Guests at Asia Society’s 2013 benefit for the Celebration of Asia Week.

Toward the tail end of cocktail hour at Asia Society’s 2013 benefit for the Celebration of Asia Week, Shindigger was chatting with designer Maggie Norris when Jason Wu, an honorary chair for the evening, walked by in The Pierre’s garden foyer. Ms. Norris turned to Shindigger and gave us a sly wink.

“I think he’s great,” she said.

But before additional conversation could develop, we were rudely interrupted by the loud blare of some obnoxious sound. The noise was coming from miniature dinner gongs, and was dutifully ignored by pretty much all in attendance, including Asia Society patrons Charles P. Rockefeller, Chiu-Ti Jansen, jewelry designer Eddie Borgo, Jean Shafiroff and Anna Sui.

“What is that bell?” asked model Jenny Shimizu with justifiable annoyance.

“It’s the dinner bell,” we explained, all too familiar with the irritation of a gala’s mealtime foghorn.

“Ooh,” she said, “I’ve never been summoned before.”

“It will be endlessly disregarded,” we promised.

Ms. Shimizu, a first-timer at the event, was in attendance as the date of Michelle Violy Harper, the fashion and business maven who was recently profiled by The New York Times’s Style section.

On this evening, Ms. Harper sported a sheer, sequined, jet-black frock designed by her friend Mr. Wu.

Shindigger had to know: what was Ms. Harper’s reaction to the Gray Lady’s March 7 exposé? “It was very positive. I was very grateful,” she said with perhaps a touch of apprehensiveness.

Any more of our pesky questions were cut off by yet another chime of an attendant’s gong, which was in disturbing proximity to our head. Enough being enough, Shindigger took off to grab something medicinal at the bar.

Inside the hotel’s ornate ballroom, we joined other guests who had given in to the gong and were greeted there with much more pleasing sounds: Peter Duchin and his orchestra.

Amazingly, some attendees were already spinning on the dance floor. And so early in the evening! Perhaps they were moved into action by the great talent of Mr. Duchin. Or perhaps they were simply relieved to be free of the gongs.

“It’s always a good sign when there’s dancing before the main course,” laughed Melissa Chiu, director of the Asia Society Museum in New York, during her welcome address.

At table No.1, Shindigger sat alongside famed Chinese artist Qin Feng and his wife, Catherine Lee. “Finally, an artist!” yelled legendary shutterbug Bill Cunningham, as he snapped the painter who posed between bites of sesame-crusted tuna.

It was all smooth sailing until the weather turned unexpectedly windy when the wealthy Dr. Helga Wall-Apelt—her 2006 bequest to the Ringling Museum is rumored to have been in the $50 million neighborhood—pulled a chair up next to Shindigger. The patron and Asian art collector was ... well, let’s just say she was artfully direct in her opinions.

“How is that?” Dr. Wall-Apelt said, noticing that Shindigger had turned down chef Simpson Wong’s main course of Bo Bo chicken with turmeric tamarind sauce for a vegan meal of peas, carrots and penne. “It looks awful!”

Before we had a chance to respond, the septuagenarian demanded more red wine from a waiter and then informed us that this too she found subpar (the wine, not the waiter).

When Mr. Wu took the stage, most of the room fell silent. Not our Helga.

“Stop it! Stop it!” she yelled at us in her thick German-Swiss accent, glaring at our in-use iPhone. Shindigger explained that we record comments on the phone, and we were now missing most of the designer’s speech. He finished up and returned to his harem of models, who included Liya Kebede, Shu Pei, Martha Hunt, Elizabeth Gilpin and Hilary Rhoda.

“Years ago, this used to be a very high-profile event,” Dr. Wall-Apelt began grumbling during Asia Society Executive Vice President Tom Nagorski’s remarks. When the auction began, she added: “Ugh. This is the worst part of the ball.”

