As the Biennial extravaganza continues, this weekend is filling up fast with tarty arty affairs. But, as y'all know, New York is never a one trick pony and there are also many non-Biennial-related events. Here's a couple worth trekking for:

1) Tonight and tomorrow night the recently New Yorker-profiled musical prodigy Nico Muhly teams up with Icelandic "hairy" artist Hrafnhildur Arnardottir aka Shoplifter at The Kitchen. The 8 p.m. shows are sold out but they added a 10 p.m. show just for tonight. Tickets are $10.

The Kitchen, 512 W. 19th St., www.thekitchen.org.

2) The far West Side gallery/watering hole Passerby is getting ready to kick the bucket soon and they want to take you down with them. Gavin Brown and company have been putting together a series of apocalyptic exhibitions under the name "newyorkisdead." The latest installment is "Depreciation & Devastation," curated by Mr. Brown himself with Darren Bader and Tony Just. As they say, misery loves company. So let's all congregate and shed some crocodile tears together.

Passerby @ GBE, 436 W. 15th St. (@ 10th Ave.), 6-9 p.m., www.newyorkisdead.biz.

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PAPER TV recently went behind the scenes as downtown favorites The Ones shot a music video for their soon-to-be-dance-classic "When We Get Together." It was a star-studded affair with appearences by Debbie Harry, Miss Guy, Casey Spooner and others.

I acted opposite the wonderful Tom Lenk in the L.A. premiere of Amy and David Sedaris' play The Book of Liz. Tom played Duncan, the emotionally-fragile, recovering-alcoholic manager of the Pilgrim-themed restaurant that the wayward Amish-ish character of Liz -- moi -- finds employment. We never stopped laughing. (Except when we had to cry... during our emotional farewell scene. A three-hanky weeper!)

I'm happy to see Tom continues to elicit the yuks (and the tears); this time as "Huevo Hickock" in another YouTube extravaganza. I still haven't seen Juno but assume a lot of the pop-cultural poppycock jargon is part of the ex-stripper's Oscar-winning screenplay. Enjoy!

Last night, TIBI, along with PAPERMAG blogger Luigi Tidini and Amanda Hearst hosted a soiree at the eco-friendly Hearst Tower to benefit Riverkeeper, whose mission is to “safeguard the ecological integrity of the Hudson River.” Folks-about-town like Marissa Bregman, Liam McMullan, Kristian Laliberte, Peter Davis, Alexandra Richards, Emma Snowdon Jones, David Lauren and Lauren Bush all stopped by to sip cocktails, do some dancing and admire the lovely views in order to show their support for a good cause. A dazzling affair!

MORE PHOTOS AFTER THE JUMP>

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TOD’S and London's Whitechapel Art Gallery attracted a veritable slew of models, bankers, art collectors and party lovers to its annual Art Plus Film Party last night. Guests like model-of-the-moment Agyness Deyn and her partner in partying designer Henry Holland enjoyed seafood, sweets and Laurient Perrier Champagne all night while Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant DJ-ed from his black MacBook. The party did double duty as a fundraiser for the gallery (tickets where $250 a pop) as well as an exhibit of artist Christian Marclay's work. In a sea of well-dressed, well-heeled people, nothing was more beautiful than seeing Iwona Blazwick, Whitechapel’s art director, who was wheelchair bound because of a broken foot, being catered to by the fashionistas in attendance, including Marclay. It illustrated the whole point of the evening: art and fashion work well together when the going gets rough.

Photos by Venetia Deardon

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In his regular feature, "Artist Residency," Aubrey Mayer takes a photo of one of his favorite artists and asks him/her a series of simple questions. Here is filmmaker, dancer, performance artist and cook Agathe Snow, who is part of the 2008 Whitney Biennial.

Aubrey Mayer: Where are you from?
Agathe Snow: I’m originally from Corsica but lived in New York since 1987. More New York than anything.

AM: Where do you live?
AS: Chinatown, NYC

AM: How did you become an artist?
AS: After Sept. 11 all eyes turned to NYC and kids on the streets and no matter what I did, naturally it was called art. I only became an artist about one year ago. Being an artist is not so much what you make but how you package yourself consciously and your readiness to make a business of it.

AM: What is the oddest job you've ever had?
AS: Making sure no one stole video equipment 12 hours a day in an improvised office in Chelsea for “The Restaurant,” a TV reality show. But that’s only one of many jobs I took on. It’s probably the first one I didn’t get fired from.

