You could have stayed at home to watch horrific, bloody scenes of human misery unfold on TV. Or you could have jetted over to Milan, where the espresso is better and this week's menswear shows have been all about death and violence. Before you go and ask whether some members of the fashion industry are a little out of touch with what's going on in the world—is it really appropriate to send models down the runway covered in fake blood when every news network is broadcasting images of bloody survivors of the earthquake in Haiti?—keep in mind that war and other forms of human tragedy are actually good for the fashion biz. After all, they stimulate creativity! As Guy Trebay of the Times explains it:

• Spring sales normally begin around Memorial Day. They're starting much earlier this year, although retailers would prefer if you called them "promotions," okay? [NYM]
• The ridiculously delayed sixth season of Project Runway—which Lifetime CEO Andrea Wong is ridiculously describing as "fashionably late"—will debut on August 20. [THR]
• What does Kate Moss do with her old Topshop dresses? She hands them off to her poor assistant, naturally! [Grazia]
• The shoot for Prada's fall ad campaign took Steven Meisel four days to complete and required the presence of a live horse. [FWD]
• Arnold Scaasi, best known for dressing Abigail Fillmore for her first public appearance as first lady in 1850, is the latest designer to complain about Michelle Obama's wardrobe. [WWD, Vogue UK]
• Is Rachel Zoe looking for an assistant on Craigslist? Possibly! [CL via Racked]