Many of the world’s top models flew south to Brazil to walk in São Paolo Fashion Week, and as the week ended, creative director Paulo Borges was shocked at just how thin the girls were (note the middle girl’s ribcage sticking out in the photo above). He claims to be supporting a “new push” towards healthier models — except that there’s nothing new about the push for less emaciated girls. Three years ago, organizers introduced minimum age requirements, and mandated that agencies and designers issue health reports. And yet, little has changed. Back at September ’08 Fashion Week here in New York, the CFDA set up a booth in the tents to offer counseling and info about eating disorders. No one went. Everyone wants change, but the industry has never really made an effort to actually make that change happen. Save for British designer Mark Fast’s insistence on using plus size models on his runways, the girls who walk the catwalk are as thin as ever. As my photographer and fashion week partner-in-crime said so many times last September, “I just want to feed those girls cheeseburgers.”

Speaking of size, Tyra Banks is looking for plus-sized models. Surprisingly, her search won’t air on TV — but you know Banks was looking to get in on the debate of big vs. little. Banks is calling her competition, “fiercely real.” Is this the sign of changing times? Brit publication The Independent thinks so. They say plus-size gals are in.

Wondering how to get Lady Gaga’s googly eyes from her Bad Romance video? Someone on YouTube posted a tutorial. Please rate this video on a scale from one to ten (one being AWESOME and ten being WHAT THE F*CK). Thanks for your time and consideration.

Teeny tiny blogger Tavi Gevinson was flown out to Paris for the couture shows. Here she is at Dior, blocking the view of a legitimate writer with her giant hat. Said reporter tweeted: "At Dior. Not best pleased to be watching couture through 13 year old Tavi's hat.” Can we get an amen?

Speaking of children, the industry can’t get enough of Barbie. Last year, Fall/Winter Fashion Week was all about the doll, in order to celebrate the perfectly proportioned prop’s 50th Anniversary. However, the madness hasn’t ended. CFDA members are designing their own Barbies, and surprise! The dolls are better dressed than most New Yorkers.

The German edition of Financial Times is reporting that H&M, among other companies, is guilty of organic cotton fraud! That is, even though they claim certain pieces of their clothing are made from 100% organic cotton, it’s not true! The pieces also contain genetically modified cotton from India. Researchers found that only 30% of the cotton was organic. This really isn’t H&M’s year, huh?

Vogue put together a list of the decade’s best dressed. Mobama made the cut, as did Michelle Williams, Charlize Theron and Julia Roberts. See their picks here.

This past week was Couture Week in Paris. Keep up with all the shows on New York Mag’s Cut Blog. So far, I’m smitten with Anne Valerie Hash’s offerings. Sparkles galore!

Speaking of Couture Week, Fashionista put together a great post on what exactly it means to become a couturier. It’s not as simple as showing in Paris. They also attended a Sustainable Design talk at Pratt that I had to miss. Check out their recap here.

Olivia Palermo is in love, and though she claims to keep her private life very private, she and boyfriend/model/photographer Johannes Huebl were featured in Elle’s “Modern Life” feature. Listen to Olivia come off as shockingly nice, complimentary, and (gasp!) normal. Huebl claims, “everyone who meets her is shocked about her happiness, her smile, her friendliness.” AWW.

Ecouterre got an exclusive preview of Stewart + Brown’s Spring 2010 line. The “organic pioneers” (they’re been going green since 2002; ie, since before it was en vogue to do so) did their entire spring campaign in stop motion.

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Alicia Silverstone went on Oprah Wednesday to talk about her vegan lifestyle and her new cookbook, The Kind Diet. Alicia touted veganism and all of its positive side effects like blemish-free skin, clear eyes and a ton of the energy. She also discussed the benefits for the environment, not to mention the benefits to cows, pigs and chickens who are often raised in cruel conditions on "factory farms". Oprah, who tried a 21-day vegan cleanse last summer, pointed out another side effect, perfect poop. The two chatted it up, discussing everything from their S-shaped BMs to Alicia's twice a day, one minute poos. You can find vegan recipes in Alicia's book, The Kind Diet, and learn more about food production in the book Food, Inc by Karl Weber.

