Monster (Semantics) Squad: A freelance photographer sees a "monster" on the beach, photographs it. Gothamist writes a piece labeling it a "bloated rat monster," which, what? Bucky Turco at ANIMAL NEW YORK, which is the only news source worth trusting any more, about anything, talks to a Parks Department Representative, who tells him it's a pig left over from a weekend cookout. The photographer tells New York's Daily Intel blog that she doesn't think it's "pig-like" at all. Daily Intel does a photo investigation of it, and names it "Wilbur." Takeaway? Tuesdays. That's the takeaway.  [ANIMAL NY / Daily Intel / Gothamist]

Un-G.Q. Conduct? We missed this from the other day, but: Walter Kirn's widely-read and widely-acclaimed New Republic story about leaving the Mormon faith? It was a G.Q. story, but G.Q. pushed it back for space (because Kirn nor his editor Mark Lotto wanted to move on word count) into an issue yet-to-be-published. Kirn didn't want his piece to die in publishing limbo, so he took it to The New Republic. What'd G.Q. editor Jim Nelson make of all this? "Frankly, it didn’t seem right to me," he told WWD's Erik Maza. If that was what they call in the rap game a "subliminal" against TNR editor Franklin Foer, genius. Either which way, takeaway: Walter Kirn probably won't be writing for G.Q. anytime soon. [WWD]

Moments with Myler: New York Daily News editor Colin Myler had a "Town Hall" meeting today. The former News of the World spoke for about thirty minutes, speaking about the Daily News' national web presence and a third-party business initiative that will "consult and provide services for third-party digital products." More importantly: Myler said they would be hiring to ramp up the national presence, that they wouldn't be cutting back on their print product a la Times-Picayune, does not intend to raise the newsstand price, and won't let celebrity coverage and (external) gossip run the paper. [Capital New York]

Murdoch Mates Busted: Speaking of Colin Myler, two other former employees of Murdoch's British tabloid empire are now formally charged with accusations relating to the British tabloid hacking scandals: Rebekah Brooks and former British Prime Minister David Cameron's spin doctor, Andy Coulson. And now that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are involved, this thing is serious. [Guardian UK /Guardian UK]

Bad GOOD Idea: Want to make a bad publicity move? Take a word like "curate," which people—especially people who work in media—hate. If you're a magazine that just canned much of a very beloved staff, like GOOD, go forth, and seek out "brand apostles" who are "content-curators and change makers." Done. [Poynter]

Dow-n In? Dow Jones is going to sell its newswires through WSJ.com, Dow Jones CEO Lex Fenwick explains. Skeptics are skeptical. [Reuters]

Buzzfeed Is The Best, Says Buzzfeed Investor: VC guy Chris Dixon published an internal Buzzfeed memo written by Jonah Peretti, with his permission, wherein Jonah Peretti extols the greatness of the venture he oversees. [Chris Dixon]

So, we forgot to let anyone know we were even doing this yesterday—a depressing, necessary component of this job, such as it is—so we'll just copy what we wrote on yesterday's Media Briefs and hope you read it. Here:

Finally: The lovely albatross of the Observer‘s media desk for the last year and a half has been liberated from abdicated the position, and this writer will be filling in the interim. Please send your tips, gossip, rhetoric, legal threats, inspirational quotes, and freshman year poetry—along with, while we’re at it, your nominations for Media Power Couples, Bachelors, and Bachelorettes (which, due to unpopular demand, we’ll be doling out again soon)—right this way.

Happy Tuesday.

fkamer@observer.com | @weareyourfek

Jim Nelson, head juror

GQ editor Jim Nelson was the foreman on the jury that found Trevell Coleman—a.k.a. Bad Boy rapper G Dep—guilty of fatally shooting John Henkel last month.

"I did not want to do jury duty," Mr. Nelson wrote in his June letter from the editor. "I said a prayer to baby Jesus the night before, asking him to use his baby Jesus powers and to please Lord not let them pick me like they always do."

