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Le Jour D'AvantFashion, frenzy and last-minute freakouts share the stage in upcoming documentary series "Le Jour D'Avant" (The Day Before). Director Loïc Prigent captures the 36 frantic hours of last-minute prep leading up to the runway presentations of four grand fashion houses: Karl Lagerfeld's Fendi, Sonia Rykiel, Jean Paul Gaultier and Proenza Schouler. A thrilling, cinema-verite investigation that turns the composed face of the fashion world inside out. DVD release February 2010.
 ChairmanPharrell's latest side project: the cheeky "Tank" and "Perspective" chairs, on exhibit next week at Art Basel Miami. For those of us who can't get enough of the Billionaire Boys Club head's bold, witty designs. Check out his latest wearable creations at SSENSE. Photos via Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin.
 ContemporaryDanish photographer Henrik Bülow keeps it current with a polished, fashion-forward aesthetic that still retains its edge.
 Introducing: Giorgio BratoJust in: hand-crafted Italian luxury from Giorgio Brato. Heritage craftsmanship meets cutting-edge styling in a line of specially dyed nappa leather bags that will turn you against synthetics for good. Shop quality you can't fake at SSENSE.
Launch My LineThe search for the next
FantasticWhat's not to love about our favorite director taking on a childhood classic? Wes Anderson's "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a great time and - costume design, anyone? - our dark-horse pick for the year's best fashion movie.
 A Magazine Curated By...Biannual fashion tome A MAGAZINE cuts the filler and gives us what we really want: an entire magazine devoted to the passions, stories, emotions, and fascinations of a favorite designer or fashion house. Guest curators including Yohji Yamamoto, Kris van Assche and Maison Martin Margiela take you inside their creative sphere with exclusive, personalized content and collaborations. Browse back issues, blog features and more at A MAGAZINE.
 Pencil It InKris van Assche collaborates with illustrator Andrea Mastrovito on a dreamy, pencil-sketched Winter campaign that makes us want to fire our photo department. Soft lines and subtle shading complement the designer's strong silhouettes. Wondering what to wear with your sketchbook? Get the perfect outfit at SSENSE. Photos via View on Fashion.
 Wild WestBess takes inspiration from the sunsets, sand and seasonal rebirth of the American West in its Spring 2010 "Badlands" collection. Focusing on raw materials and natural textures, the collection strikes a winning balance between nostalgia and modernity, walking the line between vintage with a raw, new edge. Break the look in at SSENSE. Photos via Hommeboy.net.
 Back to BasicsRag & Bone goes back to its roots for Spring 2010 with a collection that rejects high-concept themes in favor of fundamentals like fit, versatility, and simple simplicity. Effortless suiting details and a strong neutral palette evoke the duo's core style of "English, military-school heritage mixed with a utilitarian, made-in-America ethos." Get the look at SSENSE. Photos from style.com.
 Chateau GabrielYves Saint-Laurent's estate goes up for a second round of auctions, this time focusing on the contents of the designer's Brittany Chateau Gabriel. Decorated on the theme of Marcel Proust's novel cycle "In Search of Lost Time," the chateau is a meticulous recreation of a lavish belle époque mansion. The sale provides a final, paradoxical glimpse into Saint-Laurent's private world: a nostalgia-filled retreat for the man whose forward-thinking designs defined the 20th-century woman. Photos from Marianne Haas and Christie's Images.
 Michael Stipe x Maison Martin MargielaNecklace? Eye patch? Ear protector? However you wear it, we love this limited-edition jewelry piece designed for Maison Martin Margiela by the former REM front man. The simple silver micro cassette sculpture features a chain made of unwound tape - perfect for strapping on and taking your outfit from chic to boundary-breaking. Photos from Hint Fashion Magazine.
 The Foster TwinsBaldovino Barani's latest editorial for Milk X Magazine stars Juliet Wesley and Brandon Wilson as a pair of androgynous twins facing life's darker side. Captivating, atmospheric, chilling.
 New Arrivals: T by Alexander WangEnd your quest for the perfect white t-shirt: shop Alexander Wang's impeccably tweaked basics collection, T Alexander Wang, at SSENSE. Photos from Alexander Wang.
 Soft FocusPhotographer Aneta Bartos shoots only on film to create haunting, painterly portraits with a distinctive ethereal style.
 HangupsThe recyclable, biodegradable Green Hanger finally provides an eco-friendly alternative to standard wire.
A Single ManTom Ford trades the drawing board for the director's chair with "A Single Man," an upcoming drama directed, co-written and co-produced by the former Gucci and YSL head. The "most personal thing" Ford has ever done, the film stars Colin Firth as a British college professor struggling to remake his life in 1960's Los Angeles after the death of his longtime partner. "A thing of heart-stopping beauty... Tom Ford is the real deal." Opening worldwide December 11th.
