>> Diane von Furstenberg Gets Robbed, Photographs Upcoming Campaign Herself —Just before she jetted off to Madrid and subsequently got robbed "in the street" — "My wallet, cash and all my credit cards!!" — Diane von Furstenberg kicked off Teen Vogue's Fashion University over the weekend, where she reminded the audience that her eyewear collection is out in January.  Tom Ford and Karl Lagerfeld have done it, and now DVF: she photographed the entire sunglasses campaign herself. The model is none other than her son Alex's fiancee Ali Kay, who has recently been at the center of a tabloid scandal. [@InsideDVF, Fashionista]

>> Fashion's Night Out Could Become A Permanent Fashion Week Fixture —If CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg has her say (and Anna Wintour will assuredly support her), Fashion's Night Out won't be a one-off event: “It was a huge success. It was fantastic; it’s just like Hallmark, when they invented Mother’s Day. Every Thursday before Fashion Week, we will have Fashion’s Night Out!”  But nothing has officially been decided, and retailers are waiting to examine the residual effects on sales before the possibility is further examined. Simon Doonan says he's unsure about doing it again, because Fashion's Night Out didn't generate big sales for Barneys. [The Cut, The Cut Twitter]

>>  Andre Leon Talley, self-professed "big proponent of the man-bag" and owner of a custom-made Diane von Furstenberg caftan, is also a big proponent of shopping high and low, he tells Time Out New York: "You cannot live your life in the elitist world of fashion and not step out or you’re disconnected. You have to realize that fashion is not the endgame. I started wearing Uggs two years ago. It’s a cozy shoe. Also, they’re only $98."  In fact, at home, he wears "Juicy Couture shorts, a Ralph Lauren polo shirt and Uggs."  But don't expect him to wear Crocs. "I draw the line at Uggs."

He took up horseback riding and tennis after Anna Wintour prompted him to lose weight, but isn't afraid to split a chocolate creme brulee "just for a taste!"  When Time Out asked him if he though of the Vogue offices as "a mecca of skinniness," he responded:

The Vogue offices are full of what I call very annnnnnnngular women wearing stilettos, and maybe that’s just the consciousness — that people think that they need this look when they work at Vogue. But Grace Coddington does not fit that mold and she’s elegant. Look at Michelle Obama, she’s the most fashionable woman in America. But she’s not a fashion plate.

Golden Girls is "one of the greatest shows ever" »

>> CFDA Publishes American Fashion Cookbook Full of Designer's Recipes —Food and fashion don't always go hand in hand, but the CFDA is trying to change that this month with the release of American Fashion Cookbook, a compilation of recipes, illustrations, and food-related quotes from over 100 American designers. No word on what foodies like Jason Wu or Peter Som contributed, but Derek Lam went with Yellowtail Crudo, Isaac Mizrahi submitted Mushroom Truffle Spaghetti, and Diane von Furstenberg, who says she's "never been a great cook," added a recipe for Saturday Night Chicken. Publisher Assouline has a preview of the first 30 or so pages. [Stylecaster, Amazon]

>> Rachel Zoe has never been known to be anything but busy: her new lifestyle newsletter, The Zoe Report, launches tomorrow, and she's still finishing up filming for the second season of The Rachel Zoe Project, which premieres Aug. 24 at 10 PM on Bravo.  

The trailer for the upcoming season has just hit the web, full of her catchphrases, footage from Paris (only New York was highlighted last season), Rachel riding on a Segway, and featuring cameos by Diane von Furstenberg, Karl Lagerfeld, Giambattista Valli, Liv Tyler, and Lorenzo Martone.  

And for those who've noticed Zoe's tendency to wear loose dresses and voluminous clothes on the red carpet, it's because when she tries to wear something more form-fitting — like a sequined flapper-style dress in the trailer — her husband and assistant both tell her she can't because of all the bad press about how thin she is.

The video! »

>> This morning, the CFDA held its first town hall meeting, moderated by CFDA president Diane von Furstenberg, to discuss whether Fashion Week is still relevant.  Many attendees agreed with Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough, who voiced his concern: "There seems to be a disconnect. For us, the shows have become a press thing. It’s on blogs; magazines pull straight from the runways; and by the time it’s in stores, it feels sort of old."

Donna Karan, who has long been a proponent of selling and showing clothes in season, also wondered about the timeliness of the shows: "We are in a crisis. There's no question about it . . . We spend so much money on shows, but what is it getting us?”

Anna Wintour suggests something illegal »

>> American designers, under the lead of CFDA President Diane von Furstenberg, are currently pushing for copyright inclusion under the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, but a few recent occurrences may hurt their case.

Just last week, Diane von Furstenberg settled out of court for an undisclosed sum with the Canadian designers of Mercy, who accused DVF of copying their jacket (photo comparison here), which in Diane's version appeared on the March 2009 cover of Elle.  When notified, Diane apologized almost immediately, as has since ceased from using the copied design: “While this is an isolated incident for DVF, it is unfortunate that way too many others intentionally build businesses by stealing the work of other designers."

It's doubtful that Diane was talking about Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga, but some questions are now being raised about a leather jacket from his recent Cruise 2010 collection, especially because he has admitted to copying a garment in the past that appeared in his Spring 2002 Balenciaga collection.  The current item of contention is strikingly similar to the "Parrot" jacket by San Francisco-based East West Musical Instruments — picture comparison above — which operated in the '60s through the '80s and sold to Iggy Pop, Janis Joplin, and the like.  It's no secret that designers mine vintage pieces for inspiration, and Nicolas is not an American designer, but two examples in such quick succession can't be helping the Design Piracy Prohibition Act fight.

>> Andre Leon Talley has been eliciting remarks for the rose-hued Prada coat and "raspberry velvet" custom-made Manolo Blahnik sandals he's been wearing around town to the resort shows — Diane von Furstenberg's and Oscar de la Renta's among them — but he had some remarks of his own on the 60 Minutes profile of Anna Wintour.

"I was really impressed with their research," Andre told Mediabistro yesterday, adding that he found reporter Morley Safer to be "a bit dismissive" of fashion and its players, particularly when he likened Karl Lagerfeld to Dracula — "He's had that look for eight years!"  As for Anna's thoughts on the piece, Andre said that she was "thrilled. It's 60 Minutes — she was on the same show as Secretary Gates. It was fabulous."

Other things that are "fabulous" »