Shindigger tried to hide behind our awful vegan peas, but to no avail. And pretty soon, the good doctor’s unhappiness began to make sense. If you’re the sort of person who gives millions to a museum that celebrates clowns being shot out of a cannon, an Asia Society gala could feel a tad stuffy.

We decided we needed some air. Or a cannon. Definitely another drink. Which is when we ran into Cynthia Rowley, who was having a giggle fit.

“I already told these guys,” Ms. Rowley said, gesturing toward her tablemates, “when you are at a function like this, you want to lean in and then laugh out the loudest. Then everybody wishes they were at your table.”

Shindigger giggled along with Ms. Rowley, while secretly hoping Dr. Wall-Apelt would give in to table envy.

As for the live auction, Sotheby’s North American vice chairman of Asian art, Henry Howard-Sneyd, saw to it that a su-misura, personalized-fabric Zegna suit went for $9,000. A five-night stay on a private villa in Turks and Caicos? $26,000.

Gala chair Stephanie Foster and Susan Shin, who served on the gala committee, said the night couldn’t be going better.

“This is so fun because it’s so diverse,” said Ms. Shin, wondering where else foreign policy wonks could mix with supermodels.

Diverse? Maybe too diverse. Exhausted, we crept back to the surreal Werner Fassbinder film still in progress at table No.1.

“Are you going to eat that?” Dr. Wall-Apelt asked Shindigger as we gathered our things. She was greedily eyeing a chèvre Bavarian cheesecake on our plate.

“It’s all yours,” we told her. Sayonara!

Eve rocks DSquared2. (Paul Bruinooge/ PatrickMcMullan.com)

Although Nemo assailed our city with buckets of snow, threatening to grind Fashion Week to an unfashionable halt, The Observer would not be stopped. Shindigger was front and center at all the best New York Fashion Week had to offer. Who could forget Jason Wu’s billowy evening wear? Or Prabal Gurung’s must-buy Cesare Casadei military knee-high boots with python? What about Moncler’s stunning Star Wars-inspired fashion presentation?

Between the fabulously overpriced couture and the Oscar-worthy production values, the circus that is Fashion Week doesn’t just entertain us, it makes us whole again. With the desperate posing and the mere pleasure of sitting next to some of the most heinously obnoxious fashions mavens ever to breathe, it’s just consummate bliss! 

Still, Shindigger needed a break from the hustle and bustle every now and again. On Sunday, we took in the runway shows of Diane Von Furstenberg and Ralph Rucci in the American Express Skybox, far above the frenzy of Lincoln Center, with stylist Cameron Silver and FIT’s Valerie Steele. Perched high above the catwalk, Shindigger enjoyed healthy pours of red wine and bubbly, served alongside gourmet grub.

“What’s on the party schedule tonight?” a well-dressed yet curiously uninformed brunette asked us after Ralph Rucci.

“Dsquared2!” Shindigger screeched. We explained that the brand’s designers, Dean and Dan Caten, were hosting a private screening of their spring 2013 ad campaign video, “Behind the Mirror,” shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and starring two surprise female models, who turned out to be the identical twin designers in magically convincing drag.

Regrettably, we had no additional room for hangers-on, so we gulped our merlot and danced down the Lincoln Center steps so our waiting car could whisk us off to the Copacabana on West 47th Street. (Fighting every impulse in our booze-addled brains, we did not start singing that old 1970s favorite, though we wanted to, especially when we learned that Barry Manilow was putting on a solo show just a few blocks away.)

Luckily, we made it to the club in relative quiet. And the Copa, quite frankly, may never have seen a better list of revelers. There were the super attractive and fashionable: models Carolyn Murphy and Chad White, Anh Duong, Riccardo Tisci and rapper Eve. The fun and freaky: Susanne Bartsch and Amanda Lepore. And of course, the powerful scenesters: Russell Simmons, Mia Moretti and Vikram Chatwal.

“I’m inspired by all the designers for some reason or another,” Mr. Simmons told us. We had eyed him from across the runway at Hervé Léger and a few other shows. “I love all the bandage stuff that they do. It’s inspired a lot of what I’ve designed.”

