Disappointingly for observers of the goings-on at the G-20 Summit, Carla Bruni Sarkozy wasn't present, so while the media feigned enthusiasm at the task of judging Michelle Obama's outfits alongside the other First Ladies', it really wasn't much of a competition. Thank goodness, then, that the Obamas are now in France with the Sarkozys, and are faced, as one serious-minded journalist sees it, with a challenge of equal weight: Our president will use the NATO Summit to lobby for more help for allied troops in Afghanistan, and his wife will try with all her might to usurp Carla as the most glamorous First Lady on the planet.

• The obsession with Michelle Obama's travel wardrobe continues: For an appearance today at the Royal Opera at Covent Garden, she wore a dress by Jason Wu and an asymmetrical cardigan by Junya Watanabe, which was either a "kooky combo" or her "edgiest fashion statement yet," depending on who you ask. [NYT, LAT]
• Speaking of Michelle in London today, can you believe that she and the Queen touched? The Queen "made the first move," reports the Daily Mail, although it was still "an electrifying moment of palpable majesté and a breach of centuries-long protocol." [DM]
• These may be difficult economic times, but Donna Karan would still very much appreciate it if you bought a pair of her new jeans for $595. [NYP]
• Roberto Cavalli can't decide if he wants to sell his company or not, but he's conducting discussions with investors anyway. [NYM]
• Men's retailers are hoping to get men to linger inside stores by handing out free booze. If anything is going to do the trick, that's probably it. [WSJ]
• Reloxin is kinda like Botox except it works quicker and lasts longer. [NYT]
• The fashionable women on line outside Topshop today. [Pipeline]

The folly of wearing 'BROOKLYN' apparel, illustrated.

What a time to start selling $595 jeans. The free publicity potential is incredible. Across America, hacks are whipping out pocket calculators and saying, "Do you know what you could buy for $595??"

Oh hey did you hear that the Obamas went to England? They met the queen! And crappy presents notwithstanding, it was such a god damn regal moment that the world media, en masse, orgasmed.

• Topshop opens tomorrow, in case you haven't heard. [NYT, Racked, NYM, Glamour, Pipeline]
• If you wish to bypass the madness in Soho, the first-ever Balenciaga outlet in the U.S. opens tomorrow at the Woodbury Commons. [NYM]
• The British media just about melted at the sight of a J. Crew-clad Michelle Obama today. [WWD]
• The Costume Institute gala is a mere four weeks away but getting people to sponsor tables hasn't been easy work for Anna Wintour. If you notice fewer mentions of Burberry, Versace, and Gucci in future issues of Vogue, now you know why. [FWD]
• Dowdy retail chains are trying to spiff things up in order to appeal to "modern women who are now shopping for style within their means." [NYT]
• Resort season isn't quite what it used to be. [WWD]
• Why is Lorenzo back in NYC? Where's Marc? It's a mystery! [Fashionologie]

Jack Cafferty doesn't take any crap. Not from Chinese communists, not from "the facts," and damn sure not from some treasonous hippie protester. Especially when her headgear deeply offends the CNN commentator.

• The Obamas headed over to London today on their first trip overseas since Barack took office and the big topic of discussion is Michelle's wardrobe, of course: She was wearing Thakoon as she boarded the plane, but she emerged in a Jason Wu dress when she got off. But tomorrow she meets the Queen, so expect things to really get crazy. [NYM, SW, Style.com]
• Kate Moss will cut the ribbon at the Topshop opening on Thursday, naturally. [WWD]
• Tips on surviving the big opening from your pals across the pond. [Guardian]
• Richard Chai may be the new creative director at Bill Blass. [FWD]
• Agent Provocateur just launched its new swimwear collection. [Pipeline]

Fashion publicist/MTV reality show regular Kelly Cutrone has a book in the works! Aimed at "young women who have their sights set on power and success but lack the know-how to attain them," her co-author will be Observer reporter Meredith Bryan. Whatever you do, though, don't compare the "power girl's guide" to anything by Candace Bushnell: "It's a real girl's guide to the real fucking world... Sex and the City was a lot of frosting. I like Candace, and I think she's a good writer, but this isn't four girls holding hands running around New York. It's the real thing." [NYO]

• And you were thinking Naomi Campbell was devoid of sympathy and compassion. The supermodel has been all over Mumbai's Lakmé Fashion Week, where she's raising money for victims of last year's terrorist attacks. [SF]
• Vera Wang's Lavender label may be in trouble now that Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue appear to be dropping the line for spring. [NYM]
• Sketches of Gwyneth Paltrow's collection with French label ZOEtee—"a mélange of Seventies glamour, rock inspiration and men's casual suiting"—are now available for your viewing pleasure. [WWD]
• Anna Wintour was in Miami to see Roger Federer this past weekend. [FWD]

A few months ago two Fashion Institute of Technology students were arrested for dealing coke, and they laughed about it, and were subsequently crucified in the tabloids. Now they're blaming hardworking, cock-referencing undercover police!

