Cityfile: New York's Most Notable and Influential

GQ held its second annual "Best New Menswear Designer in America" competition last night in conjunction witht he CFDA. Finalists like Andre "3000" Benjamin, David Mullen, Alex Carleton, Robert Geller, Sam Shipley, Jeff Halmos, and Yigal Azrouel were joined by guests like Tommy Hilfiger, Fern Mallis (left), Thom Browne, Jim Nelson, Kelly Cutrone, Phillip Lim, Derek Lam, Peter Som, Rory Tahari, Chase Crawford, Steven Kolb, Ally Hilfiger, Fonzworth Bentley, David Chu, Ryan Leslie, David Lauren, Katie Lee Joel, Glenn O'Brien, Steven Alan, Calvin Klein mens creative director Italo Zucchelli, GQ publisher Peter Hunsinger, and last year's winner, Daiki Suzuki. [PMc, NYO, FWD] More

• Yes, Karolina Kurkova does indeed have a weight problem, but that's because she suffers from hypothyroidism. Satisfied now? [Fox News]
• Brooks Brothers' Fifth Avenue flagship is closing at the end of January. [Racked]
• Searle has gone bankrupt. [Fashionista, CNY]
• Peter Som won't be showing at Fashion Week, but buyers and the press may still get a peek. [NYM]
• Tag Heuer has tapped Leonardo DiCaprio as its new ambassador. [WWD]
• A look at 100 years of bob haircuts. [Pipeline]
• Daisy Fuentes is starting a hair care line. [WWD]
• A fire broke out at Topshop's future Soho location last night. The damage was minimal, but presumably it will serve as a handy excuse if Topshop needs to push back the opening once again. [Nylon, NYM]

• Can Michelle Obama single-handedly save America's fashion industry? Here's hoping! [NYT]
• Following the horrific holiday season, Macy's says it plans to close 11 stores in nine states. [AP]
• Communist chic is in. And just in time for the collapse of the capitalist system, too! [NYT]
• William Rast, the brand backed by Justin Timberlake, will make its Bryant Park debut next month. JT will not be performing, though. [WWD]
• Peter Som and backer Creative Design Studios have parted ways. Because of the split (and the economy), a Som show during Fashion Week is not in the cards. [WWD]
• Eight designers you need to know in 2009. [Refinery29]
• Obedient Sons & Daughters is closing its doors. [Style.com]
• New York magazine's fashion-centric biannual spinoff title, New York Look, has been discontinued. [WWD]

At last night's opening night party for the New York City Ballet's David H. Koch Theater, guest of honor David Koch and wife Julia mingled with Candace Bushnell, Sarah Jessica Parker, Alicia Keys, Al Roker, Debbie Bancroft, Lisa Falcone, Mary Alice Stephenson, Alexandra Lebenthal, Zani Gugelmann, Annie Churchill, Peter Martins, Veronica Webb, Mark Indelicato, Blythe Danner, Valentino, Rachel Roy, Derek Lam, Peter Som, and Vanessa Williams, who all ate, drank, and danced to inaugurate the new Lincoln Center venue. [Wireimage, PMc, Style.com]More

♦  Narciso Rodriguez was the man of the hour at Bergdorf Goodman last night, where he celebrated the launch of his new coffee table book with guests like Julianna Margulies (left), Jessica Alba, Linda Fargo, Reed Krakoff, Virginia Smith, Roopal Patel, Jim Gold, Isabel and Ruben Toledo, Simon Doonan, Hal Rubenstein, Jaime King, Christopher Wheeldon, Dani Stahl, Linda Wells, Mickey Boardman, Patti Scialfa, and, his dad, Narciso Rodriguez Sr. [Paper, PMc, The Daily] More

♦  A first look at Charlotte Ronson's line for JCPenney, I Heart Ronson, and her new $30 dresses. [Nylon]
♦  Details on the cuts at Men's Vogue: The mag will be published just two times next year and publisher Marc Berger is leaving. The fate of other staffers is unclear. [Mediaweek]
♦  Damien Hirst's latest collaboration with Levi's includes pairs of jeans for $230 and $83 t-shirts. [WWD]
♦  Plastic surgeons report interest in cosmetic procedures is dropping fast. [NYT]More

Fashion Group International hosted its "Night of the Stars" gala at Cipriani Wall Street last night, where Kate Bosworth, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony, Prince, Karl Lagerfeld, Ashley Olsen, Anna Wintour, Isaac Mizrahi, Donatella Versace, Allegra Versace, Georgina Chapman and Harvey Weinstein (left), Debra Messing, Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, Francisco Costa, André Leon Talley, Stephanie Seymour, Stefano Tonchi, Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, Alexander Wang, Bobbi Brown, Lindsay Price, Tom Florio, Christopher Bailey, Behnaz Sarafpour, Zani Gugelmann, Chanel Iman, Cindi Leive, Julianna Margulies, Christian Louboutin, Peter Som, Philippe Starck, Nina Garcia, Roopal Patel, Glenda Bailey, Tim Gunn, Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan, Ruben Toledo and Isabel Toledo, Justine and Jeff Koons, Jonathan Newhouse, John Varvatos, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Patrick Demarchelier, Linda Fargo, Phillip Lim, Leigh Lezark and Max Minghella, Mary Alice Stephenson, and Mamie Gummer celebrated the industry. [InStyle, Wireimage, PMc]
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• Designers must be clawing each others' eyes out to get Gossip Girl cast members at their shows. Well, score one for Rock and Republic, which has confirmed Chace Crawford will be in attendance. Maybe he'll turn up with Amanda Hearst, whom he was allegedly trying to "cozy up" with this past weekend. [Fashionista]
• As for gold medalist Nastia Liukin, she'll be at Peter Som, Isaac Mizrahi and Cole Haan. She's also launching a clothing line and will also be making an appearance on GG, naturally. [WWD]
• A series of sketches is the first glimpse of Isaac Mizrahi's new clothing line for Liz Claiborne, which will be in stores in January. [Fab Sugar/WWD]