And the business magnate’s biggest inspiration? “Tommy Hilfiger, period. He helped me get started 20 years ago, helped me build what would ultimately become a billion-dollar brand.”

We’ve heard a few debates about Phat Farm’s actual value, but Shindigger let it go, as we were suddenly forced to hit the deck—some drunk dancing passerby nearly spilled Veuve Clicquot on our Hermès! We returned to our feet only to find ourselves staring right into the face of TV personality Carson Kressley.

“What are you enjoying most about this party?” Shindigger asked the ex-Queer Eye guy, who’s about to appear in Broadway’s NEWsical The Musical as a four-week guest star.

“Who is this for?” he demanded.

“The Observer,” we replied.

“Is that the pink one?”

“Salmon,” we corrected. He laughed, continuing to sway his hips to the beat.

“I love The Observer!” he said, and then gave us his assessment of the party: “There’s free liquor, hot guys and did I mention free liquor?”

“Are you single and ready to mingle?” Shindigger said.

“I’m totally single! Are you asking me out?”

Shindigger sadly had to turn him down and get back to business. We ordered three more glasses of champagne for our posse and then found some space on a banquette next to billionaire Renzo Rosso, founder of Diesel and owner of holding company Only the Brave, which controls Staff International, the firm that manufactures and distributes Dsquared2, Maison Martin Margiela and Viktor & Rolf. Recently he also bought a majority stake in the quirky luxury brand Marni.

“A new baby on board!” he sang in his Paduan accent, over a thunderous bass line, about his major investment in the label. “I’ll try to do the best to give it good visibility, because [it is] so beautiful!”

Of the Caten twins, Signore Rosso said, “They are unbelievable. They are like me! Crazy, rebellious, funny, enjoyable. It’s so nice to work with them.”

And speak of the devil ...

“We arrived last night at 3 in the morning,” Dean Caten chimed in, just a few feet from Signore Rosso. “We started in London with a pit stop in Miami.”

“A party or a tanning pit stop?” Shindigger asked, noticing the designer’s tenné flesh.

“A day of tanning,” he giggled.

“Why did you choose the Copacabana?”

“I dunno. Maybe the drag ad campaign?” Mr. Caten responded.

“You looked great in drag!” we said.

Speaking of looking great, the Dsquared2-clad siren Eve suddenly appeared, her décolletage ornamented with her signature paw-print tatouage. We moved to talk to the actress/singer and quickly learned that she loves a fashion parade.

“Yesterday I went to the Prabal show and after-party at Bow! It was so fun,” she said. “The day before, I was at Nicole Miller, Monika Chiang. Tomorrow I’m going to The Bonds.”

We couldn’t help but notice her impressive level of fitness, and Eve confessed to an elaborate regimen. “I do everything,” she said. “I have a trainer that comes, but I do elliptical. I do a lot of body weights.”

Shindigger decided that we would meet her at the gym some time. If we could get up in the morning, that is.

blehay@observer.com

Ms. Obama and the girls. Photo Courtesy of AP/WWD.

Word has gotten out from publicists and fashion news authority Women’s Wear Daily that first lady Michelle Obama has endorsed yet another one of Barbara Tfank’s ladylike designs for a heavily monitored public appearance. It is said to be the fifth time that the first lady has donned a Barbara Tfank frock. She wore the ravishing outfit at a meet-and-greet in Gainesville, Fla., for a young girls’ after-school program called Girls' Place on September 17.

"A friend, who Tfank had shown the unusual fabric to, spotted the dress on C-SPAN and called the designer to tell her the news,” reported WWD.

According to our perhaps inaccurate tally, this means that Ms. Obama has worn Tfank to more public appearances than any other high-end American fashion designer, which leads us to ask: Is Barbara Tfank Ms. Obama’s new designer of choice? Has Ms. Tfank overtaken the feminine and playful aesthetic of Jason Wu?

