Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

It wasn't long ago that Louis Vuitton was scrapping plans to open glitzy new stores around the world. But times have changed! The French luxury giant opened its latest outpost this week. And it just so happens to be located in the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. (If you're headed in that direction and you'd like to stop by, ask your taxi driver to take you to Sukhbaatar Square. You can't miss it. Really.) To pay tribute to Mongolia's "strong horse riding culture," the company says it's putting some Louis Vuitton equestrian gear on sale. Does this mean residents of Beirut will finally get the LV-emblazoned falafel fryer they've been waiting for when the company descends on the Lebanese capital for the first time later this year? We will soon find out!

Annie Leibovitz Lines Up a New Gig | Photographer Annie Leibovitz may be making an effort to dig her way out of the epic financial mess that nearly left her bankrupt earlier this month. Along five other "personalities," she's been tapped by Louis Vuitton to design a monogrammed canvas backpack for the company. It's actually part of a charity project that will benefit the Red Cross, so it's entirely possible she won't earn a dime from her contribution. Then again, as Grazia notes, here's hoping her work earns her a commission of some sort! [Grazia]

• Vanity Fair's rather dubious "International Best-Dressed List" is now online. Take a few minutes to browse through the slideshow to see the obvious picks, close personal friends of Graydon Carter, Condé Nast employees, precious Vanity Fair advertisers, as well as a few exciting new entrants such as Michael Bloomberg, who, as you can see above, always dresses to impress. [VF]More

• Veteran theater producer Rocco Landesman has been nominated to be the next chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts. [NYT]
• Why did David Geffen try to buy a stake in the New York Times? It wasn't because he thought he'd make money, that's for certain. [Newsweek]
• After taking some heat over a $75,000 speaking fee he received last week, the Times's Tom Friedman says he now plans to return the money. [LAT]
• Sarah Palin's book deal with HarperCollins is a go. How much money was involved isn't clear but the memoir will be out in 2010, which just so happens when she'll be running for reelection in Alaska. [LAT, AP]
• Bad news, hooker fans: Craigslist is dropping its erotic services section. [WP]More

• The Costume Institute Gala is a mere five days away. Fashion Week Daily has a roundup of who's going, who isn't, and what everyone will not be eating. (Chicken, in case you were wondering.) [FWD]
• The Observer on Alexandra Kotur, the "Viscountess of Vogue."  [NYO]
• It seems some women are so addicted to the discount designer site Gilt Groupe that they're practically going bankrupt buying stuff they really don't want or need. [TDB]
• It's official: Madonna is attached to Louis Vuitton's new ad campaign. [Grazia]
• Isaac Mizrahi rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange yesterday. The market has been having a surprisingly solid week so far. Could the two be connected? We'll say yes, if it's okay with you. [Facebook, WWD] More

• Is fashion in need of a bailout? Some people seem to think so! [NYT]
• The debut of Matthew Williamson's line for H&M resulted in a "mild frenzy," although it didn't reach Topshop levels of craziness. [Racked, NYM, Racked]
• Meanwhile, Williamson's debut in London attracted the likes of Sienna Miller and Mischa Barton, among others. [Vogue UK]More

• And you were thinking Naomi Campbell was devoid of sympathy and compassion. The supermodel has been all over Mumbai's Lakmé Fashion Week, where she's raising money for victims of last year's terrorist attacks. [SF]
• Vera Wang's Lavender label may be in trouble now that Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue appear to be dropping the line for spring. [NYM]
• Sketches of Gwyneth Paltrow's collection with French label ZOEtee—"a mélange of Seventies glamour, rock inspiration and men's casual suiting"—are now available for your viewing pleasure. [WWD]
• Anna Wintour was in Miami to see Roger Federer this past weekend. [FWD]More

• Saks has agreed to pick up Christian Siriano's fall line. The collection will be sold at the in-store boutique for up-and-coming designers. [NYM]
• Rachel Zoe is launching a budget clothing line. Because she can. [SW]
• Kira Plastinina, the 16-year-old designer and Russian mogul's daughter who watched her company implode recently, is ready for her next challenge. She's going back to school. Possibly to Parsons, in fact! [FWD]
• The company that bought the rights to the Bill Blass name now has plans to revive it and is currently hunting for a creative director. [Fashionista]
• H&M reported its first drop in quarterly profits in more than five years. [BN]
• Not only does Olivia Palermo shop at Strawberry's (or doesn't), she says she shops at the Strand, too. For, like, books and stuff. [Racked]
• The ever-humble Kanye West would now like to be known as Martin Louis The King Jr. The "Louis" refers to Louis Vuitton, obviously. [NYDN]

