Haute couture shows used to be only for the eyes of the fashion elite, but thanks to the wonders of the internet, now we're all able to enjoy the glorious fashion that comes down the runway. Givenchy showed their Fall-Winter 2009 Haute Couture collection this week and the clothes were pretty sweet!

A new BBC show is ready to challenge the fashion world's notions about marketable beauty. Britain's Missing Top Model, like American's Next Top Model and the ilk, brings together several beauties and puts them through a series of competitions where they have to use real life modeling "skills." The winner is awarded with an exclusive photo spread in Marie Claire, and presumably lasting fame and fortune.

The twist? These models all have some form of disability.

Gah. As much as we hate Heather Mills and would rather stick pins in our eyes than give her credit, perhaps all of her gawking around on Dancing With The Stars did some good.

Fashion shows are always interesting and cultural experiences -- especially when they're put on by prostitutes. In Spain, where prostitution is not legal, but largely tolerated, the ladies of the night put on a little runway show in order to draw attention to their quest for rights.

The media has been abuzz about the July issue of Italian Vogue which will feature over 150 pages dedicated exclusively to black models and stories about successful black entertainers and performers. Famed photographer Steven Meisel -- you may remember him from his Naked Madonna days -- was selected by Vogue Italia editor Franca Sozzani to shoot the issue.

The issue will feature new faces like Jourdan Dunn alongside famed beauties like Tyra Banks, Naomi Campbell and Alek Wek. Sozzani says she was inspired by Barrack Obama's historic presidential campaign. Her intention was to spark conversations about race, and to demonstrate that there is more to beauty than blond, blue eyed Russian models.

Michael Buckner is a fashion and celebrity photographer who travels around the world taking pictures on the red carpet. He gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the hottest entertainment industry events.



Thursday I shot inside all access at Billabong's Design for Humanity Fashion Show that benefited the Surfrider Foundation. I roamed on the carpet on Vine Street until the models walked down the runway to music spun by DJ Aoki. Prog rock revivalists MGMT played to a packed house.

The Surfrider Foundation is an environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the world's waves and beaches through conservation, so beach apparel was the focus.

Celebrity designers included Cory Kennedy, Lisa Kline, Jenny Han, Amber Valetta, Joy Bryant, and Charlotte Ronson. There were some throwbacks to the seventies and a tribute to the American flag to name a couple trends that Billabong hopes will catch on for Summer.

Celebrities Adrien Grenier, Cameron Richardson, Juliette Lewis, Maynard James Keenan of Tool, John Legend were on hand to catch a glimpse of the show.

Now that's what we're talking about! Alex Perry brought it to Australian Fashion Week! We love every single dress we saw.

Picture yourself at Charleston Fashion Week. Sure, it's not New York, or LA, but you've been pleasantly surprised by a few of the designers, and the friendly woman on your right recommended a darling little place to grab coffee after the show, so -- HEY! HOLY CRAP! Did that woman just disappear through the floor of the runway?

Oh yes she did.

And before you go feeling bad for laughing at some poor woman's embarrassing misfortune, you'll be delighted to know that the people of Charleston are thoroughly enjoying the attention their fashion week is receiving thanks to this now infamous runway collapse.

Check out more runway face plants after this video.

We love international fashion weeks. There's nothing better than seeing crazy, amazing clothes from relatively unknown designers, models walking down runways in cities we've never been to, and checking out the outfits on famous people we've never heard of. Work from houses outside the typical big names in fashion is always interesting. This week, I present to you, Fresh Art, showing at Russian Fashion Week.

Men of the world, please listen to me: I don't want to see your upper thigh -- and, chances are, nobody else wants to gawk at your hairy, flabby man stems either.

Yet some runway designers (and even some men's fashion blogs) are advocating a return to the kind of revealing menswear that's best left to the 1970s. Now that the spring looks we saw on runways last fall are finally making their way to the street, expect to see a little more leg from your fashion-forward buddies.

But never fear: you don't have to join this trend. There's plenty of ways to look good, stay cool, and avoid dressing like some annoyingly endogenous, American-Apparel style hipster. So have some self respect, damnit, and check out five more modest options that offer a more manly amount of coverage.

Fashion weeks are still going on around the world. Even though all the major cities are over, the rest of the globe continues to celebrate style in their own unique ways.


Tunis is one place where they have their own twist on Fashion Week. Rather than Fashion Week, they do Handicraft Week. While it's not as major of a production as say, Milan Fashion Week, Tunis designers still get to watch their creations head on down the runway .

Chances are you don't spend a lot of time strutting down runways in shockingly expensive designer clothing. But that's no reason not to pretend like you're well-dressed, hot, and totally famous.

Thanks to some easy-to-follow tips from Jessica Stam, on the fashion world's top models, you'll be the hit the party (or just turn heads walking down the street) -- mimicking the sultry saunter of ladies on the catwalk. Basically, you just need to stand up straight and walk with confidence -- but it's worth watching the video, if only because Jessica is totally adorable.

