"I told her that Howard loves it when I dress sexy, I love girly, and then she's got her own style," she told the Daily Transom last month. "So I said just incorporate all of those three things!"

But the result is somewhat disappointing. 

Us Weekly has "first peek" photos of the wedding that took place at Le Cirque, and the dress... Oy. What can we say about that dress? Judging from the photograph, Ms. Ostrosky was put through some intense Photoshopping that has left her with a concave stomach and no breasts. Meanwhile, the dress--which, granted, we can only see from the side--is missing the back, and sides, and makes the bride's backside seem unflatteringly bulky. Also, while that kind of shape is perfectly okay for those one-piece bathing suits that disguise themselves as two-pieces, the style is not so appropriate for a wedding you've been awaiting for eight years!

This is not Ms. Ostrosky's fault. The bride probably explained as best she could what she was looking for to Ms. Chapman. But next time, the whole thing should probably be left entirely up to the designer, without the "sexy" demands from Mr. Stern. 

Ms. Ostrosky was out and about at New York Fashion Week last month bragging about the Marchesa wedding gown that Georgina Chapman was designing for her.

"I told her that Howard loves it when I dress sexy, I love girly, and then she's got her own style," she told the Daily Transom last month. "So I said just incorporate all of those three things!"

The bride even went on the Tyra Banks Show on Sept. 16 for an episode caleld "Recessionista Fashion Tips"--we were at home sick, O.K.?--for which she modeled discounted wedding dresses. At the end of the show, Ms. Banks presented Ms. Ostrosky with hot pink pumps because (naturally!) it's the bride's favorite color. But instead of Louboutin, the sole of the shoe said Tyra Banks. To which Ms. Ostrosky made one of those "uh, gee, thanks" kind of faces as the audience clapped enthusiastically. Something tells us we won't see those shoes in pictures from the wedding.

For party favors, guests will walk away with mini bottles of ... Purell.

"Howard is obsessed with being clean, so I'm going to have little Purell bottles at every table that has our names on it and the date of our wedding," Ms. Ostrosky revealed on the Tyra Banks Show Web site. "Howard can use it before he shakes everyone's hand!"

Sounds special.

Georgina Chapman, the designer behind Marchesa along with Keren Craig, was fluttering about saying hello to her guests as they were being served mini champagne bottles with insertable flute nozzles that allowed them to neatly drink straight out of the bottle.

Ann Dexter-Jones stopped by. As did Olivia Palermo, Barbara Bush and Tinsley Mortimer, who was, strangely, acting out of character. When the Daily Transom approached Ms. Mortimer, she was not in the mood to catch up.

"I'm so sorry, but I am literally just running through here today," she said. Indeed, five minutes later, she was nowhere in sight.

Movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, Ms. Chapman's husband, was also bumping around the crowded room and greeting guests with both hands. But the center of attention he wasn’t.

"This is my wife's show, not mine," he barked. "Talk to her." 

Making our way around the room, Daily Transom ran into Beth Ostrosky (who is marrying Howard Stern next month), dressed in a silvery dress. Ms. Ostrosky was talking to a Style.com reporter and liked his shoulder bag so much that she asked if he could write down the name of the designer for her. 

"Howard would love that!" she said to a friend accompanying her. (The friend nodded knowingly.)

Having chatted with Ms. Ostrosky earlier in the week at Jill Stuart's show, we asked what she thought of the massive wardrobe malfunction that occurred. (A red-headed model was sent out with one breast hanging out in its entirety as she made her way around the lengthy L-shaped runway of the New York Public Library, where the show was held.)

"That was terrible, I felt so bad for her!" she exclaimed, turning to her friend. "I was just telling you about that, wasn’t I?

"The other morning we were training for the marathon and she asked about the Jill Stuart show and I said, ‘I have to say I did not recover after I saw that poor model. She was so fragile but such a trooper," said Ms. Ostrosky. 

Despite lacking the hierarchy of seat assignments, Ms. Ostrosky said she prefers presentations to runway shows like Ms. Stuart's.

"I'm loving this. I get to have a glass of champagne, I get to mingle and talk to my friends," she said. "At a fashion show I don't like to talk because I think it's rude to the girls."

Also mingling was actress Perrey Reeves, with whom we had just chatted with that morning at the Nanette Lepore show. (She really is everywhere!) Since we saw her last, she had had time to go home, take a 20-minute power nap, and came back out, she told us. Nice catching up! 

She too didn't miss being granted a coveted front row seat and the faint efforts from numerous frazzled PR girls to protect her from the photogs at a runway show.

"This is just more fun for me," said Ms Reeves. "You socialize, you see people you know. It's nice." 

Young actress Leven Rambin said she enjoyed the lack of rules at presentations. 

"It's just not quite as strict to follow—you can talk to people, share your thoughts and drink a little bit," said Ms. Rambin.

But while Ms. Rambin may "share her thoughts" all she wants, drinking is technically illegal for the 18-year-old actress. (She filmed a whole episode about teen drinking for Law & Order SVU!)

"Yeah, not today, not for the next three years," she said, pointing out that she did not have a champagne bottle in hand.

"I think that at a presentation you get to be more relaxed than having to be quiet, sit still, and cross your legs," she continued. She thought for a moment. "And I bet the models like it better too.”

Looking around at the models wearing heavy sculptural gowns while making their best efforts to stand still on narrow pedestals in Christian Louboutin shoes, we weren’t convinced.  

"I'm training for the marathon so I'm busy running every day and I'm sneaking away for only my favorite shows," said Ms. Ostrosky, who will be getting hitched to Howard Stern next month. (Designer Georgina Chapman, that's Harvey Weinstein's wife, is in the process of designing the wedding gown.)

"I told her that Howard loves it when I dress sexy, I love girly, and then she's got her own style so I said just incorporate all of those three things!" Ms. Ostrosky told Daily Transom. 

Ms. Saldana said that she's been trying not to "over-saturate" herself during fashion week.

"But at the same time I want to go to all the good designers and stack up for awards season," she said. And Ms. Midler, who was sandwiched between her daughter and Mr. Barker, said that she's just taking a break from Vegas to attend a few shows, this one being her first.

"And I'm planting trees, always always plating trees," she added. 

As for Ms. Trachtenberg, who has been spotted at many a fashion week front row over the weekend, she's already had an eventful few days. 

"It's sort of been non-stop since I got here," she said. "I'm trying to drink a lot of water and use a lot of moisturizer--anyone looks a little dry-skinned after a flight, being on the go, and tons of make-up, etc, etc." 

On Saturday, as the heavy rains scared away the fashion week crowds, Ms. Trachtenberg attended a 1920's black tie party in honor of fellow Gossip Girl actress Blake Lively's 21st birthday, which made us think that these actresses have ceased being able to tell reality from their fictional rich-kid unreality.

"We were a little worried because of the thunderstorm but it stopped raining perfectly on time," said Ms. Trachtenberg. "Blake must have done something good and got good karma." 

Alex Rodriguez is scheduled to file papers today in Miami-Dade Circuit Court asking that the prenuptial agreement between him and estranged wife Cynthia Rodriguez be enforced and charges of his extramarital affairs be removed from the record. [NY Daily News]

The fashion industry has developed a thing for barn animals. [The Cut]

Top Chef finalist and current Surf Lodge chef, Sam Talbot, is engaged to one of his girlfriends. [P6]

The Britney Spears camp declined to comment on the pop star's image being used in a John McCain ad, saying, "Why would we want to get Britney Spears involved in presidential politics?" They seem to have forgotten when Ms. Spears told CNN in 2004, "Honestly, I think we should trust our president in every decision he makes" and "be faithful in what happens." [HuffPo]