 Behind the ScenesFashion photographer Anne Combaz captures the reality of runway prep in up-close-and-personal portraits of models backstage before fashion shows.
 New arrivals: DRKSHDWTear the last page off your countdown calendar, obsessively refresh the New Arrivals for a final time and shop the latest from Rick Owens DRKSHDW at SSENSE.
 CompositionWe love: quietly stunning photography by Brazilian Marcio Simnch.
 Gemma Ward Calls It Quits22 year old Australian supermodel Gemma Ward announced her official departure from modeling this week. The New York based model was romantically linked to Heath Ledger and disappeared from the fashion industry shortly following his death in 2008. As one of the world's top earning supermodels, Ward's fawnlike beauty will be missed.
 Soundsuits"Wearable art" becomes literal with Soundsuits, a collection of Chicago textile artist Nick Cave's body-concealing sculpture pieces. The suits incorporate hair, sticks, sequins, plastic flowers, cloth, toys and other unexpected found materials to stunning visual effect. Equally reminiscent of African ceremonial costumes and the famous Yves Saint Laurent coccoon dress, Cave's Soundsuits are a virtuosic blend of sculpture and haute couture. At UCLA's Fowler Museum starting January 2010.
 Plugged InThe must-have accessory for traveling during fashion week? The, new, innovative UK plug, of course. Redesigned by Royal College of Art graduate Min-Kyu Choi. the slim and sleek folding and rotating elements reduce the standard-sized plug to a slender ten millimeters, the width of a MacBook Air.
 Introducing: Erin Wasson x RVCAChic grunge looks are the focus in Erin Wasson's latest collection for California streetwear label RVCA. The Texan supermodel's legendary low-key style is the inspiration for this versatile collection of boyfriend jeans, denim vests, distressed tees and other wardrobe staples - and the creative force giving them that crucial extra punch of attitude. New at SSENSE!
 Sunday Drive"Sunday Drive," the final project of the late fashion photographer Luke Smalley, arrives at New York's ClampArt gallery. The lavishly photographed narrative series tells the story of three young women getting dressed to go see their boyfriends at the state penitentiary. Smalley juxtaposes the boys' dire situation with the girls' preoccupation over one of life's eternal questions: what to wear? At ClampArt through December 19th.
 Damien Hirst x LivestrongSport and art world all-stars Lance Armstrong and Damien Hirst teamed up on a bicycle that raised $500,000 at auction for Armstrong's Livestrong charity last Sunday. The Madone Trek bike, rode by Armstrong in the last leg of this year's Tour de France, was customized with Hirst's signature real butterflies. How do we recommend the buyer accessorize? With a pair of Alexander Wang bike shorts, of course.
 Cycle ChicAmid flack from skeptics, Alexander Wang defends the $395 price tag of his FW 09 bike shorts: "People look at that and go 'Oh, those are biker shorts.' But the yarn we use is from Italy, the technique is digital weaving, there's a lot that goes into product development that the consumer doesn't necessarily always understand. And for the people that do understand it, they do get into it, they buy it, and those are the people I'm speaking to. And there will always be people that don't understand what you're doing, but I'm not here to satisfy everyone." We know what we'll be wearing on the bike path this spring: Shop Alexander Wang.
 TheatricsMarc Jacobs breaks the fourth wall with a dramatically inspired Spring collection. "If last season was a trip back in time to the eighties," says Jacobs, "this was a trip to the theater, the ballet, the opera." Inflections of kabuki, Broadway and classic pantomime make for a truly spectacular effect. Get into character at SSENSE.
 Shoes or No Shoes?Shoe junkies in need of reassurance should pay a visit to Shoes Or No Shoes?, a footwear museum and archive that will make anyone's Louboutin habit look reasonable in comparison. The Belgian-housed collection includes more than 2,700 pairs of tribal and ethnological shoes, 1,200 pairs of conceptual "is it a shoe?" shoes, and a sprawling assortment of Blahniks, Ferragamos and other iconic designer styles.
 Catwalk CatsCollections, campaigns, creativity and catfights: we love "Catwalk Cats," a feline-themed diary of drawings and photographs from high fashion power couple Grace Coddington and Didier Malige. The creative director of U.S. Vogue and the noted hair stylist retell twenty years of insider gossip from the perspective of their five cats, Henri, Coco, Baby, Puff and Bart. Coddington's drawings and Malige's photographs are a delightful tribute to family, felines, love and fashion. steidville.com
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