>> THE ZIETGEIST —Everyone's hoping to stay in the black these days, the fashion flock included.  At the Calvin Klein Pre-Fall presentation Tuesday, 28 out of 31 front row guests wore black; Eric Wilson likens it to "fashion's version of comfort food" — "the fashion crowd hasn’t looked this dark since the early 1990s." [NYT]

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>> Karl Lagerfeld may have just recently designed a whole collection of commemorative Chanel coins, but that doesn't mean he isn't feeling the economic burn. 

In an interview with German weekly De Zeit this week, Karl admits that even he is tightening his belt: "I have moved to a smaller house in Paris, and I don't fancy having so much staff now."

Even his new house in Vermont is "not giant."

It's "very Emily Dickinson . . . In fact it's almost Puritanical. For me it's a new form of modesty."

But don't get carried away with the cost-cutting — he still needs some staff.

"The chambermaid, chauffeur and chef are still musts . . . around the clock."

And the Humvees, he's got to have those.

"I have three of them.  Two here in Paris and one in Monte Carlo.  The Hummer is like a tank and gives me a feeling of security.  I don't want to drive at the same level as the others."
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>> BLOWING THE COVER —Some were hoping that Katie Grand would cast a model to do the honors of Love's inaugural cover, but it looks like rumor is turning to fact, and she's gone another direction.  The Gossip's Beth Ditto, a Brit fash pack favorite, has already been shot instead. [Fashionista]

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>> With Pre-Fall show season in full swing, it may seem like business as usual on the surface, but within the span of two days, Stefano Gabbana, Donna Karan, and Bridget Foley, executive editor at WWD, have spoken out indicating otherwise.  The consensus is that the industry needs rehab — and fast — that or, Foley writes, "we can wait for total industry Armageddon, à la the financial and auto industries, to step back and try to set things right."

Gabbana was first kickstarted into action when he saw cotton shorts being stocked last year in the Milanese Dolce & Gabbana store during Winter:

"I started asking myself, ‘What’s happening?’  As a consumer I said, ‘No, this makes no sense.' I don’t want cherries or strawberries at Christmas anymore. I want to eat, dress and live on time.  I think we all need to sit back and ponder over this anxiety we all have of constantly needing to anticipate."

Numerous designers have bemoaned the increasingly accelerated system, and Gabbana is no exception, WWD writes — he calls the whole ordeal "drugged," partially because it leaves him warehouses full of excess merchandise:

"He foresees a vortex of collections that have shorter and shorter life spans and that are often out of touch with the needs of a consumer increasingly overwhelmed by a crescendo of merchandise and wooed by super-early sales in this tough economy."

So what's the solution? »

>> ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL —Iselin Steiro, who took a break from modeling to focus on her studies, made a few select — and surprising — appearances on the Spring 2009 runways — something she hasn't done since Fall 2007.  Although Lanvin wasn't one of them, Alber Elbaz chose her anyway to replace Raquel Zimmermann and Liya Kebede in the Spring 2009 campaign, shot by Steven Meisel.  Big mysteries still left?  Nina Ricci, Alexander McQueen, Balmain, and of course, Chanel. [Supermodels.nl]
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The Fashion Week schedules are out and our sister site, FabSugar UK, has the juicy details on Savannah and Sienna Miller's Twenty8Twelve showing...   

O.M.O. Writes gave us a much welcomed Friday narrative involving the YSL woman and her perfectly painted nails. 

Finding a new Etsy seller with cute style is like discovering your Metrocard has an extra fare left on it. Always In Style gives us this Friday treat. 

Austrian label Fabrics Insterseason has the androgynous thing down pat. Any One Girl posts their Spring 2009 look book. 

Catherine Malandrino celebrated her brand's tenth anniversary this year and released a coffee table book in celebration. The French-borne designer, who worked for both Diane Von Furstenberg and Emanuel Ungaro before launching her own line, also opened her second Los Angeles store this October. Malandrino first launched her ready to wear collection, Catherine Malandrino, back in 1998, and, in 2005, expanded her brand to include a couture line called, Malandrino, which shows during New York Fashion Week. 

Feast your eyes on our photo gallery from last night's New York book signing, then, hop over to Amazon and buy her new book for all of your most dedicated fashion friends.