Meanwhile, John McCain didn't seem to realize that Rick and Kathy Hilton have made substantial contributions to his campaign when he decided to use their daughter in an anti-Obama ad. [Oh No They Didn't]

Beth Ostrosky (a.k.a., the soon-to-be Mrs. Howard Stern) is training for the New York City marathon. [P6]

Howard Stern and Beth Ostrosky are getting ready to wed in October. Marchesa's Georgina Chapman is reportedly designing the gown. [P6]

Salman Rushdie's 11-year-old son thinks four wives is enough. [Intelligencer]

Kate Moss will not host your party unless you let her use the bathroom with her friends. [P6]

The New York City Opera will adapt Brokeback Mountain for the fall. [NY Daily News]

Ashley Dupre reemerged with her mother over the weekend on Sea Girt's beach in New Jersey. [New York Daily News]

Jessica Alba gave birth to a girl over the weekend. [US Weekly]

Today’s—air quotes—1 p.m. Rebecca Taylor show in the Salon at Bryant Park had three distinct, carefully orchestrated parts. One involved folks sitting in chairs and watching Ms. Taylor’s clothes go back and forth. Another section was comprised of models wearing the clothes and stomping on a gold-sequin runway. And the third component, of which we were an integral part, included some 50 people holding meaningless purple flashcards for 45 minutes in a fountainside corral.

Told of the glorious lapis water cloud dresses and silk dandelion ruffles waiting for us inside, some people were seemingly too excited to notice the sudden flight of publicists and list checkers. Never mind the muffled booms of music flooding the foyer.

“Show’s closed!” one security guard eventually yelled, holding a stanchion in midair like a cattle prod. “What? How can that be?” asked a tall blonde woman wearing a merlot-colored fur jacket under a brown fast-food-style fold-a-cap with red piping.

After tossing purple cards into the nearest trash cans, the hoi polloi saddled up in front of a wall of screens broadcasting the proceedings. Probably due to a mix of frustration and slight embarrassment, when a model broke a heel on the runway and had to remove her purple pumps, several castaways forced loud guffaws.

It can be hard to discern the gist of a collection from a monitor. (Though, to be fair, peeping yards upon yards of lapis organza and poppy silk is relaxing business.) So, we relied on members of the cool clique to convey their sentiments.

“[Ms. Taylor’s] one of my favorites, always—so feminine and so romantic and frilly and girly. I love it!” said former model Beth Ostrosky, who is engaged to shock jock Howard Stern. Her famous fiancé, she added, is “into my clothes.” (Ms. Ostrosky, 35, was wearing a white trench.) She also loves Fashion Week because: “Oh, gosh … it’s all exciting and fun!”

Fauxcialite Byrdie Bell, meanwhile, was easy to spot in a sequined red beret. She decreed Alice Temperley's show "gorgeous," Carolina Herrera’s “amazing”and “loved” Ms. Taylor’s. “There was a piece that was my favorite. It was a long sweater over sort of a vintage dress—or a slip, really—that I was into,” she said, referring, we think, to what press materials called a “patched cream lace tee with cashmere boyfriend sweater and patched skirt.”

Asked what she likes about Fashion Week, the 22-year-old aspiring actress replied: “The theatrics! The drama! The show! The fact that it is a show. I like shows.”

Brooke Shields, for one, wouldn’t mind seeing a woman in the Oval Office after the 2008 presidential election. “I’m always convinced, at the risk of being—and I love men—but I think women are incredibly capable, and it seems that their talents and their intellect seems to be a little more varied, I should say,” said Ms. Shields, 42, in a purple Donna Karan dress. The Ivy-League actress, who will star in Candace Bushnell’s new TV show, Lipstick Jungle, was the special guest host last night at Saks Fifth Avenue’s “Viva La Cure” benefit for women’s cancer research. The party was held in the subterranean Sea Grill at Rockefeller Plaza, where guests then spilled out onto a carpet in middle of the ice rink and ate and drank on the pink island while hired ice skaters twirled and sported around them.