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At certain bars in certain European capitals, a glowing red light in the window signifies a hot little number inside, waiting for purchase. Now in New York -- a shade dowdier, perhaps, than our free-spirited, across-the-pond cousins -- a pink light glowing in the window of Label Lounge signifies a hot little number of its very own: the empanada. Pity the Europeans their licentiousness. What goes better with a cold beer than a hot empanada? Admittedly, Label Lounge's empanadas ($3, with your choice of beef, chicken, or vegetable filling) are not as hot as they might be, nor as tasty as the ones peddled two doors down at Don Rico's. But after a night of sipping cocktails at Label's narrow subterranean bar, or dancing in the slightly less cramped back room, you will be inclined to forgive these missteps. You'll be more inclined to carb-load like there's no tomorrow and regret it in the morning. Where possible, keep the gluttony in check because Label's tight, sleek quarters, decked out in gothy-sleek style, are best suited to skinny boys and even skinnier girls accustomed to squeezing into the tightest hotspots. In other words, just the crowd you'll meet on this far-east stretch of Rivington. 174 Rivington St., (212) 228-9600

Photo from www.eater.com

Performance, performance, performance! That's what the Whitney Biennial 2008 is all about with the Park Avenue Armory and Art Production Fund joining forces and getting in on the action. Though there will be a parade of special events at the Biennial off-site the Armory, one can't-be-missed orgy of decadence and resilience is Agathe Snow's mad-as-a-hatter "Stamina: Gloria et Patria," a week long dance-a-thon starting this Sunday, March 9th through March 16th. It's free and open to the public, and goes on everyday from 11 a.m. till 11 p.m., except on the last day when it'll be a 24-hour bender! So start your special ballroom diet, dust off those dancing shoes and get ready to get seriously physical. Over 50 DJs in rotation have been lined up to bust out their best jams for this historical gathering. This is going to be completely B-A-N-A-N-A-S! So in the words of the mistress of ceremony Agathe Snow: Dance! Dance for a Change! Dance for a Cause! Dance to Win!

In order to participate you need to pick up your free dance card at the Whitney Museum's Visitor's Service Desk or the Park Avenue Armory's Information Desk. You can also sign up and see the footage from the Stamina 2005 at www.stamina2008.com.

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Yes, it's here -- to be celebrated and to be scrutinized -- the Whitney Biennial 2008. Tuesday night I went to the preview party, which is a great occasion to congratulate, to see, to be seen, to drink and to complain a bit. But no matter what one thinks of the show, the energy is so infectiously effervescent that it's hard to be a sourpuss on this night. I give props to anyone who manages to soak in the art because most people (this one included) are too busy boozing it up and chatting up whomever's around. Here are some snaps from the affair by our "Artist Residency" photographer Aubrey Mayer and myself. So the art season in New York has officially kicked off. Now if only spring would hurry up and get here already!

Picture above: Installation by Phoebe Washburn

Rirkrit Tiravanija & Hanna Liden

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Paper fave Slow and Steady Wins the Race was in town showing off stunning items from their Luxe series.

With a pearl-studded, over-sized T-shirt here and a delectable set of cinched cashmere pants there, they made it clear that this was a high-class collection. But the real, ahem, winner was the four-sided twist on the Birkin bag. Aside from being structured, supple, and cheekily subversive, thanks to its size you could fit a full size Suri Cruise in there. Try doing that with your old Hermès, Katie Holmes!

Thanks to a combination of the less than chic weather and the Miu Miu super-soiree across town, what may have otherwise been a nightmare of velvet-ropes, unresponsive barkeeps and a panic-inducing dance floor (see Webster Hall launch-lunacy for reference) Opening Ceremony's celebration was actually a fun-tastic affair.

Everyone was making friendly. Benjamin Cho's zipperheart sweatshirt rubbed elbows with Chloe Sevigny's hot Miu Miu mini dress; Alexis Phifer (that's Mrs. Kanye West, please) wooed ladies and gents alike with her sparkly vintage get-up; and I somehow managed to entertain the lot of them with my Hastens-Matress-check scarf, a welcome (if unintentional) reminder of OC's Howard St. home.

The party at Paris Paris felt unpretentious, celebratory and kind of cozy, like the better fashion week soirées always are, and thanks to Humberto Leon and Carol Lim, we were able to take part in another of their marvelous creations.

