The Times of London today is running a snapshot of Banksy, the pop artist phenom who not even his agent purportedly has ever seen in person. Apparently, a passerby clocked the guerrila artist on his cell phone while he was at work.

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Hands down, MOCA’s grand gala Sunday night feting Takashi Murakami’s L.A. invasion ranks as the party of the year. And the trifecta of the Pop artist along with host Marc Jacobs and a performing Kanye West no doubt pushed it over the edge. […]

Running 80 minutes late and long and with Mayor Villaraigosa among the determined, albeit famished audience who stuck it out until the final prize, the Los Angeles Fashion Awards proved as much an evening of pride as chagrin.

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“I know there are women here who appreciate these kinds of clothes,” Olivier Theyskens told me yesterday, as Couture Cares, the annual fashion luncheon benefiting the Revlon/UCLA Breast Cancer Center, drew to a close.

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Adding shopkeeper to her already impressive career curve, 25-year-old designer Jenni Kayne’s new West Hollywood digs is the kind of store you want to live in. At least that was the consensus among the three dozen or so friends—including Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen, Alison Lohman, Anthony Kiedis, Anna Getty, Rebecca Gayheart and Mia Kirshner-who tucked in along three long tables for a family-style dinner at the pre-opening party last Friday night.

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“Jimmy was due this a long time ago,” stressed former First Lady-in-red Nancy Reagan over desert, regardind the award finally conferred her long-time friend and dress designer James Galanos. While I used to heatedly debate my dearly departed dad over his love for the Reagans, it was tough to resist the grand doyenne.

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With the book now in stores and the promo tour underway, the final chapter on the style guide I did for Rachel Zoe finally reaches closure. I think. At least that was the mantra with every clink of Champers on the rooftop of the Cartier flagship on Rodeo Drive last night. […]

Never mind the fashion shows. What’s dominating the calendar this week are the parties, upwards of three or four worthwhile fetes each night. Tuesday’s trifecta began (at least for us) at Morton’s in West Hollywood, where the Council of Fashion Designers of America teamed up with InStyle and Net-a-Porter to launch the worldwide initiative of the CFDA’s Fashion Targets Breast Cancer campaign. […]

So much of what passes on the runways this week doesn’t warrant such a production. So it’s even more refreshing when a designer who could support a catwalk option, opts out for the sober, intimate showcase of a private dining room, a limited guest list and an edited selection of 13 looks, simply displayed on 13 glossy white mannequins. […]

Journalist Dana Thomas is back in Los Angeles this week for another round of readings and signings for her bestselling “Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster.”
Just a month ago during dinner in the Chateau Marmont garden, she was announcing to friends and family that the book—which chronicles the rise and democratization of modern luxury—hit the New York Times Best Seller List. […]

The height of chic remains lensman William Claxton and muse Peggy Moffitt, who marked their 80th and 70th birthdays, respectively, with a jazzy celebration this weekend hosted by Benedict and Lauren Taschen, completely filling Dominick’s in West L.A.

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Never mind that film drives the machine of Los Angeles, both in terms of employment and image. The arrival of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the BOXeight-hosted fashion-week showcase at St. Vibiana's last night was enough to shut down the last two minutes of celluloid being enjoyed by the packed house in attendance.

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On the heels of some fairly stunning stores that are opening one after another in Los Angeles, designer Monique Lhuillier has put many of them to shame with her new 4,200-square-foot salon on Melrose Place.

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It kept the boys at Uber up until 7:30 a.m., but Gen Art's rising stars featured in this Friday's Fresh Faces showcase are now part of the family, each with their very own super stylish site-complete with bios, pics and the interviews we filmed at last Thursday night's mixer (like this one starring David and Mitch of Endovanera).

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To quote my artist pal, Lucas Michael, food is fashion. And the chefs are, naturally, the new stars of this fashionable arena, complete with signature schtick, er, style to match.
Author Rebecca Bloom’s invitation to Sunday supper wasn’t our first meal with the 2 Dudes—a.k.a.

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Debate the merits of L.A. Fashion Week all you want (and there is much to thrash out about it). At least the Gen Art Fresh Faces showcase remains consistent in its offerings and production season after season, presenting young designers who not only have something to offer a congested marketplace but also have something of a business. […]

Scotland is figuring on the radar now.
First there were the handful of pieces fit for the glens that made their way into my whopping fall buy of Vivienne Westwood—a tartan bustle skirt and tartan blouson, and a dress and top with a ruffle cascading from the neckline. […]

Despite the good people watching, cultural festivals usually leave me flat. Either the brazen corporate message gets in the way of the art or the execution is too unimaginative. But this weekend's Swerve Fest has us pining for next year's installment.

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