>> You know Burberry is worried when their Spring 2009 campaign comes out looking like a catalogue.  Mario Testino did the honors at Petersham Nurseries outside London, and Christopher Bailey carried on his all-British cast tradition with returner Lily Donaldson and newcomers Eden Clarke and Alexina Graham, but gone are the days of Fall 2008's moody black-and-white ads and Spring 2008's edgy, colorful group shots.  These new Spring 2009 ads seem aimed much more for the mainstream, with their prominent placement of denim, the top-selling trenches, and the new, trademark plaid-covered Gardener Bag.  Everyone's going for the money shot this season — and with Burberry, those intentions are quite transparent.
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>> We got a preview on Tuesday, and the rest of the Holiday 2008 Gap ads are here, full of Angela Lindvall's son's gap-toothed grin, Anja Rubik looking cozy in a furry hat, Erin Wasson trading in her usual ripped denim shorts for boot-cut jeans, Lily Donaldson with her little brother Jesse, and then some.

>> Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi had a tall order to fill for Spring 2009.  Before Gianfranco Ferre passed in 2007, his architectural-based label had ceased to become relevent — as Cathy Horyn put it, "It’s been a while since anyone [has] paid serious attention to the Ferre name."  So could the newly tapped designers bring it back to the forefront?

The general consensus says yes.  Nicole Phelps of Style.com was pleased: "They deserve high marks for this outing." Cathy Horyn of The New York Times, a Aquilano-Rimondi fan, loved the effort, with one caveat: "The designers distilled the essence of Ferre in a new, eye-catching way. Now to just refine the elements a bit more . . . " WWD felt the same: "Aquilano and Rimondi have the right ideas, but what they need now is a little restraint."

Suzy Menkes of the International Herald Tribune also echoed the same sentiment: "Not all the Ferré collection was approachable. Yet . . .  the two designers created the clothes and the buzz that will bring fashion life back to Ferré."  With another season under their belts, Aquilano and Rimondi could definitely hit the right stride at Ferre.
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>> The Tents are loaded with plenty of freebies, but these might be the cutest — to go along with Fashion Week's election theme, someone took a page out of Henry Holland's book and printed model slogan campaign buttons for Coco Rocha, Lily Donaldson, Hilary Rhoda, Ali Michael, Jessica Stam, and Agyness Deyn. Apparently, Agyness has been seen wearing Stam's around, and Stam wearing Coco's . . .  

>> Take working-class fashion, add a pinch of Joy Division, and you've got the inspiration David Neville and Marcus Wainwright were drawing on for their Spring 2009 collection. The Rag & Bone show changed venues this season from the upscale Cipriani to the more hard-edged Pier 94 — a change from polished to slightly edgy that you could also say was reflected in the clothes.

Black wraparound leather belts with threateningly sharp silver spikes accented so many of the looks, and are sure to be a must-have — but even the typical Rag & Bone tweedy suits were rock-n-rolled up with a leather mini, like Julia Dunstall's closing look, or a silvery silk sheen, like Jessica Stam's blazer.

The model cast was full of high notes — stalwarts like opener Sasha Pivovarova or Coco Rocha — and the coveted new girls like Aline Weber and Liu Wen. Arlenis Pena was there too: she's had a big day, between being named as the new face of Lancome and slipping up at BCBG this morning.

To get the full experience, check out the runway video at Elle.com.
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