What do you call a film about a celebrity fashionista famous for gleefully manufacturing drama with other men? Other than The Marc Jacobs Chronicles, that is?

• Saks has agreed to pick up Christian Siriano's fall line. The collection will be sold at the in-store boutique for up-and-coming designers. [NYM]
• Rachel Zoe is launching a budget clothing line. Because she can. [SW]
• Kira Plastinina, the 16-year-old designer and Russian mogul's daughter who watched her company implode recently, is ready for her next challenge. She's going back to school. Possibly to Parsons, in fact! [FWD]
• The company that bought the rights to the Bill Blass name now has plans to revive it and is currently hunting for a creative director. [Fashionista]
• H&M reported its first drop in quarterly profits in more than five years. [BN]
• Not only does Olivia Palermo shop at Strawberry's (or doesn't), she says she shops at the Strand, too. For, like, books and stuff. [Racked]
• The ever-humble Kanye West would now like to be known as Martin Louis The King Jr. The "Louis" refers to Louis Vuitton, obviously. [NYDN]

• One of the biggest sources of inspiration for designers in 2009 thus far: mid-20th century space-traveling superheroes. Naturally. [NYT]
• Thom Browne is denying media reports that his line is on the verge of going bust. [NYM]
• Speaking of financial trouble, Marc Ecko seems to be knee-deep in it: He may be forced to turn over his company to creditors if he doesn't fix things fast. [NYP]
• As expected, Fabrizio Freda is taking over for William Lauder as Estée Lauder's CEO. [BN]
• Jason Wu is not doing a reality show, sorry. [Fashionologie]
• Project Runway contestant Kenley Collins says she never assaulted her boyfriend with their cat. She just "plopped him" on the bed. Righto. [NYDN]
• Matthew Williamson's H&M line debuts in less than a month. [Vogue UK]
• Just in time for Easter, Giorgio Armani-branded chocolate eggs! [FWD]
• Interested in a $30 million diamond-encrusted dress? Perhaps not. [NYM]

Ecko, the hip hop clothing line that morphed over a decade from underground to JC Penney chic, is in danger of going bankrupt. Maybe that 280,000 square-foot fantasyland office was a bit much?

You might not have heard, but there's a recession going on, which means that spending thousands upon thousands on designer clothes and show-offy accessories is suddenly and shamefully de trop. Drag! So Robert Burke, the luxury consultant and former fashion director at Bergdorf's, participated in a fun little game where he provided a list of purchases one would normally opt for—including, for men, an $8,375 Rolex steel-and-gold Oyster Perpetual Date watch and $520 Salvatore Ferragamo black lace-ups, and for women basic staples like a $995 Michael Kors black cotton zipper dress, a $995 David Yurman Cable Collection peace symbol necklace, and $330 Rock & Republic jeans—and challenged a couple of "avid shoppers" to find cheaper substitutes. Their discoveries will shock and amaze you!

Poor Gwyneth Paltrow: We can scarcely imagine how trying it must be to accept that ever since she won an Oscar ten years ago, the world has been increasingly remiss in validating her admirably high self-esteem. Her website, Goop.com, whose sole aim was "to put good things into the world," was widely misconstrued as the out-of-touch ramblings of a narcissist, and then with the release of one of the few films she's deigned to make recently, Two Lovers, all people could talk about was her co-star Joaquin Phoenix going nuts instead of her bravura performance. So how to rehabilitate the unjustly devalued Paltrow brand? Duh, a clothing line, of course! It's a collaboration with Parisian brand ZOEtee and even better, the proceeds are going to a children's charity. No one could possibly find anything to criticize about that, could they?

• Lauren Conrad isn't folding her clothing line. She's just taking a "couple of seasons" off, silly. [SW]
• Topshop gave away free stuff today. [Racked, NYM]
• Jason Wu has yet to meet Michelle Obama in person! Clearly, this outrage must be rectified at once. Get to work, Desirée. [Vogue UK]
• Thom Browne has accumulated so much debt that he may lose control of his own company. [NYP]
• Is Filene's Basement about to go bust? [WWD]
• A law under discussion in Texas and Florida would require minors to get a doctor's note before using a tanning bed. And the Florida provision would ban tanning for anyone under the age of 16. Bastards! [Style.com]

Exciting news, Lauren Bush fans: The most popular member of the Bush clan unveiled her new clothing line at Barneys today, and there was nary a scrap of burlap in sight! A step in the right direction? Possibly! Bush says the "mission" of the line, which is named Lauren Pierce after her first and middle names, "is about the fabrics and the cause." "I didn't want it to be about my personality," she explained. We're hardly fashion branding experts, but if you'd prefer your line to be more closely identified with your "mission" as opposed to your "personality," is it really the best idea to name it after yourself? At least she was thoughtful enough to do away with any association to her not-so-popular uncle, which should count for something. [VF, previously]

Richard Beckman—formerly head of the Conde Nast Media Group, which handles the company's biggest and most exclusive advertisers—is now the President and C.E.O. of Conde's Fairchild Fashion Group. That's a demotion. Backstory: