>> Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's book, Influence, doesn't come out until Thursday, but The Cut got an advanced copy — an advanced look at all the interviews the Olsens conducted for the book — among their subjects are favorite designers Francisco Costa, Diane von Furstenberg, John Galliano, Christian Louboutin, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Giambattista Valli, favorite photographers Peter Lindbergh and Terry Richardson, plus pictures by Rankin of the interviewees and their work. 

Needless to say the Olsens didn't leave out their favorite Karl Lagerfeld — The Cut excerpted parts of his interview, including his views on models:

KL: [N]owadays you start to model because you're young. Now the girls are sixteen, seventeen, fifteen, and Russian. They are like from another planet.
AO: They can look very bizarre!
KL: I hate all these tall women. They are all giants!
MKO: If only I were a little taller — that would make me happy!
KL: You are one meter fifty-one. You are taller than that?
AO: We're five feet and one inch.
KL: Oh, I thought my office told me that you were four-foot eight or something. Not that it matters. What you need is a face. If you have a face you don't need height or a voice. Models know this; that's why the good ones don't need to talk much.
KL: I like to work with models for a long time. Sometimes the girls change, but some girls I work with for years and years.

Enlightening, perhaps, since some think the Chanel Spring 2009 campaign will host not long-time Chanel girl Claudia Schiffer but either Heidi Mount or Russian model Sasha Pivovarova . . .
*image: source

>> Suzy Menkes's 1.7 million-plus words during her twenty years as fashion editor at the International Herald Tribune were commemorated on Saturday with a special video. "You've made me cry . . . To earn a glowing review from you is the holy grail of fashion," John Galliano declared.  Anna Wintour, Franca Sozzani, Karl Lagerfeld and then some all honored the Samurai, Olivier Theyskens with his words as much as his pompadour hairdo — which apparently got a big laugh.  Even Marc Jacobs chimed in — but only with kind words, and no sticking out of the tongue.  But let's be honest — in the middle of show season, who would dally with such an influential reviewer?

>> INSIDER WIRE —For all the designer upheaval that is continually happening elsewhere, there is one designer that won't be going anywhere anytime soon. John Galliano has just inked a "long-term extension" of his contract at Dior, with only one new change — Dior will be integrating Galliano's eponymous brand, with emphasis on a close partnership. [WWD]

»The hair extension Kate Moss lost a couple of weeks ago is now being auctioned on eBay [BellaSugar]

»Behnaz Sarafpour is celebrating her first wedding anniversary with a trip to Bermuda [Style File]

»Hye Rim Park is rumored to have gotten married last month [TFS]

»Lazaro Hernandez wigged out at his birthday party on Thursday [Style File]

»More previews of Eva Herzigova for Louis Vuitton, Claudia Schiffer for Chanel Fall 2008 campaigns [TFS, TFS]

»More preview pictures of Richard Chai for Target [Nylon]

»Two Yves Saint Laurent documentaries are being shown this weekend on the Sundance Channel [LA Times]

»Full Jill Stuart, Giorgio Armani Resort 2009 collections, previews of John Galliano and Viktor & Rolf Resort 2009 collections [Style.com, Style.com, WWD, WWD]

»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]

»All of the above, plus Christopher Bailey staring down a pig and a martyred John Galliano in the June issue of Esquire UK [The Cut]

»Julia Restoin-Roitfeld just shot her younger brother Vladimir in a campaign for Rock & Republic, for which she was the art director [WWD]

»Joke or no joke?  Lily Donaldson on Picassos and Man Rays [Fashionista]

»Joe Zee shot an '80s-inspired editorial for the September issue of Elle this week [Elle Tell All]

»Gucci Group CEO Francois-Henri Pinault may be getting married to Salma Hayek next August [People En Espanol]

»A bill has been introduced in Congress to make it easier for models to get work visas [NYDN]

»Vogue's design director Charles Churchward resigns after 13 years, is writing a biography on photographer Herb Ritts [FWD]