While modernism may be a thing of the past, a string of recent fashion campaigns suggest otherwise, using some of the movement’s most iconic buildings as their advertising backdrops. J.Crew kicked things off with its spring catalog, which was shot at Richard Neutra’s famed Kaufmann Desert House (1946) in Palm Springs, the pure aesthetic of which played off against the elegantly preppy clothes. The fall campaign for 7 for All Mankind employs Philip Johnson’s Glass House (1949) as its setting, invariably linking the structure’s clean and linear geometry to 7’s understated denims (which are worn by Doutzen Kroes). And Oscar de le Renta’s new ads feature Louis Kahn’s modernist masterpiece the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego (1959). The distinct silhouettes formed by the models’ dresses create a playful dialogue with the building’s sharp and jagged forms, all of which are further contrasted against the bright blue sky.—Karen Bookatz

If beauty is indeed in the eye of its beholder, we’re curious to see who’s picking up the Rufus specs (named for Rufus Wainwright) created by L.A. Eyeworks. “It’s being snapped up by women as often as it is by men,” says the brand’s communications director, Brent Zergler, of the best-selling model. “Not only does it sidestep the current fad for retro shapes from the fifties, it jumps ahead to the street-savvy shapes of the late seventies and early eighties. It’s not new wave, it’s next wave!” Other acetate, titanium, and assorted opaque monochrome silhouettes unveiled earlier this week by co-founders Gai Gherardi and Barbara McReynolds at the eyewear fair in Milan include Sontag (as in Susan), Arbus (as in Diane), and Silver Lake and Eagle Rock, both of which pay homage to L.A. neighborhoods. For more information, see www.laeyeworks.com.—Linlee Allen

Photo: Courtesy of L.A. Eyeworks

On the eve of his Chanel Cruise (as he prefers to refer to it) collection in Miami, Karl Lagerfeld sat down with Style.com between fittings to talk about his reading list, decorating projects—and the Anna Wintour shoulder.

How has the idea of resort collections changed?

It’s not Resort anymore. It’s another collection—in the story of Fall, pre-Fall, Paris/London, pre-Spring, Spring—called “cruise.” It’s like a code name, but the thing is that Chanel needs six ready-to-wear collections a year, every two months completely new things at the shops. There are hundreds of shops all over the world that have to have something new all the time or else there’s no reason to go back. Or else you go to a place like Colette where they see 100 labels. If it’s one label, this label needs to have something new all the time.

Why Miami?

The answer is very simple, because apparently [holds up a page from the April 24 issue of WWD showing that Florida is \"the domestic and international destination most booked by travel agents for summer 2008\"]. Plus, you know, there was never a relation between [Coco] Chanel and Miami, so we make one. [We\'re interrupted by the arrival of model Iekeliene Stange in a black-and-peach satin dress with one very special feature, which Lagerfeld then explains.] This is called the Anna Wintour shoulder—it is like the things she had at the Met. It was invented for her.

What are you reading?

“Diva: Defiance and Passion in Early Italian Cinema.” I will show you; you may laugh, but it’s very interesting if you know all about Italian silent movies and the concept. It’s a quite difficult book—it’s not a novel, it’s not a biography. ” Women Who Write” and “Brilliant Women: 18th Century Bluestockings.” Now we have blue tights!

Any summer plans?

I go to Monte Carlo and Saint-Tropez because I have a house there—and you know, [they are] not too far away. I’ve traveled enough this year—going to China twice and all that.

Are you doing any decorating these days?

Yes, I just finished my place on the Left Bank, which will be only in American Vogue and nowhere else. I am shipping my furniture that I collected from my apartment in New York in Gramercy Park and then I’m doing a town house in Paris for guests—but I don’t live there. I’m doing a mix that I’ve never done yet. My private place is very, very, very modern: nothing done before 2000. No art, only glass and light. It’s on the river, but I have to stay away from the windows because the [touring] boats, they [come by and] say, “and here lives Madame Chirac…” Thank God I’m not there all the time. So I bought next door a house, where I can mix eighteenth century with all the things from Art Deco and modern things. Mixing eighteenth century and Art Deco was never done like this. I have beautiful furniture from the eighteenth century: very, very French.— Laird Borrelli-Persson

Photo: Courtesy of Chanel/Photo Karl Lagerfeld 2008

More proof that the middle of the market is disappearing: J.Crew has a $3,000 jacket for sale, its priciest item to date. Part of the label’s higher-end J.Crew Collection, the tortoise sequin jacket, as it’s called, is an “opulent creation completely covered with shimmering French sequins—each one a unique shade of tortoiseshell, each sewn by hand to silk chiffon using a classic couture technique. Sound like a stretch for a brand that made its name reinterpreting WASP classics? Khakis and button-downs are clearly no longer the steady sellers they once were: The company is also selling fine jewelry, and come fall, will be opening a New York shop entirely devoted to Collection pieces.—Nancy MacDonell

