>> Where art goes, fashion is soon to follow, and with the contemporary arts Biennale going on in Venice right now, there are plenty of designers, editors, and even models in town.  On Wednesday, Olympia Scarry’s installation brought out Patrick Demarchelier, Vogue Russia's Aliona Doletskaya, and POP's Dasha Zhukova, as well as Justin Portman and Natalia Vodianova, the latter whose face was reflected in a luminated, aged sketch on display called Dorian Gray, by artist Dasha Fursey.

Naomi Campbell and boyfriend Vladislav Doronin stopped by a lunch for the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, and popped up again yesterday at the opening of Francois Pinault's new museum, the Punta della Dogana. Stella McCartney was there with husband Alasdhair Willis to support her financier in his new endeavor, as were Franca Sozzani and Marc Jacobs, always the fan of contemporary art, who apparently kept exclaiming, "This place rocks."

Meanwhile, down the river, Angela Missoni held her annual party on boyfriend Bruno Ragazzi's yacht.  It was quite the family and friends affair: Angela's daughters Margherita and Teresa, plus son Francesco were all mingling, Franca Sozzani brought son Francesco Carrozzini, and Vladimir Restoin-Roitfeld arrived with Carine Roitfeld, who neglected to follow the rest in taking her lace-up shoes off: "It would just take too long to undo them." Bee Shaffer was sans Anna Wintour, but Jefferson Hack brought fiancee Anouck Lepere.

Even those who aren't in Venice in person are there in spirit — Mario Testino sent one of his art consultants to scout the exhibition.

>> Margherita Missoni was dangled above Venice in Missoni wings and dress to kick off the annual carnival last week, but this afternoon, she was right outside her mother's show in Milan, smoking while everyone waited to get inside.  The collection that debuted is one of the first this season that has really seemed to invigorate everyone about next season — online and front row viewers alike seem to be in raptures.  The styling, impeccable — layers and layers of scarves wrapped heads loosely, cardigans fitted under jackets and over leggings — knitwear everywhere, as the brand's heritage dictates.  Even in a palette of neutrals with the occasional staccato of blue, the looks were gripping, seamless — and no doubt, we'll be a seeing a lot more of them in the months to come.
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>> It's been an odd Fashion Week without Carine Roitfeld's impeccable style or Tanya Dziahileva's cherubic face, but another person of note was missed — on the runways, anyway — Irina Lazareanu.  She's been spotted at Monday's Vogue/Cole Haan party in Missoni, yesterday's V magazine party in a sequined top, denim cutoffs, and a feather, and also yesterday, front row at 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Sitting front row isn't a new thing for Irina — she was in row one last season at Erin Fetherston — but what is new?  For the first time in three years, she's taking a break from the runway: "To be honest, I wanted to take a season off." But just in New York — she will be walking "a little" in Milan and Paris.
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>> Iselin Steiro may have put her modeling career on hold for a degree in architecture, but that doesn't mean she can't still nab a top campaign or two.  In fact, she's appearing in both the Mulberry and Missoni Fall campaigns.

For Missoni, Iselin joins goth girl Kinga Rajzak and Mathias Lauridsen in a set of images inspired by the Bernardo Bertolucci film, The Conformist, because the movie's visual patterns and textures fits well with the Missoni aesthetic.

The use of prints and color scheme in these ads are very in tune with Missoni's brand, but I'm not sure the sterile, stationary feel of the models is; Missoni always seems much more lively and dynamic than frigid to me.
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