Christine

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Greg, in the name of Shiva, Ganesh, and Krishna, put that cobra away. We had to upsize our logo for that thing! If you haven’t seen by now, Greg Oden the oft injured big man of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers completely stole the Apple Ipad’s thunder yesterday when nude pictures of the promising young basketball player hit the old dubya dubya dubya. Sounds like a chapter out of the books of Ashley Greene and Vanessa Hudgens. Taken over a year ago, Oden snapped off three “seductive” pics of Little Greg in an embarrassing state of flaccidity and sent them to his girlfriend at the time. Obviously in need of a quick payday, the now scorned ex-girlfriend eventually sold the shots of Little Greg posing in the downward facing dog position to worldstarhiphop.com, who then published the photos.

In the past 36 hours, Greg has been in damage control mode telling reporters (with a hint of understated pride) that it is indeed him in the photos and that they have in no way been altered. And while he’s embarrassed and getting grief from his teammates, he’s learned that nothing is private and just wants to get back to basketball. Honestly, is there really any shame in these photos? The dude is working with a seven foot frame, which pretty much lands him in the ninety-ninth percentile, if you catch my drift. I know the Beanie Bitties were impressed. Next time Oden thinks about sending racy pictures to a potentially profiteering groupie, he needs to recall the wise words of Dr. Dre: Bitches ain’t sh*t but hoes and tricks, lick on deez nuts and suck the d*ck! I’m kidding! And there go the Queen Bees reaching for the pink slips. Yes, in our office, we literally have pink pieces of paper that say “You’re fired!”

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Moving right along, let’s talk about President Obama’s State of the Union. Taking a more defiant and confrontational tone, Barack borrowed Bill Clinton’s 1992 campaign mantra, It’s the economy, stupid, to set his legislative agenda for 2010. Putting a clear emphasis on job creation, the President framed many of his concerns, including health care, under the guise of putting people to work. Along the way, he pretty much put everybody on blast—Republicans, Democrats and even the Supreme Court, whose conservative majority decided last week that limits on campaign contributions from corporations are unconstitutional.

For us, however, it was the way he framed his climate change pitch that was truly brilliant. Unbeknownst to Republicans, the President began laying out his energy plan by feeding the GOP all of their favorite carrots: nuclear power, “clean coal” and offshore drilling. All of which elicited many a boisterous huzzah from the right side of the aisle. That’s when he dropped the bomb that all of those GOP favorites would be tied together in a comprehensive energy AND climate bill. That elicited an audibly awkward hiss from the red-faced and entrapped members on the right.

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Finally, I’m not saying I would trade places with him, but I’m also not saying I wouldn’t trade places with him. You guys know that every Thursday I come on here and write about the glory of grand entrances and how they’re basically the most important thing in the world to me. Well, as millions of people around the world have seen, the grandest of entrances has at last been achieved. Ladies and gentlemen, from earthquake ravaged Haiti, I give you eight year-old Kiki.

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You may have heard reports this weekend that Hollywood power couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie had separated. News of the World had indicated that Brangelina had met with a top divorce lawyer in order to figure out how to split their multi-million dollar fortune, as well as their bazillion children. Can we even talk about how much paper would be wasted writing up that kind of document? Of course, Brad and Angie aren’t married, so legally, they could separate at any time. However, the fact that Saint Angelina just loves to add kids to her family (she’s like a richer Octo-mom) would, of course, have complicated things. However, new reports claim that the Brangelina fortune won’t be split at all, because the couple doesn’t intend to break up any time soon. That being said, the media is still having a field day with this story. Tabloid covers read, “Brad’s Misery!” and “How Jen Split Them!”

You know what this means. It means instead of bringing water to Haiti or doing community service, Angie’s going to be putting on her dirtiest clothes and her best face to adopt another twenty kids. Brad might have shown his support in a normal way – at George Clooney’s Hope for Haiti telethon (which, BTdubs, has raised $61 million to date, not to mention produced a charity CD that’s currently #1 on iTunes), but Angie doesn’t know how to do normal. Mothers of Haiti, watch out!

