THE New York Times

It's been a long day but I got a little pick-me-up when looking at the Times this evening. Three contributions: 1 for Guy Trebay's lastest fashion diary; and the other two for the T Style Magazine, Model Morphosis w/ Ali Stephens and Anna J. Have a look and when you're done, check out Cathy Horyn's blog; this is the news you want to hear.

MY crush

Backstage at Balmain, a French TV crew asked who my favorite girl was this season. Being politically correct these days is of the utmost importance, so of course I said I had none.

Truth be told, there is a very special person on this tour of duty that is my crush and if you care to know or not, that beauty is Pat McGrath. No one makes me happier at any time of the day than Pat. Sure she may get tough on me sometime - making sure I "get all her little babies looking good on style.com." But Pat, you're the greatest and - I'm sure I'm not the only one to tell you - your smile and heart are the biggest and your hugs are the best. See you at Balenciaga in the morning!

IT'S the music

Michel Gaubert, maybe you've heard about him. Or maybe, you've just heard him. He's the sound behind the show and the sound in your ear the whole day thereafter.. I always try and stump him w/ some obscure song, or band my brother's been following, yet somehow he manages to hum the tune. I remember once having a conversation w/ Karl Lagerfeld and Michel at Karl's studio in Paris, where although I played a part in the talk, needless to say, it was a bit role. Look for a photo in the next few days. I ran into him somewhere today (was it Nina Ricci?). Still the soundtrack he pieced for the Jil Sander show in Milan, left both Raf and the models crying backstage. I'll try to get the set list for you. In the meantime, here's a link to style.com's review of the collection, where you get some of the music in background.

THE future is out there.

Gareth Pugh, what a show! Paris began today and the flock came out in record numbers to see the London boy's first Paris show. None were disappointed. Judge for yourself but something is happening here. Like Hussein Chalayan, Gareth is not afraid to show what's on his mind and what is his concept of fashion new wave.

POOR / Bruno

At the Versace show last night I got a tip, "Go to the door and look for the guy all dressed in McQueen, he can't get in. Sure enough, w/ his camera crew in tow, Sacha Baron Cohen - or rather his 'fashionable' alter ego, Bruno - was frantically making phone calls and crying into his mobile phone trying to get into the show. Needless to say, it began without his attendance, security pride aside... Wonder if he'll make the trip to Paris??

FOOD / Glorious Food

Eat 'em up and smile, or get it while you can! For years, I've been wanting to write about the backstage food we have [or don't have] throughout the day. And every season I forget to make the photos because - frankly - I'm too hungry to take the shot. But we're in Italy and the food can be pretty tasty.  Here' s a snap from Marni this morning - beautiful spread and ultra tasty. Coffee was pretty nice or tea if you preferred.

From there, we were on to Cavalli, with sandwiches, a big bowl of parmigiano cheese and great coffee [remember, it's Italy - coffee's everywhere].]

Immediately after the show I snuck a nap in the backseat of a town car - only to find myself at the Gucci show 20min later. The food there was also good, but I was so hungry that I not take a photo, but instead hoovered an assortment of sandwiches, mini quiche, and a tiny blueberry muffin - followed by a few strawberries and a banana. Eventually, I realized that my gluttonous actions were not becoming of a young photographer working at a major luxury brand. So back to work!

CLASS / of 2008

Taryn, Toni, Karlie, and Ali Stephens. These are the new girls you've been seeing on the catwalk and they're so popular you'd think agents were booking them as a team!

I did a model-morphosis with Karlie for the NYTimes a few weeks ago, and was really amazed how they all played off one another. Almost like the supermodel days I remember [from growing up as a kid backstage]. Anyhow, hope these four are around for a while. They have great energy, give good face, and make the long days go by a little quicker. I bet five bucks that at least two of them are waiting at the Marni fitting together right now, one sleeping on the other's shoulder.

FERRE. New design team / new era?

Congratulations to Tommaso and Roberto on a great collection!  I'm a Lars Nilsson fan, but this collection seemed right and I was just happy to be there for the first showing. After our first-look preview, I had a chat with a front row editor and even she said it seemed like something was happening in Milan. Look to style.com for the full collection and down below for a peak backstage.

Cavalli and Coke

I know what you're thinking.. perfect match right? Decadence, extravagance, perfect w/ a whiskey. Clearly, Roberto Cavalli knows what everyone needs to bring out the animal in them: behold, the ultimate collaboration of Cavalli and Coca-Cola... Bottoms up!

GET it while it's hot/

Here you go Fashionistas. The first picture of Kate Moss at the Vivienne Westwood show tonight. Here's Kate, Vivienne, and her head designer. The show was great so look for it tom on style.com and then go to Viv's site, ActiveResistance.

ON to the next

New York is over. I'm a little sad actually, but London starts tomorrow and the energy in the city is pretty raw. You don't know what to expect, the season can be great or it can be one disaster after the other. Guess we'll see soon enough. Look out for more posts - but in the meantime, if you're looking for great pair of jeans, L'Wren Scott ss09. Wow...!

AND she doesn't even know my name

Lakshmi. One of the newest girls to come backstage and she's giving it every minute. Here's something from Diane von Furstenberg, Sept 7. Gorgeous. Keep an eye out for more..