Fashion News: How soon can I get my Albert Pujols Angels jersey?

Yes, the article of clothing I most covet right this minute is a Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim jersey with Albert Pujols' name on it. In fact, the quick-thinking folks at Major League Baseball's Angels' online team store posted a photo of a Pujols' No. 5 jersey next to the Angels' logo on Thursday when the slugger's acquisition by my favorite team was announced. But when I clicked on the icon, I was taken to a plain jersey I could customize with the name and number of my choice for $99.99. And if that name and number just happen to be Pujols'.... Not a bad idea for a holiday gift for Angels diehards.  Meanwhile, the bricks and mortar store at Honda Center whipped up a limited number of the replica jerseys and sold them to some lucky fans Thursday, as my colleague Diane Pucin reported. Others were told to come back Saturday.

Dockers announced a somewhat unlikely celebrity spokesman for its rather tame brand: "Man vs. Wild" star Bear Grylls. Grylls is usually seen on the Discovery channel show in situations such as the one above. The Dockers ads were shot in the wilds of NYC's Central Park. In any event, Grylls reportedly likes the ease and comfort of the brand's khakis. [WWD]

Meanwhile Audrina Partridge announced that she is ending her two-year run as celebrity spokesmodel for the Bongo clothing label. She plans to start her own fashion line next year. [People]

The Pantone Color Institute announced that 2012's reigning color will be "tangerine tango," a deep, vibrant orange which is replacing this year's honeysuckle as the hue you'll see spicing up fashion and home decor.  As our Adam Tschorn wrote, it was also announced that Pantone will collaborate with Sephora on a first-time Color of the Year makeup collection. [Los Angeles Times]

Vogue launched its much-anticipated online archives on Thursday, containing every page published since the magazine's inception in 1892. But access doesn't come cheap: Initial subscriptions cost $1,575  per year. [The Cut]

Vogue's Anna Wintour and Hamish Bowles are scheduled to appear on CBS' "Sunday Morning" to talk about the archives and other topics in the Vogue-world. [The Cut]

In another corner of the digital world, Valentino and partner Giancarlo Giammetti threw a party Wednesday night to celebrate the launch of the  Valentino Garavani Virtual Museum, an app containing the designer's archives in a gallery-like space. Celebrity fans who attended the party in Manhattan included Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, Olivia Palermo, Claire Danes, Hugh Dancy, Rachel Zoe, Rodger Berman and Courtney Love. [WWD] 

Britain's version of the Internal Revenue Service wrote to 100 fashion companies warning them not to pay interns less than minimum wage. [Telegraph]

Blow Angels, a competitor to Dry Bar, has opened a salon on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, offering shampoos and blowouts with Bumble and Bumble products, reportedly at a lower price than the aforementioned Dry Bar. [PopSugar LA]

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Albert Pujols deal makes Angels important in L.A. and the A.L.

-- Susan Denley

Photos, From top: The image of an Angels Pujols jersey from the team store site. (Credit: Angels / Major League Baseball); Bear Grylls in action. He will be the new spokesman for Dockers. (Chloe Pearne / Discovery Channel).

Are these the sexiest shoes of 2011?

According to the annual poll conducted by Saks Fifth Avenue and industry trade publication Footwear News (FN), Valentino's $695 lace-embroidered leather peep-toe pump is 2011's sexiest shoe.

Nipping at its high heels as first runner-up is Jimmy Choo's Swarovski-crystal-encrusted sandals with double ankle straps ($2,095). A pair of knee-high leather boots by Prada was second runner-up with a pair of Chrissie Morris suede, mesh and stingray peep-toe ankle boots earning third runner-up.

Last year's winner was a pair of Swarovski-crystal-covered kicks by Christian Louboutin.

The online poll, which was open to the public, ran from Sept. 26 to Oct. 21, offered voters a choice between 25 finalists  chosen by the FN editors.

Do you think these are the sexiest shoes of the year? I mean, they're certainly saucy enough -- and I might begrudgingly admit they could qualify as the hottest heels of the year, but if you're talking about pure buzz-building, jaw-dropping, shoes-as-spectacle kinds of kicks, I might have to disagree and go a whole new direction entirely by nominating the 2011 Nike Air Mag -- or a certain pair of ruby slippers that are slated to become available in mid-December.

Feel free to weigh in on the above -- or offer your own choice -- in the comments section below.

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-- Adam Tschorn

Left photo: Valentino's lace-embroidered leather peep-toe pumps were dubbed 2011's sexiest heels in a recent online poll by Saks Fifth Avenue and trade publication Footwear News. Credit: Footwear News

Right photo: In second place was Jimmy Choo's Swarovski-crystal-encrusted sandals with double ankle straps. Credit: Footwear News 

Paris Fashion Week: Valentino missing its edge

Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli showed a collection that hit many of the season's trends, but in a rather bland way.