Sarah

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Seriously now, how many times can we say it? Don’t take nude pictures. We don’t care if your boyfriend is maybe gay Zac Efron. We don’t care if you’re the star of an MTV show or a vampire series. Don’t do it. Then again, we’re not sure we’d classify Jersey Shore star JWOWW as a real celebrity, so perhaps the rules don’t apply to her. Add that to the fact that the girl already looks like a porn star (her chest rivals Heidi Montag’s) and you’ve got the perfect mixings for a set of nude photos. Radar Online reports that three photos of Jenni Farley (JWOWW’s real name) are being shopped around — and that they’re sure to get out. One is a topless shot, one shows her booty, and the other is a full-length photo. Do we have a Vanessa Hudgens in the making? Or perhaps an Ashley Greene?

We had to hand it to JWOWW when she started selling skanky tops on her website — we were proud that she was using so little fabric for her shirts! Clearly, her heart is in the right place (that place being the environment). Anywho, we can’t wait till the shots hit the net. We’re both horrified and excited to see JWOWW try to compete with Snooki in the fame arena. Just the thought of it all makes us want to go fake tanning! NOT.

Sarah

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Ryan Gosling blew off some steam after the premiere of his new movie, Blue Valentine, with a little tubing outside the Village at the Yard’s T-Mobile myTouch Diner on Sunday in Park City, Utah. The star admitted how worried he was about unveiling the film at Sundance. "I felt so nervous," he said. "There were 1,500 people there and you have to sit there and watch the audience’s reaction!" Ryan also shared the real reason he and his co-stars, Michelle Williams and Wladyka had such a great connection on screen. They actually lived together in the house from the film before shooting. "We basically created memories in that house by living there," Ryan added. "I’m not that good of an actor, so that preparation really helped me," he joked. Tubing is a super fun winter activity but there is a better, recycled alternative. The black Killer B version of the Mad River Rocket is a durable plastic shell made entirely from recycled plastic. The knee board is not only eco-friendly but it’s also incredibly popular with snowboarders and sledders looking for a winter rush.

Christine

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Come on people, did you really think Brangelina would become Brad and Angelina again? The shady British tabloid News of the World "broke" the story. We all know it's no National Enquirer. Anyway, Brangelina just made huuuge donations to relief in Haiti. People with a lot of money who are about to break up do not make large donations together. They save it so they can sue each other. If they did not donate money to Haiti, then I'd be worried.

After studmuffin Scott Brown's victory over Democrat Martha Coakley for Ted Kennedy's old senatorial seat, Republicans plan on growing even stronger. This upset of political assumptions has given Republicans new hope for the coming November elections. They expect more Democratic incumbents to retire, and seek to gain from the now uncertain congressional races.

The Sahara Forest Research Project will build a renewable energy oasis to test out living green in the desert. Not only will the project create jobs, but it will also use greenhouses to make water, food and power.

Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato are no longer biffles for life. A boy has come between them. Not just any boy, a Teen Wolf boy with gorgeous abs named Taylor Lautner. While Demi was signing autographs in the UK, a fan asked her how Selena was doing. Demi replied, "Ask Taylor." Ladies, shouldn't it be chicks before dicks?

After recycling the tried-and-true formula of putting a bunch of strangers into a house and adding a potent mixture of alcohol and sexual tension, MTV wants to reuse the cast of the Jersey Shore. Everyone's favorite guidos and guidettes weren't born yesterday and are locked in heated salary negotiations. But, as long as MTV doesn't reduce the time viewers spend with the Jersey Shore castmates, everything will be fine.

Whoever told Chris Brown it was okay to pose for this photo opp needs to be sacked, pronto. Brown, who beat up his then-girlfriend Rihanna a year ago, should be staying far away from anything that features or promotes violence. He should not be attending Jean Paul Gaultier’s boxing themed men’s runway show. All the models, as well as the designer himself, wore fake blood and bruises. Seriously, who told Brown this was a good idea? “Hey, Chris, go stand with that guy! He looks like a female version of Rihanna!” This photo just makes our blood boil, and not just because we found it right after reading that 2000-2009 was the hottest decade on record. Thanks, greenhouse gases. Time to start reducing your carbon footprints, people. Mr. Brown, that means you too – and no, you can’t beat your carbon footprint up in hopes of reducing it. That’s not really how it works – you have to make positive changes in your lifestyle – though, given the audacity of this photo, you clearly haven’t mastered that skill set.

