>> The number of opportunities for fashion and style bloggers have exponentially grown this year; many scored coups in April, and this month they keep adding up. Sea of Shoes' Jane Aldridge designed six pairs of shoes for Urban Outfitters under the label J. Aldridge for Urban Outfitters, with the first three pairs hitting stores July 15 and the second three in December.  Refinery29 and Teen Vogue have looks at the first set, which includes black studded gladiator heels ($98), black lace-up flats ($58), and knee-high peep-toe boots ($178), and as memory recalls marks the first design collaboration between a blogger and a major retailer — save perhaps Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast's upcoming pieces for RVCA.

Holt Renfrew, too, loves bloggers »

>> IN PRODUCTION —The newest designers pulling up to the collaboration station: Anna Sui, who is following Alexander McQueen as the second designer in Target's Designer Collaboration series starting Sept. 13 with a Gossip Girl-inspired collection; Christopher Kane, who is doing his biggest line ever — "it's more than a capsule collection with bags, shoes, knitwear and dresses. It's nothing like any other work I've done in the past" — for Topshop, tentatively expected sometime in late August; and Lizzie Fortunato Jewels, who are taking their arts and crafts jewelry to Urban Outfitters under the label Hope Marian this July. [WWD, Grazia, Refinery29]
*image: source

»September 2008 Harper's Bazaar features designers dressed up and photographed in their fantasies — and Karl Lagerfeld picked to be a rapper [FWD]

»Ralph Lauren likely had to pay to design the US Olympic opening ceremony uniforms, but at least he's making money off of it now [The Cut]

»A first look at Samantha Pleet's "goth-and-lollipops" Rapscallion collection for Urban Outfitters [The Pipeline]

»Bergdorf Goodman is hosting a Bill Cunningham retrospective during New York Fashion Week [Fashionista]

»Behati Prinsloo and model boyfriend Jamie Strachan: still going strong [Chic Report]

»Hearst is launching a competitor to Conde Nast's Fashion Rocks in September called 30 Days of Fashion [WWD]

»Gemma Ward's movie The Black Balloon is coming to "key US cities" in October [Variety]

»Bee Shaffer works out with a trainer at Equinox Soho [FWD]

»Diane von Furstenberg is using Andy Warhol prints in a capsule collection of swimsuits and coverups [Fashionista]

»Giorgio Armani has set off the animal rights activists in Italy [The Cut]

»Vogue Paris and Vogue UK like to use the same cover models, front and back [Fashionista]

»Derek Lam, Tod's still love Gwyneth Paltrow [PopSugar]

»Grey Ant, Spring & Clifton collaborate with Urban Outfitters [Nylon, Flickr]

»Behati Prinsloo shops where she's paid [FAD]

»Cindy Crawford hung on a yacht with George Clooney, her husband, and Bono in the south of France this weekend [PopSugar]

»Reese Witherspoon is likely shooting with Mario Testino in Paris for an upcoming Vogue cover [PopSugar]

»The CK Jeans Fall 2008 campaign is rumored to feature 17 models in total [Style File]

»Du Juan does David Yurman Fall 2008 [Of the Minute]

»Chanel Iman, Victoria's Secret Pink lady [Fashionista]

»Jessie Randall's 93-year-old grandfather bought out the entire Loeffler Randall for Target stock at his local Florida store to give as gifts [The Cut]

»Coco Rocha was shown Lily Cole photos on her first shoot for inspiration [Fashionista]

»Urban Outfitters made a cartoon Karl Lagerfeld shirt [Nylon]

»Iman recently booked a Vogue Paris gig [TI]

»A first look at Emanuela de Paula for Pirelli 2009 [Models.com]

»Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and boyf showed up at a party for her new client Rock & Republic last night [Chic Report]

»New blood Eniko Mihalik (one of the Fall 2008 Gucci girls) is under an exclusive contract with Inez and Vinoodh [COACD]

»Hana Soukupova owns a Warhol painting [The Cut]

»Future fashion couple in the making?  Diane von Furstenberg's niece has taken quite the liking to Natalia Vodianova's son [FWD, Yahoo]

»Lulu Frost is doing a mini collection for Urban Outfitters [FWD]

»Devi Kroell is launching a full ready-to-wear collection starting for Spring 2009 [WWD] 

»Chris Benz has gone bleach blond [The Cut]

»Looks at the John Galliano and Diane von Furstenberg Resort 2009 collections [WWD, Style.com]

»Alexander Wang has gotten inspiration at Wal-Mart, doesn't get hangovers [TFI]

»New details on Steven Alan's line for Urban Outfitters [The Cut]

»A clip from BET's documentary on the absence of black models, Fashion Blackout — funny that they didn't spell Andre Leon Talley's name right [Jezebel]

»Naomi Campbell is going bald, having a baby?! (Grain.  Salt.  Take it.) [NYDN, Daily Mail]

»A good round up of all the designers who got product placement in Sex and the City [VF Daily]

»Maggie Rizer did undercover research in preparation for her dog club, which is opening by the end of this year [FWD]

»Peeks at the Zac Posen, ADAM Adam Lippes, and Chris Benz Resort 2009 collections [WWD, WWD, WWD]