With the election fast approaching, this would come as no surprise. Back in February, during New York fashion week, Ms. Tfank told The Observer, “It really interests me that the people who gravitate towards my clothes ... they’re women that are communicators—they have very strong opinions. I think that my clothes allow for women to show themselves, their power.”

Barbara Tfank at her New York Fashion Week presentation on September 10.

While Ms. Tfank would not comment specifically on her working relationship with the first lady, respecting her privacy, she did tell The Observer in an email today that “she represents all that is good about America.  Her inherent luminosity and warm personality can only enhance the quality of any designer’s work.”

The cerulean, marine and sky-blue mosaic print dress was reported to have been made of vintage fabric from Bianchini-Férier and is silk twill, according to WWD. The newspaper stated that the print fabric was created by artist Raoul Dufy and that Ms. Tfank had purchased the material at auction.

“I am honored that she chooses to wear my designs,” Ms. Tfank concluded in her email.

We’ll have to wait and see what else comes from this dynamic design duo. Best keep your eyes on the red-white-and-blue podiums.

An exclusive backstage photo from The Observer's Wang-insider/tipster.

American fashion design has seen an exciting new crop of talented youngsters creep onto the scene. Creatives such as Joseph Altuzarra, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler, Alexander Wang, Jason Wu and Prabal Gurung have received a great deal of attention—and rightfully so. The majority of this bunch thrive on fanfare—not always on the design of their clothes, but on their front-rows, frantic check-ins and backstage dramas.

The Proenza Schouler duo, after several seemingly shaky years, have quickly become darlings of the global fashion elite, continually present interesting and attractive collections. Now sitting more comfortably with financial investments from Theory Group’s Andrew Rosen and a glossy new David Adjaye-designed boutique (albeit too damn dark to see any of the merch), its safe to say they are no longer emerging.

Mr. Altuzarra’s nomadic, opulent materials and prints seem to satiate the critics. Since PR Consulting has never invited us to one of his magical shows, we’ll let him be.

Jason Wu’s nearly flawless technique and practical glamour—not to mention being a favorite of first lady Michelle Obama—means he’s fine and dandy.

Same for Thakoon Panichgul.

The Observer will save Prabal Gurung, whose miscellaneous but splendid collection delivered a meager dose of sensationalism, mostly by way of models, for later …

The most interesting “up-and-coming” designer to The Observer is Mr. Wang.

Alexander Wang’s street-friendly sportswear, with its less daunting price tag and edgy wearability, enabled the designer’s swift and massive surge to the top. The party vixen created clothing that catered to his entourage of downtown creatures—models, anorexic rich brats, svelte power gays, artsy drunks—with a cost-effective production (even though a lawsuit claims allegations of sweatshop conditions!). It's no Ralph Lauren or Michael Kors, but the Soho boutique is crawling with new money eager to pounce, and one insider reported that sales are robust.

“He came on the scene just at the right time,” former Barneys bigwig Julie Gilhart was quoted as saying in New York magazine in 2011. Indeed he did.

The Observer is all too guilty of getting wrapped up in the Wang mystique. His shows are electrifying—a circus of outré celebs, aggressive fashion mavens and top-notch models. It’s sensationalism—perhaps even smoke and mirrors, except there is always something to covet. This is followed by the perennial blackout nights of mayhem at his costly, booze-fueled after-parties. But hey! Mr. Wang and his baby empire can afford it.

Look 14: Jordan Dunn. (PMc)

This season, Mr. Wang and his team returned to Pier 94. Tyson Chandler, Karen Elson, Justin Theroux, Sia, ASAP Rocky and Die Antwoord all showed up Saturday, September 8 to witness Mr. Wang's presentation of patch pocket separates, outerwear pieces with cut-outs or “zebra-embroidery,” and weird textured skirts and shorts in onyx, glacier white and desert sand. There were hints of menswear tailoring on shirts, fishline craziness and skeletal knee-high sandals that had people clawing with desire. For luxurious touches, Mr. Wang and co. used stingray detailing and crocodile beading.