Sarah

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Jersey Shore’s first season is over and JWOWW isn’t about to let that little oompa loompa Snookie get all the attention! She’s going to be “reinventing sexy sophisticated” with her signature skank tank tops — you know, the ones that offer that oh-so-slutty draping so that you too can shake your booty at the club with your twins in full view. JWOWW’s official website now offers a clothing line section in which she’s selling the skankalicious pieces of fabric (we hesitate to refer to them as actually clothing given how little fabric is used. Hey, at least she’s being green). Jenni also offers her fans the opportunity to be the models on her site. That’s right, if you buy the shirt, take a photo of yourself wearing it and send it to JWOWW. You might just be the next ho-bag featured!

Late last week, photos of two designer collaborations surfaced. We got a look at both Zac Posen and Jean Paul Gaultier for Target. The JPG line surfaced via a blurry cell phone picture (it’s from the newest issue of Elle), the Posen lookbook can be found on Fashionista. I’ve got my eye on the red Posen minidress.

Erin Wasson keeps out-hipstering the hipsters. Last season, she showed at the tents at Bryant Park because clearly, being hipster and showing at Milk was soo last year. Now, she’s one-upping herself and heading to ABC Carpet and Home — because it’s super-hipster to use thousand dollar Persian carpets as your runway.

The fashion industry isn’t totally heartless. Fashion Delivers, a relief charitable foundation that distributes excess clothing to folks all over the globe, has issued a call for clothes for the people devastated by the earthquake in Haiti. To donate, click here. Eco-friendly/LEED certified Brooklyn retailer Bird has already pledged to donate clothes on sale.

Ke$ha might just be the greenest pop star we know. Instead of purchasing high fashion pieces, she goes dumpster diving. Yes, that’s right, she recently told WWD, “my favorite stuff that I’ve ever found has been from trash cans. And I bought this incredible vest off a homeless guy recently.” Hey, at least she’s recycling!

Alexa Chung is set to design a collection for J.Crew’s little sister, Madewell. Chung, who undoubtedly has been approached for numerous collaborations, said she chose Madewell because they were “undesperate and organic.” Chung says she’ll be bringing back forties tea dresses. I say bring it on.

Speaking of Brits, the first photos of Kate Moss's collaboration with Longchamp have surfaced. I love Kate just as much as the next girl, but these are B-O-R-I-N-G.

I’m loving Caitlin Mociun’s print-heavy line Mociun (pronounced “motion”) — it’s all eco-friendly, and Brooklyn-based Mociun is a textile artist turned designer, which means all of her fabrics are 100% original.

The Olsens will finally be showing at Fashion Week. They’re set to show their collection The Row next month. Location has yet to be decided — a Chelsea gallery, perhaps?

Kelly Cutrone’s doing press for her new Bravo show, Kell on Earth, which premieres February 1^st (set your DVR now). She’s also got a self-help book coming out, entitled, If You Have to Cry, Go Outside (already on pre-order at the NYPL…please, like I purchase books when I can be green and borrow them?). Anywho, Kelly offers up her thoughts on makeup (looks bad on her), the Sex and the City girls (not good role models) and interns (better not be spoiled).

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This weekend, L.A. is going green for the annual Go Green Expo. The event is open to the public January 24 and 25, and will feature new eco-friendly products, as well as environmental speakers, seminars, and films. There will even be free yoga, poi dancing, food sampling and live music. The event's keynote speakers are actor/activist Ed Begley, Jr. of Living With Ed and Mariel Hemingway, author of Healthy Living from the Inside Out. Some of the new, must-see products that will be displayed include Amped Bikes, where are electric conversion kits you install on any bicycle, and Cyber Rain, a water-saving sprinkler system that connects to your PC and the weather report. Tickets to the event are only $10 at the door. Can't make it to L.A.? They also have events planned in NYC, Philly and Atlanta later this year.

Christine

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