Until now, the closest sports have come to reaching the cathartic stratospheres of high art was the Tiger Woods sex scandal--call it theater of the absurd. But today, the internet brings us two when-sports-meets-art projects that both merit a peek. The New York Times--proving they're way hipper than we give them credit for--commissioned downtown (and everything that connotes) photographer Ryan McGinley to shoot a portfolio of U.S. Olympic athletes doing what they do best, while sporting (hey!) designs by Rodarte. The sisters Mulleavy, with their fluttery, ethereal motifs are the last ones you'd expect fabricating clothes for athletes, but then again, we are talking about figure skating. Check out a slide show and a Q&A with the sisters here.

● “Do you have guidos in France?” Snooki interviews Phoenix on the Grammy red-carpet, sticks in her comfort zone. [Gotcha Media]
● Zac Posen was offended when Harper's Bazaar asked him to pose with the Count from Sesame Street—obviously he wanted to appear with Bert. [NYTimes]
● Rodarte designs beautiful, gauzy outfits for winter Olympians that probably couldn’t survive a ski jump, but are so perfect you won’t care. [NYTimes]

As I've said before, Rodarte has had a very busy year. There was Target and a mini-doc with Tavi for Style.com, not to mention the newly released tees and sweatshirts done in collaboration with artists David Sherry and Autumn de Wilde for Opening Ceremony. Also fresh to hit the retailer's racks are looks from Rodarte's premiere men's collection. But, according to a post on Fashion Indie, the launch may spawn a fair share of controversy thanks to one commenter's potentially flammable comment on Opening Ceremony's blog.

Rodarte may be one of the hardest working names in the fashion business. The brand, which is the brainchild of LA-based Laura and Kate Mulleavy, just wrapped up the debut of their first-ever capsule collection for Target. They're providing the clothing for an Olympic photo shoot by none other than Ryan McGinley. Now, the designers are launching yet another collaboration, with Opening Ceremony and longtime friend and collaborator, photographer Autumn de Wilde.

You can never have too many pop-ups it seems. This holiday season, New York will have no shortage of temporary boutiques. As it has in the past, Target will be constructing a standalone temporary store open from December 11-13. There will be one in NYC (on Gansevoort and Washington), Washington DC (at M Street and Wisconsin Ave.) and, last but not least, San Francisco (on 5th Street off Market). Called "Target to Go," the philosophy behind the shop is to expedite your shopping experience. As Fashionista puts it, "you walk up to the counter, choose your gifts, order by number and pick them up at the next counter, wrapped and ready to go." And, the best part of the pop-up: they will be stocking pieces from Rodarte's capsule collection for the retailer a full week before most stores will be stocking the sequined dresses and lace separates.

Back in August, Rodarte and Target hosted a sneak peek at their upcoming collaboration (which hits stores December 20) for a minute group of editors, bloggers, and sartorial tastemakers. Shortly thereafter, images of the frocks from the presentation surfaced online, then were promptly removed at the request of the respective fashion brands. Well, now a steady trickle of images from this particular presentation seems to be winding its way through various blogs and online outlets. Nitrolicious found some, as did Racked, with Refinery29 following suit with a slightly different batch of images; sadly it looks as though Refinery29 has taken down the aforementioned post about Rodarte x Target's "pantless tomfoolery."

It's a big year for Rodarte, the LA-based women's wear brand helmed by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy. First they showed a much-heralded fall collection (which includes this season's most wanted boot, a thigh-high, lace-up leather pair by Nicholas Kirkwood). Then came news of a collaboration with Target -- a highly anticipated and extremely unexpected pairing set to debut around the holiday season in December. In the meantime the Mulleavys are acting as temporary curators of Parisian boutique Colette. And now news has arrived that the clothing label has signed a deal with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment.

Target has achieved quite a coup signing sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy of LA-based high-fashion brand Rodarte as the next collaboration for their ongoing Go International capsule collections. Following in the footsteps of Alexander McQueen, Rodarte will create a 55-piece collection for the chain retailer that will debut in December. Considering Rodarte has achieved formidable acclaim within the fashion industry but still isn't a name that registers on the radar of most mainstream shoppers, the collaboration is especially interesting. Specifically, it will be exciting to see how the designers translate their often painstakingly crafted, ethereal collections to a less adventurous consumer base.

This year's Costume Gala at the Metropolitan Museum in New York will go down in history as one of the more memorable. Kate Moss showed up in a matching turban and toga, Madonna made headlines for her LV-approved bunny ears, while supermodels boycotted on behalf of Azzedine Alaïa; not to mention, Rodarte's after-party at subMercer produced one of the most high-profile fashion feuds in decades: Kiefer Sutherland head-butting Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough. But don't expect the fashion faux pas or feuds to be replicated next year, says Fashion Week Daily. "According to two well-placed insiders, one very closely involved with the Museum, the 2010 Costume Institute Gala will be a much less splashy affair -- a move the museum is said to welcome. The guest list will consist mostly of trustees and benefactors who purchase full-priced tickets instead of the designers, models and Hollywood types who once sat at their comped tables."

The CFDA held its annual awards ceremony in New York last night, honoring a rising generation of fashion power players, as well as First Lady Michelle Obama (who accepted the commendation of Board of Directors’ Special Tribute via satellite). CFDA President Diane Von Furstenberg held court, while Tracey Ullman hosted. The latter opened the ceremony with a Keifer Sutherland head-butting joke, which garnered only "weak laughter," says Fashionologie. It probably didn't help matters that Jack McCollough, half of the design team behind Proenza Schouler (who won the title of Accessories Designer of the Year) and the recipient of said head-butt post-Costume Gala, was in attendance.