Not to impugn Mr. Nelson's judgment (the man picked our favorite magazine cover featuring iced coffee, after all), but it sounds like a cut-and-dried case. Mr. Coleman confessed to the almost 20-year-old cold case out of nowhere in 2010. He was 18 years old when a botched robbery led Mr. Coleman to shoot Mr. Henkel three times in East Harlem and flee on his bike. Seventeen years later, he walked into a Harlem precinct and waived his Miranda Rights, saying he wanted to tell the story and he needed to know whether the victim lived or died.

"I sometimes wondered if I was fit to judge this man who was capable of acts of public violence and personal honor I couldn't even imagine having to wrestle with," Mr. Nelson wrote. "And I'd think: Hasn't this man suffered enough? He's done twenty years in his head already. That's a slower, more infernal form of justice, the interior kind, isn't it?"

Mr. Coleman, who will be sentenced on Tuesday, faces at least 15 years. He told MTV he has "no ill thoughts towards anybody."

And we know just the magazine  for his jailhouse tell-all.

Bradley Cooper (Getty Images)

First Daughter of Mustique Elizabeth Hilfiger shouted "Is BryanBoy here?" The elusive Philippine blogger may not be, a P.R. type informed her. "BRYANBOY," she groaned, exhibiting a classic vocal fry. Nearby, Bradley Cooper discussed football with New York Giant Victor Cruz--"I'm an Eagles man myself," said the Limitless star--between posing for snaps with fans. We were stalking the gravel yard in the center of the Park Avenue Armory before the military-inflected Tommy Hilfiger show began.

Brad Goreski, of Bravo's It's a Brad, Brad World, chatted with The Observer about reality-TV fame. "I don't know if I've opened myself up to a new client base--but I definitely have no secrets!" What was he here for? "I'm looking for clothes for myself!" He said he had some shoots coming up, too, but wouldn't reveal for which outlets. That was to remain secret.

Upon leaving, we spotted GQ editor Jim Nelson. We asked him how his fashion week was progressing, though we were more interested in his publication's recent zoo-story showdown with Esquire, the rival men's rag that published the same feature as GQ on the same day. Perhaps seeing the glint in our eye, he said "I'm not prepared!" and scampered off.

Esquire editor David Granger, standing with a posse of young underlings, was more verbose. After telling us he'd been a supporter of Mr. Hilfiger for years, he feigned confusion as to the twin zoo stories. Why should anyone read his story over GQ's? "Wait--GQ did a story on the Zanesville zoo?  I was in California, and I didn't know!" Then he looked directly into our eyes waiting for the reaction he knew would come. It came and he smiled. We smiled and he was gone.

In May, Mr. Sullivan published a review of David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King, and in June, he made a memorable debut* as a Times magazine contributor with “You Blow My Mind. Hey, Mickey!” about visiting Disneyland stoned. (He remains a GQ correspondent.)

Now that Mr. Sullivan’s first essay collection, Pulphead, has been received with near-universal adulation, Mr. Sullivan and Mr. Lovell made a brief return to the old neighborhood. On GQ.com, this month, they “rap” about the “making” of the “classic” Pulphead pieces, in a behind-the-curtain Q&A moderated by current GQ associate editor Daniel Riley.

“Most of the stories collected there, after all, were first published in GQ,” Mr. Riley wrote.

Mr. Sullivan praised editor Jim Nelson (absent from the rap session) for his open mind, liberal use of red pen, and generous invites to the magazine’s swank Men of the Year shindig.

“Jim was really cool to invite me and fly me out to L.A.,” Mr. Sullivan wrote, “you know, it was like he was throwing the writers some love.”

*Technically, this one was first.

"We already had another writer trying to get McCrystal, and couldn't assign both stories," GQ editor Jim Nelson wrote in an email to the Media Mob. The June issue of GQ ran with a cover story about model Miranda Kerr.

"He didn't have the piece when we turned it in. He had an idea. He didn't have McChrystal," a spokeswoman for the magazine told us over the phone. "He had the idea of doing the piece, so we turned it down without having an interview with McChrystal."

But the idea was picked up by Rolling Stone and Mr. Hastings ultimately got extensive access to the general and his staff. "I didn't think I was going to get any access at all," Mr. Hastings told Newsweek, where he is also a contributor. "It's one of those strange journalistic twists. They said yes, come on over to Paris to spend a couple days with us."

The story was a huge success for Rolling Stone online, bringing 2.2 million unique visitors in the first two days. On average, Rolling Stone attracts 1.6 million uniques montly. A spokeswoman for Rolling Stone said that newsstand circulation for the June 22 issue is not yet available becuase the issue is still on newsstands. The story has attracted 8 million page views to date

"Yeah, it still hurts," Mr. Nelson wrote in an email. "But we're really happy for Mike," he added. "Not so happy for McCrystal."

zturner@observer.com

Here's the release:

NEW YORK - GQ Editor-in-Chief Jim Nelson announced today that Emily Poenisch, formerly of Vanity Fair, will become the magazine's new West Coast Editor effective April 1. Poenisch, who worked at Vanity Fair from 2002 to 2008, is replacing Chris Huvane. Huvane recently accepted a talent manager position with Management 360 in Los Angeles.

Since her departure from Vanity Fair, Poenisch has worked independently as an entertainment marketing consultant and has continued writing, contributing articles and video content to Vanity Fair, Interview, and Time.

Being editor in chief of Maxim seems a bit like being the keyboardist for the Grateful Dead or the drummer for Spinal Tap: It's a sweet gig ... for as long as it lasts.

Since the U.S. edition of Maxim was launched 12 years ago, the magazine has gone through nine top editors (10 if you include the hamster) in its quest to combine the dewiest WB actresses with the laciest lingerie. By way of comparison, GQ has had two editors in that time—Jim Nelson replaced Art Cooper, who died in 2003—as has Esquire, whose editor David Granger replaced Ed Kosner in 1998. (O.K., maybe 2.5 if you include Randall Rothenberg's brief tenure as "acting editor.")

In April 1997, the New York Daily News' Keith Kelly (yes, that Keith Kelly) reported that Felix Dennis was launching Maxim, "a bible for the Regular Guy" with Clare McHugh as editor in chief. "I think having a woman editor is an advantage you can get away with a lot more," Ms. McHugh told Mr. Kelly.

She was gone seven months later (again, per Newser Kelly), having, "resigned from Maxim to pursue other projects and directions."

Next up, Mark Golin (after a short interval of Keith Blanchard—remember that name!—working as acting editor), who took over the magazine in 1998, bringing it to new prominence, increased sales and headlines like MAXIM: IF IT ONLY HAD A BRAIN and Maxim's sometimes amusing, always dumb.

By February 1999, Mr. Golin had jumped ship to Details and was replaced by a hamster named Sammy.

Sammy's brief and ultimately uneventful run ended when his job went to Mike Soutar.

By April 2000, Mr. Soutar had left to return to London and become managing director of IPC Music & Sport, a rival magazine company.

With Mr. Soutar safely back in Blighty, Keith Blanchard was back on top at Maxim, where he stayed for the next four years—a good run, all things considered.

In July 2004, David Carr reported in The New York Times that Mr. Blanchard would be replaced by Ed Needham, late of Rolling Stone. Two years later, The Guardian was reporting Mr. Needham's resignation and return to England.

Mr. Needham was followed by Jimmy Jellinek, who moved from helming Maxim's little brother publication Stuff in May 2006. His tenure lasted just over a year when he was replaced by James Kaminsky, in the job until yesterday, when the departing editor told Keith Kelly (now of the Post, thank you very much), "I wish everyone working at the magazine the best."

