The students of Sunnydale High's class of 1999 have gathered at the Cinerama Dome for their eight-year high school reunion. A demon is here. So is a vampire, a werewolf, one of the witches, an ex-cheerleader, the geeky class clown and of course, the slayer herself, Buffy Summers. Cast members from the dearly departed TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer are doing what they do best, which is to sit around and talk during a panel discussion hosted by the Paley Center for Media.

Above, the show's mastermind, Joss Whedon.

Buffy gave us much to love. The show constantly broke the rules and did things nobody else had ever done. A musical. An episode where nobody is allowed to speak. An episode with speaking only and absolutely no background sound. A kiss between two lesbian witches.

Cute brunette girl invites people to sample the hors d'oeuvres at the Tastemakers "Class of 2008" public exhibition, spearheaded by style-guru Laurie Pike. Exhibit (of fashion, art, jewelry, home design, music, graphic design, etc.) runs through March 30th at Hollywood Plaza at the Hollywood & Highland Center.

Offering a vodka martini concoction.

This was Machine Project's contribution to the evening. A large wooden box made of plywood with a small hole on top. You look in the hole and see a live feed projection of happenings within the gallery, located in Echo Park. People didn't know what to make of it. They were sitting on it and seemed to think it was a stage of some sort. There were traces of blood on the plywood by evening's end. This news made Machine Project's founder Mark Allen very happy.

A strange metal chair designed by John Brady and Willard Ford of Fordbrady. One woman said it didn't look comfortable. I suggested a pillow might make it so.

Christopher Beroiz on the left, ballroom dance legend and co-creator of the Gay Ballroom Dance series of classes in West Hollywood.

All photos by Gendy Alimurung. More after the jump.

Another LA Fashion week has ended and now that we’ve recovered –from the clothing cacophony and that nasty cold that’s been going around- it’s time to survey the overall style statements. Yes, there actually were some, and not surprisingly, many came from the crowds not the runway (remember the catwalk looks were for Fall, so the real folk displayed Spring things and looks to be inspired by - or not- right now). Here, a lil bit of the beautiful and simply bold from both.

1. Seeing Red- The looks shown by Whitley Kros, Lauren Conrad and Julia Clancey at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios couldn’t have been more different, but one thing they all had in common- super-bright, almost orange-y crimson kissers. The ubiquitous smoky eye and pale lip combo needed a break, and on the runway at least, it definitely got one. At Conrad, we even scored free Mark cosmetics to replicate the look (even though it’s a sub-brand of housewife staple Avon, we gotta give it up, the stuff packs a colorful punch).

From left, Whitley Kros red-lipped lineup and Chelsea Korka at the Pussycat Dolls show


Crimson feline at Shhh, and red lips Mark the spot at Lauren Conrad.

2. Babes in Joyland- Tykes were running around Smashbox this year like never before. The presence of adorable school-age mini-fashionista offspring (such as Petro Zillia’s Nony Tochterman and LA fashion week coordinator/PR queen Kelly Cutrone's girls) brought a fun, family feel to the festivities, but the mamas who toted along their just outta-the-oven tykes (such as the gal who was seen nursing her newborn in the second row at Kros show) took it all a bit too far, we think. Babies are not fashion accessories.

3. S(c)andalous!- Black pedis were on display as usual, but comfort definitely was on the forefront at Smashbox this season. Sandals of all sorts- bejeweled, metallic, hippie-dippie brown leather- were seen on the front rows, paired with jeans and girlie dresses. We rocked platforms, but after seeing our peers free-spirited and more relaxed choices, we might rethink it next year. Of course, they’ll probably be out by then.

Man-dals at Smashbox

4. Masters of Reality- Fans of America’s Next Top Model probably noticed quite a few of their fave femmes walking the runways last week. At GenArt, last season winner Saleisha posed on stage for JMary, while at ze ‘Box, Naomi Campbell lookalike Eugenia pranced for The Pussycat Dolls Shhh show and last season runner up Chantal changed it up for Conrad, Kros and the Dolls. As for TV’s most fashion-minded contest, it seems the li’l fella who won Project Runway this season- Christian Siriano- is already setting trends: his “That’s Pat” androgynous new wave hair and eyewear look is all the rage. We spotted several shameless lookalikes.

Fierce ?????

5. Trashtastic- Pussycat Dolls lingerie. Need we say more? Also, Jared Gold’s pop-up boutique had its share of skimpy skivvy-inspired dresses in neon colors, a look rocked hard by another ANTM cast-off Lisa D’Amato (see above, right) during her post-show performance.
6. Back to Black- Save for Gold’s kaleidoscopic carnival of clothing, the general hues were muted and dark—especially at the edgier GenArt kickoff event.
7. Back to the Future- Nobody mixes eras like LA’s hipster kids , but the runways definitely tried. Nicky Hilton’s bondage babes, Kros’ thrift store whores, Gold’s 18th century sirens… Add #8 below, and it was a real retro-au-go-go of a week. What’s new? Not much.
8. Grunge- See previous "Fashion Nirvana?" post.
9. Feed Your Head- Flowers, bows, scarves, beads, berets. The heads really had it last week. By the way, if you loved Project Runway contestant Kit Pistol’s cutesy hair pieces, you can get some yourself this Saturday, when she hosts a sales event at Fred Segal Santa Monica with Too Faced Cosmetics.