“So I think I would welcome that versatility. I think there is a multi-tasking ability that women have and an appreciation for things without a risk of being maudlin,” Ms. Shields added.

Asked what unique traits, if any, a woman might bring to the presidency if one is elected, actress Gretchen Mol opened her eyes wide. “Female power? It depends on the woman, actually, it really does. It’s not just about having a woman, it’s about having someone that can lead this country and bring us into a different place than we are now,” she continued, “It really does depend on the woman, but hopefully—it really is a cliché to say—but I think of women as not being particularly hawkish, so to speak. But then again, that’s not always true,” said Ms. Mol, 35, who was wearing a black-and-brown Jason Wu dress with a bright red band around the waist.

Amanda Peet, meanwhile, thinks that “there are a lot of sort of misconceptions about Hillary being cold and condescending, so I don’t know that she’s going to have this aura of compassion and maternal empathy more than, say, Barack Obama or even McCain, should he resurface or whatever,” said Ms. Peet, 35, in a peasant blouse and loose black pedal-pushers. “I’m working on being a mother,” she added.

Howard Stern’s ex-model fiancée, Beth Ostrosky likes the idea of a female president, because she, unlike a man, would understand “women’s issues, first-hand.” Wearing a black dress, black Jimmy Choos and clutching a black quilted-leather Chanel purse, Ms. Ostrosky, 35, went on to say: “I would love for Hillary to be the next president. I am definitely a Hillary supporter!”

Largely outnumbered by female guests at last night’s event, Saks C.E.O. Steve Sadove and Rescue Me star Mike Lombardi, were happy to offer their thoughts on the issue.

“A woman could bring a lot to the white house from perspective, in terms of different perspectives, but I think it’s not about women or men, it’s about quality of thinking and ideas and who’s going to be able to bring about the kind of change that’s needed in terms of moving the country forward,” Mr. Sadove said diplomatically in a black suit.

After massaging most of his girlfriend Maria Helena’s body on the elevator ride to street-level, Mr. Lombardi, 31, who was wearing a black leather jacket, turned to the Daily Transom and said: “Being the women who bear children, obviously they come from a different perspective than we do. So I think a lot of different views and opinions, for sure, yeah.”

Acting as judge and honorary co-chair was Howard Stern’s fiancée, toothy and toothsome animal activist Beth Ostrosky. “One of the male models came up and asked if I was a judge, and I told him ‘Yes, so you better kiss my ass!’” Ms. Ostrosky said. Hey, how’s the wedding planning going? “I’m just enjoying the engagement,” she said. “There are no plans yet.”

Co-chair Lorenzo Borgese, of The Bachelor, said he recently adopted a mutt named James Bond, and is about to launch nuzzleplanet.com, a social networking site for dog lovers. “We’re all trying to find our significant other,” he said meaningfully.

Yet another co-chair was Aida Turturro, who plays Janice on The Sopranos and owns a black Lab named Buddy. “They think they’re saving the dogs, but they’re really saving the people who get to keep them,” she said of the charity. “It’s a gift from God.” She compared dog ownership to having a baby. “But without stretch marks!”

Ms. Turturro added that she was suffering from withdrawal symptoms thanks to the imminent end of her hit show. But “everything comes to an end,” she said sagely. Her immediate post-Sopranos plan is to sit by the beach, and she gave no indication about whether her character would be swimming with the fishes.

As for the dogs—well, all were adorable, but the top prize went to Rusty, a chow-chow collie in a purple embroidered coat from Fetch Fashion.

A willowy girl in a billowy purple dress put down her bucket of chicken wings and waffle fries to dial a girlfriend. It was early on the evening of Sept. 10, courtside at the U.S. Open.

“Hey, did you see it?” she asked. “Yeah, the baby! I know! It’s got be here.” She stood up to survey the crowd. She could see Heidi Klum and Seal, but their baby was nowhere to be found.