Which brings us to Mr. Levy, who will now oversee Maxim and maxim.com according to a memo from Alpha Media Group CEO Stephen Duggan.

We wish Mr. Levy luck.

Mr. Benjamin spent much of the evening with tape recorders hoisted to his lips, often pausing during interviews with reporters to chat with the many colleagues and fans who were eager to get a word in with him. Or, more noticeably, for photo ops—the Daily Transom had blurted out nary a question before Mr. Benjamin was politely whisked away to pose with fellow contestant Yigal Azrouel.

“Nice pants, brotha!” he complimented his opponent in a haze of flashbulbs, as a publicist told us to check back in another 15 minutes or so.

At stake for the six finalists—who also included New Yorkers Robert Geller, David Mullen of Save Khaki and the young design duo behind the brand Shipley & Halmos, as well as Alex Carleton of Portland, Maine's nautically-inspired Rogues Gallery (some of his models could have been on an episode of Deadliest Catch)—was a $50,000 cash prize, as well as the opportunity to design a limited-edition collection for Levis to be sold in Bloomingdale’s this September. The winner of the contest, which is held in conjuction with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, will be announced Feb. 13.

Though each designer’s models posed their little hearts out for two hours straight around rectangular pillars in the center of the room, the vibe was less competition than party—a very packed party, with lots of free booze and cute girls in skinny Levis carting around trays of Maryland crab cakes and Pizza Margherita. Perhaps everyone was in such a good mood because of the warm weather (55 degrees in February!), or maybe because it was the eve of Fashion Week, generally an overwhelmingly feminine affair—and for once, all eyes were focused on the men.

“This is a nice event to honor young talent. They need a platform, they need a chance,” said Tommy Hilfiger, who arrived around 8 p.m. in “an old suit of mine from, oh, I dunno, maybe from the late '80s when I wore three-piece. I decided to bring it back.”

Quite the recession tactic!

“I think remixing and recycling is a pretty good idea,” Mr. Hilfiger concurred.

At the bar, the Daily Transom ran into last year’s winner, Engineered Garments’ Daiki Suzuki, best known for his modern take on classic American workwear. “I feel much better this year,” he said, clutching two bottles of Stella Artois. “I don’t have any pressure on me!”

Towards the end of the evening, Gossip Girl actor Chace Crawford was spotted near Mr. Azrouel’s presentation sipping a glass of whiskey and chatting with GQ’s editor in chief Jim Nelson and West Coast editor Chris Huvane. But Mr. Huvane quickly informed us that he’d promised Mr. Crawford’s publicist his lips would remain sealed to the press.

“I’m so sorry,” Mr. Crawford said before walking away.

Us too! But we did get to chat with Mr. Benjamin as he was leaving, shortly after he’d posed for yet another photo, this one with Mr. Nelson and Thom Browne, one of the contest’s judges. He was wearing a green plaid button-down, blue corduroy jodhpurs and a matching sport coat, all of his own design.

When the Daily Transom caught up with the 33-year-old Mr. Benjamin at the same event a year earlier, shortly after he’d launched his prep-heavy line, he mentioned a possible move to the East Village. Update: He’s still living in Atlanta, but plans to move to New York “if Benjamin Bixby stays successful.”  (There’s been some talk on music Web sites that the brand is having financial troubles, though Mr. Benjamin said, “We’re surviving.” He also has a new solo album due out this summer or fall.)

“I just do things that I love. Like, okay, to me it’s about adventure,” he said, pointing at one of his models. “So this was about 1917 fighter pilots. The good guys versus the bad guys. I just make up these little stories and get pictures in my head.”

So he’s gotten the hang of this whole fashion thing?

“I’ve learned a lot in a year,” he said. “But I’m still a beginner.”

"I can't honestly say there is a direct link with being nominated and winning an award with doing better with ad sales," Mr. Townsend told Media Mob. He didn't know if there was "any currency" to these awards in terms of better business. "This is a night for the editorial team."