Photo: Courtesy of J.Crew

The section of the fashion flock trying to place Julie Gilhart’s crisp and lovely white tiered gown should think back to January’s Earth Pledge fashion show, where an impressive list of designers, including Stella McCartney, Marc Jacobs, and Christopher Bailey, created one-of-a-kind looks from renewable, sustainable, and reusable materials. “It’s Giambattista Valli,” explained Gilhart, lifting her train to show it off. “It’s organic cotton, but you’d never know.” Gilhart’s boss at Barneys, Howard Socol, however, had another take on the slightly frothy dress. “When we run out of napkins, we can use Julie’s dress,” he cracked at dinner. Well, we suppose that’s one form of recycling.—Meenal Mistry

Photo: Hannah Thomson

With sustainability on everyone’s minds, will agro-accessories–like shoes made from corn husks—be the new eco statement piece? We’d like to see cross-country runner/runway model Ali Stephens test the trend in a Central Park matchup with marathoner/designer Thom Browne, who likes to break a sweat in a reappropriated cardigan. For less athletic clotheshorses, BMW’s newest roadster is made out of cloth, making it much easier to match to your handbag. Cindy McCain strikes us as a woman who likes to match things to her handbag, so her recent perusal of White House outfitter Oscar de la Renta’s wares was a fitting choice. She’s no Michelle Obama, though, whose penchant for Azzedine Alaïa could turn the inaugural ball into a bona fide fashion occasion. Another first lady of fashion, Inès de la Fressange, is to receive France’s Légion d’honneur. True, it’s not the Nobel Prize, but it’s nice to be recognized for wearing clothes well, non?—Alison Baenen

Beginning at 8 a.m. tomorrow, Portero.com is hosting its first ever vintage Chanel handbag sale. Upward of 100 bags will be on offer, all of them discontinued styles in mint condition. Need we stress the importance of logging on early?

Photo: Courtesy of Portero

There will be more than just inventive clothes to look forward to when Boudicca shows its couture collection in Paris next week. Also on offer will be Zowie Broach and Brian Kirkby’s new art fragrance, Wode. Like the plant for which it’s named, Wode is blue—ancient Britons used the woad plant pigment as a tribal marking. And in an archetypically Boudiccan move, the scent, a spicy animalic that the designers developed with Berlin-based Geza Schoen of Escentric Molecules fame and fragrance consultant Susan Aurora Irvine, is a modern twist on tribal marking: Packaged in a spray-paint can, it goes on like a splash of deep cobalt graffiti before fading to nothing—a concept that ties in neatly with the theme of this collection, which is called Hidden Meanings. Circles within (blue) circles—what could be more Boudicca?—Nancy MacDonell

Photo: Justin Smith

Upon arriving in Tokyo, I dashed to Shinjuku to do some shopping at Isetan. It’s a fantastic store, with an entire building devoted to menswear and a whole floor just for bags! Afterwards, I head downstairs for a light snack—they have a fabulous international gourmet food “boutique” with everything from Pierre Hermé macaroons to candy-colored rice cakes from Kyoto. Then I hop on the train to Harajuku. It’s late afternoon and the gothic Lolita girls are out in full force in front of La Foret, a department store that has several floors devoted to Lolita fashion. This is my favorite area for people-watching because I always see something new.

Later, I meet up with friends for a shabu shabu dinner (where you cook meat and vegetables in a mini hot pot) at Midtown Tokyo. We stop by Estination at Roopongi Hills on our way there. There’s a private sale going on, and I can’t help but pick up a few more things! We end the night with drinks at the Park Hyatt, which has an amazing view of Tokyo. The neon-lit cityscape reminds me of fabrics that I picked out for Spring ‘09 a few weeks earlier.

Listening to Joel Warren and Edward Tricomi talk about the design of their new flagship salon is like listening to proud parents talk about their children—if those children were genuine terrazzo wall tiles and one-of-a-kind Murano glass pedicure bowls. Designed by architect Dominic Kozerski, Warren-Tricomi’s 6,100-square-foot space in the Plaza Hotel also features exposed ceilings lined with theatrical lighting, so “when you sit down, you feel like you’re a star,” Tricomi, the stylist half of the famed duo, explains (Warren handles color). Exclusive partnerships with L’Oréal Professionnel hair color, Paula Dorf cosmetics, and Sally Hansen definitely help foster a VIP vibe, which will be further enhanced when a special room-service menu and full use of the Plaza’s concierge services become available to guests later this summer. “If you can imagine it, we can arrange it,” Warren says, “if it’s legal…and even if it’s not!”—Celia Ellenberg

Photo: Courtesy of Warren-Tricomi