Valentino visits Tim Lehman and Snapshot backstage.

It’s that time of year again, when stylish specimens flock to the Big Apple, perfectly poised and immaculately coiffed. And no, we’re not talking about Fashion Week.

Yesterday, the Transom stopped by the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, where our favorite Upper East Side duo, Tim Lehman and Snapshot, were making their Westminster debut. The best of breed events were taking place, for the first time, at Piers 92 and 94, with the main events—Best of Group and Best in Show—taking place Monday and Tuesday nights at Madison Square Garden.

At Pier 92, where the smaller breeds were competing, we spied Snapshot and some other competitors stationed near the entrance at an impromptu Maltese grooming station. Mr. Lehman had his headphones on and was deep in focus as he combed Snapshot’s silky mane, his client lying prostrate in dutiful compliance. A crowd had gathered around to observe the deft handiwork, so we decided to take a lap and see what else the show had on offer.

We ran into Pat Stoltz, publisher of Pug Talk magazine, hanging out with her rotund pug Buddha, whose official  name is “Grand Champion Careva’s Boodelicious.” While Buddha comes from a long line of champions, he had failed to sail to victory in the best of pug contest earlier in the morning.

“He got a good look, but an older, more mature, very nice dog won,” said Ms. Stoltz. But the doggie devotee made it clear that she isn’t in it for the ribbons, but for the love of pugs. “They always make you smile, they have yet to meet a person or another animal they don’t like, they’re the best house pet you could have,” she said, but not before adding a disclaimer, lest the Transom run out to adopt one instantly. “They certainly aren’t the sharpest crayons in the box.”

We took a brief detour to the much smellier interior of Pier 94, where the bigger dogs were being shown, and fell in love with a massive Old English sheepdog named Herbie, or ‘Ken-Bear’s Grand Champion Herbie the Love Bug.’ While Herbie had also not come away a best of breed winner (although a fellow English sheepdog would go on to win ‘best herding dog’ at the evening’s festivities), the fuzzy giant is a bit of a star in his own right, serving as the inspiration for a novel, Strongheart, which instantly catapulted to the top of the Transom’s reading list.

“It’s about a dog who was a coward who faced his fears through learning Native American legends,” explained writer/owner Laurice LaZebnik.

After Herbie posed for pictures with fans, Ms. LaZebnik told us about their future plans. “We’re talking about retiring him and making him in to a therapy dog, to visit hospitals and nursing homes” she explained. “He has the right disposition for it. He’s very caring and gentle.”

Finally it was time for Snapshot to make his big debut. We might be biased, but seeing the little guy trot out into  the ring, followed by six other identical Maltese, we swore that his hair looked the silkiest by a mile. At least some of our fellow spectators seemed to agree.

“My friend says let’s go watch my hairdresser, he has a little dog who wins everything,” said one smartly dressed onlooker. “I said ‘that dog has perfect hair, that dog doesn’t have one hair out of place!’”

As the furry white bundles marched out like tiny models, the pomp and circumstance of the event truly did remind us of a Fashion Week runway show (although with a lot more mid-show snacking). After a few laps around the ring and a rather invasive inspection on a pedestal, with enough ball cupping for a TSA screening, it was time for the verdict.

We guess our dog instincts have improved as of late, because all of a sudden, with a quick point of the judge’s hand, it was all over and the winner had been named: Snapshot ‘Champion Ta-Jon’s Pawsitively Paparazzi” was named best Maltese.

As a crowd of fans swarmed around to congratulate him, the Transom edged in to ask Mr. Lehman how he felt about the victory.

“Thank God,” said Mr. Lehman, with a laugh, before changing his tone. “No, we’re thrilled.” he said. “We’re very excited for tonight but the best of breed was enough—we’re good.”

Sadly, Snapshot did not ultimately win best ‘Toy’ breed later that evening—that honor went to a stout, sporty little fellow called an Affenpinscher, who looks like no stuffed animal we’ve ever had—but Snapshot did make the first cut as one of eight finalists.

“The best of breed was everything we could have hoped for,” said Mr. Lehman when we spoke with him today. “And because he made the cut in the toy group, to be acknowledged among the eight top toy dogs in the country was a great honor for him” he added. “For both of us.”

And while he may not have been bestowed the highest honors in the dog world, among those in fashion circles, Snapshot remains top dog—as one particular backstage cameo illustrates.

“Valentino came backstage and he thought he was so beautiful,” explained Mr. Lehman “He just admired him and his beautiful hair.”

Sarah Jessica Parker (Patrick McMullan)

“Sarah Jessica invited me,” said television personality Amy Sedaris. “I’ve never even been to the ballet!” The actress, who played Sarah Jessica Parker’s publisher on Sex and the City, was standing alone in the midst of a crowded cocktail party before the New York City Ballet’s Fall Gala at Lincoln Center last Thursday. Ms. Parker, one of the evening’s co-chairs and a friend of the guest of honor, tan and glam designer Valentino Garavani, had yet to walk the red carpet.

“I love the sets, though,” said the ballet neophyte, in a tea-length dress as starchy as a tutu. “But he just told me”—she gestured at a nearby party guest—“that the stage is very bare tonight!”

Ms. Sedaris had slightly more knowledge about the evening’s program than did broadcasting icon Barbara Walters. We asked her what her favorite ballet was. “Tell me what the ballet is tonight,” she told us gamely, “and I’ll tell you it’s my favorite!”

We inquired about the just-announced joint interview with Barack and Michelle Obama on The View the following week. Would Ms. Walters go hard or soft on the president and first lady? “Both hard and soft!” she told us. “We’ve been writing questions all day!

“You know, there are five women asking questions, and two interview subjects—both of them,” she continued, before the conversation was interrupted by a magenta-clad, jewel-bedecked interloper. “The bar would not serve me!” she shouted. It was Princess Firyal of Jordan.

“This is a reporter,” said Ms. Walters.

“So write that!” the princess cried. “Write that they are closed, that they would not even serve me two sips of water!”

We promised we would denote the bar’s closure at the very moment we glimpsed Iman snapping pictures with well-wishers. “Let’s do a prom photo!,” said a male friend of hers. We caught her as she entered the crush of people in the entryway to the bar area. “Follow me,” she exhorted, leading us to the quieter balcony, which overlooked a slew of people rushing through the lobby to claim their seats. Who were we to argue? We asked about her relationship with Valentino, the designer who’d crafted the costumes for the evening’s ballet. “He’s a great host. He makes sure a huge party feels like an intimate gathering. He has staff that helps him—but it feels as though he’s doing it all himself! There are people doing it, but he’s very involved.”

Anjelica Huston paused in her conversation with Ron Rifkin (who’d played one of Carrie Bradshaw’s Vogue editors, and who we later saw embracing Ms. Parker—she knows how to gather a posse!) to speak to us about Valentino, for whom she’d worked as a model in the 1980s. She was not wearing Valentino this evening. “The dresses were a bit small for me!” she explained. “These days, he’s designing for small Italian women.”

We’d gotten caught up chatting and had little time to tarry before the ballet began: rushing up the stairs to the first circle, we realized we were behind a group of men gathered around Ms. Parker herself (husband Matthew Broderick was absent, likely performing in his Broadway show, Nice Work If You Can Get It). The group moved as one—to a closed bar station so that Ms. Parker could grab a napkin to spit out her gum—then headed to the center of the first circle, where, all in a row, Iman, Valentino, Ms. Huston and Ms. Parker formed one very glamorous cheering circle. The ballet was preceded by a video in which celebrity friends who couldn’t be present testified to Valentino’s genius. Hugh Jackman, in a maroon henley, talked about how Valentino criticized his wardrobe; Meryl Streep read his name in an exaggerated Italian accent; and Rita Wilson commented on his impressive tan.

At intermission, we joined the crowd swarming outside—including Anne Hathaway, in near-transparent embroidered green Valentino. She recalled for us a Valentino party of past vintage—she’d been one of the attendees at his 40th anniversary celebration in Rome. “It was a very good party, with aerial ballet dancers,” the Les Miserables actress told us crisply. She’d first met the designer on the set of The Devil Wears Prada, at which time, we posited, she must have been relatively green.

“Quite,” she replied, turning away.

The curtain rose upon the magical second act, the world premiere of Tchaikovsky’s Bal de Couture, with elaborate black-and-white tulle gowns with hidden fuchsia lining. Valentino himself came out after the ballerinas’ bows to adjust a tutu’d black swan’s crown and announce, “The most important thing is that all of you came to see my clothes—but what is very important is being a part of the New York City Ballet.”

