We. Love. Phantogram.

So Anya won Season 9 of Project Runway. That’s not really much of a surprise since she won most of the challenges whether she deserved to or not. I do have to say out of the final four, she did have the best style. Her line was one-note, but I could actually see women wearing it. Since my favorite two contestants, Burt and Anthony Ryan, were already eliminated, I figured that Anya would win since the judges seemed to love her.

In other Project Runway news, the spin-off Project Accessory apparently already started with new host Molly Sims, and all new judges (weak). And we have to wait until 2012 for Project Runway All-Stars. (Mondo!)

It was really, really bad. I had high expectations of Kanye because he always looks so pulled-together and seems to be a genuine fan of fashion. I think he would have done better with a men’s line possibly. His women’s line was trashy and expensive at the same time, boobies were hanging out all over, and he managed to make even the smallest model look like she has a weight problem. No woman would want to wear any of these looks, ever. I’m not really sure what he was doing here, but hopefully he never does it again. He should probably stick to music and designing his own outfits.I have included some of my least favorite looks.

So this weekend, there were some huge shows at Fashion Week. The first show I am going to talk about is Diane Von Furstenberg. Her collection was light, airy, and colorful. She used a lot of amazing prints and all of the dresses were light and flowy. She also stuck with a more pastel color-palate, choosing to avoid neons all together.

Zach Posen presented a very structured, almost formal line, complete with business suits and evening gowns. He played it true to form and showed beautiful, jewel tone dresses with mermaid tails. He was definently getting ready for Oscar season.

One of my favorite collections was Derek Lam’s. He used minimal silhouettes with bold colors, textures, and sparkle to stand out. All of his clothes were functional and wearable, while remaining perfectly executed and tailored.

Other shows that have been happening this weekend were: DKNY, L.A.M.B, The Row, Tommy Hilfiger, Nicole Miller, Cynthia Rowley, Lacoste, Victoria Beckham, and those of potential Project Runway winners.

This past Saturday was the inaugural Newcastle Brown Ale “Walk The Dog” day, an annual event. In the UK, people affectionately refer to Newcastle Brown Ale as the ‘Dog.’ The euphemism of “Walk the Dog” originated in Newcastle, UK, and is code for heading over to the local pub for a pint of Newcastle Brown Ale. Trying the patience of significant others for years now, this drinking excuse has become an English classic.

The event was awesome. There was a sizeable turnout at Alex’s Bar, also known as Fangtasia or the vampire bar in the Showtime series True Blood. For just a minimum donation of $1 to the Los Angeles Art Association at the door, attendees gained access to plenty of complimentary Newcastle Brown Ale, food, live entertainment by LA-based band: Superhumanoids, free Newcastle shirts and accessories, and a professional photo booth. Naturally, everyone had a great time. With the temptation of that much complimentary Newcastle, it was hard to avoid getting a bit tipsy.

Newcastle really went all out and made it easy to enjoy the entertainment with a comfortable Ambiance created by Alex’s Bar. Alex’s is a fairly universal venue; so, if you’re looking to party and have fun, you should definitely check-out the place if you haven’t already.

Below are photos from the event and four videos from Superhumanoids. The sound of their live show was spectacular and is definitely worth seeing in person, even if you already love their music.

Remember that our art-submission contest is still open (more details here) so please keep submitting your digital art for a chance to win a limited edition painting by contemporary pop artist Ron English.

Well Fashion Week has officially started, with the big shows today from BCBGMaxAzria, Nicholas K, and Richard Chai. Color blocking was still the trend for BCBG, with several colorful patterns mixed in. His collection was colorful, youthful, and comfortable. He also incorporated a lot of orange and yellow into his looks, which is am happy to see in the forefront.

Nicholas K’s show stuck to a more muted color-palate, but did include both men and women’s looks. He used a lot of sheer fabrics, which I can really get behind and layering, lots of layering. His looks were all a bit military and industrial, which is definitely a trend that is carrying over from this year.

