Chic Report

A big round of bon anniversaires are in store! 2013 marks Francisco Costa’s 10th year with Calvin Klein; DKNY’s big 25th (Rita Ora is slated to perform at the bash at 23 Wall Street); Elie Tahari’s 40th anniversary in the business (read more about his special day on page 50); Kenneth Cole’s 40th; LIM’s 75th…

What’s considered the true launch of New York Fashion Week these days? The Couture Council of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology’s benefit luncheon at Lincoln Center’s David H. Koch Theatre has our vote. This year Michael Kors followed in the footsteps of designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Oscar de la Renta as the latest recipient of the 2013 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion on Wednesday.

We can’t get enough of Kerry Washington these days, et vous? Recently named to Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed List, Washington is gracing the cover of Glamour’s October issue to talk (with the mag’s EIC, Cindi Leive) about her “gladiator” role in Scandal as Olivia Pope, how she managed to get married in June without anyone knowing, and what’s on tap next for the much in demand star.

Hell hath no fury like a publicist scorned (especially Kelly Cutrone)! Today we received the following correspondence in our inbox. Oy vey. Some lessons are learned the hard way, right? “People’s Revolution is canceling our participation in the David Tlale show, Thursday, September 5th 9:30 AM in The Box at Lincoln Center as we have not been paid.

Everybody loves Michael Bastian, so the fash crowd turned out at Corsino last night to celebrate the men’s designer and kick off another fashion week. (It’s here!) Hosts Lucy Sykes Rellie and Euan Rellie welcomed Becka Diamond, Danielle Snyder, Timo Weiland, John Demsey, Kelly Bensimon, Peter Som, Adam Glassman, Jessica Joffee, Nigel Barker, and Bastian’s leading lady Eugenia Gonzalez.

Tempted to break that pre-fashion week diet? In a question and answer with Vogue UK, Doutzen Kroes admits that she is a “big French fry girl.” She tells them that she tries to “avoid them but sometimes you just need to indulge so I go for it.” The Victoria’s Secret mod also shares that if she wasn’t having her picture snapped she’d be a nutritionist like her mother and sister.

Returning (rather quietly this time) to New York Fashion Week for another season is Holmes & Yang who are doing a presentation in Chelsea on Monday afternoon. The Katie Holmes and Jeanne Yang label showed at the tents last year and then had an intimate affair in February to show Fall to select editors. We’d tell you where the new venue is, but don’t want TMZ showing up looking for a shot of Suri.

And the winner is…Kim Kardashian and her lips are on the latest issue of CR Fashion Book, shot by busiest man alive Karl Lagerfeld and art-directed by Riccardo Tisci. The 340-page issue hits newsstands on September 12th and also includes a Bruce Weber lensed shoot with a topless Karlie Kloss, a fashion shoot shot by Carine Roitfeld, and model Emily Ratajkowski in a threesome also shot by Weber.

Finnish “art fashion house” Ivana Helsinki is showing tomorrow at Pier 59 and we got a doozy of a press release from them explaining themselves. “Ivana Helsinki started as my personal art-project; now it’s a way of living,” Pirjo Suhonen explains. “I could easily spend my life as a nomad, raising stories of love and life and going to my road trips

The Cut’s Kurt Soller recently talked to industry vet Robin Givhan about her process reviewing shows. “I tend to want to give my full attention to the show,” she explains. “So I am notoriously bad about tweeting during the show, or taking video, because I really want to be there. And I always think to myself that there are people who, to paraphrase The Devil Wears Prada, would give a million dollars to be sitting there.