From left, Singer Morganne closes Maggie Barry's show, and an adorned head attendee at Jared Gold.

Jared Gold model Audrey Kitching, and Kit Pistol in her signature bow barrette.

10. Everyone and their Mama's clothing lines- Conrad, Hilton, Antin at Fashion Week aside, the “I’m a designer” thing has gotten way out of control. It was announced just last week that LC’s Hills pal Whitney Port and her nemesis Heidi Montag are both launching apparel lines. Also reportedly in the design mix: Rachel Bilson, Lindsay Lohan (leggings) Nicole Ritchie (maternity) and baby daddy Joel Madden- who just opened a shop called DCMA last week. Add them to this list: Sean P Diddy Combs, J Lo, Beyonce, Gwen Stefani, Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Amanda Bynes, Sara Jessica Parker, Mandy Moore…do we need to go on? Well, we did in this week’s special Fashion Edition of Nightranger out tomorrow. Look for it in the front of the paper this week (and check out all the South By Southwest coverage by our colleagues in our usual spot in the music section).

Oh, and look for our line of scratch n' sniff toe socks coming out this Winter.

The Rutles:
30th Anniversary Reunion
American Cinematheque
March 17th

It was here - well, not here, really, but in fact several thousands of miles away in the UK - that, Monty Python alum Eric Idle, along with Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band alum and frequent Python collaborator Neil Innes, concocted the idea for a loving and uncanny Beatles pastiche while working on BBC2's Rutland Weekend Television. Then, it was here!... er, no actually it was in New York, that The Rutles made a second appearance during an episode of Saturday Night Live which Idle hosted, and it was not long after that the Prefab Four made their fateful foray into full-length documentary legend with All You Need Is Cash, which aired 30 years ago on NBC and earned a staggering 76th place in the ratings. (Although as Idle is right to point out, hardly anyone still talks about the episode of Charlie's Angels that won the Nielsens that week anyway.)

You couldn't hear anything what with all the screaming at this point.

Catching the fashion bug takes on new meaning during flu season, or so we've discovered.

The collections and presentations at Mercedes Benz fashion Week at Smashbox Studios the past few days have been fairly interesting, but nobody should have to cram into stuffy rooms filled with bitchy fashion fiends while battling mucusy nostrils, a scratchy throat and an achy neck like we have! We blame our ills on Sunday's shows, which went from sweatpit-like spaces "The Lightbox" and "Stage One" to the arctic chill of the Main Tent. Couple these drastic temp changes with cramped quarters at each show's entrance, and those seductively colorful, resistance-lowering cocktails, and even the "Airbourne on the Go" capsules we popped with the free Smartwater given out at Smashbox's entrance were useless.

But enough about our health or lack thereof. Let's talk about the models' health for a moment shall we? Size-wise, there's been a nice variety, though Lauren Conrad of The Hills fame definitely had the most frail femmes we've seen. Most of her pieces were in unforgiving jersey fabric though, so it was probably for the best.

The "reality" TV star (who may or may not actually be a student at FIDM) is an easy target, and we've definitely talked our share of good-natured smack about her show. But, we gotta say there wasn't much on her runway to really tear apart. Conrad's collection was a procession of sexy, clingy 70's and 80's style dresses in tones of wine, black and olive green. It wasn't innovative or new in any way, in fact it was safe, but it didn't look cheap as we expected it would. Which is major. We'd wear a lot of what we saw... well, except for the real-clingy stuff (we aint a waif).

Maggie Barry for Xubaz's glamazon spectacle followed, and this one was definitely full of whimsy and even some wackiness. Gaudy prints, metallics, leather, lace, neon, pvc, and rainbow hues made for an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink collection that was full of fun and frolic. Barry does a lot of stage wear (David Lee Roth, sitting front row told us she's made his stage clothes for years) and though most of her pieces as presented are too over the top for real life, there were definitely some individual attention-getting items that anyone could rock.

Tuesday's slew ended with Nicky Hilton's Nikolai - an S&M meets Equestrian whore(s) show that looked a little more lux than the stuff from her last Smashbox show (the Forever 21-ish Chick), but not much.

Rubber-esque leggings were paired with riding jackets, helmets and boots in red, black and white. We liked her knit pieces best, and again, there was nothing to hate here, just nothing to really get excited about. Oh, except for the music. MIA's Paper Planes offered great backbeats for trotting, even if subject matter-wise, it was outta step with her rich-girl-at-the-stables stylings.