Ann Moore, the Time Inc. CEO, grabbed Mr. Townsend so he could say hello to Wenda Millard, the president of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

"Don't you look swell? Don't you look swell!" said Ms. Millard. Mr. Townsend, wearing a blue to this black-tie event, smiled.

"Are you still the commodore of the New York yacht club?" she asked.

"I am."

"Oh, well because my son, he's at N.Y.U., he's very enthusiastic about sailing ..."

After that brief nautical detour, Mr. Townsend said the Condé Nast business team would celebrate upstairs in the Time Warner Center at Porter House. They had a 10 p.m. reservation.

Across the room, New York magazine's editor in chief, Adam Moss, was also talking about how a nomination, or should luck shine upon you, a win, impacts a magazine. "It has no impact whatsoever on ad sales," Mr. Moss said definitively. Then what, he was asked, was an Alexander Calder-designed 'Ellie' good for? "It makes a lot of people happy." Last year, Mr. Moss won five awards, which prompted Mark Whitaker, then of Newsweek, to quip that he was "the new David Remnick." So, who would be the new David Remnick this year, Mr. Moss?

"I think David Remnick will be the new David Remnick."

Is there a rivalry between your magazines, he was asked. "I don't think it's a real competition. We have many letters that are the same in our titles, but they have more letters than we do. We have more photos. We're a very different magazine. They're really a national magazine that has very little to do with New York. We are a magazine of New York."

Across the room, Wired's editor in chief, Chris Anderson, was speaking of his magazine's three nominations. "It's a great boost for the editorial staff. It values excellence above all else. That's why we come to work."

That's the thing about these awards. Pumped up into an evening awards show with monkeysuits and ball gowns from its origins as a lunch meeting of a professional affinity association, the whole evening itself is actually a little bit—embarrassing, as though nobody else would bother to notice the work that magazine writers and editors do except for themselves. Isn't there someone else out there who wants to give us awards? And yet, who but other magazine editors and writers are capable of evaluating a magazine's work—right?

And so the nominees, their colleagues, their publicists, and their chroniclers who make their living, such as it is, covering the magazine world in blogs and in print (hi!) squeezed themselves into their black-tie best tonight, then managed to squeeze themselves into the crowded, somewhat balmy Rose Hall where they could squeeze one another's hands offering congratulations between squeezing in a few drinks and hors d'oeuvres before the end of the night.

"This is a big moment," said GQ editor in chief Jim Nelson. "This is the thing that we sort of lose sleep over and get psyched about." Mr. Nelson, whose magazine was up for five awards, for General Excellence (500,000-1,000,000 circulation), Feature Writing, Review and Criticism, Design, and Photography, didn't look like he'd been losing any sleep. "I am worried about it," he insisted. "What I try to do is almost block it out."

Framed in one of the lobby's dramatic picture windows facing Central Park, Dale Hrabi, editor at large of Radar, which was nominated for General Excellence in the 100,000-250,000 circulation range, joked about his scrappy magazine's place among its peers: "We feel a little bit like Carrie," he said, referring to Stephen King's telekinetic anti-heroine. "Like maybe someone will dump blood on us."

Maybe the Carrie metaphor didn't work. "She dies at the end, doesn't she?" Mr. Hrabi asked. When told that, in fact, Carrie reaches from the grave to get revenge on her tormentors, he laughed: "Well, there ya go."

Buzz Bissinger, who was nominated for his Vanity Fair feature about the thoroughbred Barbaro, was hoping to win. "It would actually mean a lot," he told Media Mob. "It would sort of certify me as a magazine writer. ... I'd really just like to put that plaque up on the wall. It would be great for the magazine. I'd just like to win. If I don't, I'll be civil and nice."