Merci!

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Opening this Friday is a must-not-miss new film, The Bank Job. This taut, tense, thrilling heist movie is amazingly based on a true story. In the 1970s, a drug-dealing black militant in London was using compromising pictures of Princess Margaret as a “get out of jail” card with authorities. A plan to use petty criminals to rob the safety deposit boxes at a bank is hatched in order to retrieve the incriminating photos. The plan is organized by Martine (the gorgeous Saffron Burrows) who rounds up a colorful but unsavory gang led by Terry (Jason Statham) to commit the robbery. While the execution is a success, the revealing contents of other safety deposits has the crooks dodging attacks from sleazy porno kings, shady cops and corrupt government officials. Director Roger Donaldson successfully cranks up the suspense as the noose tightens. It’s a wild, fun ride.

How hot is Japanese soccer star Hidetoshi Nakata? MM swears he's hotter than David Beckham! Here he is at the Louis Vuitton dinner in Paris.

Photo from Style.com

At the Sunset Marquis lunch for Lindsay Lohan and Jeremy Scott I had a fun table sitting next to my always chic-looking friend Cameron Silver (he's with me above) and my always nutty-looking friend Mark Hunter (who had just flown in with the stylish just-rolled-out-of-bed-looking Cory Kennedy from a week in Paris... they both literally came from the airport!!!) and across from the sweet designer who I really like Katy Rodriguez and her very cool boyfriend (one of my heroes) Tony Alva , who I'd never met before. Plus the adorable Alessia Rosso (seen in the photo with Lindsay) who I have known since she was a teenager... Now in college in L.A., she's the daughter of my old friend the Diesel founder Renzo Rosso and she definitely has inherited his beautiful eyes and impish, slightly shy spirit! I love her!!!

In his regular feature, "Artist Residency," Aubrey Mayer takes a photo of one of his favorite artists and ask him/her a series of simple questions. Here is Swiss-born multi-media artist Olaf Breuning who is part of the Whitney Biennial 2008.

Aubrey Mayer: Where are you from?
Olaf Breuning: Switzerland

AM: Where do you live?
OB: Manhattan

AM: How did you become an artist?
OB: Tuck a canvas and a brush and made a painting… no that is only a joke.

AM: What is the oddest job you've ever had?
OB: Working in a bank

AM: Who's your favorite non-living artist?
OB: Berthold Brecht

AM: What book are you reading at the moment?
OB: Cool It! by Bjorn Lomborg

AM: When are you happiest with your work?
OB: When I cant’t stop working.

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Julia Frakes returns, with a second report from the Lindsay Lohan lunch.

Paper amour and our March issue's lensman extraordinaire Jeremy Scott presented Mama Kim with his hot-off-the-Paris-chatwalk dinero bolero. The verdict? "Flossy flossy" just seems like the understatement of the (capitalist) century. Jah-enius!

Photo of Kim by Julia Frakes, photo of Jeremy Scott runway show by The Cobrasnake

Mr. Mickey gagged when he first saw his good friend Michael Musto's new Village Voice cover paying homage to PAPER cover girl Lindsay Lohan paying homage to Marilyn Monroe. Check out the rest of the shots at the Voice's website!

Diesel and PAPER hosted THE most beautiful lunch yesterday for our cover collaborators Jeremy Scott and Lindsay Lohan at the new Sunset Marquis Villa patio which was to die for. The Marquis rolled out the gourmet carpet and had the most outrageous and beautiful lunch. Jeremy brought me his giant dollar bill scarf to wear for good luck, Lindsay wore Jeremy's HOT parking sign skirt and Jeremy wore head to toe Diesel with some amazing sequinned boots that he designed with adidas a while ago. It was actually a really fun low key (I swear) lunch with lots of friends and family.

The lovely and talented Miss Julia Frakes, PAPERMAG's #1 Facebook friend, jetted out to L.A. to cover our Lindsay Lohan lunch from the front lines. Here is her first report.

PAPER teamed up with DIESEL on Tuesday to launch our March issue at the Sunset Marquis Hotel & Villas in West Hollywood. Guests-of-honor Lindsay Lohan (who, for the record, is like really, really pretty) and Jeremy Scott got their nosh on with a hipper-than-thou mélange of phenoms that included not only the whole PAPER team but Cory Kennedy, The Cobrasnake, DJ Steve Aoki, Lady Tigre, Samantha Ronson, Tony Alva, Cameron Silver (proprietor of L.A./London vintage haven Decades), and Katy Rodriguez (fashion designer and proprietress of L.A./N.Y. vintage mecca Resurrection) and lots more.