Speaking of which, the sight of Nik's sis canoodling overtly with her boyfriend Benji Madden in the front row for the packs of photogs behind us (while her dad sat at her other side awkwardly next to them) was weird enough without the too-sexy pre-show mood music: Prince's "Darling Nikki." Wonder if Rick and Kathy know the words to that one?

Look for more Fashion Week coverage on The Style Council (and a slideshow from Smashbox on LAWeekly.com's homepage) over the weekend.

LA Fashion week is in full swing, and though it's too early to make judgments about the season as a whole, some definite trends are already emerging.

Hello again grunge! Yes, the plaid flannel is flapping in the breeze once again, along with Chris Cornell hair, motorcycle boots, Indiana Jones-style jackets, Courtney Love red/orange lipstick, and shredded denim and tights- at least what we saw at Orthodox and Whitley Kros, who showed at Smashbox Sunday.

Orthodox's wearable but drab collection had tons of jackets, skinny jeans (still not over apparently) and felty suits for men and women. The 90's statements were apparent but not overt, that is until the final models sauntered out- a male and female in what looked like dip-dyed felt jackets. The female had on biker boots with a black petticoat worn as a skirt. E Gads. Is the whole cycle boot with dresses thing coming back? We burned all our pics wearing that combo.

Whitley Kros looks from Mercedes Benz fashion week

Kros, the brainchild of Marissa Ribisi and Sophia Coloma (formerly of Satine boutique) meshed 70's and 80's accents with their 90's vibe. Big, floppy hats, loud, pseudo-Navajo prints, checker board, and tons of gray plaid flannel... it all made for a cacophonous mix of statements that worked in an ironic, Cory-Kennedy-shot-by-Cobrasnake kinda way. Which means mid-20's aged hipsters will love it and buy it. But those who've been diggin' through the thrift store bins for a while (like moi) know the look can easily be duplicated pairing multi-era'd pieces from Le Goodwill.

Still, the famous front row (almost all Scientology superstars...no not Tom or John) coupled with music selections by Ribisi's hubby Beck (Sheena Easton!) made even the pieces we hated seem cool and unique.

Julia Clancey collection from Mercedes Benz Fashion Week

Julia Clancey offered our favorite collection thus far. Her gorgeous jet beaded head and neck pieces, paired with taffeta, silk and satin dresses in crisp white, liquidy black and vibrant reds and purples were all disgustingly sexy. Clancey's stuff is feminine but it has loads of attitude, something most apparent by her statement-making into: a model wearing a giant sign that read "Haute Haters Is Thus Customary?" -meant as a Fuck You to US Customs who held her transport of dresses from the UK.

Attitude and artiness. These are the two things that can and should set LA Fashion week apart from New York. GenArt's presentation sure had loads of it. Their Friday show spotlighted up and comers Le Sang des Betes by Trang Chau, JMary and Jesse Kamm, using vignettes that elevated the looks (ranging from sharp and architectual, to exotic and relaxed, to billowy and straight-up pretty) in museum-like displays.

Le Sang des Betes by Trang Chau at GenArt

The fact that Botox sponsored the thing (as a cure for excessive sweating!) was kind of weird, and though we kinda called this point out in our piece in the paper this Thursday, after further contemplation we figured out why to most, it was no big deal. Everybody uses the stuff these days. The pressure to look good has never been so intense and even those of us who haven't been needled can't say matter of factly that we'll never do it. Who wants to be a hypocrite?

LA has so much more going for it than 50-year-olds who look like 20-year-olds though. Bleached blondes, big boobs, and the general made-for-TV brand of sex appeal isn't the ideal for a lot of us. Looks like we're gonna get at least some of it at Smashbox in the next few days though. Today we head out to see both Lauren Conrad from The Hills' collection and Nikki Hilton's latest, and Thursday Pussycat Dolls' Robin Antin unveils her lingerie line.

See more pics at in our slideshow from GenArt here and look for a Smashbox slideshow tomorrow.

See full review of Friday's GenArt presentation and the first day of Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox in this Thursday's paper.

The "ugly beautiful" model trend goes in a groovy new direction with these new Louis Vuitton ads starring Keith Richards.

Of course, our man Keef is already the butt of late night jokes for this ad, but we think it's rad. "Pretty" and "handsome" are so borrrring.

The ad, shot by Annie Leibovitz, has the coolest caption ever too:

“Some journeys cannot be put into words. New York. 3am. Blues in C.”

Cementing his title as king of cool, Richards has said he'll donate his modeling fee to an environmental charity.

In other Stones news, Martin Scorcese's Shine A Light will finally see the light, this April 4. We're going to a press screening a couple days prior, so we'll let ya know what we think. Of course, we're Stones freaks so we know we're gonna love it.

Though their grandpa guises (see ad) are special in their own way, it's Jagger and Richards' shaggy 60's and 70's style and swagger (what every rock dude on the planet tries to emulate to this day) that still makes us weak in the knees. Here's hoping there's plenty of archival footage in the flick!!!