Richard Chai’s runway show stood out from all the rest today, due to the electric-colored makeup. He also showed men’s and women’s clothes in his beautiful resort collection. He used prints, colors, layers, sheer fabrics, and oversized jackets. This collection was very wearable and cutting edge.

YouTube has also partnered with Fashion Week to broadcast all of the shows live here. So, if you miss any shows, you can just catch up there. They also have all of the show times listed, with links to automatically set a reminder on your phone or calendar.

Please welcome new face to the fashion world: Miles Devin. We first met Devin about a year ago at a Jimmy Edgar show at The Central S.A.P.C. in Santa Monica, CA. Since then, everyone who has seen any photos we nabbed of him there have expressed an interest in Devin.

With a size zero to negative number figure and dainty facial features, put some make-up and fitted apparel on Mr. Devin and the boy transforms into a beautiful woman. People we have discussed photos of Devin were confused to learn that he is indeed a male and found it hard to believe that a boy could pass as such a pretty girl. For instance, whenever shown the following photo of Miles Devin and musician Porcelain Black, people always ask, “Wait, is he the one with blonde or black hair?”

There aren’t many androgynous models in the fashion world quite like Miles Devin. His look is unique, mind-bendingly spectacular and mesmerizing. If we were absolutely forced to make a comparison, Devin brings to mind DNA model Andrej Pejic. We don’t think Pejic is the prettiest boy in the world though. How could he be when Devin is prettier?

Expect to see Miles Devin on the runway at this year’s New York Fashion Week.

Miles Devin on facebook.

Say hello to Phil and Danielle. We’ve known both of them, who model professionally, for several years now. You might notice that in the first pic of the second row, Phil is rocking a hipsterwave graphic tee that we created. Quite the good-looking couple. Fun to go out with or just kick it at home watching movies and reading stuff on Reddit.com.

It’s no secret that horizontal stripes have been popular for a while. Preferably black-and-white, although the ladies could go with a white and purplish-blue.

This is a great shirt that we have here. There’s something about horizontal stripes that always looks good, and Perry has designed this polo shirt in a way that gives you some pizzazz when you’re out with the red in by the buttons.

Checkered-patterns are also terrific for dress shirts. It’s something about these patterns that feels cool but is also formal enough for the office.

Of course, for both of these styles, you kind of have to be in shape — as the images suggest — but, so what, we drinks some diet sodas for a while and before no time we’ll be fitting into these styles. Right? Right!

All these Fred Perry items and more strike our fancies on very.co.uk

So, Kate Moss is getting married this weekend. Doesn’t it seem like she is/already has been married? Well, the answer is no. Surprisingly, this is Kate’s first time down the aisle. In what is being referred to as “Mosstock,” Kate and Jamie Hince from The Kills will be getting married in a three-day, music festival themed affair this weekend in Cotswold, near Kate’s weekend home. Barricades are already in place to protect the guests and all cameras and recording devices will be confiscated, since the wedding will be shot by Mario Testino for the September issue of Vogue.

Rumor has is that her dress will be designed by Galliano, a decision I’m assuming happened before his anti-Semitic fall from fashion grace. Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, and Beth Ditto will be performing. The food and cocktails will be provided by two ‘top chefs’ and inspired by one of Kate’s favorite holiday retreats, the Jamaica Inn in Jamaica.

Kate’s eight-year-old daughter Lila Grace will be her maid of honor and Jamie’s bandmate Allison Moshart will be his best ‘man.’