Photos by Julia Frakes.

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When I asked Limi Feu (daughter of fashion legend Yohji Yamamoto and proud parent of a second Parisian show) what inspired her to create the over-sized bowler hats and the nouveau bowl-cuts that dominated her runway this season, she sweetly answered that they were looks she had wanted to wear herself.

True to her fashion roots, Limi isn't afraid to dabble in haberdashery, or to look within for the source of her next chapeau!

Of course, the Yard Sale wasn't Hotel Amour's only hopping spot on Sunday.

Up in room 203, Samantha Pleet and her husband Patrick hosted peeps at their pop-up shop, a glossy black box of a boudoir, filled to the brim with Sam's super-short rompers and updated moto-jackets, mug-shots from the "look book" (which included items from her new menswear line Patrick Pleet) and of course plenty of beverages to compliment the sybaritic scene.

Also on show were more Brooklyn-based beauties from Dirty Librarian Chains, the line of slightly askew and intelligently adorable jewelry from Susan Domelsmith.

Amour.

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Got the word that come summer Sony is releasing a box of action adventures from the British studio most known for the Christopher Lee Dracula films, Hammer. The box is supposedly going to include the bloodthirsty Stranglers of Bombay, Terror of the Tongs, Pirates of Blood River and Devil Ship Pirates. Also on April 8, Fox is releasing the excellent 1965 Hammer thriller starring Bette Davis -- The Nanny. In that film Bette is definitely Auntie Maim!

Just checked out the Armory (where Aaron Young had his motorcycle collaboration with Tom Ford back in September 2007) installment of the Whitney Biennial 2008. The curators, Henriette Huldisch and Shamim M. Momin, took a leap of faith a few blocks down on Park Ave. and 67th St. and gave the Biennial a lot more room to breathe. Though that may have been the intention, my overwhelming first impression after a quick glance was that the art strewn about in this powerhouse landmark is hard up to compete with the majestic building itself, which really exerts its personality in a rumbling and brooding way like John Huston in Chinatown.

In a show where the venue is a co-star, there are some great works of art too. Carlo McCormick and I agreed that DJ Olive (Gregor Asch)'s somber, cryptic and musical installation was one of the best -- it's the Urs Fischer piece of this Biennial. The key is to really take your time and savor each room (every artist/collective gets a room) for what it is -- don't try to look for the glue that binds everything together, it's not that kind of show. I have not seen the main event yet -- I'm saving it for tonight! So this is by no means the last word on the Biennial but -- dare I use the C-word -- watch out for the curmudgeons, I think we're in for some controversy!

Picture above: Installation by Bozidar Brazda

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Woo hoo! The Silver Jews, aka David Berman, have a follow-up to 2005's Tanglewood Numbers!! And it's called Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea. As you may have already ascertained from the number of exclamation points and use of 'woo hoo' in this posting, we are excited! Here's the tracklist:

1. What Is Not But Could Be If
2. Aloysius, Bluegrass Drummer
3. Suffering Jukebox
4. My Pillow is The Threshold
5. Strange Victory, Strange Defeat
6. Open Field
7. San Francisco B.C.
8. Candy Jail
9. Party Barge
10. We Could Be Looking For The Same Thing

Consider your palate WHETTED.

Like a hipster fantasy come true, the hot hotel of the moment (that's Hotel Amour to you) hosted cool kids from Paris, London, New York and beyond (aka LA) who hocked treasures and trinkets on a perfect Sunday afternoon. With sweet treats from Heartschallenger and of course pieces from Cory Kennedy and The Cobrasnake's current Ksubi collaboration, there was something for everyone, as songs were spun in Amour's back garden. We rolled over as the day was winding down and snagged limited edition tees from brill Brit graphic designer Kate Moross before running into more friends and fun inside.

Sold!

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In his regular feature, "Artist Residency," Aubrey Mayer takes a photo of one of his favorite artists and ask him/her a series of simple questions. Here is Ricci Albenda, a conceputal artist who shows at Andrew Kreps Gallery.