It would be nearly impossible to top of the pack of supermodels, led by Gisele Bündchen, who stormed the runway at last year’s conclusion. Nonetheless, a gaggle of top models marched out in all-white looks. The lights dimmed and all their couture turned glow-in-the-dark.

The crowd ate it up like hotcakes, The Observer included. Tacky and stupidly club-kid-esque? Perhaps, but it was fashion entertainment at its American best.

But is this pot of fabulousness and spectacle about to bubble over?

One person, who wasn’t enjoying the fashion feast was New York Times critic Cathy Horyn.

“Mr. Wang ended with his white dresses being lit up like neon glow sticks, but the mood couldn’t be sustained,” Ms. Horyn wrote in the Times on September 9. “But, despite the styling of Karl Templer, who knows how to sharpen a designer’s message, Mr. Wang’s fancifully sliced-up clothes seemed to hit a wall. They had focus in terms of minimalist shape and futuristic textures, but there was no moment of uplift. A glow-stick snap of radiance isn’t enough.”

A bit harsh.

Die Antwoord Spreads the creepiness at Alexander Wang's after-party. (PMc)

The Observer would argue (not that we are deemed fit to challenge the legendary Ms. Horyn) that Mr. Wang’s shticks are exactly aligned with his boisterous lifestyle and extravagantly unfocused glamazon clientele. While we all might have been distracted by the blow-’n’-glow finale, The Observer is already sorting out the finances to scoop up a few of those garments and accessories. The scattered message rang loud and clear: Rave on!

Teen Vogue's Andrew Bevan and Bryan Boy are besties at Jason Wu's runway show.

“We did a cover story on you—did you ever get to read that?” The Observer asked flamboyant blogger sensation, America's Next Top Model judge and jet-setting front-row fixture, BryanBoy (Bryan Grey-Yambao), before taking our seats at Yigal Azrouël’s spring 2013 fashion show on Friday, September 7.

"No, no!” Mr. Grey-Yambao replied uneasily, shifting from side to side in a colorful plaid Marni top.

We were referencing Jenna Sauers’s sensationally delicious article, “How Fashion Blogger BryanBoy Became a Front-Row Fixture,” which ran in The Observer’s February fashion week edition.

We had extreme doubts that Mr. Grey-Yambao had never read the exposé, which detailed his frivolous lifestyle, bizarre ascension to the top of the fashion blogosphere and mysterious background.

“Do you know anything about The Observer at all?” we pressed onward

“Yes, of course! Someone emailed me about working with you guys for fashion week coverage.” [Editor's note: And we never heard back!]

Seeing that we were making little progress we moved on to other senseless bavard that fashion week victims inevitably resort to when one must pretend to care about the redundant and endlessly egotistical parade of style.

“So you’ve been everywhere. What has been your favorite so far?” we asked.

“I really liked Jason Wu!”

Predictable.

“Peter Som is my favorite, I really love the python," Mr. Grey-Yambao continued enthusiastically and with considerably more ease than when we had attempted to interrogate him about The Observer’s profile on him. Fashionistas don’t like skeletons in their closets, they prefer Pucci and Céline; skeletons are best left for the runway.

“Tell us about Yigal,” The Observer asked, trying to add some relevancy to the conversation.

“He’s very contemporary and women can wear it on a day to day basis,” Mr. Grey-Yambao answered.

“How are you combatting the heat?” we questioned, sweat beading on our brow

“Drink a lot of water. I’m so thirsty! I drink a lot of water and try to sit and remain calm,” he said.

Lies! You’ve been escorted in a meticulously climate-controlled town car between each show. Try rushing from show to show on the MTA and clammy taxis.

Annoyed we retreated to our seats to be miserably bored by someone else.

