New York, February 25, 2009 – A slew of famous yoga enthusiasts came out to raise money for Bent on Learning, an organization that brings meditation and relaxation to underserved New York City schools.  Donna Karan loves to meditate in the lotus position, and she also loves doing headstands.  Those are also Russell Simmons’ favorite yoga poses; the entrepreneur says that bringing meditation to schools is a no-brainer.  “UCLA and Harvard and other great places have done research on meditation in schools, and how it changes the whole school,” he says.  Christy Turlington agrees, even though it’s difficult to get elementary-school aged children to sit still, she says, “that’s kind of the ideal time to go in and teach them.”   Gwyneth Paltrow hosted the evening, and yoga seems to really work for her, because she looks fabulous.  Gwyneth says her favorite pose, the Baddha Konasana, is also her least favorite at the same time.  No pain, no gain. 

Los Angeles, February 22, 2009 – When the poor children who appeared in the movie Slumdog Millionaire were flown to Hollywood for the Academy Awards, where did they get fancy clothes for the red carpet? Brooks Brothers! We received this press release from the clothier:

Brooks Brothers opened the doors of its Rodeo Drive store for the cast of Slumdog Millionaire for their red carpet finery at the 81st Annual Academy Awards. “Slumdog Millionaire,” nominated for 10 Academy Awards including Best Motion Picture, has taken the world by storm and Brooks Brothers is proud to provide the clothing the young cast members will be wearing on the red carpet including:

- Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail (youngest Salim): a Brooks Brothers boy’s tuxedo - notch lapel, 1 –button jacket with wing collar tuxedo shirt and black bowtie.

- Ayush Mahesh Khedekar (youngest Jamal): a Brooks Brothers boy’s tuxedo -notch lapel, 1 –button jacket with wing collar tuxedo shirt and black bowtie.

- Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala (middle Salim): a Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers tuxedo - notch lapel, 1-button jacket, trouser with grosgrain stripe, pleated Oxford button down tuxedo shirt and black tie. Finishing the look is a pair of patent lace-up tuxedo shoes.

- Tanay Chheda (Middle Jamal): a Brooks Brothers boy’s tuxedo - notch lapel, 1-button tuxedo jacket with wing collar shirt, bow tie and black cordovan penny loafers.

- Madhur Mittal (adult Salim): a Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers 1-button notch lapel twill tuxedo with silk collar, herringbone cotton tuxedo shirt, black herringbone wool long tie and patent leather lace-up shoes.

And on another sartorial note, Best Actor nominee Mickey Rourke wore a photo of his beloved dog Loki, who passed away just days before the Oscars ceremony.

New York, February 13-20, 2009 – The celebrity quotient was fairly high for the February New York Fashion Week, given the economic slump and the fact that Marc Jacobs, who usually has the most starry front rows, banned boldfacers from his show on Monday. 

But Kanye West was seemingly everywhere, and Alicia Keys showed up at a couple, Nicole Richie hit Zac Posen and Mickey Rourke(!) was at Domenico Vacca.  Claire Danes was at Posen and also at Narciso Rodriguez, and we chatted up Amanda Peet at Thakoon.  Sarah Jessica Parker made her sole appearance at Alexander Wang.

Kate Beckinsale and Eva Mendes graced Calvin Klein’s show, held at the company’s offices, and Eva Longoria was an unexpected face at Matthew Williamson. 

Paris and Nicky Hilton, who haven’t been in New York much lately, hit a few shows. 

And giant security guards kept everyone away from Jessica Biel at William Rast, the line co-owned by her boyfriend Justin Timberlake. 

New York, February 15, 2009 – Giorgio Armani was not the only European to sweep New York Fashion Week off its feet.  British designer Matthew Williamson opened a chic new store in the meatpacking district, and what a party it was.

Williamson was nowhere to be found when we arrived at the party – it seems he was picking up Lindsay Lohan; the two made a grand, flashbulb-popping entrance.  Heidi Klum swanned in, but couldn’t stay too long.  However, Lohan, Rachel Zoe and Mischa Barton hung around all evening, ogling the clothing and accessories. 

The party was so crowded that we never encountered Katharine McPhee or Santogold in our wanderings throughout the store, although we kept hearing that they had come. 

Williamson said that the boutique took two years from concept to reality.  “It’s a kind of new fresh start to show the American market what I’m about as a designer.  Exotic, escapism and a sense of, you know, buying clothes but having fun at the same time,” he told us.

Williamson calls New York his second home, and chose to show his collection here this season. 

Photos: Luisa Johns.PKI