Civil and nice may be the last words anyone would use in connection with Mr. Bissinger this week after video of him berating Deadspin.com editor Will Leitch on Costas Now hit the Internet. But Mr. Bissinger had a few thoughts now that his tirade had been splashed across many Web sites, including this one. "I don't take back a word of what I said, but I do regret the personal attack on him. It was over the top. We've had a private communication that we've agreed to keep private. Not only was it wrong and disrespectful of him, it made me look silly and really subsumed the very valid points. Too much got lost in my anger."

So, would Mr. Bissinger be launching a blog of his own anytime soon? "Oh, god, no! I don't have anything to say. That's the problem with most blogs. A few of us do; most of us don't."

Speaking of blogs, there was a strong online presence at the event. The Huffington Post's media editor, Rachel Sklar, was snapping pictures (until she was told not to) while FishbowlNY's team pioneered the next-next form of journalism by 'Twittering' updates from their phones. (Sample tweet: "will anna show? Official word is maybe.") Also in attendance, a certain ubiquitous blogger and weekly dating columnist whose floor-length white dress seemed more suited to a Toga Party, posing for photos with editors like Wired's Anderson and Men's Health's Dave Zinczenko. Standing out among the black ties was Jossip.com's David Hauslaib, who flouted the dress code by wearing a pink plaid button down without jacket and tie. Was Mr. Hauslaib happy to be here? "It's another event," he told Media Mob. According to Mr. Hauslaib, he had 700 other things to attend that night as well.

Seven hundred other events? What were they? "Uh, they're private things. Private events."

Mixing in among the editorial types was Bravo's Padma Lakshmi, who offered New Yorker editor David Remnick a kiss and told him she was presenting the category for best fiction. "Her ex-husband writes for our magazine," Mr. Remnick offered helpfully.

Lonny Ross, Katrina Bowden and Judah Friedlander of NBC's 30 Rock were also mingling. They were there to present the Ellie in Leisure Interests, which explained Mr. Friedlander's trademark trucker cap's slogan for the night: "Leisure Expert." The hat was custom made for the event, according to Mr. Friedlander, who likes to custom make hats for every event. "If you're gonna wear a tux, it's gotta be a black hat with white lettering."

Was Mr. Friedlander a fan of any of the nominated magazines? "I don't really subscribe to any magazines. Sometimes I look at them at the store."

Were there a
ny in particular he liked to peruse? "I couldn't even tell you, dude. Almost everything's online now."

As the lights flickered and the attendees began filing into the auditorium, Media Mob cornered Rolling Stone political columnist Matt Taibbi, who was nominated for Columns and Commentary. Was he nervous sharing the nomination with magazine heavyweights like Kurt Andersen, Hendrick Hertzberg and Christopher Hitchens? "It's just a real big surprise to be nominated at all. I didn't really know a helluva lot about it before," he said. "I didn't even know it existed." What's the nomination mean for him? "I get to keep my job for another year."

Cut to the ceremony, which was grooved along by dulcet sounds of a jazz quintet and featured presenters like CNN's Anderson Cooper, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly, and Amber Lee Ettinger, better known as "Obama Girl," who reminded the crowd that her video was up for a Webby and voting closed at midnight tonight. (Yes, she sang a few bars of her song.) Magazine world vets like George Lois and Lewis Lapham were on hand to present awards, as was a slightly dazed-seeming Lenny Dykstra, who promised he'd be nominated for an award next year for his magazine, Players Club.

There were the requisite surprises: Mr. Moss only mounted the stage once, for a Leisure Interests package about street food, having been shut out from General Excellence (250,000-500,000 circulation) by Backpacker, whose editor, Jonathan Dorn, offered him an apology and said "at least you've been inhabiting my dreams for months." Radar lost in its category as well, to Mother Jones. The Nation also won an award for Public Interest, which prompting one attendee to quip, "It's lefty night!" Clara Jeffery, co-editor in chief of Mother Jones, took to the stage in a red dress that showed off her very pregnant belly and joked that this was the second best thing to happen to her this year. Due July 22, she told the Media Mob she was so happy, she didn't "even feel the back pain."

