Google hits the tents at Bryant Park (sort of)

It's a follow-up to the handful of designer templates we told you about in May, which iGoogle’s product marketing manager Michaela Prescott said had been installed on "hundreds of thousands" of iGoogle home pages since.

Just in time for the first show of the day at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, Google took the wraps off its latest collection of homepage themes including a dozen and a half by fashion brands including Burberry, Gucci, Michael Kors, Stella McCartney, Jimmy Choo and Rock & Republic.

"The most popular ones to date have been Dolce & Gabbana and Marc Ecko," she told us earlier today, "And Coldplay." (In addition to fashion, the collection also includes musician-themed pages by Radiohead, Gnarls Barkley and Faith Hill.)

It’s a win-win for both sides; the Silicon Valley company gets to gussy up its goods with the desktop equivalent of designer duds, and the fashion brands get to try their hand at designing a few of the road signs on the busiest lane of the information superhighway.

Among our favorites in the new crop of page toppers are Paul Frank Industries’ brightly colored Julius the monkey and his cartoon pals, and the polka dots, jellyfish of Kate Spade.

And if Google’s taking suggestions for next season, how about partnering with venerable clothier Brooks Brothers? With the continuing surge in preppie revival in men’s wear, what could be possibly be more popular than a navy blue homepage –- with clickable brass buttons?

— Adam Tschorn

Photos: IGoogle artists themes by designer Michael Kors, top, and Vivienne Tam. Bottom, iGoogle's display in the Bryant Park tents during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Credits: Google.com for top two images; Adam Tschorn, bottom.