New York fashion week has finally come to a close. Amen! For those less-fortunate editors and fashion authorities (or perhaps we are the lucky ones) that have not jetted off to London or Milan, we finally get a moment to recover.

In retrospect, we relished the young talents of Prabal Gurung and Jason Wu. The Observer will never forget the spectacle and grandeur of Alexander Wang—or the impeccable quality of Simon Spurr’s suiting. With such a busy social schedule and so many shows, it’s hard to remember all the garments we evaluated with a careful eye.

We’re still a smidgen bitter about a few mishaps with Oscar de la Renta and PR Consulting… but we forgive easily… Oscar might possibly have been the best women’s collection in town! Best of luck obtaining the financial means to swing the $15,000 price tag...

One thing we do recall in our hazy fatigue, is the undeniable fact that fur is back. Yes, yes it never really left! But honestly!

"It's so glamorous and luxe!" proclaimed Joan Rivers about fur, backstage at Dennis Basso.

Perhaps Ms. Rivers is in the right. Has there ever been so much mink, chinchilla, fox, raccoon, coyote, goat, rabbit, astrakhan, Mongolian lamb, ermine and sable shown in New York? Probably… but let’s peruse The Oberserver’s favorites— shall we?

Images: GETTY and Patrick McMullan.

KCD's darling, Hallie Chrisman. (Patrick McMullan)

Navigating the realm of fashion publication relations can be a difficult job. For in-house publicists and leading New York PR firms, such as KCD, PR Consulting, Karla Otto, Starworks, Bismarck Phillips and HL Group—fashion week is a marathon: RSVP-management, developing press releases, endless email chains, photography and artistic direction, event and runway production, front-of-house organization, seating charts and VIP affairs!

Scheduling and logistical nightmares are frequent; editor struggles occur; and drama is a guarantee. For international firms, the chaos continues in Milan and Paris. Even more maddening, some publicists have red carpet dressing to deal with for the Grammys and fast-approaching Oscars!

It took some effort, but The Observer hunted the striking Hallie Chrisman, Publicity Director at KCD— to get the scoop on what her life has been like of late…

What does fashion week equate for you?

Since I go to London and Paris it’s actually more like fashion month—to me it equates to training for a marathon, you have to make sure you don’t burn yourself out in the beginning. New York is always the most all-consuming, as we each have our own shows we individually oversee and then are staffed to work the 20-plus shows and events we handle for New York Fashion Week. Once the team goes to Europe we generally focus more on the U.S. press aspect of each client’s show, as well as providing support to any shows our Paris office is handling. So, as I said, it’s a marathon.

KCD is everywhere, with a blue-chip roster of clients! How do you balance it all?

I’m very fortunate to love what I do and where I work, however when it’s not fashion week(s) (or the CFDA Awards, or the Victoria’s Secret show, or another major project) I always make time to see friends and travel to maintain a healthy balance between my work and personal life.

When you need a break, where is your go-to for a drink or good eats during fashion week?

One Lucky Duck Juice Bar—it is located conveniently across the street from the office in Chelsea Market. I love the Strawberry Blonde shake and then I always get a ginger shot to stave off the inevitable fashion week cold.

Take us to a show—where are you? What are you doing? We saw you at Wang!

It depends on the show, at some shows I am running the backstage press and photographers, while at others you will find me inside the venue helping seat guests and greeting the editors, retailers and VIPs.

How many people try to crash shows and after parties? Any good stories?

There are always some crashers but they are pretty easy to spot and we run a pretty tight ship so we don’t get as many as you might think. Some doors—you might not get crashers per se but more fans who will just wait outside to watch and see who is entering and exiting the event. Even though they will never get in, you have to at least give them credit for their dedication.

What celebrities are incredible to work with? Is GPS like fashion week “Big Brother?”

Fashion GPS was initiated when KCD PR approached Fashion GPS President Edwin Mullon to create a cutting edge technology to control inventory management and then events management. It’s so great that most of the industry uses it so we are all on one system to make editors, retailers and our lives easier!

Which editors do you look forward to seeing during fashion week? Who has the best style?

I wouldn’t be a very good publicist if I played favorites now would I? A lot of my close friends are actually fashion editors so it’s always great to see friends and catch up (if only briefly) during fashion week.

Any fun nightlife plans? What will be the best after party?

I try to stay under the radar during New York or else I don’t think I would be able to make it through Europe; however I try and stop by my client’s after parties if I can. Jason Wu and Prabal Gurung both threw great after parties this season and then of course there was the Miu Miu party we handled and the CFDA Impact Exhibit opening party at FIT, which kicked off the year-long celebration of the CFDA ’s 50th anniversary.

Best part of being a fashion publicist?

Getting to do what I love every day and working with some of the most talented, smart and interesting minds in the industry. Plus going to London and Paris twice a year isn’t too bad either!

It’s all over! Where do you flee to rejuvenate?

I try and get away for a weekend once I get back from Paris. This season I am planning on visiting friends in Austin for a long weekend. I also always start making my summer vacation plans during fashion week in February, this summer it will be several trips to Nantucket and is also looking like a week in Turkey.

Wu…) It was a scene! KCD danced around St. John's Center with their iPads ensuring that everyone was seated appropriately. Bryan Boy that means row two for you! Next to Princess Keltner de Valle… Starlets were refreshingly missing this season, but we had plenty of downtown fixtures and editor-in-chiefs to satiate our chic palate: Amy Fine Collins, Brad Goreski (irresistibly cute if he hadn't cried on that dreadful Rachel Zoe show… get some balls darlin'!), model Coco Rocha, Gagosian's babe Shala Monroque, LRP, Poppy, a ravishing Joanna Cole, Bazaar's Glenda Bailey, and Lincoln Center powerhouse Stephanie Winston Wilkoff. W magazine's Italiani, Tonchi and Battaglia, beamed inexplicably… Do you have Edward Enninful locked in a closet? We have yet to see him!

Alas, Michelle Obama remained in D.C. (or elsewhere…) If Americans weren't so cheap, she could feel free to grace our peacock parade and bestow admiration on the designers she rightfully adores, like Bruni-Sarkozy at Dior. Humph!

Now for the clothes: Thundering music commenced, followed by a hiss of smoke-- we love drama-- before Wu's fortress-like red doors opened to his Forbidden City. Chinese glamour, Marlene Dietrich (à la Peter Som! She lives on!), and the Qing Dynasty received inspirational credit. Wu's feminine warriors marched intensely through the fog in such exquisitely constructed and decadent couture that we actually noticed the clothes! Militant green quilted fox-embellished wool vests, black/gold Qing brocade, and an amazing cascading red Shantung fan lace drape dress, were highlights.

"I thought this Wu Warrior was very glamoress--sexy, edgy… There was a masculine side to the collection, which was interesting for Jason, because usually Jason is girly and feminine. I though there was a lot of power. Red is a power color. Maybe he was inspired by Lady Obama wearing his clothes! I am women! I am powerful! I am sexy. I think it was a very sellable collection…The fur on the arm is gorgeous!" commented sweetie Mary Alice Stephenson. So true...

Primaries to watch today. [Slate]

And why Schumer wants a Reid loss. [NYP]

Marc Jacobs, Jason Wu, and Alexander Wang win at last nights CFDA awards. [NYM]

Why can't NYU figure out how to build better? [Bloomberg]

Deborah Treisman fields questions about the New Yorker's "20 Under 40." [NewYorker]

Weiner: When it comes to BP, you can't trust a British accent. [AtlanticWire]

An Andy Warhol of Elizabeth Taylor promises to be a big sale at Christie's. [Bloomberg]

Dana Milbank bids farewell to Helen Thomas. [WaPo]

The Met needs a stronger stage to handle heavy opera. [NYT]

"Smurfs guru jailed in $11M plot to extort son-in-law" [NYDN]