David Remnick picked up a General Excellence Ellie for the 1,000,000-2,000,000 circulation category and thanked his magazine's owner, Si Newhouse, for his hands-off approach, saying that Mr. Newhouse's "long silence" during an editorial call early on in his nearly 10-year tenure atop the magazine's masthead "was music to my ears." GQ's Jim Nelson's sleepless nights evidently paid off as he won for General Excellence as well, in the 500,000-1,000,000 circulation level.

First time winners included Atlanta, for Feature Writing by Paige Williams, Condé Nast Portfolio for Magazine Section, Runnersworld.com for General Excellence Online, Bicycling.com for Interactive Feature, and New Letters for Essay, by Thomas E. Kennedy. (The latter win occasioned a scream from the audience.)

Vanity Fair's Graydon Carter took two awards, one for Evan Wright's profile of agent-turned-prowar filmmaker Pat Dollard and one for Annie Liebovitz's photo portfolio "Killers Kill, Dead Men Die."

National Geographic won for General Excellence (over 2,000,000 circulation), Reporting (for a piece by Peter Hessler), and Photojournalism (for a story on Malaria.)

Matt Taibbi won for Columns and Commentary. "I'm very surprised," Mr. Taibbi told Media Mob at the post-awards cocktail reception. Asked later where his Ellie would live, his editor, Eric Bates, answered for him: "Jann Wenner's office."

"Right next to my balls," Mr. Taibbi added.

Spotted near the photo op stage, David Remnick was asked how it feels for the staff to win one National Magazine Award. "Can I be honest?" he asked, semi-conspiratorially. "It's lovely to win these things; disappointing to not. But it lasts for a few days and then you do your thing. Honest. I know it's awards show bullshit but it's true."

So, Ellie firmly in hand again, was Mr. Remnick this year's David Remnick?

"I'm always David Remnick," he said.

“To be honest, I don’t really follow the new, 'it' fashion thing,” he said, responding to a question about what Mr. Nelson has called “an exciting and pivotal time for men’s fashion.” Mr. Benjamin went on, “I’ve heard people talking about it; I’m actually here to see what’s going on.”

But, of course, Mr. Benjamin arguably knows more about cutting-edge style than most. He, along with last night’s fêted fashionistas, has been working on his fall collection. Of his design process and aesthetic, he said, “The only thing I can tell you is that every part of my life—growing up as a kid—I’ve put it into the clothes. From being in the music industry, from being a prep when you’re young, old tailoring, it’s all of that meshed into one,” said Mr. Benjamin of his 40- or 50-piece collection. He then paused to look up at a tall platform, running nearly the entire length of the venue, lined with some 50 nubile male models, each donning a different budding designer’s wares.

“Because I’m not from it,” he continued, “I’m not really into fashion; I’m just about really what I think would be cool. It’s coming from a personal place. It’s small.”

Asked how designing clothing is similar, if at all, to making music, Mr. Benjamin said, “It’s the same, to be honest. It’s all about taste and the choices you make. Even acting, it’s all about the choices that you make and at the end of the day that’s what you do.”

And, it seems, he’s doing quite a lot these days. On top of designing clothes and working on his solo album, which is due out in the fall, the music man, who was sporting a fetching ensemble of bloomer-style pants tucked into tall boots under a vest and metallic-hued fedora, is already working on plans to produce another OutKast album. Oh, yeah—he also has two films coming out this year: Stuart Townsend’s Battle in Seattle, co-starring Charlize Theron and Woody Harrelson, and Kent Alterman’s Semi-Pro, co-starring Will Ferrell and, um, Woody Harrelson.

With so many projects in the works, Mr. Banjamin still has time, he said, to look for an apartment in New York. So where does the king of breezy-elegance want to put down roots?

“I like, um, I think it’s the East Village,” he offered inquiringly.