Roberto Cavalli spent the weekend "dancing in the desert" in Dubai. Why? The permatanned Italian just opened what he calls "the first designer club in the Middle East," that's why. The Cavalli Club, which cost $30 million to construct, includes an "opulent" Italian restaurant, sushi bar, and nightclub, and features "floors made of black quartz, 20-foot-high ceilings dripping with Swarovski crystals and furnishings in his trademark animal prints." The launch also seems to coincide with a new life philosophy. A month ago, he told a reporter he was actually kind of happy that the world was in the middle of a recession, since "too many people were making too much money." Now? He wants to "give a sign of optimism for the future." Consider the message received. [WWD]

• Michelle Obama wore a magenta Michael Kors dress to the White House Correspondents' dinner on Saturday, in case you were curious. Even more exciting: Donatella Versace penned her first blog post from the event. [WWD, NYM, HuffPo]
• Rachel Zoe has a line of accessories for QVC that will debut this fall. [WWD]
• Carine Roitfeld is not a nymphomaniac, nor does she insist on weighing the staff of French Vogue daily, you'll be relieved to hear. [Fashionologie]
• Abercrombie & Fitch is opening another store on Fifth. The retailer is taking over Hickey Freeman's flagship to open a kids store. [Racked]

Several reviews of Bravo's Project Runway ripoff, The Fashion Show, pointed out that the challenges seemed to be considerably more difficult that the ones asked of contestants on Runway. There's no doubt about that! On the next episode of the Isaac Mizrahi-hosted series, aspiring designers have to put together an outfit for Tinsley Mortimer—on a budget of $40. A preview of the episode—featuring a stilted performance by the Tinz herself—is above.

• Yesterday the media was reporting Jack McCollough's injuries amounted to a scratch on the nose. Today his publicist says he suffered a broken nose in three places and required surgery. The plot thickens. [NYDN, TMZ]
• Meanwhile, not only is Anna Wintour annoyed that everyone is still talking about McCollough, she has to deal with more tough talk from Azzedine Alaïa. "She behaves like a dictator and everyone is terrified of her... but I'm not scared of her or anyone," said the designer. [WWD]
• The H&M on 86th and Lex opens in 20 days, for your information. [Racked]
• Marc Jacobs is launching a new perfume this fall called Lola. [Fashionista]
• Speaking of Marc, his favorite tattoo artist, Scott Campbell, is serving up discounted Mother's Day-themed tattoos on Sunday. [Style.com]
• In honor of Sunday, Pipeline has a list of fashion's hottest moms. [Pipeline]

Do not assume for a second that if you buy Chanel perfume on the site perfumekaos.com—or a Chanel handbag on bagsnyc.com—you are getting the genuine article. (As if you'd be fooled by a $5,000 bag on sale for $49.99!) Chanel slapped a Bronx man named David Sepulveda with lawsuit for acting as the "moving and conscious force" behind a collection of websites that sell counterfeit Chanel products on the Web. The French luxury giant says Sepulveda's operation is causing Chanel "irreparable damage," which might be because the crap he's selling is not real, and thus "likely inferior in quality." Chanel is asking a judge to put a stop to Sepulveda's operation as well as demanding he hand over $2 million "per each counterfeit Chanel mark used and product sold." That could end up being a lot of money, clearly. Even more frightening: If Sepulveda doesn't quit ripping off Chanel, he runs the risk of having Karl Lagerfeld personally show up to his office at 1676 Mayflower Avenue in the Bronx and take care of matters personally. And that could get messy in a hurry. The full lawsuit is below.

• Are Americans finally shopping again? Maybe. Retail sales were up slightly in April. [NYT]
• Gucci has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Guess? Inc. [BN]
• Alessandra Stanley's Times review of Bravo's Project Runway-ripoff, The Fashion Show, featuring Isaac Mizrahi, Kelly Rowland and Fern Mallis, wasn't especially favorable. [NYT]
• Agy Deyn is now pitching bottled water. [Sun]
• Leigh Lezark is the new face of Mango. [Nylon]
• Michelle Obama wore Michael Kors—not Alaïa—to the Time gala the other night. [FWD]
• If you've ever wished you could meet Adriana Lima dressed up as "a modern-day Cleopatra," you'll get your chance this Saturday. [NYM]

Who's benefiting from the collapse of the economy besides vulture investors, short sellers and bargain-hunting fashionistas? Blondes! Or, more specifically, blue-eyed blonde models, who are experiencing a renaissance now that designers are casting "wholesome-looking girls with flaxen manes" in their ads in an effort to "reassure" rather than "shock" the consumer.

• Jack McCollough's orange Oakleys couldn't cover up the scratch left behind by Kiefer Sutherland's headbutt the other night, although thankfully the Proenza Schouler co-founder wasn't seriously injuried in the incident. McCollough's rep said today he was the victim of a "vicious, violent, unprovoked assault." And the NYPD seems to agree. Sutherland is expected to be charged with assault tomorrow. [People, NYP]
• You may have thought Azzedine Alaïa was having a lousy week what with the plot by Anna Wintour to snub him at the Costume Institute gala. But he appears to be rebounding nicely. Michelle Obama wore a lovely Alaïa number to the Time magazine party last night. [FWD]
• Speaking of the gala, it raised $2 million less than last year. [WWD]
• Derek Lam's first boutique opens tonight. [Style.com]

We were a little concerned when a tipster emailed us to point out that the website for Kelly Cutrone's fashion PR firm, People's Revolution, had been "suspended." "Did they go out of business or something?" No, thankfully, that is not the case. A call to the firm ("Good morning, People's Revolution!") confirms Kelly is still doing her thing. (She also happens to be hiring, too. So, if anything, it appears Cutrone is in expansion mode.) She would be well advised, though, to bring in a techie to fix whatever is wrong with the site. If she leaves it up to one of the Whitney Port-like girls in the office to fix, it could take months to sort out!