The color palette was neutral (black, blush, navy, black) with pops of fall's favorite oxblood, mustard yellow and bottle green. The designers started with a new kind of soft suit in double cashmere, composed of a cardigan jacket and flared skirt. Details included knit insets and decorative studs, a play on those studded shoes from spring that are still selling like hotcakes.

And lace, was there ever lace--both Chantilly and laser cut leather lace, with floral appliques or geometric designs. Feather and chevron motifs were also in the mix, and handbags came in patchwork snakeskin.

Much of it was very pretty, but the edginess that typically takes Chiuri and Piccioli's collections to a modern place was missing.

-- Booth Moore in Paris 

PHOTOS:

Valentino fall-winter 2011 runway collection photo gallery

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Photos: Looks from the Valentino fall-winter 2011 runway collection shown during Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Your morning fashion and beauty report: Will Lindsay Lohan's troubles help her clothing line? It's possible

Now that Lindsay Lohan is going to be out of circulation for a while -- after being sentenced to 90 days in jail (which will probably end up being 25) followed by 90 days in substance abuse rehab -- might it actually boost her 6126 clothing line? So say fashion optimists. Nothing like a little notoriety to spice things up. [WWD] 

And fashionistas be warned: When you are getting a manicure for your court date, be careful how you glam it up. Ms. Lohan is drawing fire for the expletive she had written across one of her nails during sentencing. It was a joke, she says. Uh-huh. [Los Angeles Times]

It's not exactly equal opportunity, given all the rigid rules for women, but now Iran is cracking down on men's looks -- specifically, the mullet. It's been banned along with a few other men's hairstyles. [Gawker]

Valentino, the jet-set designer with more than five decades of couture to his credit, launched his archives with a star-studded party at his chateau Wednesday night that drew the likes of celebrity fans Gwyneth Paltrow, Blake Lively, Clair Danes and Jessica Alba. [Telegraph] [WWD] Earlier in the day, the house showed its haute couture line for fall 2010 in Paris. [Telegraph]

What gets between Zoe Saldana and her Calvins? Not much, in her sexy new ads for Calvin Klein undies. [People]

Creative Nail Design, with its new Shellac Hybrid Nail Color manicure, is one of several companies offering a chip-free manicure that lasts for two weeks. [Chicago Tribune] Another alternative is the Minx manicure, which we've explained before. [Los Angeles Times]

Mary J. Blige is extending her line with a sunglass collection that will go on sale at Nordstrom and Bergdorf Goodman this fall. [WWD]

-- Susan Denley

Photo: A look from Lindsay Lohan's 6126 line  Credit: 6126

Paris Fashion Week: Valentino designers find their edge

The provocative and arty images of experimental filmmaker Kenneth Anger that were projected on the walls around the runway show space were a hint that this season, Valentino was setting its sights on the cool girls. And why not? The house scored a major Golden Globes red carpet coup in January, dressing the coolest girl of them all, Chloe Sevigny, in a smoky lavender ruffled confection.

Designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paulo Piccioli presented their most successful collection for the house to date, by taking Valentino's signature ruffles in a direction that was more architectural than prissy, and offering more daywear options.

Gale Parker's Clothespin opens in West Hollywood

On a champagne-soaked Thursday evening last week, Gale Parker’s Clothespin opened with cheerful laughs and a multi-generational crowd perusing her new store. The upscale West Hollywood locale on Melrose Avenue is Parker’s first store, but the New Yorker is far from being a novice in fashion. The designer once served as model/muse for the likes of Valentino and Yves Saint Laurent, as well as the design director for Ralph Lauren women’s collection.

Parker’s vibrant printed dresses, blouses and skirts looked like items girls would steal from their mother’s closets on a warm summer day. It’s easy to picture a wispy surfer girl walking down Abbot Kinney in a Gale Parker design, or a Malibu mom lounging by the playground in the loose comfort of Clothespin’s feminine wares.

“My mother and Teen Vogue’s blogger Jazzi McGilbert both came in here and wanted everything. Can you believe it?” said Noelle Valdivia, a member of the Clothespin team.

Paris Fashion Week: A fluttery mesh at Valentino

In a season when everyone is showing the kind of feminine frills and bows that Valentino made his signatures, it is too bad that the house's new designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli could not have produced a more compelling collection.

The focal point was the short dress done in boudoir pale shades of sheer organza folded and draped into overly frilly meringues, creating the effect of the dress wearing the woman, rather than the other way around. Gowns were also overwrought with too much sheer mesh, and too many bows and sequins.