Immediately afterward, as patrons noshed on a dinner of lobster and salmon—and Valentino circled past our table declaring “Oh, I’m so happy!”—Ms. Parker addressed a small circle of reporters (she’d left her matching cape at her dinner seat, next to Bravo executive Andy Cohen, in order to accept thanks for hosting the event and circulate). Asked whether she wished to wear the Valentino ballet costumes she’d seen onstage that evening, she noted, “We all spend a lifetime looking at things we can’t have—that’s the beauty of having eyes. That’s why there’s museums, theater, music!” She said Valentino had first invited her to dinner five or six years ago, and that he was, indeed, a wonderful host.

Valentino

Another New York cultural institution begins its season tonight: the New York City Ballet’s Fall Gala honors the designer Valentino Garavani (we don’t hear that surname often!). The designer has crafted costumes for three ballet performances tonight, including one world premiere. Turning up to support the ballet, Valentino, or simply their own right to have a good time are event co-chair Sarah Jessica Parker, Barry and Diane (once again!), Carolina Herrera, and Linda Evangelista. Perhaps the most unexpected guest? Andy Cohen, who’s supposed to be hosting his live Bravo talk show at eleven sharp—hurry home to the studio, Andy, before your limo turns back into a pumpkin!

Lincoln Center, cocktails at 5:30pm, performance at 7pm, supper ball at 9pm, tickets and information can be found at nycballet.com.

Valentino, the guest of honor.

Glamorous guests began flooding the lobby of the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center around 11:30 last Tuesday. They had congregated on the occasion of the highly anticipated Couture Council luncheon, this year honoring the well-tanned legend of women’s fashion, Valentino Garavani. A row of waiters in daper white tails held trays of white wine and water, refreshingly accented with neat wedges of lime, for parched fashion patrons, who slowly made their made their way up the staircase in couture gowns and soaring heels.

Within half an hour, the crowd had grown to an enormous congregation of high-society movers and shakers, all giddy with excitement. Guests kissed each other on the cheek twice à la française, apparently trying to channel the romance of Paris on the soggy New York afternoon.

The guest list was an impressive catalog of New York’s philanthropic and social elite. Lizzie Tisch, Cece Cord, Beth DeWoody, Karen LeFrak, Chiu-Ti Jansen, Anne Bass and Sharon Bush rubbed shoulders with the fashion icons like Iris Apfel, Diane von Furstenberg, Tamara Mellon and, of course, Valentino himself.

We spotted Kobe Bryant and his wife, Vanessa, across the room. Mr. Bryant, who lived in Italy as a child, wore an Italian suit, a sharp Dolce & Gabanna ensemble, while Mrs. Bryant looked particularly festive in her red, ruffled Valentino number. We asked Mr. Bryant how it feels to be a fashion-conscious athlete. “I mean it’s a good feeling. You always try to represent yourself well when you’re out and about,” he said, quickly walking up the stairs to find his seat.

Meanwhile, jewelry designer Judith Ripka was chatting with guests and dutifully informing them of her new book. “Its about the hardworking life, where I am this moment,” Ms. Ripka told The Observer of the tome. Flashing some of her own pieces, Ms. Ripka’s bejeweled neck, collar, fingers and wrists twinkled exhuberantly as nearby flashbulbs snapped photos of arriving guests. “Coming here today is so good for business because Valentino is so exciting and he made the couture business happen,” she said. As we attempted to parse this, Ms. Ripka flagged down the first lady of Fashion Week herself, Stephanie Winston Wolkoff. “Stephanie’s amazing, as I’m sure you know,” said Ms. Ripka by way of introduction.

Ms. Winston Wolkoff towered above other attendees, in her heels and pink Michael Kors pantsuit, giving Mr. Bryant a run for his money in the height department. Although appearing composed and immaculately groomed, Ms. Winston Wolkoff admitted she had been working round the clock to prepare for Fashion Week. “It’s been crazy. It’s wonderful. It’s busy. It’s exciting,” she told The Observer of the planning. “A lot of heavy lifting.” Naturally, she was being figurative but we amused ourselves imagining the Fashion Week big boss lugging garment bags and carrying shoe racks around Lincoln Center. Ms. Winton Wolkoff had been busy, however, working to make Fashion Week less exclusive and more accessible to fashionistas from all walks of life. “It’s just exploring all these different ways of opening it up and getting rid of those red velvet ropes a little bit,” she said before disappearing into a crowd of admiring society ladies.

