>> INSIDER WIRE —Vera Wang had yet to start on her Fall 2009 collection as of a couple of days ago, but the same can't be said for the sisters Rodarte.  So what are the first Americans to win the prestigious Swiss Textile Award currently thinking?  "The other day we were on the highway and we saw a car that was half blue, half white.  At the time, we happened to be in the middle of an argument about color, and that car kind of settled it, right there. Blue."  They're also "obsessed with these colored gels, fills for cameras":  "We’ll be looking at something like the gels, and maybe that generates an idea like, let’s do graphic color." [Style File]
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Le City Kitty is a chic little fashion blog complete with an awesome soundtrack--today she reported on La Garconne's newest philanthropic offering. 

Thoughts On Style the sweetest Tumblr blog we've ever seen. Earlier this month she broke down the concept behind Bergdorf Goodman's holiday windows. 

Want the low-down on every outfit worn by Michelle Obama? Look no further. Mrs. O reveals Michelle Obama's secret fashion collaborator. 

If you've got Hair On The Brain look no further than...Hair On The Brain. Check out their post of the best hairstyles of 2008. Yes, we are putting our coat on and running to the deli for some V05.  

The first Armani concept store will open this February 18th in New York--Armani/Fifth Avenue will carry collections from all ready to wear and contemporary arms of the Armani brand. Giorgio Armani, Emporio Armani, Armani Jeans, EA7, Armani Casa, Giorgio Armani Beauty, and some exclusives from the ready to wear labels will all be housed in the new location. Word is there will also be a full service restaurant in the store. To see a photo gallery from the Spring 2009 Giorgio Armani collection, click here. To see a photo gallery from the Spring 2009 Emporio Armani collection, click here. To know how many times we said 'Armani' in this post, the answer is eleven. 

>> The end of the year isn't here yet, and neither is the end of all the upheaval.  Yesterday, Bill Blass closed its doors until further notice, and today it looks like Olivier Theyskens may be leaving Nina Ricci.

Since his time at Rochas, Theyskens has been known for creating exceptionally expensive pieces — exquisite red carpet gowns have always been his forte over everyday resort collection-type wear — and as Fashion Week Daily notes, "As fashion executives rededicate themselves to focusing on the bottom line, the industry's creatives are certain to take a hit."  Theyskens is rumored to be exiting Nina Ricci "following a Spring 2009 collection that left retailers wondering backstage if the 'real collection' was available in the showroom."

The designer met with execs at Nina Ricci-owner Puig in November to "discuss adjusting future collections to the needs of the commercial market," according to industry sources, but something must have put a kink in the works, giving his continued tenuous stance at the company.  He's an Anna Wintour darling, however, so even if things with Nina Ricci don't work out, she'll surely find him placement elsewhere.
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>> THE MODELIZER —The January 2009 issue of Vogue promises "Change," and so far has delivered twice — Coco Rocha's newfound red hair, and the replacement of the infamous leaping Brazilians (Caroline Trentini, Raquel Zimmerman, Gisele Bundchen) with a couple of new inductees: Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn.  In the straight-off-the-runway editorial, of course Chanel gets to wear the Chanel.  And if that doesn't get you, how about this: Chanel Iman's dog is named Louis Dior. [SansArtifice, Net-a-Porter]

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Kira Plastinina, teenage "designer" from Russia, will be closing ten of her twelve US stores--all of which opened less than one year ago. Racked reports on what will now be just a blip in fashion history, with signage and details on the closings. In just two weeks time the Kira Plastinina brand will be all but vanished from the US market, and, in case you never had the chance to indulge in the sugar-coated mass-market aesthetic check out the Kira Plastinina Spring 2009 runway show as seen during Milan Fashion Week. Chances are the brand will live on, Bloomberg reports that sales are high in Plastinina's birthplace of Russia.