For more tips, check out the article in today's Wall Street Journal.

Guess who that is. Yep, she's George Clooney's uber gorgeous girlfriend Sarah Larson. She was called upon to model. She walked the runway during L.A. Fashion Week for Ashley Paige in a few hot one piece bathing suits.

Dating George Clooney is obviously great for her career! But seeing as how Sarah has friends in high places, you'd think that the makeup artists for Ashley Paige would have been a little bit more careful. They made Sarah look like a man!

Compare her Oscar photos with these pictures on the runway. For the Oscar's she was fresh faced and lovely. On the runway her makeup was heavy and masculine. Was that really necessary? Did they have to cover up all her pretty features in 5 pounds of makeup!?!

I'm not sure if this was just a one time gig or if Sarah actually wants to pursue full time modeling. I know that models starting out don't have a lot of say in the way they look and are presented for a designer. But, if she's going to do this again, hopefully George can pull a few strings and get a no tranny makeup clause put in her contract.

BET's third annual Rip the Runway premiered last Tuesday. And it was amazing.

Diddy opened the show by defining fashion, specifically black fashion, saying, "It's not just the clothes; it's the lifestyle; it's the swagger ... Urban fashion is at the forefront of style around the world." BET's tagline for Rip the Runway is "black fashion," but that's really just a label, like preppy or geek chic. The fashions were about attitude and confidence -- traits that aren't bound by skin color.



Collections by Missy Elliott, Zac Posen, Snoop Dogg (and Mrs. Dogg), Nelly, Diddy, and more were showcased by models who truly strutted their stuff down the runway, dancing to performances by artists like N.E.R.D., Flo Rida and T-Pain.

Be sure to check out the galleries from the show. I'm telling you, if I had my choice of runways to watch (or walk -- you hear that, Nelly?), this would be it. The music, the attitude, the passion evident in everyone from the designers to the models to the performers ... it was just fabulous. If you missed it, you can still watch the entire show on BET's website and go through the rest of Styledash's coverage of Rip the Runway.

One of the most talked about portions of Rip the Runway is always Size Sexy -- a collaboration by designers who are committed to dressing women who don't fit in standard sizes. Plus size and really tall women need clothes, too! And, the women modeling these designs were truly the women for which they were made. There weren't a bunch of size 14 models with big boobs -- we had some women with some size out there, and they were working it just as well as their size 6 counterparts.

Three collections were shown, each with its own draw:

Qristyl Designs are from a woman with real curves, so she knows what curvy women want. For the most part, she was right on -- the sexy, flowing fabrics were exquisite, and while I might not have agreed with the choice of the hotpants, I'm sure there are women who have searched high and low for them in a plus size cut. However, I have to draw the line at the tapered legs -- bigger ladies aren't generally trying to make their thighs look bigger.

Monif C. was a little shinier, but the designs were really beautifully done for plus size women. You don't have to be a size 10 to wear a hot little dress, you know!

Six Foota is for really tall women who want to embrace their height and feel empowered through fashion, and I think they did it really well. The designs were gorgeous, with some high fashion touches, but were still totally wearable for the fashionable six foot female.

Be sure to check out the gallery of these designs and others from Rip the Runway!

BET's 2008 Rip the Runway had a bevy of beautiful collections for women. From sporty and sassy to sexy (or more), each designer brought his or her own idea of what black fashion should be, and the overall effect, as BET promised was "so fly."

Respect M.E. by Missy Elliott and Adidas was the first collection of the night, and it was the perfect choice. Missy performed and models of all shapes and sizes brought a level of energy I've never seen on a runway before. They weren't walking, or strutting -- they were dancing. And the clothes were casual and sporty, but still with a sexy appeal. Guys were dressed in sweats while the ladies sported everything from short dresses to athletic capris.

Zac Posen couldn't have presented a more beautiful, feminine collection of girly dresses (and pissed off looking models). He strives to push glamor's boundaries, and makes a point to show off the female form. From ruffled and flowing to form-fitted and fishtailed, this line is all about looking like a glamorous woman.

CoCo Ri is a soon to be available line by Shante Broadus (aka Mrs. Snoop Dogg), and it offered a bit of everything. In large part, the clothes were really sexy, tight and flashy -- even a few items that looked pretty innocent ended up showing some bar or booty. As a nod to her hubby (whose clothing line, Rich & Infamous, was shown at the same time), her models walked or carried tiny little dogs on the runway.

Nelly and his Apple Bottoms finished out the night strong -- of course, first model walked out to Flo Rida and T-Painand was wearing "Apple Bottom Jeans (shorts) and boots with the fur." A lot of the clothes were really wearable and flattering (although I'm not sure about the holographic silver pants, but who knows). A lot of flattering colors and cuts were shown, but my very favorite (possibly favorite of the night -- sorry Zac Posen) was a STUNNING little black dress that would put every other LBD in the world to shame.

Be sure to check out the gallery of these designs and others from Rip the Runway!