• No one seems to know why, but a model at the Jill Sander show in Milan appeared on the runway with tears streaming down her cheeks. A new trend? An allergic reaction of some sort? A reaction to the stress and anxiety hanging over the industry? You decide. [WSJ]
• Reviews and recaps of the recent runway shows in Milan. [NYT, IHT, Times UK]
• Barneys' makeup department seems to be holding up despite the recession. [NYT]
• The appointment of Dasha Zhukova as editor-in-chief of Pop is ruffling some feathers, not surprisingly. [Fashionologie]
• Michelle Obama went with Michael Kors for her official portrait. [WWD]
• A roundup of 10 trends from London Fashion Week. [Pipeline]
• The French magazine Femmes is relaunching and the new issue is devoted exclusively to Lydia Hearst, you'll be thrilled to hear. [Fashionista]

• Winners and losers at the Oscars, including the boring (Angelina), controversial (Tilda), and just plain bad (Beyoncé). [NYT, Telegraph, W, FWD]
• It wasn't the Oscars, but Michelle Obama sparkled last night in a sequined number for the National Governor's Association dinner. [NYM]
• A roundup of 15 top looks from New York Fashion Week. [Pipeline]
• There appear to be some fresh signs of trouble at Barneys. [Racked]
• More on what you can expect to see when Running in Heels debuts. [WSJ]
• Not surprisingly, the fashion job market isn't exactly thriving. [NYP]
• A roundup of what you've been missing at London Fashion Week. [Vogue UK]

• Kelly Cutrone says normally at this time of year she'd be flying in a chef from India to cook for her. But this Fashion Week she's cutting back on account of the recession. Bring us a tissue! [WWD]
• Arnold Scaasi did not like Jason Wu's gown for Michelle Obama: "I don't think the inaugural gown was flattering in any way... She could have looked much better." Yeow. [NYT]
• Despite the rough economy, Justin Timberlake's William Rast label is holding up nicely. [NYM]
• Anna Sui has landed a book deal. [Fashionista]
• The plywood has been removed outside Topshop in Soho! [Racked]
• Marie Claire is giving away taxi rides to promote Running in Heels. [FWD]
• Istithmar may sell Barneys for less than half what they paid for it in '07. [BN]
• Rents are falling in the garment district, duh. [NYT]
• An alcoholic's guide to Fashion Week. [Pipeline]

• Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabanna are playing priests in Rob Marshall's new movie, Nine. Yes, that's right, priests. [WWD]
• McDonald's is the official coffee of Fashion Week. Yes, that's right, McDonald's. Free espresso all week, folks! [AdAge]
• Did Saks screw up retail forever when it slashed prices last November? Possibly. [WSJ]
• Istithmar says it has no plans to sell Barneys. [NYT]
• Vera Wang plans to branch out to footwear this spring. [WWD]
• Henry Holland's Grammy dress for MIA earned him tons of attention last night; he's now gearing up for London Fashion Week. [Telegraph, Independent]
• Jason Wu talks about what he has planned for Fashion Week. [NYDN]
• Alexander Wang is introducing limited-edition condoms. They'll be sold at Thompson Hotels and the proceeds go to Planned Parenthood. [NYM]

• Kanye West's very colorful line of Louis Vuitton sneakers made its grand debut in Paris yesterday. [WWD, SW]
• Jason Wu talks about Tuesday night's inauguration ball excitement and what he was eating (a pepperoni and mushroom pizza from Domino's) just before Michelle appeared on stage. [NYT]
• Taiwan is understandably proud of their hometown hero. [WWD]
• Barneys could fetch $300-400 million if it sells, a far cry from the $942 million Istithmar paid for the retailer in 2007. [NYT]
• Been waiting to see Bruno hit the big screen? Wait a little longer. [FWD]
• Posh sucks her thumb on the February cover of Russian Vogue. [VogueUK]
• Sao Paulo Fashion Week ended today; leave it to the Brazilians to power through the grim times with smiles on their faces. [AFP]