Aubrey Mayer: Where are you from? Ricci Albend: Brooklyn, originally, but I grew up on Long Island.

AM: Where do you live?
RA: Williamsburg

AM: How did you become an artist?
RA: How does anyone become an artist? You like making stuff -- and you just keep doing it more and more. Maybe you start liking thinking about what you make, questioning it.

AM: What is the oddest job you've ever had?
RA: I’ve never had a job that was odd enough to upstage the people I worked with. For a while I was a back-bartender at an old piano bar/restaurant in Greenwich Vllage -- that was pretty colorful.

AM: Who's your favorite non-living artist?
RA: Impossible to name one -- so many. Oddly the first name that popped into my head was De Chirico. then Manet, then Rodin, then Brancusi -- after that it just starts to fan out. But how could I have forgotten Guston? I love Guston.

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I am not supposed to be shopping now that the Euro's gone all Pound on me and junk, but in this job its unavoidable to browse, and when I stumbled upon these fly shades by Super, I found I faced quite a struggle. You've probably already seen siblings of these shades, in vibrant solid hues, but I found this stripey take on the classic shape (almost entirely) irresistible.

Photo Andrew de Francesco

In leiu of a runway show, the crew at Cacharel decided to do a simple storefront presentation -- until they realized it was a bit too simple. Their solution? Send out an APB in search of creepy, colorful, character-filled masks.

Fashion accomplished.

The dark-humored British artist duo Noble & Webster (Sue Noble & Tim Noble), famous for their light bulb sculptures in the shape of dollar signs and words like "Yes" (you might have caught this in Jay-Z's "Blue Magic" video) and "Forever," have erected "Electric Fountain" in Rockefeller Center last Wednesday. The "fountain" is a steely sculpture installation that sprinkles 3,390 LED bulbs worth of electricity, weighs 61,000 pounds, is 35 feet tall, and is on view through April 4. The sight of this $1 million (thank you Lexus and Jeffrey Deitch) outdoor project is as exciting, novel and gaudy as the famous Christmas tree and the fountain at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas –- you must go see it!

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The Metro in Paris is magical. Aside from being tiled and timely and varying in theme from station to station, it offers entertaining finds like neon-clad nymphs engaging in impromptu photo shoots.

A bunch of Canadian kids, who work under the collective "House of Dangerkat" and consist of dancers, designers, filmmakers and are a source of general inspiration for those of us who want to do it all, were in town to perform at the Colette party. Posing in the station like they were straight out of Paris Is Burning, these honeys know how to WORK it, and wear it too. So glad to encounter some underground vogue.

Photo by Andrew de Francesco

L.A.-based designer Katy Rodriguez is a real and true PAPER favorite. A few years back, the co-owner of vintage mecca Resurrection, started her own line, and it's gotten all the stylish girls in a tizzy -- think frilly bubble dresses, '80s-style Bryan Ferry back-up dancer numbers and perfect party frocks. This past New York Fashion Week, she showed her collection to much acclaim (it was so packed that Julia Stiles and Vanessa Carlton were in standing room!). So we were very pleased to learn that Ms. Rodriguez is holding an online sample sale this Thursday on hautelook.com. According to an email from Katy: "All Katy Rodriguez styles from Fall 2007 will be 75 percent off! Many of our previous styles will also be on sale at 75 percent off retail! There are over 30 Katy styles on sale including -- North Africa, criss cross dresses, bubble and ruffle dresses and twist party dresses, etc." Meanwhile, we became members of hautelook.com and it's such a fun site! In addition to the Rodriguez sale, this week they're hosting Splendid and Ella Moss sample sales as well... so sign up!

Pictured above is Chloe Sevigny in a Katy Rodriguez bubble dress.

There were mirrors on the ceiling at the Zucca show, but despite what one would expect from a detail that usually involves a sketchy motel room and plenty of nudity, it was a highly-clothed affair. Layer upon layer of slouchy leather, velvet, python, satin, you-name-it kept the models covered from head to toe in a style that felt entirely Beyond Thunderdome. Faux-hawks made from hairpins and spray-paint added to the urban apocalyptic atmosphere, while a monochrome pairing of diaper/loincloth/scarf + romper made me look wistfully towards the doom/diaper-filled future…

At the PPQ party it wasn't the French-American relations that were tricky, but rather a Drunk-Sober summit that came to a head. One overserved mademoiselle threw down by complimenting a fellow guest on her "nice fake fur jacket" only to receive icy stares and an "excuse me?" from the mink-coat-wearer. Snap? I didn't wait to see how it went down. Inside for all to enjoy were Le Baron's vintage nudie posters and plenty of people to pose with them. And that's a setting that everyone appreciates, non?

