>> Just today, Swarovski announced that they were going to clothe Michael Jackson head to toe for his "This Is It" tour kicking off next month — his costumes and sets were to feature over 300,000 crystals, in 53 different shapes, 43 different sizes, and 27 different colors.  In April, The Imagist reported that Balmain stylist Emmanuelle Alt "would weep" if Jackson allowed Balmain to do his tour costumes because she was "100% obsessed" with him — a fact reflected in Balmain's flashy runway pieces.

Jackson had catapulted himself back into fashion's eye in recent months after he was spotted in a number of different Balmain looks — no doubt courtesy of Emmanuelle Alt — and a favorite gold studded Givenchy jacket.  At the news of his death this afternoon, an outpouring of reactions — some incredulous — came from models, editors, and designers alike — those from a few, below.

"This is unbelievable..."

>> INSIDER WIRE —In recent weeks, we've had peeks into the abodes of Vogue's Sally Singer and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld; now, the Telegraph has a look inside stylist and Dazed & Confused creative director Nicola Formichetti's flat in a converted east London warehouse, filled with props and prints from photoshoots he has worked on: "I’m keeping them all so when the artists and photographers get really famous, I can sell them. I wish I could put them up on the wall. I’m sure it’s not great for the artworks resting on the floor, but I don’t know how to hang them." [Telegraph]

>> INSIDER WIRE —A little Fashion Week Roitfeld update: Carine Roitfeld supposedly landed Saturday night, and has since been spotted front row at Diane von Furstenberg yesterday (along with DVF face Natalia Vodianova, who brought her kids) and Carlos Miele this morning.  Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, meanwhile — who broke up with boyfriend Magnus Berger right before the holidays — is mobile blogging for Dazed & Confused this week, along with Susie Bubble. [Refinery29 Twitter, Refinery29 Twitter, WWD Twitter, Page Six Magazine, Dazed Digital]
*image: source

>> Katie Grand may be in the midst of styling Spring 2009 shows, but she's got another exciting project in the works.  As rumored, she is leaving POP — which she founded in 2000 — to start up a new biannual high-end fashion magazine for Conde Nast UK.

Though the magazine is untitled and much is still to be decided, Grand promises the move is a good one: "I can't wait to get started.  I feel the time is ready for a new magazine, a new arena for new ideas. This time we'll have a larger format, bigger budgets and broader horizons than ever before."  The bigger budget may have been the main reason for the move — Katie has said in the past that for POP shoots, "Often the photographers are using their own money."

Nonetheless, she has plenty of experience founding a magazine — she helped launch Dazed & Confused and Another Magazine before POP.  The new title hits newsstands in March, and as for the future of POP . . .  no one has spoken to that.
*image: source

>> BLOWING THE COVER —Vogue's online reality show Model.Live is debuting in just under a week, but one of the stars is already making waves: Cato Van Ee, who has recently shown up in editorials for Dazed & Confused and Vogue China, popped up today on the September 2008 cover of Dazed & Confused alongside Anna Gushina, Kori Richardson, and Pernille Moeller. [Of the Minute]

>> INSIDER WIRE —Just like Naomi Campbell, Anna Wintour's got a new billionaire sugar daddy on her hands: Evgeny Lebedev, who donated the largest sum ever — $500,000 — to the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund last week.  Who knows where his generosity to fashion will take him next; He's already partnered with Jefferson Hack to produce a Russian edition of Dazed & Confused. [Telegraph UK]

»Ali Stephens demonstrates her runway walk, superior cross-country talents [The Cut]

»Lane Crawford enlisted 12 designers, including Alexander McQueen and Rick Owens, to create Olympic-inspired looks [FWD]

»Lily Cole was spotted in New York [Fashionista]

» . . . while Irina Lazareanu has been in San Francisco [Style File]

»Helena Christensen reads Dazed & Confused poolside in Miami [Egotastic!]

»Is Tory Burch trying to up her cred by partnering with Surface 2 Air? [Nylon]

»Previews of the Jenni Kayne, Yoehlee, and Richard Chai Resort 2009 collections [Style.com, WWD, WWD]

»Thierry Mugler is being resurrected for couture week [FabSugar]

»Newly-minted Vogue intern Sean Avery is rumored to be starting a fashion company . . . already [FWD]

»Peter Som reveals all about what the CFDA does (ok, not really, but he is facetious about it) [The Cut]

»Vintage Oscar de la Renta pictures, right this way [Oscar de la Renta]

»The chicken at Jean Paul Gaultier's perfume launch last night was dressed in his trademark sailor stripes [Cafe Mode]

»Vivienne Westwood guest edited the July 2008 issue of Dazed & Confused [Nicola Formichetti]

»Yohji Yamamoto's daughter Limi was "uncontrollable" growing up [Prestige HK]

»Donna Karan is obsessed with Madonna [Prestige HK]

»Peeks at the Erin Fetherston, Celine, Anna Sui, Thakoon, and Costume National Resort 2009 collections [WWD, Style.com, Style.com, WWD, Style.com]