Things of subtle interest, no. 472:

From left to right: two original Café Press designs and most tellingly, a shirt of Wendy's own creation.

While we're waiting for the February 23rd finale of Bravo's Project Runway, we thought we'd dangle a possible spoiler-on-a-stick in front of your hungry mouths. After the series' winner was decided during a hush-hush fashion show last week, a Gawker operative, firmly planted backstage, overheard "wild card" finalist Jay utter the following choice tidbit:

I absorbed so much this week, I don't even know where to start. For instance, there are some things even tabloids won't print (like, say, the name of the deposed Vogue assistant who came between Proenza Schouler—c'mon, let Derek have his moment of fame). Another lesson: posing as Page Six reporter Chris Wilson will not get you into a show. I also learned to avoid Phillip Bloch, who angrily said he raised money for "UNICEF or something." And then there are those expressions of sympathy that some people won't touch with a ten-foot pole. To wit, an overheard dialogue:

From the brightly colored heroin distribution center in Bryant Park, Jessica emerges with a special report on the Cynthia Rowley show:

This just in from our Fashion Week bureau (basically, a hole beneath the runway where our operative smokes used butt ends): In lieu of giving out swag bags after the show, the pholks at Baby Phat passed out 'shag bags' which contained condoms, Altoids, lube and clitoral stimulation gel.

According to the Times, sponsorship is rampant at Bryant Park. Models at the Duckie Brown show went so far as to carry Olympus mp3 players as part of their outfits.

Winner of today s WhatTheFuck Award: According to The New York Times 'Business' section, clothing designer Heather T. Ross has designed a line of panties bearing cartoon images of past boyfriends. When scratched (heh heh), the images emit scents. For instance, the set called "Handyman," releases the scent of cedar while "Mower Man" emanates the aroma of fresh-cut grass. "BBQ Guy" smells like tangy sauce. Read that last sentence again.

[click to enlarge]

The bitchy queens at Datalounge have taken a shine to Project Runway's Austin Scarlett, who claims he's not totally gay. Uh-huh. So lipgloss and fashion design are the marks of heterosexuality, eh? Anyhow, when they're not debating his sexuality/talent/do-ability, they're so kind as to reveal the quoi of Scarlett's je ne sais quoi: he's a perfect cross between Hermey the would-be dentist from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and a young Yves St. Laurent. We knew we had seen him somewhere before.
The Austin Equation [Timmy Ray]
Austin Scarlett Thread [Datalounge]
Austin Scarlett [Bravo]

We're not sure if it's new or not, but HowardStern.com contains a photo of show regular Artie Lange and his Village People-esque facial hair (right).

Maybe it's a little early in the day for a To-Do style item, but this one is special. Tonight is the launch of the new inscrutably-titled AKA magazine, and the opening (held at Saks) will feature the designs of Jhane Barnes as modeled by "Uptown 'It' Boy" Fabian Basabe, rugged author Jay McInerney, and the Post's Jared Paul Stern. Don't believe us? Does this event seem simply too amazing to be true? Click the image to enlarge and check out the evite in all its absurd glory; in the meantime, we'll be spending our day fantasizing about the sashays of these hot, sweaty (yet culturally significant!) males.

Like moths to the flame, it's that time of the year when The Gays flock to Rio de Janeiro for Carnivale. But Rio isn't just about ass-fucking! There are, of course, plenty of potential underwear models to be found, which we're sure is why designer Calvin Klein was spotted scouting the local talent at the Cabo Folia party.
Calvin On The Hunt [Made In Brazil]
Related: Not-So-Blind Blind Item Fun

American Apparel founder and chronic masturbator Dov Charney does his best to disgust you by appearing in the latest American Apparel ad, featured on the inside cover of girly-porn magazine Sweet Action. Because, you know, scarring the customer for life is a solid marketing technique.

In a very shallow, sleek, and overpriced sort of way.
Helmut Lang Said to Leave Prada in the Latest Industry Departure [NYT]

Ever wonder what life is like after winning UPN's reality modeling competition, America's Next Top Model? Well, if seeing the first winner, Adrianne Curry, shame herself on VH1's Surreal Life wasn't answer enough, a reader reports that second season victor Yoanna House isn't exactly living a glamourous life on the runway:

· Has reality Mafia star Victoria Gotti escaped from the rusty shackles of Star magazine? After long-standing reports of disagreements between her and editor Bonnie Fuller (go figure), Gotti's column has been missing from the magazine. Standard denials have been issued. [R&M (3rd item)]
· Designer Ralph Lauren holds a clean, crisp grudge over a 2 year-old unauthorized biography penned by Michael Gross. For an upcoming Boston museum exhibition of Lauren's car collection, the Americana-peddler's people have asked that Gross' work be "banned" from the museum's bookstore. [Page Six]
· Speculation regarding the Bush family's embrace of Satan continues; not only is the Univeristy of Texas hand gesture synonymous with satanic shadow puppetry, but it also means "bullshit" in sign language. [Lowdown]
· NB to Robert DeNiro: when you career is slowly slipping because of Meet the Fockers, filming a sequel to Taxi Driver might not be the best solution. [Page Six]

Lest you think Glamour never makes a mistake, they've included this helpful correction on their letters page:

Last night FORD Models held their annual "Supermodel of the World" fashion show to pick three lucky girls who skipped the indignity of a reality tv show to get cash prizes and modeling contracts. Gawker's Andrew Krucoff and photographer Nikola Tamindzic missed the runway show, arrived late to the party (even had problems attempting to get into CO-ED mag's launch party around the corner!), but manage to salvage the evening with these photos of hot hangers-on.

New York Social Diary, the delightfully-complicated log of socialite life as told by David Patrick Columbia, addresses the issue of Fabian Basabe, in light of his straight-n-earnest wedding to Martina Borgomanero. But what does Columbia think of Basabe The Man? In a recent entry, Columbia writes: