Poor Gwynnie. Her Vogue cover issue was their lowest selling issue of the entire year so far. Maybe that's because nobody realized it was a picture of her on the cover -- she was Photoshopped until she looked like a wax statue that just vaguely resembled Gwyneth Paltrow.

The August and September issues of Vogue magazine are some of the most highly regarded in the industry. The cover girls are almost always worthy and the spreads inside tend to be equally epic.

They are also legendarily filled to capacity with fashion ads.

So, to make sure his Fall '08 collection gets a chance to shine, designer Oscar de la Renta is running his ads, exclusively, in Vogue a month in advance of his competition.

If there is one thing we know about Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, it's the fact that she loves herself some Coco Rocha.

Ouch! This had to sting. Rachel Zoe was on the original guest list for the uber-huge event, the Metropolitan Museum of Art costume ball. But she has now been uninvited by Anna Wintour.

Next month, chic men and women of all walks of life will descend upon the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the name of fashion and fabulousity.

This year, the Met has chosen "Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy" as the theme of its annual Spring exhibit.

Co-chaired by Giorgio Armani, George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, the exhibit will feature 70 ensembles inspired by such comic-book characters as Catwoman, Wonder Woman, the X-Men, and many more.

It's no secret that Anna Wintour loves some tennis, but last night the editor-in-chief sat courtside with her boyfriend Shelby Bryan at the Knicks versus Cavaliers game.

Wearing a casual top, jeans (yes, jeans!), and brown leather riding boots, Wintour was there as a guest of Lebron James -- whom she had dinner with the night before.

And what did the new B.F.F's talk about over their high-protein meals? Fashion, of course! Apparently, Lebron told la Wintour all about his weakness for Ralph Lauren suits and disclosed that he wears a brand-new pair of sneakers before every game.

So, what gives Anna? Why the sudden love for the NBA, its scandalous referees and chiseled-bodied players?

Well, according to the NYPost, Mr. James will be on the April cover with Gisele Bundchen for the annual "shape issue."

In the words of Victoria Beckham, that's "major!" As a fan of both sports and fashion, I couldn't be more excited about this upcoming issue. The accompanying editorial featuring the supermodel and sports icon should be amazing.

Like any year, 2007 was full of memorable, and oh-so-forgettable, fashion moments. The casual fashionista probably noticed H&M, Target, and other mainstream retailers stopped carrying the annoyingly bold, 80s-inspired fashions that'd been a staple for far too long, opting instead for a re-invention of the 90s -- grunge, grime, and even retro-gaming were big in the second half of the year.

But what were the foul-ups -- the big industry issues that, regardless of major trends, will live on in infamy? According to Eric Wilson at the NY Times, these were the worst of the worst:

• Vera Wang's cameo on Ugly Betty
• The ultra-thin model controversy, and the almost complete lack of any non-white models on catwalks and magazine covers
• Wedding gowns based on Disney characters
• The "I am not a plastic bag" obsession
• Anna Wintour's appearance on Stardoll

Agreed -- all of that was awful.

What were your most-hated fashion happenings in 2007?

Ever thought to yourself: "for the editor of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour sure does dress like crap." Well, now's your chance to show the world how you'd do better!

Your friends at Stardoll have created an Anna Wintour doll that you can dress up to your heart's content. Granted, this is only digital, and will probably have very little impact on how the real Anna dresses, but with every genius outfit you select for your favorite fashion editor, you feel just a little more justified in constantly bragging to all your friends that you "could so totally do a better job running Vogue. Like, without really trying."

Plus, the added benefit is that before you dress her up, you get to see Anna in her underoos!

You know, if you're into that sort of thing.

[via Gawker]

It's never a good idea to taunt a fashion goddess. If you don't recall Rachel Zoe's comment about Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, let me remind you:

"Anna Wintour is one of my heroes, but they say I'm more influential . . . As great as it is, Vogue won't change a designer's business. But if an unknown brand is worn by a certain person in a tabloid, it will be the biggest designer within a week."

Now uou just don't say stuff like that. Call it karma; call it whatever you want, but Rachel Zoe got what she deserved for that remark. Page Six reports that Rachel Zoe's long time agency, Magnet, has dropped her.

Why? A secret spy to Page Six says, "They didn't want to anger Anna and Anna is more important to work with."

Rachel seems to taking getting dumped pretty well (remember her and Nicole Richie's fashion break-up?) by saying, "I left Magnet because I am now repped solely by Todd Shemarya for styling and branding. I love Magnet, and there is no drama surrounding it." Uh-huh. Sure.

On an unrelated note, Zoe's Beverly Hills home was broken into, and thousands of dollars worth of clothing was stolen. Lesson to walk away with? Don't mess with Anna -- even if she had nothing to do with the break-in.

For the small percentage of people who won't be enjoying the last days of summer grilling out on the patio, shopping the Labor Day sales, or soaking in those last bits of sunshine, boy, do I have something for you.
A reading list.

