There’s an epidemic in the fashion industry, one that threatens the very nature of sample sales and show coverage: pregnancy (who wants to think about pencil skirts with a child in utero?) This reproductive craze was most vivid at a baby shower that Kathryn Neale Shaffer and Ashley Bryan hosted for Vanity Fair’s Alexis Bryan-Morgan at the NYC home of Anna Wintour yesterday evening, where there were no fewer than four expectant mothers: Bryan and Neale Shaffer are both enceinte, as is Theory’s Melissa Weiss and Alice + Olivia’s Stacey Bendet. And there are more: The Chanel press office has had two recent pregnancies, and in the mother office (so to speak) there will be three Style.com babies by the end of the year. This isn’t the first time in history that the number of pregnancies have gone up in a recession; explained one (non-pregnant) party guest, “Everything is just too expensive right now. Sex is free.” A blunt explanation, certainly, which another person added to: “And the kids will help keep the economy moving.” That reminds me: Anybody want to go in on a baby line? I know quite a lot of people who will be shopping for onesies real soon.—Derek Blasberg

Photo: RD/Leon/Retna Digital

Depressed about McCain’s five-year Iraq withdrawal timeline? In fashion years, that’s a lot of seasons (and there’s one more coming…). Lift your spirits with an endorphin boost courtesy of Wii Fit, the virtual trainer (Nintendo execs hope) women will want a piece of when it hits stores next week. And in answer to that age-old question, what to wear to Wii? J.Crew has some sporty new options. If you prefer a partner for calorie-burning, Reem Acra takes dance classes in midtown. We’re guessing Miss Acra doesn’t take Global Pop in zip-up Louboutin stilettos, but Victoria Beckham (a dancer by trade, let’s not forget), likes, nay, needs to be in heels to get through the day. She and Celine Dion should chat. The Vegas chanteuse has more shoes than the Jolie-Pitts will soon have kids.—Alison Baenen

Chloë Sevigny’s next foray into fashion design will be aimed at her male fans. Yep, when her busy schedule permits (she’s back in L.A. shooting another season of her HBO hit “Big Love” right now), the actress will collaborate with Opening Ceremony on a men’s line. “Not only did I want to do something for the guys in my life, but a lot of my girlfriends prefer to wear men’s stuff,” Sevigny told us, adding that girl versions won’t have different tailoring; they will just come in smaller sizes. “I think what they like about men’s clothes is the fit. So I don’t want to change that. It’ll be a new challenge.” She also revealed that her much lauded one-off collection could have easily given way to a second if she had known that the writers’ strike was going to leave her in New York for four months twiddling her thumbs. “If I had known that I [was going to have] that time off, I probably would have thought about doing another collection. But I’m really looking forward to doing something completely different, too.”—Derek Blasberg

Photo: Bennett Raglin/WireImage

Groundbreaking? Sure. Influential? Undoubtedly. But sexy? Not the first word that comes to mind when contemplating one of Piet Mondrian’s grid paintings. Marlies Dekkers, however, begs to differ. The Netherlands-based titan of luxe lingerie is celebrating her 15th anniversary with a retrospective at Rotterdam’s Kunsthal that opens this weekend, and a Mondrian or two are included among the 100-plus works of “inspirational” art she’s selected for the show. “It’s not as simple as, oh, that Mondrian stripe in the painting, I used that for a bra strap,” Dekkers explains. “But the work goes into my head, and somehow, the inspiration comes back out again. And in the case of Mondrian, specifically, for me the association is pretty clear; there’s a focus on stripping down to the essential. That graphic element has always been a part of my designs.” Americans eager to check out Dekkers’ graphic underthings will finally get their chance this year: In September, the first Marlies Dekkers store in the United States will open at the Plaza. And in the meantime, the Kunsthal exhibit will be open through the end of June.—Maya Singer

