have an element of anonymity, as Vogue's Mark Holgate explains:

The clothes tend to be shown in a small, discreet way, so they’re not overexposed; the look tends to trans-seasonal in the fabric and color choices; and, typically, what’s shown is on sale for longer than those collections presented during Fashion Week. In short: They’re the kind of pieces that you’ll tend to wear and wear and wear because they manage to be both directional and somewhat anonymous.

Cathy Horyn made note this morning of the increase in attention, when she overheard one editor comment at Calvin Klein: “Oh, I thought this was going to be a small presentation."

Oscar de la Renta adds his two cents »

>> Like everything else these days, this year's Costume Institute Gala might not be the bang-up event of the year it usually is.  Though Anna Wintour extends the brand invitations to purchase tables at the 700-person benefit dinner, prices run from $75,000 to $250,000 depending on the size of the label and its relationship with Vogue.  They're typically sold out well in advance, but some brands are balking this time around, and more profitable brands are being asked to carry a larger portion of the burden.

Burberry, Roberto Cavalli, Versace, Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, and Alberta Ferretti have all declined to do full-table sponsorship this year, instead buying individual seats, which range from $5,000 to $10,000 depending on location.  Ralph Lauren was undecided on sponsorship, according to a spokesperson. "We of course will be supporting the event — [we're] still not sure at what level yet." Calvin Klein, Puig Fashion Group (Nina Ricci, Carolina Herrera), and Tod's, on the other hand, have all confirmed that they will be sponsoring tables.

Since the focus is on models this time around, will there be less star power?  The theme might be convenient to brands with slashed budgets — flying in celebrities to accompany a designer can cost plenty after the flight, hotel bills, hair, makeup, and car services are all taken care of.
*image: source