We approached Valentino, who looked like he had already had a full week (and Fashion Week hadn’t even begun). We inquired about the rumors circulating that a Broadway show based on his life is in the works. “They speak about it, yes, but I don’t know what’s going on,” he said with a signature arched eyebrow. And which shows he was planning on attending? “I’m going to see  Spiderwoman,” he said, apparently misunderstanding both our question and the superhero’s gender. Asked which designers he was most looking forward to seeing, Mr. Valentino gave a shrug. “Many of them,” he said with a wry smile. “Darling, I don’t want to answer anymore,” he said, apparently wearied by the numerous interviews he had given and photos for which he had posed over the past hour.

Anna Wintour doffed her ever-present dark glasses and amiably greeted guests eye to eye.

Daphne Guinness was seated just one table over, her black and white locks arranged in a beehive that managed to invoke, in the perfect marriage, Cruella de Vil and Amy Winehouse. Despite the imposing tresses, Ms. Guinness was perfectly charming. Wearing a pair of heeless, platform Mary Janes, we asked if her feet were hurting her. “Stilettos give me blisters. I wouldn’t wear shoes if they weren’t comfortable,” she said. “These are really comfortable because you can go down and up, you have the reverse stretch,” she explained, deftly stretching her calves in the six-inch shoes. Asked about Fashion Week, Ms. Guinness gave an honest, if surprising answer. “I don’t really know much about Fashion Week, except for the fact that I know nothing about it,” she told The Observer. “It used to be full of friends and stuff, especially Alexander’s shows,” mentioning her late friend Alexander McQueen. “But it’s become very kind of full of … I don’t know, celebrities and all that,” she explained. Perhaps not a fan of this year’s democratized program, Ms. Guinness said she planned to attend only the shows of close friends this year.

Guests were finally seated and treated to a three-course meal, although in true fashion-world form there were a great many untouched desserts. Brief speeches were given by people involved in the Couture Council and Fashion Institute of Technology, and Ms. Wintour introduced Valentino, who received not one but two standing ovations. He expressed his gratitude for the award through his thick Italian accent. “This is a very important award … I am very flattered and grateful,” the designer said in his acceptance speech.

Shortly after, guests readied their umbrellas as they walked down the grand marble staircase and out into the wet summer afternoon.

eknutsen@observer.com

Mr. Morgan.

Last night, just as Madison Avenue began to swell with eager fashionistas and fashionistos for Fashion's Night Out, The Observer ducked out of the crowded street and into the Valentino boutique.  Yes, there was the extravaganza at Bergdorf's and the trick-or-treat carnival down in Soho, but that didn't matter. At Valentino, it was karaoke night.

As soon as we arrived, we ran into Carlos Souza, famed jeweler and vice president of PR for the legendary fashion house, who asked us if we were planning to sing. We quickly declined, but had to ask, why karaoke in the first place?

“Karaoke is so popular,” said Mr. Souza, in his charming Brazilian accent. “It really brings people together and puts them in a good mood”.

But, of course, there was more to it than that. It turns out that Valentino himself has a penchant for karaoke. When Anne Hathaway -- or "Annie," as Mr. Souza calls her -- visited Valentino on his boat in Capri this summer, she brought him a karaoke machine as a gift, and Valentino became enthralled.

“During the holidays, people were looking around, asking 'Where is Valentino?' He was alone in the salon singing karaoke by himself!”

And since the Stiller Foundation, Ben Stiller’s charity organization, emphasizes the education and welfare of children, they decided to make it a family karaoke night. Indeed, family was prevalent at the boutique, as parents and their children (from babies to adults) joined together over drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

On display was the Valentino “T-Shirt Couture for the Stiller Foundation” signature T-Shirt, a nude stretch jersey with lace detail, made for both women and young girls.  Half of the t-shirt’s sales will go to the Stiller Foundation.

Finally, after a few glasses of champagne, the invitees were ready to sing.

“What’s up what’s up?” boomed Tracy Morgan, our Master of Ceremonies for the evening, over the loudspeaker. “You know what karaoke stands for? In Japanese, it means the real singer’s not here yet.”

