Ann Taylor's new design director Lisa Axelson is looking to give the brand a higher profile through a more stylish offering this fall. Inspired by Paris in the 1920s, Axelson presented her fall 2010 collection in New York's Ace Hotel with Rachel Bilson and Christina Hendricks in attendance. To be sure, there were classic workwear pieces for which Ann Taylor is known, but we also spotted a new lineup of fresher-looking separates (short, ruched dresses and military jackets) and noteworthy accessories (lace-up, open-toe booties and oversize costume jewelry) that will surely attract a new crop of much younger shoppers. “I feel like we’ve evolved, but we still have a foot in the past,” said Axelson.

Carla Bruni-Sarkozy remains the first lady of fashion, as she confirms rumors she will guest edit the French weekly, Madame Figaro magazine. Hitting newsstands this Saturday, the issue features an article with Bruni-Sarkosy in which she responds to gossip surronding her marriage with French president Nicolas Sarkozy and blames the worst rumors on bloggers:

“[Rumors] have always existed. But I despise those that stem from a blog and that are written by people calling themselves Mickey or Superman,” she says in the issue. “I also despise so-called journalists who use blogs as a credible source of information.”

The weekly magazine will also feature one-off sketches from Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Paul Gaultier, a story on Bruni-Sarkozy's charity projects, a profile on Bono, and photographs of Marine Delterme by Ellen von Unwerth.