Many designers have released small collections for H&M including: Lanvin, Matthew Williamson, Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney, and a very select line by Karl Lagerfeld. However, arguably one of the most known fashion brands in the world has just announced a collaboration with the discount Swedish retailer, Versace. Donatella herself had said that she would never want to do a collaboration line because she did not want to confuse, or take away from the luxury of the Versace name. That was in 2008, apparently things have changed. Her line will include both men’s and women’s clothing; as well as a first ever for H&M, houseware items. Here is a brief description of the collection:

“The womenswear collection will be dominated by dresses that express the spirit of the season, featuring studded leather, silk and colorful prints, and accessories including high heels and costume jewelry. The men’s collection will focus on sharp tailoring, including the perfect tuxedo, as well as belts and jewelry for men. For the first time in a designer collaboration at H&M, the collection will include homeware pieces including pillows and bedspread.”

The prices have not been released, but the rumor is that they will definitely be on the high-end for H&M. The initial line will be released on November 17 with additional pieces being released on January 19. You better start camping out now, since designer lines at H&M are notoriously quick sell-outs with Lagerfeld’s entire line being sold out within an hour of release.

Is Lady Gaga a fashion icon? I do not think so. While I do think that Lady Gaga is a talented and creative artist and she definitely uses fashion to express herself, this does not make her an icon. A style icon is a person who others want to emulate and dress like; I cannot imagine anyone wanting to wear her outfits aside from at a costume party. Gaga uses fashion to make a statement, but it is not necessarily a functional statement. Although people cannot take their eyes off of her, it is not necessarily because they want to dress like her, it is usually because she is in her underwear outdoors or wearing 9 inch heels.

Although I do not agree with the decision to give her the award, Gaga was the most talked about lady of the evening and drew attention to an otherwise moderately overlooked event; which may be why she won the award in the first place. Other big winners were Proenza Schouler for Women’s wear, Michael Bastian for menswear, and Marc Jacobs received the lifetime achievement award.

The Lightning In a Bottle Festival presented by The Do Lab just finished, and we got a bunch of photos from the event. There was as much eye candy as there was ear candy. Speaking, of course, about the attire people were wearing. Videos from the event that overlap the period some of the photography was taken are forthcoming.

As I may have mentioned on the site before, I love reality TV. One of my favorite reality shows is Project Runway and my favorite contestant by far was Mondo Guerra from last season. Not only are his designs fun, colorful, and playful, but he has an amazing sense of personal style and always came at the challenges with a positive attitude.

I was very sad when Mondo lost, but I am very excited to see that he has launched a new website and jewelry line. Mondo’s jewelry is fun, unique, and affordable (with everything priced under $40). He is also launching a human rights and AIDS campaign which encourages young people to seek positivity in their lives through design and art.

Be sure to check out lovemondotrasho.com to learn more about Mondo and his designs. I am also holding out hope that he will be appearing on the upcoming season of Project Runway all stars where he can finally win like we all know he should have.

The Diesel Island Dinner Party at SXSW!

Diesel & Spin Magazine treat their favorite SXSW artists to an intimate dinner. Attendees of the dinner were inducted as ambassadors to The Diesel Island Land of the Stupid Land of the Brave. Special guest DJ’s Million $ Mano, Willy Joy and Mia Moretti provided the tunes for the evening. Attendees include: A-Trak, B.O.B, Perez Hilton, Aziz Ansari, Bam Margera, Theophilus London, and Ellie Goulding.

Follow Diesel on Twitter: @DieselUSA
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Official Diesel: diesel.com

Everyone had fun “walking the dog,” or going out to have some Newcastle Brown Ale on Wednesday. It was nice to be able to have some beers in good company at Alex’s Bar.

If you’re a fan of the HBO series True Blood, Alex’s is actually the set for the vampire bar “Fangtasia” in the show. No blood-sucking went down at the tasting though.

Alex’s had an intimate feel for the night, even though we didn’t max out its spacious (almost 200) occupancy. The music selection there is also pretty luscious.

At any rate, Newcastle is especially delicious when on tap. As we mentioned in our post about the Newcastle DraughtKeg, tapped is the way to go whatever the beverage. Some people at the event admitted they’re not even really beer fans, let alone darker ales, but wound up enjoying the chance to walk the dog regardless. It’s all about expanding your taste horizons. Bottoms up baby!