>> THE MODELIZER —Lily Cole has been spotted with Jude Law on numerous occasions recently: at a Radiohead concert, dining together in Covent Garden . . . she's even been snapped leaving his flat, sparking rumors that the two are dating. [Daily Mail]

Giorgio Armani's haute couture show had us dreaming of suiting for Fall. Between the reemergence of blazers, the passing of couturier Yves Saint Laurent, and a slew of runway shows (YSL the most striking and skilled among them) that played up power-separates, we're pretty sure that our fall wardrobe will pivot on lean slacks, silk blouses, and heels that cost more money than the two combined. If this is possible, it would mean a Martha Stewart-worthy upheaval of our wardrobe. There's nothing like a slick Fall uniform to make you want to donate your peripheral duds. To that end, here are the beginnings of a great fall wardrobe, inspired by Armani, YSL, and the suiting trends we've seen thus far. Pick up the sale items other chicsters were too overheated to imagine wearing, and you'll be thankful when the weather turns. Or, you could be as type-A as us and make a list of the basics you want to replenish for Fall. Our method for pairing down our wardrobe when the season's change is a massive reorganization and a one item-in, one item-out editing system. When you're replacing a Forever 21 romper with an Alexander Wang boyfriend blazer, or a pair of painful vintage heels with a pair of Louboutins, you'll feel, well, deserving of a power suit.

Coutorture's Editor in Chief may have a slight substance abuse problem when it comes to Marni. Thus as she browsed through the Google Reader today to check out network posts, she became more than a little giddy with Fashionation's post on fashion bloggers rocking a certain pair of Marni Wedges. Those glorious wedges are very much on sale, in a variety of colors and sizes no less. Fashionation managed to find a look-a-like pair but we feel it is our duty as avid consumers of the label to only suggest the Real McCoy. Because with so many options to choose from at such a discount it just might be worth a summer splurge. Think you can't afford them? We suggest forgoing your summer vacation and using the funds to snag a pair. Wear them in your backyard and create your own fashion vacation. Get a kiddy pool, a Slip N Slide and some Popsicles and admire your feet long into the summer twilight. Just think of all the gas money you would be saving. Which you ummm just spent on the shoes but never mind that little detail!

L'Wren Scott was selling her Spring collection in Paris last week, months before it will show as part of fashion week. Why, you ask? As Suzy Menkes for the International Herald Tribune writes this morning--because she had to. Between midseason collections garnering more and more attention (read: budget) and instant-gratification consumers seeing the collections in real time from their computers, there's increasing pressure to deliver first. Menkes describes this as a new 'geometry' in fashion, where the rules of the all-powerful calender no longer apply. How this will roll out in the next decade (or season) has yet to be determined, but judging by the fact that the Gucci news du jour hardly shocked anyone, we think the fashion industry is well on its way to season-less, immediate offerings that try to keep the consumer's head spinning long enough for them to slap down their plastic. How does fashion respond to demand? Supply.

Fashion can often feel like one elaborate practical joke. Overpriced trinkets, beauty defined by fifteen year old girls with budding eating disorders, and a caste system that operates exclusively on rejection do not exactly engender fashion to serious minded folk. But like good economists we shrug our shoulders and say "what the market will bear" and move on. But today we ran across our network partner Slam X Hype's post on Prada tchotchkes for the Olympic games. Normally we would have shrugged our shoulders and moved on, but we decided to click through on the source material. We made it to Hypebeast which subsequently led us to a very sketchy looking site. Now Nylon seems to think that these goodies are real and frankly we don't feel much like playing detective further.

But regardless of the little Build A Bear-esque creation's authenticity, we have to admit that the creatures are pretty hysterical. They scream hipster irony even when irony is, well, played out. Maybe its the fact that Prada is gunning for an IPO but the idea of a completely silly product diffusion line for a controversial sporting event (Tibet, who cares, not our President) seems like Muccia Prada's way of giving us all the finger. But in a really subtle cute way! The line works on just about any level no matter who designed it or what level of fashion reality it is operating on.

So put on a boyfriend blazer, wear some wayfarers, rock your skinnies, and put on a Prada bear tee shirt! Maybe even carry the keychain. A crazy cross cultural clashing mix of influences, brands, cool, product placement, and rampant consumerism brings together the best of art, commerce and international relations. Its a fantastic fashion joke! Even if it ends up being on us.