StyleSpy with Katrina Szish

Betsey Johnson is the pop-culture princess of New York Fashion Week...not to mention the fashion industry's fountain of youth.  I stopped by the celebration -- and spoke to some celebs -- just 10 minutes before Betsey's Spring 2009 runway show...

As always, Betsey ended her show with a running runway cartwheel...she admits she always practices the morning of the show.  Pretty impressive for a grandmother of two !

Style Spy sends a huge XOXO to Betsey Johnson!  SMOOCH!

I broke it all down with my pals at CNN.com...

Check out more fab celeb pix from Fashion Week HERE!

I spoke with Michael Kors just before his runway show Wednesday morning...

Just as New York Fashion Week ends, another style marathon will begin -- this one about fashion's past rather than fashion's future. 

On Saturday, September 13th, Lifetime Television debuts "Coco Chanel," a three-hour original movie starring Oscar-winner Shirley Maclaine.

Talk about pressure for costume designer Pierre-Yves Gayraud, having the task of re-outfitting one of the best-outfitted women of all time.  Raid the archives, you say?  One would think, however no vintage Chanel garments were used in the film.

"I created around 70 costumes," Gayraud explains.  "All the photographs documenting her work were a huge source of inspiration.  I prepared a large look book of Chanel designs and created the wardrobe according to the different periods in the script."

ABOVE LEFT: Barbora Bobulova portrays a young Chanel.

ABOVE RIGHT:  One of Gayraud's sketches.

Gayraud adds:  "I hope the audience who did not know her before will now realize that the beginning of what we think of as ‘street wear’ came from a brilliant and inspired poor little girl from Aubazine, France.  The viewer should know that the sweatshirt of ‘today,’ is just the child of the jersey sailor blouse of Chanel."

I caught up with best buds Justin Timberlake and Trace Ayala backstage before their William Rast show at Roseland Ballroom.  Both handsome guys were feeling under the weather; Justin told me he felt like he had "swallowed twenty razor blades."  Ouch!  But, that didn't stop him from dishing out some good-natured teasing...

Texas native Julie Haus staged her first-ever runway show today in a lofty, sun-drenched penthouse just south of Bryant Park, and she's clearly a natural. 

Backstage, Haus calmly steamed clothes, chatted with reporters, and checked in with the make-up team from The Balm and hair genius Oscar Blandi, who masterminded models' tousled 'dos.

Meanwhile, in the front of the house, a handsome team of black-clad men offered chatty guests Martini & Rossi Prosecco and bottled water, while Julie Haus-clad Leighton Meester (who complimented me on my dress), Molly Sims and Jamie-Lynn Siegler took their seats next to "Lipstick Jungle"'s Robert Buckley and "Gossip Girl"'s Matthew Settle.

Haus quietly launched her namesake collection four years ago and quickly garnered an impressive fan base.  Though always a whiz with textiles (she creates her own prints and patterns), Haus' typically girlish clothes felt more grown-up for her runway debut. 

She describes the look as "tough and funky" and has in mind a woman who can put anything on and instantly look chic yet unstudied.  Jules Smith designer Gina Negrelli (who also boasts a hefty A-list following including Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameron Diaz and Angelina Jolie), created an exclusive jewelry collection inspired by Haus.  Edgy-but-sweet heart bracelets and oversized sunburst necklaces were a perfect match with Haus' vision.

I'm already looking forward to next season's show.

Young designers got their big runway moment last night at Gen Art's annual Fresh Faces fashion show.  Newly back-to-TV-land Shannen Doherty (Brenda!!) hosted the event, which showcased the Spring 2009 collections from 12 emerging designers. 




Even better, you can shop straight off the runway TODAY.  Gen Art and YOOX are featuring 15 pieces from each designer's collections in 5 different sizes per piece on YOOX.com.  A selection from JF and Sons is available now.

Here, runway highlights from Gen Art's 14th Annual Fresh Faces show:

Majorly cute stuff!

Retro cruisers are devastatingly chic...especially when they have designer labels and are attached to GG's Blair Waldorf (the lovely Leighton Meester). 

Image from Glam.com

Yep, Blair's bike, spied in yesterday's season premiere of "Gossip Girl" is a limited edition beach cruiser by Cynthia Rowley and came straight from her Spring 2008 runway.

Go to CynthiaRowley.com to order yours...

Michelle Obama upped her burgeoning style star status last night in Denver, where she chose to wear an on-trend, yet appropriate art-print dress from It-designer Thakoon Panichgul (Kate Bosworth is a fan).

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Panichgul, of course, is pleased: “I am incredibly honored that Michelle Obama chose to wear a dress from my collection on such a historical night for her, her family and this country.”

SIDE NOTE:

While the presidential race heats up, so does the race for most-fashionable- woman-to-potentially-land-in-the-White-House.  According to a recent CNN update, John McCain has officially chosen the "Hottest Governor in America," Sarah Palin of Alaska, as his running mate.  Game on!

Calling all fashion-philes in New York, Paris, London, Milan, Tokyo and Hong Kong:  Take to the streets on September 6th, and you might get a free YSL totebag.

Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati's third "Manifesto" will be widely distributed on this day (over half a million copies), but for the first time, the first 5,000 passers-by in each city will score a limited edition cotton tote designed by Pilati. 

Destined to replace the "I'm Not A Plastic Bag" grocery tote as the ultimate green-chic It-Bag (sorry, Anya), Pilati's Marxist approach to the dissemination of design turns the notion of luxury labels on its head -- an irony not lost on the designer, who chose to literally turn the YSL logo on its head.

What, you may ask, exactly is this Manifesto?  Here's your answer, straight from the press release:

"This democratic revelation of Stefano Pilati’s fashion message for Yves Saint Laurent, coupled with a traditional print campaign, continues a multidimensional platform for communication that began two seasons ago, and simultaneously forwards a legacy of broadening the world of fashion and taking it to the street."

Shame on everyone out there who considers fashion mere frippery!

The Manifesto features Naomi Campbell decked out in the new Fall/Winter collection, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin.  A short behind-the-scenes film and the Manifesto images will debut exclusively on ysl.com on the same day.

Here, an exclusive sneak-peek of Naomi in action...

P.S.
For those of you in NYC, please be reminded (warned?) that the international fashion community will have descended upon our fair city for New York Fashion Week...those bags are going to go FAST.  Hmmm, any guesses as to where those Manifestos will be distributed?  Perhaps near Bryant Park??