At Marc Jacobs’ spring 2005 collection, A-list celebrities seated on metal high school bleachers at Pier 54 put on a show to rival the production that would soon come down the catwalk. Then-power couple Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony held hands. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen — at the height of their NYU-student boho phase — huddled chummily with Mandy Moore, who would also cuddle Natalie Portman in her lap. Kate Hudson rubbed pregnant BFF Liv Tyler’s belly as her dad, Steven, mingled nearby.

The scene last February at Philipp Plein’s show at the New York Public Library was a distinct contrast. It was arguably the season’s most buzzed-about spectacle, but the front row wasn’t exactly spectacular: A garishly dressed Madonna sat coolly next to Kylie Jenner and Tyga, not far from Tiffany Trump and rapper Fat Joe.  Read More >

Beloved by stars from Princess Diana to Rihanna. Immortalized by “Sex and the City.” Dubbed “a legend” by Anna Wintour. There’s good reason Naomi Campbell calls Manolo Blahnik the “king of shoes” in “Manolo: The Boy Who Made Shoes for Lizards” — a new documentary (out this week) about the designer’s life. As Blahnik steps into the spotlight, he shares with Alexa some of the highlights from his decades keeping the fashion world on its toes. Read More >

Anna Wintour feels Isaac Mizrahi deserved to have the show we caught her at yesterday — but that not every designer should take them for granted. Asked how the economic downturn was impacting the tents, Anna found the upside of industrywide imperilment. “There’s definitely more presentations [this season], which I actually think is a great thing because a lot of people before were having shows that simply shouldn’t have been having them,” Anna said, front row at Isaac’s less-than-packed New York Public Library bonanza. Read More >

It was the hottest ticket of Paris Fashion Week-for all the wrong reasons. On March 4, some 1,500 guests gathered in the Rodin Museum gardens for the Christian Dior fall show. Just days earlier, the label’s star designer John Galliano had been arrested for making anti-Semitic remarks to two cafe patrons; soon after, a video surfaced of Galliano drunkenly declaring, “I love Hitler.”

Immediately, Oscar winner Natalie Portman-the face of Miss Dior Cherie perfume-condemned the designer, saying, “I am deeply shocked and disgusted.” Galliano, 50, was abruptly fired and is believed to be in rehab at an undisclosed location. Read More >