“Oh well, he was here the other night,” she said. Then a drumstick replaced the cell phone.

The girl’s date held half a pair of binoculars to his face and slowly dragged his view across the stands. Two men—boys, really—named Andy and Roger ran around a court with a net between them, chasing after balls.

No one seemed to mind, though. There were real, live celebrities present, after all—even some with babies!

Michael J. Fox sat in front of Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren sat in front of Ben Stiller. Each sat next to a blond wife. Mr. Lauren, the former Mr. Lifshitz, was dressed like, well, Ralph Lauren: white lace-up canvas shoes, khakis, navy and yellow rep tie, and blazer. Silver hair, just so.

Ben Stiller, head framed by an open white collar, geekily cupped a complimentary radio to his ear. His hair was surprisingly gray. Mr. Lauren and Mr. Stiller kibitzed between games.

Above them, to their right, sat Jeffrey Epstein consigliore Alan Dershowitz. Up to their left, Donald Trump.

Across the way, a hubby-free Christie Brinkley fussed with her camera. She seemed to be having trouble with the flash and asked her seatmate, tennis queen Chris Everett, for a hand. Her young son supported a boarding-school shag of blond hair.

As Brian Williams roamed the halls sans handlers, drink in hand, comfy in a black sweater, Lyor Cohen—C.E.O. of Warner Music Group, friend of LL Cool J, hero to a generation of suburban Jewish boys—pointed wildly at Tiger Woods, seated across the court. Mr. Woods wore a backwards hat and T-shirt—Nike, but of course. Mr. Cohen continued pointing. He reached for a camera and began clicking away.

By 7:30 p.m., the boys had stopped running around the court. The one who didn’t smile as much was holding a large silver cup above his head. Oh, and Jon Lovitz was there!

—Samuel Jacobs

How Ladies Roll

“It’s my first Betsey Johnson show,” said Katie Lee Joel, 24, young wife of Billy. “And she’s already set the tone with these adorable cupcakes!”

The show Tuesday afternoon was themed after a child’s birthday. Mrs. Joel sat at one of the many cutesy tables—small, round, pink tablecloth, dash of confetti—lining the catwalk. “The cake is my favorite part, so first I have to get through frosting,” she said, explaining the mini-disaster on top of her pastry.

Her friend and tablemate, Beth Ostrosky, better known as Howard Stern’s better half, had nearly scraped her cake clean. “Who doesn’t love cupcakes?” asked Ms. Ostrosky, wiping off a sticky finger. “I used to model,” she said. “You know what the models are doing backstage right now? They’re eating. They’ve got some huge spread back there and they’re all eating.”

Both ladies said their men were at home.

“Fashion is my thing,” said Ms. Ostrosky, who is 34 and currently co-host of the TV show Casino Cinema. “The only fashion shows Howard likes are the ones I give him at home.”

Oo la la! Care to elaborate?

“It’s everything from lingerie to gowns,” she said.

“Men only appreciate clothes when they’re on the floor,” said Mrs. Joel.

—Spencer Morgan

The Tough Questions

This year was Kristen Bell’s first Fashion Week, and she took it like a pro. After the Yigal Azrouël show at Bumble & Bumble Friday afternoon, at least five reporters had lined up in front of the 26-year-old actress. The Transom, as always, brought up the rear. (Hi-o!)

Ms. Bell, who stars on the TV show Veronica Mars, was the only famous face there.

“I’m just taking things slow,” Ms. Bell told a reporter from Teen Vogue, describing her attitude toward her first Fashion Week. “Going to just a couple shows a day—you know, things I like.” There were many questions, from skin care to career. Ms. Bell never let her girlish smile down. A reporter from Elle magazine asked her about the contents of her purse. She opened the peach-colored leather clutch to reveal “just my wallet, my phone, lip gloss, powder and Topstick—just so you know everything stays where it’s supposed to,” she said, and giggled.