• More photos, commentary, and criticism from last night's Costume Institute Gala, assuming you're not totally sick of hearing about it by this point. [W, Pipeline, Glamour, NYM, NYT, SF]
• Rumor has it Kate Moss is planning to write her autobiography. We can't wait! [Grazia]
• Narciso Rodriguez, Thakoon Panichgul, and Maria Cornejo —all three of whom happen to have dressed Michelle Obama—have lovely things to say about the first lady's sense of style. [WWD]
• A tour of Jason Wu's apartment. [NYM]
• Eva Mendes and Jamie Dornan will be appearing in the new ad campaigns for Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein Underwear. [WWD]

The snubbing of a prominent designer almost dropped an "A-Bomb" on the whole affair, but the Met's Costume Gala still managed an A-list red carpet. Some of the most notable looks after the jump.

Fashion's biggest event of the year, the Met's annual Costume Institute Gala, took place last night. The evening wasn't without some drama: Designer Azzedine Alaïa, who felt his work was underrepresented in the "Model as Muse" exhibit, asked several of the models who he had dressed for the party to skip it, and both Naomi Campbell and Stephanie Seymour complied. But 650 other celebrities, designers, and models—including co-chairs Marc Jacobs, Kate Moss, and Justin Timberlake—braved the controversy (and rain) and walked the red carpet anyway. A few photos of the hits and misses after the jump.

If you're looking for an entry-level job in fashion or PR, you have nerves of steel, and you know how to use a computer (and you can use it to print out labels), note that Kelly Cutrone is looking for a new assistant at her Manhattan office. Interested parties can make contact via this address; people not interested in being abused on an upcoming reality TV show need not apply.

• Mayor Bloomberg has proposed raising the sales tax by half a percentage point. That's certainly not going to do much to help struggling retailers, now is it? [NYDN]
• With a fresh batch of stores and restaurants closing each day, life on the UES has gotten pretty depressing. [NYT]
• A few weeks ago, Thom Browne denied that his fashion company was in trouble. The fact both his CEO and CFO departed the company today certainly doesn't bode well. [WWD]
• A few notables not expected at the Costume Institute Gala on Monday: Karl Lagerfeld, Carine Roitfeld, Matthew Williamson, and Bernard Arnault. [FWD]

• Sign of the times: Henri Bendel plans to stop selling clothing this summer and will focus instead on accessories and beauty products. The Fifth Avenue flagship is giving up one of its three floors, and the company is cutting 8 percent of its staff, too. [NYT]
• More cheerful news: Save Fashion, the pop-up shop at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, makes its big debut tomorrow. [Save Fashion]
• The Jimmy Choo sample sale today was kind of crazy. [Racked]
• Beauty treatments you can do at home for cheaper. [NYDN]
• Padma Lakshmi talks jewelry as she gets set to debut her own line. [WSJ]
• A preview of Matthew Williamson's second shipment of clothes for women and his first batch of clothing for men. [NYM]

Wondering when Marc Jacobs will tie the knot with fiance Lorenzo Martone in what should go down as the gay wedding of the year? Martone says it will probably happen in June, and will probably take place in Provincetown, although guests will have to cool their heels a bit before really celebrating. The party is planned for December in St. Barts. [FWD]

• The Costume Institute Gala is a mere five days away. Fashion Week Daily has a roundup of who's going, who isn't, and what everyone will not be eating. (Chicken, in case you were wondering.) [FWD]
• The Observer on Alexandra Kotur, the "Viscountess of Vogue." [NYO]
• It seems some women are so addicted to the discount designer site Gilt Groupe that they're practically going bankrupt buying stuff they really don't want or need. [TDB]
• It's official: Madonna is attached to Louis Vuitton's new ad campaign. [Grazia]
• Isaac Mizrahi rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday. The market has been having a surprisingly solid week so far. Could the two be connected? We'll say yes, if it's okay with you. [Facebook, WWD]

Complex.com named Kanye West the Best-Dressed Rapper ever. And, I mean...he just, it's like..WOW, what can you say? Let him catch his breath...okay he's ready to thank you, all of you!

If you had any doubt that style, and indeed gayness, is genetic, listen to Michael Kors: His first commission was designing his mom Joan's wedding dress for her second marriage when, as he reveals in an interview, he was five years old. It was definitely in the blood: Even though the "Swedish Lutherian" side of his family "couldn't have given a fig about fashion," the Jewish side "loooved it. My grandfather's idea of a really great afternoon out was being fitted for a suit."

• Swine flu fashion has arrived! Just as you totally expected it would. [Pipeline, NYM]
• David Beckham is designing a line of men's clothes. Why? Because he can, that's why. [WWD]
• Kim Kardashian is taking a stand on the importance of honest photography in supermarket tabloid journalism. It's about time, too. [Jezebel]
• A peek inside the closets of Gisele Bundchen, Naomi Campbell, and Karen Elson. [Vogue]