When New York Fashion Week starts on Friday, Feb. 1, many will promptly begin anticipating its climax seven days later, when Marc Jacobs is scheduled to show his fall 2008 collection at the Lexington Avenue Armory at 7 p.m.—an improvement over last season’s 9 p.m. start time, which turned into 11 p.m. Mr. Jacobs had emerged from a stint in rehab tanned, honed and—after a thorough drubbing from a normally tolerant press—kinda defensive.  read more »

Good God, is it Fashion Week again already? However did this happen?

In today's salmon sheet:

• Meredith Bryan meets rising designer Chris Benz, who's somehow making a name for himself without clothing big tacky celebrities (though he does know a few demi-socialites).

• Simon Doonan mourns the closing of The Noose, a kinky sex shop in Chelsea, wondering if it's somehow connected to the mainstreaming of sartorial sadomasochism.

• David Foxley meets Sudanese mannequin Alek Wek near the top of the Empire State building, resulting in an intense case of vertigo.

• Spencer Morgan deconstructs the millinery efforts of socialte Arden Wohl's mother, Denise.

• And let's not forget those beautiful bicycle girls—many of them, after all, are models.

Stay tuned for excited scribbles from the runways.  read more »