• Paris Fashion Week came to a conclusion today with a memorable show by John Galliano and Marc Jacobs' collection for Louis Vuitton, which, shockingly, only started seven minutes late. [NYT, Telegraph, WWD, WSJ]
• Want to see Project Runway return to the air? Heidi Klum suggests demonstrating outside Harvey Weinstein's house. Good idea![MSNBC]
• Retailers are pushing designers to reduce costs in the hopes consumers can be convinced to pay full-price again. [WSJ]
• Heard on the Runway, the Journal's fashion blog, may be over. [NYM]
• The Jonas Brothers are launching a clothing line. Sweet! [Racked]
• Zooey Deschanel has debuted her sunglasses line for Oliver Peoples. [NYDN]
• Shepard Fairey is crafting Saks' new ad campaign. [FWD]
• Need some couture for your dog? Here are some places to start. [Pipeline]

• Kanye West's very colorful line of Louis Vuitton sneakers made its grand debut in Paris yesterday. [WWD, SW]
• Jason Wu talks about Tuesday night's inauguration ball excitement and what he was eating (a pepperoni and mushroom pizza from Domino's) just before Michelle appeared on stage. [NYT]
• Taiwan is understandably proud of their hometown hero. [WWD]
• Barneys could fetch $300-400 million if it sells, a far cry from the $942 million Istithmar paid for the retailer in 2007. [NYT]
• Been waiting to see Bruno hit the big screen? Wait a little longer. [FWD]
• Posh sucks her thumb on the February cover of Russian Vogue. [VogueUK]
• Sao Paulo Fashion Week ended today; leave it to the Brazilians to power through the grim times with smiles on their faces. [AFP]

• Glamour's list of 2008's style dos and don'ts is now online. We'll leave it to you to guess where this outfit worn by Jodi Marsh landed. [Glamour]
• Marc Jacobs chats about his new Stephen Sprouse-inspired collection for Louis Vuitton. [SF]
• Carmen Marc Valvo has decided against staging a runway show at Fashion Week in February. [WSJ]
• Barack Obama has already picked out his tux for the inauguration, but a few designers share their sketches anyway. [WWD]
• Mayor Michael Bloomberg went holiday shopping on Saturday and picked up Diana Taylor a pair of $29.99 fleece gloves at Modell's Sporting Goods. Times are tough, clearly. [NYT]

♦ A sensational robbery was carried out at Harry Winston in Paris last night. Robbers—dressed in drag, no less—made off with $108 million diamond rings, gem-studded bracelets and other jewelry, making it one of the largest such heists ever. [AP]
♦ Sofia Coppola is in Tokyo this evening to unveil her new line of accessories for Louis Vuitton. [WWD]
♦ Courtney Cox is the new face of Avon's women's fragrance, Spotlight. [WWD]
♦ "Save Anna" t-shirts have materialized, of course. [Racked]
♦ More on the party last night for Vera Wang's new boutique in Soho. [WSJ]

♦  Christian Siriano plans to make it work with Payless: The Project Runway winner is teaming up with the company on a  line of footwear and handbags that will launch next fall. [NYP]
♦  Today was Cyber Monday, the day when online retailers kick off the holiday season with super-steep discounts. It didn't turn out to be a great day for Bloomingdale's and J. Crew: both watched their websites crash this morning. [Crain's, USA Today]
♦  In case you forgot to issue your congratulations, Anna Wintour headed off to Buckingham Palace last week to pick up whatever is it you are given when you're named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire. [Vogue UK] More

Terrible news for sun-worshippers and tanning salon habitués: Mahogany-hued skin is officially a fashion no-no, so drop that bottle of sunless tanner, pull the blinds down, and be grateful we've brought this breaking news to your attention. Make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury—who confesses to being partially culpable for the bronzed craze after she gave Kate Moss a dark tan for a 2002 Vogue shoot, a look that was replicated in the model's campaigns for Roberto Cavalli (himself a walking cheese doodle) and Louis Vuitton—is deadly serious when she warns: "The backlash is going to be huge." Not convinced? Listen to Simon Doonan, whose word on such matters is not to be trifled with: "What once looked healthy and lush now looks cheesy and has baaad connotations... I associate a tanned look with skin cancer." Say no more, we're canceling our Christmas trip to St. Barts as we type.

♦  If you have the nerve to approach Anna Wintour at a public event and ask her an uncomfortable question, don't be the least bit surprised if tells you to get lost. [The Cut]
♦  Madonna's latest fashion faux-pas? A green Louis Vuitton dress by Marc Jacobs, which "looks as if someone poured a wheelbarrow of lawn clippings all over her," bitches fashion critic Hilary Alexander. "Just another horrific hiccup in the wardrobe of a woman of wealth, but no taste." [Telegraph]
♦  Karolina Kurkova is the world's sexiest woman, according to E!, belly button or no belly button. [Reuters]
♦  Yes, it's 30 degrees outside, so why not distract yourself by watching footage of Brazil's Clara Rio Summer event, including Natalia Vodianova and Byrdie Bell showing off on the dance floor? [Vogue UK]More