Karl Lagerfeld meant it when he said in our video interview that he had a new proportion for Chanel RTW. The attitude and the mood of that proportion is "we are longer and leaner than anyone else."We suppose that is why the models looked so tiny against the giant 2.55 purses. And as he said it was not overcharged with details. And while Karl, ever the marketing genius, had a few new "it" items like the little beret and the two colored stocking, the collection itself was not overcharged. The message was loud, clear, and slim.

Cruise 2009 shows are nearly upon us and judging from Chanel's extravaganza last season in the Santa Monica airplane hanger they will be leading the pack this season as well. For Chanel Cruie 2009 Karl Lagerfeld is taking the brand to Andre Balazs luxe Miami hotel, The Raleigh on May 15, where Lagerfeld’s ladies will apparently be making good use of the pool. Chanel has released a 22 second teaser podcast to tantalizing rabid fans and give us poor daily editors some content.

The extravagance of cruise season has become a little alarming. We are half expecting a giant Chanel branded above ground pool with the models wading through a watery catwalk honestly. With the constant media attention to what feels like a never ending parade of Fashion Weeks, larger fashion houses are leveraging every opportunity to get their message across. And Chanel is taking better advantage than most of the intense scrutiny with their impressive new digital presence. With Cruise season just around the corner we will certainly be paying attention. But then we already feel like we got a jump on what indulgent off season trends are most important thanks to Australia Fashion Week. We expect that the only ground breaking Chanel Cruise 2009 will do is for some elaborate installation. And just for memories sake we are including a host of images from Chanel Cruise 2008.

Karl Lagerfeld has launched his first bag collection under his own name. Manufactured in collaboration with the Accessory Network Group, the holiday/resort collection features a mostly black, white and beige palette with occasional pops of color (hazard-cone orange, midnight blue). ANG is also responsible for Vera Wang's bags and as much as we love a little tulle we admit this doesn't exactly scream prestige. But with wholesale prices from $250 for a clutch tp $1,510 for a shearling carry all we are guessing they are going for the big guns. And with little K logos woven into the design maybe the Kaiser can make them iconic.

Isabella Fiori was acquired by Fab Starpoint a licensed kids' accessories company. We don't quite see the connection between selling pop tart paraphernalia and luxury handbags but cash is king.

We are sad to hear that now isn't the time for Nau with an homage to the brand from Eric Wilson.

Apparently natural is just as hard to achieve as perfection. In what is unlikely to be a surprise to anyone, it is revealed that the Dove Real Beauty advertisements were in fact the product of photoshop

Ralph Rucci will be awarded with a National Design Award by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum. With rabid fans and yet surprisingly little hype, Ralph Rucci is beloved by real fashion lovers everywhere and we couldn't be happier.

Jans Laugesen showed his A/W 08 collection today at London Fashion Week. Laugesen's collections are currently sold at London's cutting edge Dover Street Market, and are destined to be featured in the next pop up at Earnest Sewn in New York. Laugesen has channeled a slim, masculine silhouette for his fall 08 collection. The aesthetic is not unlike Karl Lagerfeld's personal style where strong shoulder tailoring, leather gloves, and high necklines make for a Bladerunner meets Bullfighter style. Laugesen's collection is also align with the mood of London Fashion Week which has proven to be much more severe than that of New York. Frankly, if you're long and lean (and shy away from anything described with the words 'rosette' or 'bubble') this collection is your ticket to fall 08.