Only Jeremy Scott could host drag queens and hip-hop heads under one roof and call it a party. Last night's banger for the designer's hillbilly-chic SS12 collection was unmissable, featuring a diverse mélange of fashion designers, celebrities, musicians, and – of course – NYC's finest club kids. The event took place at Catch, a new seafood restaurant and lounge from EMM Group and Chef Hung Huynh that's set to open in Meatpacking this fall. While actual food wasn't on the night's menu, a variety of delectable beats were served up by the Misshapes and impromptu performances by Common, Eric B, Jay-Z, and Mr. Illmatic himself, Nas, who was also celebrating a birthday. It was all a fantastic blur, but I did manage to take a few snaps before the security lockdown.

Yesterday, before his eagerly-awaited show, outre designer Jeremy Scott tweeted "MEET CHARLOTTE FREE MY NEW MUSE!!!" Although Scott's Twitter account is perpetually on caps-lock, the multiple explanation points meant something this time: accompanying the message was a photo of 18-year-old LA-native Charlotte Free, a child-like beauty in pink pigtails who made her fashion week debut this season.

Another season, another Fashion Week. Starting tomorrow, Manhattan will be invaded by race-walking clothes-whores in tight pants, gaudy-chic eyewear, and fur that ain't faux. Packed schedules and the scant number of cabs commuting between Lincoln Center and Milk Studios (where the greatest concentration of runway presentations will be held) make it necessary for designers to promise both steak and sizzle when battling for the attention of buyers, editors, and bloggers. Choosing which show to attend can sometimes be as much about the clothes as it is the spectacle. Herewith, five presentations upping the ante on hype this season.

Fashion enthusiasts are ripe to try anything, and they usually have that devil-may-care-even-if-my-boss-does air of confidence that allows them to pull off even the bawdiest of bawdy fashion trends. Not that I'm suddenly taking on a Glamour type of outlook, and "wielding the black bar," as they say, I find that there were a few hair "statements" that, while fresh on the runway, might be a tad difficult to pull off in the real world. Though most wouldn't consider fashion capitals—New York, Paris, Milan, London—to fall under this category, I still think I might smirk at those witless fashion followers, or, as Cher Horowitz might call them, fashion victims, who might try to poorly translate these hair trend catastrophes, without softening or putting their own spin on them.

Up and coming designers Richard Chai, Jeremy Scott and Erin Fetherston are all branching out with new collections this year that extend beyond their namesake brands. Chai has joined Scott in designing for Alternative Apparel. Keeping right in line with Vena Cava's soon-to-launch line of lower-priced cotton tees and dresses and Alexander Wang's T by Alexander Wang, these two capsule collections include solely pieces "made from crazy-soft fabrics like linen jersey and modal silk that you could easily sleep in," says Refinery 29, who will be the exclusive retailer for the collection. Chai created three separate, dynamic tees for Alternative Apparel, while Scott worked his magic on "a sleeved dress, a hooded number and a super-fierce catsuit," adds Refinery 29. But, the best part is undoubtedly the price point: styles start at $69. The only catch: you can't snooze; the collection is only up for grabs for a month.

Just a few months ago I went out on a limb and anointed Lady Gaga as a more powerful a fashion figure than Anna Wintour, in some respects at least. Gaga has endorsed avant-garde designers in a manner never before seen with regard to pop culture. Take her video for Bad Romance, where Gaga schooled an audience far wider than that of Vogue's monthly readership on one of the late Alexander McQueen's most talked-about collections (for SS10). While she may be doing so on a significantly smaller scale, PR maven-turned-reality TV star Kelly Cutrone is following suit.

'Tis the season for sneaker collaborations. In just 24 hours, news of four separate sneaker launches has hit the web. For starters, there are the Ronsons (seasoned fashion designer Charlotte not included). In fact it's DJs and siblings Samantha Ronson and Mark Ronson who are embarking on their own designer endeavors with two separate collaborations. Mark has designed a series of sneakers for Gucci which will launch in conjunction with the brand's traveling pop-up shop (which hits New York in October and will subsequently set up shop in London, Berlin, Paris, and Tokyo), says Elle UK. Sam, on the other hand, is staying stateside with her line of kicks for Supra -- an update on the brand's Indy NS model.

With nary a wrinkle or a saggy appendage in sight, Barbie is turning 50 this year. Earlier this month Christian Louboutin announced he’d be paying homage to the doll’s half-century anniversary with a collection of Louboutin-approved plastic heels “colored Barbie Pantone 219 Pink, naturally,” says Refinery 29. They'll debut at a Barbie-inspired runway presentation at NY Fashion Week in February. But, now, a significantly younger, more avant-garde designer is likewise showing his support of the iconic plastic woman with a life-size line of Barbie-inspired clothing.

Expect a flood of new footwear options come spring. “Today’s news in WWD was all about shoes,” Fashionista notes. See by Chloe is stepping into shoe design, a new development sure to launch fashion lovers into a frenzy given the hysteria that typically revolves around the line’s namesake, Chloe -- a luxury brand synonymous with covetable footwear. Meanwhile, labels Proenza Schouler and Hussein Chayalan will likewise introduce original footwear into the mix in just a few months.