We had a hunch that this get-together, set in the super-cool Canal St. Martin, was going to be as fun as it was fashionable, so I broke out Andrew De Francesco's amazing (and soon to be obsolete) Polaroid 680 to capture it in style. The kids went crazy for it. I finally understood, on some small level, what The Cobrasnake goes through with groupies galore begging for a photo. He and Cory Kennedy were on the turntables (or the iPods at the case may be), and for their first attempt as DJ couple du jour, they did a bang-up job, spinning hits from the ‘80s, ‘90s and today -- and looking really f-ing cute doing it.

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Norma Kamali has signed on to do a big line for Walmart to debut this fall. Now I've never been a fan of Walmart, I must say, but I adore Norma Kamali and am so excited to see what she will do for the masses. I have been a fan of Kamali's ever since she had a store on Madison Avenue in the '70s. It was there that she blew my mind with an entire line of clothes made out of sweatshirt fabric. I mean dresses, skirts, tops -- everything. Plus, she also made the most fabulous high heeled sneakers (that tons of designers eventually copied) to go with them (all rubber heels... they were AMAZING). I know she has always wanted to make clothing for all women, not just for rich women, so this will be her chance and I cant wait to see what she'll do.

Not to bring up the Pete Doherty issue, but doesn't Irina Lazareanu look totally like her former bandmate/ex-lover/fellow fashion icon here? Maybe its just the suit and half-undone tie talking, which she tells me are vintage by the way, but I see some look-a-like business happening here. Then again, hers is a look I always like.

Things are coming in twos for Anne Valerie Hash. In the past year she's put on two ready to wear shows, two haute coutures, had two bébés (we can't wait for her upcoming children's line!) and has, thankfully, started making shoes. Which also come in twos... get it?

Her collection this season featured some pretty dope details (love the faux suspenders) and a cool conversion of a classic (pantsuit morph to jumpsuit!) but my eye kept wandering foot-ward to those satiny, bulbous, stunners in which the models stomped down the runway.

Modern, earthy, lustrous and effortlessly elegant. And on that note, I'll take two.

In his regular feature, "Artist Residency," Aubrey Mayer takes a photo of one of his favorite artists and ask him/her a series of simple questions. Here is iconic portrait photographer Ari Marcopoulos.

Aubrey Mayer: Where are you from?
Ari Marcopoulos: Amsterdam

Mayer: Where do you live?
Marcopoulos: Northern California

Mayer: How did you become an artist?
Marcopoulos: I was always an artist -- from the very beginning.

Mayer: What is the oddest job you've ever had?
Marcopoulos: Peeling flower bulbs

Mayer: Who’s your favorite non-living artist?
Marcopoulos: I don’t play favorites, but I could say Robert Smithson.

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I will admit that I was disappointed by the brunch portion of this event. Where were the scrambied eggs, I wondered. The snauseges? The challah french toast with real maple syrup? And then I told my overindulgent American appetite to stop behaving like a little piglet and focus on the designers. I also made a mental note that noone understands "brunch" except for us. But enough of that. On to the highlights.

There were four designers at the Showroom Antwerp event who really had it going on, and, in no particular order, they are: Mikio Sakabe, Pelican Avenue, Heaven Tanudiredja, and Il Galantuomo.

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Lou Doillon, Je suis smitten.

Aside from the responsibilities of being Style Royalty, traipsing around France performing her one-woman show and throwing a launch party for her denim collaboration with Lee Cooper this weekend, she is busy embodying an effortless chic look that goes far beyond clothes.

Adorable.

I know that I am at least a bit biased towards redheads, but I can honestly say that model Audrey Marnay (snapped backstage at Rue Du Mail by my beau Andrew De Francesco), while wildly beautiful to begin with, is simply drop-dead with red on her head.

Vive la roux!

At the cartoon-themed after-party for Jean-Charles de Castelbajac's fall show there were plenty of characters. Personal faves? The smiley-faced sequin number and the dude rocking the Roadrunner shirt! I wonder if he already had that piece de resistance in his collection or if it was recently acquired for the event? Either way it's Castelbajac-tacular.

