>> Anna Wintour Has A Shopping List for Tonight's Fashion's Night Out — In between kicking Fashion's Night Out off tonight at Macy's in Queens, stopping by Intermix to see Sienna Miller, Oscar de la Renta to see the designer sing, and Saks for the William Rast pop-up (she loves that Justin Timberlake), among other things, Anna Wintour does indeed plan to shop.  She's looking to buy "something in red, some new boots, and some kind of savage fur." [Times UK]

>> The way that director RJ Cutler cut his new trailer for The September Issue, which covers the making of Vogue's September 2007 issue — its biggest ever — makes it like a real-life Devil Wears Prada. In this two and a half minute montage alone, Anna Wintour is revered and feared enough to carry us until movie's country-wide Sept. 11 release date. No sooner than Thakoon Panichgul proclaims "Anna is like Madonna," the editor herself is telling a disappointed-looking Oscar de la Renta at a runthrough, "I personally would not put this one in the show, the others things you've shown us are more exciting."  She scolds Mario Testino about his September 2007 cover mockups with Sienna Miller: "This type seems so large and pretentious, it looks like it's for blind people."  And even Karl Lagerfeld looks nervous as Anna inspects a new Chanel piece, eventually proclaiming, "It's gorgeous."

Among her own staff, Anna is just as blunt — of one mockup: "She looks pregnant." Grace Coddington excitedly holds up a neon pink and black Fall 2007 Comme des Garcons jacket from a rack for Anna: "Look!"  Not missing half a beat, Anna smiles: "No."  And in a meeting with stylist Edward Enninful, she looks at his work for the magazine and declares: "Where's the glamour? It's Vogue, okay? Please, let's lift it." No wonder the movie is inspiring bootleg viewing parties among editors — and Anna to supposedly have her underlings monitor the movie's Facebook page for her.

The trailer! »

>> 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 »

>> A LITTLE TURN ON THE CATWALK —Oscar de la Renta hasn't been one for mincing words lately, and yesterday while showing his Cruise 2010 collection — he's one of the only designers opting for a full-blown runway this season — was no exception: "We're going through difficult times but I can't complain. My business remains relatively strong, and I think it could only get better from here. Of course it's challenging for young designers and people in debt.  But we're not young . . . and we're not in debt! Let's put it this way: I love to garden. And then there's time where you plant and then there's time when you weed. And that's a good analogy for our business. There comes a time for strong plants to grow and for some just to be pulled away." [FWD]

>> INSIDER WIRE —Even without Michelle Obama's marketing help, Oscar de la Renta seems to be doing well for himself: he increased the number of runway shows for his label from one to two for the Fall 2009 season in February, and now he's one of the few — Chanel and Christian Dior aside — who will continue to hold a runway show for his Cruise collection on June 1. [MeenalMistry Twitter]

>> INSIDER WIRE —Is the Obama camp holding a grudge against Oscar de la Renta after his disparaging comments toward Michelle Obama a few weeks ago?  During White House social secretary Desiree Rogers's cover shoot for this Sunday's WSJ. magazine, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs vetoed a shot of Rogers in an Oscar de la Renta ballgown in the First Lady’s garden.  But doesn't seem to be a matter of branding sensitivity — the rest of the shoot features Rogers in the likes of Jil Sander, Viktor & Rolf, Prada, and Calvin Klein. [WWD, WSJ.]
*image: source

>> INSIDER WIRE —Of all the designers to scold Oscar de la Renta on his recent criticism of Michelle Obama, Azzedine Alaia would not seem the most likely, but he did nonetheless: “[Obama] has a very strong presence and has set a new style for First Ladies. I’m sure women will follow her style — it’s simple and elegant.  It’s not up to him to give her lessons; Michelle Obama is of her time; Oscar de la Renta is no longer." [WWD]
*image: source

>> Last week, Oscar de la Renta drew a lot of heat for his frustrated comments on Michelle Obama's decision to champion small fashion houses, wearing Thakoon and Jason Wu over Donna Karan or Ralph Lauren:

American fashion right now is struggling.  I think I understand what [Obama and her advisers] are doing, but I don’t think that is the right message at this particular point . . . I don’t object to the fact that Mrs. Obama is wearing J.Crew to whatever because the diversity of America is what makes this country great. But there are a lot of great designers out there. I think it’s wrong to go in one direction only.

He got particularly pointed about Obama's choice of an Alaia cardigan to meet Queen Elizabeth: “You don’t go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater.”

Needless to say, fashion community feathers were ruffled — Paper's Mickey Boardman blogged a piece requesting de la Renta to "hush": "It's beneath de la Renta's dignity as an elder statesman of American Fashion to consistently complain and criticize a First Lady who has done so much for American fashion."

But Oscar's sticking to his guns »