Pharrell Sets Menu for Fashion Plates

Once-disdained fabric makes synthetic splash in spring fashion shows

(NEWSER) - Once shunned as tacky, scratchy and smelly, polyester was front and center on spring runways this year. "In fashion when something's so hideous, it's great," Marc Jacobs tells W about his use of the synthetic in Louis Vuitton cardigans and skirts. Japanese designers Rei Kawakubo and Issey Miyake have spearheaded polyester's return to the glory of its 1960s heyday. More»

'There is no controversy,' he declares as he flouts industry standards

(NEWSER) - Designer Marc Jacobs is flouting fashion industry recommendations by sending 14-year-old models down his catwalk. “I do the show the way I think it should be, not the way somebody tells me it should be,” Jacobs told the New York Times after his Manhattan presentation. "There is no controversy." Health initiative guidelines set by the Council of Fashion Designers of America—which includes Jacobs on its board—recommend that runway models be at least 16 years old . The age limit has been touted as a sign of progress in an industry plagued by anorexia. "The industry's hiring of prepubescent-appearing teenage girls as models of adult clothing sets an unrealistic standard; the curves that define the female figure are absent," said council president Diane von Furstenburg. Models who attempt to maintain a child's body into adulthood "run the risk of eating disorders," she warned. More»

'Runway to Win' fashion sale skirting campaign finance laws, GOP says

(NEWSER) - President Obama's re-election campaign launched a high-fashion fundraising initiative last night to grousing from Republicans. The "Runway to Win" effort—spearheaded by Vogue editor Anna Wintour—is selling clothing and accessories by prominent designers at prices far below what their work usually sells for, making the GOP suspect campaign finance laws are being broken, reports the Wall Street Journal . More»

$63,000 worth goes missing in London ... but duplicates exist

(NEWSER) - On a ritzy street in London earlier this week, thieves snatched about $63,000 worth of high-end fashion wear from the Marc Jacobs Spring 2012 collection. The stolen items include clothing, shoes, and handbags that had been showcased on a New York runway back in September, reports the Wall Street Journal . The label has duplicates, and the theft should not affect delivery orders to retail stores. But it had to cancel an upcoming "press day" in London, where fashion editors and journalists could view the collection up close. More»

Not interested in fashion? Check out the falling models

(NEWSER) - Wondering what you’ve missed so far from Fashion Week? We’ve rounded up five trends to keep your eye on—check out examples of each in the gallery:

• Wearability: Designers from Derek Lam and Vera Wang to, yes, even Marc Jacobs and Rodarte are offering clothes the average person might actually wear, reports the Wall Street Journal .
• Comedic interlude: Models are falling.