Sure you probably won't find these books on any back-to-school summer reading list, but these books are fashionable and fun reads. Isn't that what summer is all about. Put down your US Weekly and pick up a book.

For the shoe lover, pick up this piece of "shoe porn" called New Shoes. This book will blow your mind. It's the next best thing to designer shoe shopping spree. Another stand out from the list is Model. I read Model back in college and was shocked by how dirty the fashion industry could really be (now I know better). Speaking of college, 9 Heads is fantastic. It is actually a text book that teaches fashion illustration, so if you are into drawing this is a must have. The Devil Wears Prada was a hit on the big screen but to me it was a bigger hit in print. Read this book, it is much different than the movie.

Happy reading and happy Labor Day.

I don't doubt that some people have wanted to attack Anna Wintour, the infamous editor of Vogue, but she has shown up on an official hit list. Peter Braunstein, who once wrote for Women's Wear Daily, and who is currently on trial for posing as a firefighter and attacking a co-worker on Halloween in 2005, had a personal manifesto of craziness that referenced Wintour.

The NY Post reports that in court on Monday, the prosecution revealed that Wintour was mentioned on his list. The defense asked that Wintour's mention in the manifesto be redacted from testimony but the judge declined. The judge did redact Braustein's writings about the Son of Sam and the Columbine attacks. In his writings Braunstein calls Wintour a "skank" and threatens to kill her in a way that would be intimate rather than shooting her. He also mentioned that in hell, she wouldn't need her fur coats. Scary stuff. I definitely have a lot of sympathy for the devil who wears Prada.

It's not every day that major media company comes out against another major media company. Newspapers and Magazines may bicker over the details, but for the most part, the publishing industry is a unified force.

Once in a while, a rogue writer will speak out against the club. New York Times fashion reporter Cathy Horyn recently wrote a post on her blog in which she disparages the world's most revered fashion magazine, Vogue. Horn's well-reasoned beef with the Wintour-world is simple: Vogue has grown increasingly out of touch and irrelevant. She writes:

"There's way too much focus in the fashion world on money and celebrity lifestyle, and a media functioning as the new service class is partly to blame. American Vogue has made this its bread and butter, influencing what the industry thinks. Vogue is very successful and, at the same time, it's old and out-of-touch. The magazine has always done a credible job covering the arts and politics (thanks to Julia Reed), but even allowing for the fact that wealth is historically part of its turf, the magazine doesn't give you a new experience consonant with the changes in American life. It gives you old business: daughters with lucky DNA in New York or L.A. If I was an entrepreneur or a creative person in Silicon Valley, or Austin, or Seattle, why would I care?"

To me, Horyn's critique is spot on. Vogue magazine feels like some archaic social club that in no way resonates with the experience of most women. I mean, really, who cares what the Hearst girls are wearing these days? As much as Vogue would like us to believe in the essential tackiness of places outside of New York and people who earned their money in the last 15 years, I just don't buy it.

What do you think? Is Vogue out of touch?

According to the New York Post, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has taken her discriminating sense of fashion and applied it to language. Just as Wintour has put the kibosh on celebrity designers in her magazine, she has put the kibosh on the word 'blog'. As Vogue gears up for its bright new media future, Wintour has run up against the net term. In her quest to avoid 'blog', she's even gone so far as to ask her staff to come up with a new term for the concept.

It's rare for me to agree with old Anna, but in this situation we're in lock step with one another. If you want to know why, it's the 'og' phoneme that really bugs me, not the blog itself.

So Anna, if your crackerjack staff comes up with something better, let me know.

[via New York Post]

Miranda Priestly may have made an appearance at the Oscars, but the original devil, Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, was no where to be found.

Shying away from the film industry's big night, Anna decided to make alternative plans for Oscar weekend. According to Hilary Alexander's blog over at the Telegraph Online, Wintour decided to duck across the pond to take in a performance of the play Equus in London. If you haven't heard about this production, the classic drama stars Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame. But bigger than Harry Potter's West End debut has been the publicity posters, which feature a partially nude but very hunky Radcliffe.

It's not often that I agree with Anna, but if I were given the choice between seeing Daniel Craig in a tuxedo or Daniel Radcliffe blinding a horse in the buff, I'd make the same decision!

Some people bring their animals to Fashion Week, Andre Leon Talley and Anna Wintour from Vogue prefer to wear theirs. The photo here shows the pair at the Calvin Klein show keeping the cold of New York Fasion Week at bay with fur scarfs. You have to hand it Andre and Anna for courage they are both unashamed fur wearers, undeterred by past PETA attacks and protests. I imagine it only takes an animal or two to cover Anna's scrawny neck but my goodness how many animals (skunks maybe?) gave their lives for the fabulousness of Andre Leon Talley. I'm a big fan of ALT but I wish he'd stick to those sweepingly elegant coats of his and skip the fur.