Tastemaker

Ahhhhh, Tommy Hilfiger FIRED 230 people yesterday, that may have been fuelling his absurd attack on Axl Rose.

And on a personal tangent, my awesome hubby Tom Stabb got mistaken for Axl Rose the other nite while hanging at Motor City in the LES. Not a bad guess, although he also gets mistaken for Dog the Bounty Hunter a lot. I am a lucky Cougar.

Do I know what product I'm selling? No, but I'm HERE. -Owen Wilson as Hansel in Zoolander

FROM THE NY POST:

May 20, 2006 -- Tommy Hilfiger really showed his "Appetite for Destruction" yesterday when he pummeled Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose in a dispute over a VIP table at Rosario Dawson's birthday party, sources said. The midnight turf battle erupted when Axl moved Hilfiger's girlfriend's drink in the banquette area of The Plumm nightclub on West 14th Street - where the "Rent" actress was celebrating her 27th birthday. A densely packed crowd of celebs - including Lenny Kravitz and Kid Rock - had ringside seats to the battle. The feisty fashionista was acting all gangsta, hitting Axl with a flurry of punches, one that landed under Rose's eye.

"First [Axl and Tommy] were sitting. Then they were pulling on each other . . . It got so out of control," said a shocked witness. As the punch-up escalated, Hilfiger introduced Rose to some "November Pain" with a blow to the cheek. Club guards quickly tried to separate the men. "A bunch of security ran over - but Tommy would not back down. He was just out to take him down," the witness said. "Kid Rock got trampled by people running over. It was unbelievable." Eventually, the designer's own bodyguard pulled him out of the club.

Yesterday, club owner Noel Ashman pointed the finger at Hilfiger: "Axl was a gentleman and had the good sense not to retaliate, as he would have done some serious damage to Hilfiger." Rose said the attack was unprovoked, in an interview with The Post in his dressing room.

The singer said Hilfiger may have been angry because he'd been told to move to make room for Rose and his entourage. Rose described Hilfiger as "foaming at the mouth."

When Rose took the stage a few minutes later to perform the song "You're Crazy," he dedicated it "to my good friend Tommy Hilfiger."

From WWD - Friday, May 05, 2006

Quote of The Week:
"Everybody in the world, including Wal-Mart, started with one store. If I dream about it, I like to think [Madewell] could be a big business. But right now, we look at it day to day."

Editor's Note: Madewell is a new, lower-priced brand being launched by vertical retailer J. Crew

Tribe, please say hello to my delicious Fashion Spy, The Snark. Review #1 below:

So I bribed a connection and scored a ticket to the Mary J Blige...oops! i mean Catherine Malandrino show last Friday at 5pm at the Roseland Ballrooom.

I walked in to be greeted by a few rather large and menacing bodyguards on headsets, which I found a little silly seeing as the crowd milling about was a bit disappointing for either fashion week or a Mary J. appearance, however it added some intrigue and flavor... It's always a relief to see a show away from the-carnival-known-as "The Tents". Mostly present in the lobby area was a flock of girls, all of whom work for Catherine, buy Catherine, or are friends of Catherine, each wearing a different example of her perfectly feminine-without-that-juvenile-girliness-crap dresses, one more covetable than the next. (I have a few on order for a special discount, already! That big tab at Morimoto's with above-mentioned connection was definitely worth it!) 
 
I was hoping that once I got inside, the front row would be filled with hot, young celebutantes or P. Diddy imposters so I could be a bit snarkier in my review but sadly, it seemed to be populated with your typical buyers and industry-folk...all rather tame. My hunch is that the headliner was kept too tightly under wraps or the egos in question didn't want to be upstaged. Fashionistas also simply hate to travel to off-site venues unless the designer in question is Marc Jacobs. Our favorite fashion peacock, Vogue Editor-at-Large Mr. Andre Leon Talley, decked-out in some sort of fur schmatta however, was present. My connection told me that he originally RSVP'ed a big, fat "NO" but must have changed his mind in order to lay claim as Mary J's biggest fan.
Mark my words....his column will mention how "fabulous" this show was! 
 
The clothes themselves were rather unique, artistic, intricately crafted, and elegant yet the overall presentation really detracted from their beauty. As each model walked out, she was able to take only a few awkward steps around this weird wedding-cake-tiered-platform-thingy (which would later jerkily rotate) before she had to stop and assume a rigid standing postion next to the girl who came out before. Most of the girls didn't even make it 1/2 way around the cake, so I doubt anyone got a good look at the clothes but they were gorgeous and prove that Ms. Maladrino truly has a very unique voice in the current world of fashion.

The weirdest part though was once Mary J. busted through, all sexy, sassy, and already on mike to assume her position as the plastic bride on top of the cake, the girls just stood there staring into space with their Matthew Barney hairdos as she rocked out. The crowd liked it though...a lot! And having never really followed Mary J. before, I did too! Andre was clapping and bopping boisterously to the beat. Also rather excited were Simon Doonan, of Barney's fame, and his boyfriend Jonathan Adler, the hip pottery and lifestyle guru. It was a rare treat, and lent an element of authentic "cool" to an arena that is so often criticized for its phoniness. Mary J's medley was tightly edited, short and sweet, without a gratuitous note to be heard...all very appropriate, positive, and lady-like just like the clothes themselves. 
 
check back for more reviews as the traveling fashion circus head over to Europe! - The Snark

A little bird told me Mary J. Blige played one of Friday's fashion shows, which is VERY unheard-of in the Fashion Week tents! I'd tell you which show, but I'm waiting for a full review from my spy. We would have live-blogged this, but we didn't. We DO have 3 seconds of Mary J video, once the Treo gets uploaded. Hold onto your panties, plenty of gossip to come...