Photos by Andrew De Francesco

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April 77 held an easygoing opening party in their curvy, glossy new den of denim in the Marais. There's lots of talk about the space, designed by the same visionary behind the Biba's original concept store, and the collection of vintage radios that they have stationed around the store, but what will keep you coming back are the goods. Everything from their trademark jeans and vintage records, to a limited edition "meat is murder" T-shirt -- how Stella of them!

Photo by Andrew De Francesco

Meanwhile, outside the Givenchy show earlier this week, a super cute kid from Mexico named Will ran up to me and wanted to get a picture of the two of us, which naturally thrilled an old ham like me. He's a student and trying to get into the shows. Flash forward to the Lanvin show and there he is sitting on the stairs until just before the show when he sees an empty seat in the front row and grabs it. Who is he sitting next to? Superstar photographer Mario Testino, French Vogue's Carine Roitfeld and singer Kanye West! Not a bad spot.

It's hardly going out on a limb to say that Alber Elbaz makes the magic happen at Lanvin. Alber is an old friend of PAPER and a total pussycat -- humble, sweet and über talented. This was Mr. Mickey's first Lanvin show and he got a little verklempt (that's yiddish for choked up). Things were a lot more close to the body and fitted this season than last time and there was a lot of black! Alber does an amazing job taking the classic feeling of Lanvin and making it fresh. We loved it! It also didn't hurt that just before the show Kanye West came over to MM and took MM's picture saying he liked the Lia Sophia Red Carpet Collection necklaces MM was wearing. MM is a Lia Sophia whore thanks to the designer, MM's dear dear friend Miss Dani Stahl! Check it and her out!

We always love the Hermès show because, as all you MMBloggers know, Mr. Mickey loves quality merchandise!! Yes it's hard for a cruelty-free cutie like MM to find leather-free pieces at Hermès, but where there is a will, there is a gay. Anyhoo, this season the show was presented on a fabulous oriental rug runway and backdrop which underlined the crème de la crème feeling of the clothes. There are super luxe clothes for super rich ladies! The real fun of course is looking at the accessories and some of our favorite this season were the teensy versions of classic bags and the tapestry fabric boots.

Photo from Style.com

Sunday is a big day at Paris Fashion Week with shows like Louis Vuitton, Miu-Miu and Lanvin. And things got off to a bang with the Nina Ricci show at the Tuileries. Editors and glamourpusses alike go gaga for Olivier Theyskens' romantic and sweet designs, and there was plenty of sweetness to enjoy today.

Something else there was plenty of were really pretty and wearable clothes for daytime. One editor came out of the show almost in shock saying, "I don't feel melancholy!" The daytime looks especially were drool-inducing. Slouchy but flattering satin pants, wispy blouses and modern uncomplicated jackets are something every woman can get into, particularly in the rich autumnal tones in Theyskens' palette this season. Love it!

The freshened up Goyard store on St-Honore is coming. How cute is this?

Mr. Mickey must say that John Galliano really, really, no, REALLY knows how to put on a show. Every season MM walks out of that show with a spring in his fashion step!

The setting this season was a hodge podge of Orientalism with paper lanterns, Buddha-esque vignettes and general sparkles. The clothes were classic Galliano-Poiret-esque shapes, a little '40s, a little '20s, yummy colors and bold silhouettes. The accessories were gag-inducing: giant hats, feathered headpieces and amazing maquillage. Thank God we have Galliano to give us a gigantic dose of fantasy every season!!

More photos after the jump

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A cuckoo crazy thing happened the other night. Mr. Mickey was at a gorgeous Indian dinner hosted by the fabulous Ikram and Josh Goldman of the amazing Chicago boutique Ikram (check it out at Ikram.com). So things were winding down and a group got into a cab while MM was standing in the doorway. The cabdriver said, "Oooh what a nice party! Elton John is there!" Now looking at the picture of MM (from Fendi's Halloween party two years ago) can you understand why ANYONE would confuse MM for Elton John? I should think not!

Time for another Paris Fashion Week cute couple! This time it's two cuties known for their luscious locks! Miss Kim Dillard of Diesel and designer Zaldy. While Kim likes to make an architectural statement with her coiffure, Zaldy goes for a more classic shampoo commercial look with long, gorgeous locks!

Photo by the Cobra Snake
Check out his site for all his Paris hijinks!