Sparkly sheer lace pants and T-shirts, and a leather jacket covered in sculpted roses seemed to be on the right track, as far as making the brand relevant to a new generation. But even the limited edition shoes, customized by milliner Philip Treacy with stiff lace frills jutting out the back, couldn't disguise that this was a collection thin on ideas.

-- Booth Moore

Photos: Valentino's Spring-Summer 2010 runway

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Photo: Valentino's Spring-Summer 2010 show. Photo credit: Peter Stigter & Jonas Gustavsson / For The Times

Gaultier, Valentino, Font close couture shows in Paris

The winter 2010 haute couture shows are over ... so here's a final look -- at John Paul Gaultier, Valentino and Josep Font. Jenny Barchfield of the Associated Press reports:

"Jean Paul Gaultier [pictured at left] looked to vintage Hollywood for a solid collection that was equal parts Ava Gardner and Gaultier — the one-time enfant terrible of French fashion — himself.

"Things were looking up at Valentino. Its new design duo finally found their way out of the archive and forged a sexy new look for the mythic Italian label. Out went the ladylike day coats and tasteful A-line cocktail dresses in jewel-toned duchess silk; in came the second-skin bodice dresses in flesh-colored tulle and black lace; and up, way up, went the hemlines.

"For his fourth couture display, Spanish designer Josep Font continued to shore up his avant-garde credentials with a ravishing collection of think pieces."

Valentino receives Rodeo Drive Walk of Style award

Less than 12 hours after the Costume Council feted him at a dinner a few blocks away (and that following a screening of a documentary about him), legendary -- and recently retired -- fashion designer Valentino Garavani was back at the lectern, this time at the foot of Via Rodeo in Beverly Hills for the unveiling of a Rodeo Drive Walk of Style plaque in his honor.

The 13th person to receive the honor in the last six years (previous recipients were designers Giorgio Armani, Tom Ford, Salvatore Ferragamo, Gianni and Donatella Versace, James Galanos and Manolo Blahnik, photographers Herb Ritts and Mario Testino, and costume designers Edith Head, James Acheson and Milena Canonero), the gold-colored plaque bearing his name is expected to be installed in the sidewalk somewhere in the 300 block of North Rodeo Drive within the next month.

“I am completely drunk on compliments,” he told the crowd, after being introduced by actress Anne Hathaway. "Today this street is the most important fashion street in the world. It's an honor for me to have this plaque in this beautiful place. My mother always said I was walking in the clouds, now you can say people are walking on me."

In her introduction, Hathaway dressed in Valentino "from head to about the knees" (her words exactly), spoke of how she tended to get nervous every time she was about to meet the designer. "I wanted to be perfect in Valentino for Valentino," she said, noting that by the time she arrived at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art for Wednesday night's screening of "Valentino: The Last Emperor" she thought she had it nailed.

"Last night I thought I’d really done it, I thought I was past all that, I was wearing one of his last, most beautiful dresses, a little black bowed number, I was gladly suffering through blistering 5-inch stilettos because they complemented the satin hemline. I was attempting to carry myself with all the elegance and sophistication of someone wearing Valentino, and I thought to myself: ‘At last, I’ve done it.’

"I was totally relaxed, totally at ease, totally confident. And then I went up to say hello to him. He hugged me, kissed me and then ... retied the bow on the front of my dress.

"Though I should have been mortified, I felt loved. Suddenly I wasn’t the girl trying to be perfect in Valentino … I was a Valentino creation.”

Wednesday night at the Montage Hotel, Valentino told the crowd he had enjoyed his visit but was ready to get back to Europe. This morning, after thanking the city of Beverly Hills and Hathaway he seemed to change his tune.

"Who knows, maybe I’ll be here one more day and win another prize," he said with a chuckle.

-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Valentino's spring 2009 collection

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Photo: Designer Valentino Garavani and actress Anne Hathaway at the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Awards. Credit: AP / Dan Steinberg

PFW: Valentino just like Mom used to wear

PARIS -- It's been a rough few seasons since Valentino retired. The latest designers to take the helm at the house are Maria Grazia Churi and Pier Paolo Piccioli, who came from the accessories side.

Unfortunately, their fall show didn't do much to bring the clothes in line with the covetable shoes and bags that have been embraced by the younger set.

In other words, this was your mother's Valentino.

They showed matronly looking shift dresses, albeit in lively shades of burgundy, jade green and warm yellow to go with the classic black and camel versions, fan-pleated over one hip or knotted at the waist. The same fox fur coat appeared in several iterations, including one covered in graduated crystal stones. Another coat came in ombre sheared mink. This was not recession chic.

And the long draped gowns, micropleated at the bodice and slit high up the leg, had none of the drama that characterized the red, red-carpet stunners of the house's namesake designer.

-- Booth Moore

Photo: Francois Mori / Associated Press

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