Last but not least, it was The Transom’s turn. But what was left to ask?

So you’re sort of a minimalist when it comes to packing a purse, are you?

“Well, on a day-to-day basis, I have a big bag because I spend so little time at home, so there’s always like a power bar and water and usually an extra tank top in case it gets hot or an extra sweat. Yeah, like I keep everything in there. It’s like my security blanket. That, and what I call my blarf.”

Now we were getting somewhere!

Say what now? “It’s not really a blanket and it’s a little too big to be a scarf. I carry it everywhere.”

Of course she had brought her green blarf with her to New York. Her blarf was waiting back in her hotel room, she said.

—S.M.

Cowboy Hats

Sitting on a banquet with a cigarette dangling from her lips, Irina Lazareanu casually swooped up a bottle of Jack Daniels with a long, willowy arm and poured herself a healthy glass. It was very Kate Moss. As it happens, Ms. Lazareanu—who was the center of attention at the Fashion Week Daily kickoff party Wednesday night at Tenjune—had recently returned from spending some quality time with her good friend Ms. Moss. “I went on vacation with Kate—we went to Bali together,” said the 24-year-old model. “We both got these amazing straw hats. And yeah, I’m gonna wear it. I’m personally going to try to bring back the cowboy hat this fall.”

The good thing about fall, she said, is “there is a lot of prints, a lot of color, and a lot of black and white.” Ms. Lazareanu wore a tight-fitting black strapless dress. “I love black and white.”

What else is going on?

“Well, I just finished my single with Sean Lennon,” said Ms. Lazareanu. She was the drummer for the Babyshambles. She said her new single is called “Change Places,” and the album will be called Someplace Along the Way. “It’s folk, 60’s, acoustic guitar, a lot of heart. People say it’s very Nico-ish, I guess.” Ms. Lazareanu’s musical influences include Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. And Nico.

At the moment, though, Ms. Lazareanu’s mind was all on Fashion Week. “I’m excited. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of work. It is a job. But at the same time, I’m excited to see all my friends, all my designer friends, and Anna and Oscar de la Renta.”

Stylist Robert Verdi was just nervous with excitement. “Fashion Week is like a big family reunion.” He wore a brightly striped blazer and his trademark shades perched atop his bald dome.

“If Fashion Week is a family reunion, then this party is like the illegitimate rehearsal dinner,” said an already-pooped Mickey Boardman, who had four other parties to attend.

—S.M.

Like Sands Through The Hourglass …

By 2:30 a.m. on Friday, after some time at Marquee—and, according to Page Six, trying and failing to get into the Gramercy Park Hotel—Paris Hilton had given herself over to the smooth beats of Bungalow 8. “She was doing some serious dirty dancing with several different guys,” said a fellow clubgoer, who recalled that Ms. Hilton was wearing a skimpy slip dress. “Judging by her moves, she looked pretty wasted.”

Nearby, swaying like a palm tree in a harsh wind, was Ms. Hilton’s on-again, off-again Greek billion-heir boy toy, Stavros Niarchos. He appeared to be struggling to keep at least one eye on Ms. Hilton’s hip-shaking. The burden soon became too much to bear.

“He started yelling at her, and then she was yelling back at him,” said the source. “He was being controlling and calling her names, and she was telling him to fuck off. Then Amy Sacco got in the middle and was playing mediator.” Despite the proprietress’ efforts, Ms. Hilton and Mr. Niarchos continued their bickering as they stormed out the door.

Late night on Sunday, Ms. Hilton returned to Ms. Sacco’s joint, perhaps determined to put in a more dignified showing. At 3 a.m., she was seen sitting thisclose to rocker-turned-reality-TV-star Travis Barker. He wore a skullcap, and she a hound’s-tooth granny skirt. They spoke into each other’s ears, stared deeply into each other’s eyes. Mr. Barker’s hand diligently caressed her back. Half an hour later, the two were spotted leaving together.

—S.M.