• Jason Wu's reaction to the news Michelle Obama was wearing his white chiffon gown to the inaugural balls? "I just dropped everything and jumped up and down and screamed." [MSNBC, WSJ]
• Simon Doonan was so overjoyed by Michelle's pick of Isabel Toledo yesterday that he "tore down the normal Barneys windows on Madison and put up celebratory Isabel Toledo window installations instead." [Fashionista]
• Best Wu-related fashion headline of the day: "Jason Who?" [NYO]
• Barack Obama may have worn a bullet-resistant suit to the inaugural parade yesterday, in case you were wondering. [NYM]
• Michelle donned a Tracy Feith dress to today's official prayer service. [WWD]
• The official Fashion Week lineup features 73 names, down from more than 80 in September. Also: Kelly Cutrone is discounting prices for designers. [WSJ]
• Sales at Coach are down and the chain's scaling back expansion plans. [AP]
• Are scrunchies making a comeback? [Pipeline]

The power is yours! Prices are slashed, you can return anything, you can haggle for discounts. Designer gear was flying off the racks at Barneys this weekend. It's all so tragic!

Simon Doonan's terrifically useful advice for surviving the recession and looking your very best? Take whatever money you still have left and give it to him! No matter how bad things get, Doonan says, you should be sure to continue shopping and keep up your "fierce and meaningful allegiance to, for example, Barneys and Jonathan Adler." Also: "Snag yourself a personal shopper who can streamline the process." And where do you find one of those? Easy! "Call Pat Drake at Barneys—she used to be a Rockette!—or email her at pdrake@barneys.com, and she will get you hooked up." And if you have any cash left over, you can always meet up with Jonathan for a $10,000 lunch. [NYO]

♦ For his spring campaigns, Marc Jacobs is eschewing celeb-muses like Meg White and Posh Spice: He's cast Israeli model Raquel Zimmerman for his Collection ads, British model Daisy Lowe for Marc by Marc, and Ryan McGinley for men's. [WWD]
♦ Are you a pregnant Project Runway fan? Then march (or waddle) over to the West Village tomorrow to meet Christian Siriano when he unveils his maternity line, Fierce Mamas. [The Cut]
♦ Plans for a Barneys store in the meatpacking district are definitely underway. The most likely location is on West 13th Street. [The Daily]

The meatpacking district's transformation from industrial no-man's land into crowded consumer destination will be complete when Barneys opens for business. The designer mecca has taken premises for a 50,000 square foot, multi-level store at West 13th and Washington, at the southern end of what will be the High Line Park. More eagerly anticipated by fashionistas who prefer to spend $200 rather than $2,000 on a dress, though, is Top Shop, which was due to open in October in SoHo but has been delayed once again, and "is racing to launch in time for holiday selling."

Flak-cum-designer Jonathan Cheban is throwing a party in Miami for his upcoming 32nd birthday. Could he really be encouraging guests to buy gifts off a list? The unconfirmed rumor: that Cheban, a friend of B-list celebrities like Nicole Richie, is registered at Barney's. Undying gratitude to anyone who can send us a screenshot, or a link.

Rod Townsend records the gays in and around their natural environment of Fire Island and reports back. Wanna hear something shocking? Summer's almost over already. OMG, and so are those hideous pants you're wearing!

Government of Dubai buys Barneys for $825 million, adds it to its stable of New York City properties that last had any cachet during the Clinton administration. (See under: Loehmann's) [NYT]

Yesterday, we directed you to the sexploits of Confessions of a Bareback Top, a blogger who writes, in excruciating detail, about his unsafe hookups with other men, including one in that temple of all that is holy on the Upper East Side, Barneys. Our usually unflappable readers were duly flapped about his graphic descriptions of the sex he's been having all around town, so we decided, as a public service, to get in touch with Mr. Top to find out exactly what makes him tick. Unsurprisingly, the responses we got to our questions were ... Well, let's just say that the easily offended and/or under 18 should probably not click through to the jump, as there's more NSFW gabbery there (though no photos, sorry!) than we've ever posted. Ever.

• Andy Dick has what's known in the biz as a Michael Richards problem. [TMZ]