Photo: Carin Verbruggen, courtesy of Marlies Dekker

Are after-parties passe? Swarovski, for one, is going all-out with a CFDA Awards pre-event bash on Sunday evening at Norwood House for this year’s nominees and honorees, each of whom will be presented with one very special party favor—an original artwork by Tobie Giddio (who, with her fiancé, Peter Belsky, is also contributing a video that will debut the same night). Just don’t call Giddio’s work—that’s her interpretation of Dries Van Noten, above—fashion illustrations. “These artworks represent the essence of the clothing, its shapes and lines—they’re abstractions that have nothing to do with selling anything,” says the New York-based artist. “I wanted purely to capture the inspiration and beauty of the clothing.”—Laird Borrelli-Persson

Illustration: Courtesy of Tobie Giddio

When Jerry Hall decides to do some spring cleaning, you can bet the cast-offs will make one seriously glamorous pile. But the statuesque model is as philanthropic as she is stylish, so instead of dispatching her old frocks to the junk heap, she’s selling them at auction to benefit Emmaus, a U.K. charity that aids the homeless. The auction, called “Passion for Fashion and Fine Textiles,” will be conducted tomorrow, June 10, by Kerry Taylor Auctions at Sotheby’s in London, and will include some of Hall’s most famous frocks, like the Antony Price dress she wore to wed Mick Jagger in 1990, the Mr. Pearl gusseted corset featured on the auction’s catalog cover, and frocks from Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Bill Blass, and more. Jerry’s haul is expected to raise at least £25,000 (about $49,300) for Emmaus. Also hitting the block alongside the model’s wardrobe are breathtaking gowns from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, antique linens and fabrics, and works of art from Egon Schiele and Henry Moore. For more information, see www.kerrytaylorauctions.com.—Kat Thomsen

Photo: Courtesy of Kerry Taylor Auctions

It might be ten degrees cooler today, but let’s face it, it’s still kind of steamy. However, we just got the happy news that designer-cum-foodie Lela Rose will be selling homemade ice cream (with all proceeds going to the UN World Food Programme) on Leonard Street between Hudson and West Broadway from 3 to 6 p.m. this afternoon. Rose’s deliciously impressive selection of flavors includes brownie, strawberry, cinnamon maple, and brown bread, a Southern specialty. Sounds like the perfect break between all those Resort appointments.—Meenal Mistry

Photo: Jemal Countess/WireImage.com

Alexandre Herchcovitch is well-known for his bold prints and colors, so it makes perfect sense that his collaboration with Band-Aid is a bright take on the traditional peach-colored stick-on. Each box will include 20 patches and will be available in drugstores in Brazil. But if you don’t live in Brazil and want to cover your boo-boos fashionably, they’ll be available at Opening Ceremony in New York, (212) 219-2631, next week.—Marina Larroude

Photo: Courtesy of Alexandre Herchcovitch

First she brought us the must-have sequin tote, now she’s delivering what may be the soundtrack of the summer. Next week, Vanessa Bruno releases “Plant a Tree,” a compilation of vintage pop songs that intersperses gems from Bobbie Gentry and Chet Baker with selections from more obscure artists,
such as Sybille Baier’s “Tonight,” which the folk singer recorded for her own pleasure in the seventies. “I was having dinner with my friend Thomas Gizolme and the music was horrible, louder than our voices,” Bruno explains. “We were longing for silence and I asked him to help me create a soundtrack
that I’d like to listen to in my room, in a car, on vacation, on a beach, in the country or in this damned restaurant.” “Plant a Tree” will not only soothe the savage brow, but help to save the planet: For each CD sold, Planète Urgence will plant five trees. For more information, see
www.vanessabruno.com.—Rebecca Voight

Fans of fictionalized polygamy will be happy to know that Ginnifer Goodwin has been hard at work and is currently in the midst of production on HBO’s “Big Love.” But last night the actress took a break to host a dinner (at the Beverly Hills home of impresario Sam Nazarian) honoring MaxMara’s Nicola Maramotti and the fashion brand’s long involvement with Women in Film, the nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering and recognizing, you guessed it, women in the film industry. In the interest of mutual support, tonight Goodwin will receive MaxMara’s Face of the Future Award at the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards Gala. (Also being honored are Diane English, Salma Hayek, and Sherry Lansing.) But then it’s back to work, to satisfy those who can’t wait to see what dramas are set to unfold in Sandy, Utah.

Photo: Donato Sardella/WireImage