Mr. Morgan did a great job of hyping up the crowd before introducing Mr. Souza, who sang "The Girl from Ipanema" with a teenage girl in braces and facepaint. While they sang, we took the opportunity to catch up with Vogue social editor Chloe Malle (a former Observer writer) who was waiting for her mom, Candice Bergen, to arrive.

“I feel like [Fashion Week] is the real hurricane that everyone has to get ready for," Ms. Malle said. Everyone’s like ‘Are you ready for next week?’ You have to batten down the hatches.”

So how has she prepared for the storm ahead? “I tried to sleep for 48 hours. Now I’m good to go.”

Bergen then arrived, sharply dressed in a black flared-leg pantsuit with a FNO t-shirt to match her daughter’s. “I have to wear it,” said Malle, “and my mother wanted one because they’re very soft.”

So with their matching outfits, The Observer wondered, could we expect them to sing a duet?

Ms. Malle was enthusiastic about singing, Ms. Bergen less so. “I’m going to try very hard not to,” Ms. Bergen said with a grin. So Ms. Malle was to sing on behalf of the family, and she decided to go with Aretha Franklin. “It’s unspecified which song yet, but I said any number would be appropriate. It’s far too bold but that’s never stopped me before.”

Some minutes later, Malle stepped behind the microphone and belted out “Respect.”

Around then, Valentino himself made a brief appearance.

Unfortunately, he didn’t sing.

We weren’t disappointed, though. Former Fugees member Pras showed up, and joined Morgan at the karaoke machine to sing “Killing Me Softly” and “Ghetto Superstar." Pras rapped his verses while Mr. Morgan sung the chorus. The 30 Rock star mis-sung some of the words, but hey, the guy does a great Mya impression! The audience, both the parents and their teenagers, sang along.

Suddenly, Natalie Cole arrived, surprising everyone, and sang "Unfortgettable" for the crowd.

But amidst all the karaoke fun, Ben Stiller was nowhere to be seen. He and wife Christine Taylor arrived just as the party was coming to an end, and were instantly swarmed by photographers.

Morgan left his emcee duties to come say hello. By now, his navy sweater had come off, and he had soaked through his undershirt with sweat.

Hors d'oeuvres were gone and the guests began to clear out. As we made to leave -- other parties, of course -- Mr. Souza grabbed us.

“Write that it was the funniest party ever," he said.

We think he meant ‘funnest.' We're still not sure -- his accent, as we said, was a bit strong. But either way, Mr. Souza was right. Karaoke does bring people together.

Valentino

Three years after the acclaimed biopic Valentino: The Last Emperor was released, the designer has declared that he is considering the possibility of a Broadway show about his life.

"We're looking at the possibility of taking my story to Broadway, as a musical," Valentino told Italian newspaper La Republica (via the Telegraph).

The designer told the paper that he was at times uncomfortable with how he was portrayed in the biopic.  "I came across as a despot," he told the paper,  admitting that the film received rave reviews nonetheless. Well, with the possibility of a show headed to the Great White Way, Valentino can concoct a  whole new singing, dancing image.

Here's the short list of who we think should play the designer if the musical does indeed come to fruition:

George Hamilton.

This handbag kills recessions.

Rip! SL Green and Jeff Sutton continue their collective tear through New York commercial real estate, contracting to buy the Valentino store at 747 Madison Avenue for nearly $65 million, according to Lois Weiss at The Post.

The luxury clothier's 10-year lease is up soon, meaning there's an opportunity to raise the rent something fierce.
So it's no surprise, then, that SL Green, the city's biggest commercial landlord (we know, we ran the numbers), and Mr. Sutton, perhaps the city's biggest retail landlord you've never heard of, would buy it.

It's all about the handbags on this little island of ours.

SL Green and Mr. Sutton have been on a tear of late: Last week, they signed Dolce & Gabbana and Escada to major leases in 717 Fifth Avenue (the Dolce deal might be worth $300 million); and they bought 1552 Broadway for $130 million.

Still, the latest deals seem less a capitalizing on a chastened real estate market than on an abiding faith in luxury retail and the shoppers which power it.

Even now, with cats and dogs living together economically: Wall Street is about to see massive layoffs. The city's housing market continues to recover in fits and starts. And the local and national unemployment rates have stayed so relatively high for so long now that Important People speak of a New Normal of near-double-digit joblessness.

