>> 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..."

>> A LITTLE TURN ON THE CATWALK —All minds are still curious to see what Patrick Robinson can do for Gap, so yesterday when he debuted his first full Spring collection for the brand, editors came in droves. Sarah Lerfel, fresh off the "impossible" Colette x Gap opening on Saturday, took a tour around with Hello Kitty bag in tote, pausing to mingle before exiting sans a Colette x Gap goody bag. Others stayed longer, enjoying the four kinds of juice offered, brightly colored enough to go with the collection on display — one model even partook (left).

Also of note: The chunky wooden Pierre Hardy Design Edition platforms are apparently coming in all different colors next Spring.