Will New Yorkers need their $1,995 handbags much longer?

Well... Perhaps two of the city's savvier real estate investors know the answer.

tacitelli@observer.com :: Follow on Twitter @tacitelli

“I think ruffles are girly and playful,” said Ms. Hearn.

Except that the new ruffle is quite serious business. Bold and stiff, often folded like an accordion, it’s nothing like the floppy, Little House on the Prairie–ish furbelows of yore.

Phillip Lim, a designer known for his clean-cut structuring and modernizing of basic ideas, filled his fall 2009 runway with ruffles. He opened his show with a crisp light blue overcoat with rigid ruffles streaming along both flaps of the jacket from top to bottom. And he didn’t stop there, showing blouses with elevated ruffles along the sleeves and overly dramatized ruffles down the front—very Christopher Columbus. Mr. Lim turned down an interview request made by The Observer, leading us to speculate wildly: perhaps he is imagining women on a new path of voyage and discovery?

Some, when they think of ruffles, immediately flash on Mozart and Bach and other famous dead white men. Maybe Queen Elizabeth. The design dates back to the 15th century, but while it originated with men in a peacock-like phase of their evolution, the design in more recent years has been consistently associated with femininity.

However, the “new” ruffle being used by a diverse group of designers is far from the flirty, frilly one that we picture on our grandmothers. This arguably improved ruffle is much more structured and rigid—the prototypical city woman’s armor. No longer are ruffles simply embellishments: They now make a statement, and it’s a strong one. “It gives the wearer a sense of empowerment, something you won’t get from the traditional, flirty, romantic ruffle,” said Jenna Andreola Lonstein, a designer for Anlo.

Anlo, which began as a denim line, is branching into other kinds of sportswear, most notably different types of silk tops covered in—you guessed it—ruffles.

In the August issue of Vogue magazine, the concept was categorized as cool and classic “origami.” The pieces displayed, by Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan, were extremely unyielding and severe—but in a good way.

Ms. Karan’s strapless burgundy dress had flat ruffles layered on top of one another on both the top and bottom of the bustier; Mr. Jacobs’ deep blue top had a fitted body with a sharp “new” ruffle jetting out of the top.

Meanwhile, the iconic Valentino uses ruffles consistently, but he really went overboard with his fall 2009 collection, sending more than one black dress made entirely out of ruffles down the runway, a sort of last triumphant explosion before his retirement, perhaps.

It’s not just high-end designers who are taking this trim to new heights. Topshop was carrying a short-sleeved dress adorned with the new ruffle for $80 and a gray sweater with ruffles across the entire body and sleeves for $90. Nearby, H&M has a long-sleeved button-up shirt with ruffles along the buttons for $40.

And J. Crew, the classic American brand favored on more than one important occasion by first lady Michelle Obama, is showing a fall line featuring the new ruffle from head to toe, as if to lend us all a sense of pomp and ceremony as we gird ourselves for fall. “The dramatic ruffle detail gives a woman a sense of femininity, but it is more modern—it’s the evolution of a more romantic feel and a movement toward architecture,” said Tom Mora, vice president of women’s sales for J. Crew. “It has a much more sharp, crisp feel.”

editorial@observer.com

After 79 years, the 21 Club has abandoned its necktie requirement for men. Jackets, however, must stay on for now. [NY Times] 

Valentino Garavani is "categorically denying" that he maintains any designing input into the Valentino label, from which he is retired. [Vogue UK] 

Eleven Minutes, a documentary about Project Runway season one winner Jay McCarroll, will be released February 20. People's Revolution head Kelly Cutrone reportedly appears in it. [Fashionista]

The Target Corporation will lay off over 600 people at its Minneapolis and St. Paul headquarters. [WWD] 

Janie Bryant, the costume designer for the AMC show Mad Men, may be at work her own collection. [Glamour via Racked] 

Scott Sternberg of Band of Outsiders says talking about the brand you're wearing is "gay." And talking about how much money you saved on it is even worse. [Details via Racked]   

Tom Ford has introduced a $990 jean made from Japanese selvedge denim, silk-lined pockets and a front button plated with 18-karat gold. [WWD] 

This year, Valentino will stream its Spring 2009 Haute Couture show at Le Grand Ampitheatre de la Sorbonne at its boutiques around the world. [Vogue UK]