In commemoration of Founders Day at the Assistance League of Southern California, the league’s Anne Banning Auxiliary welcomed 120 guests to lunch at ALSC headquarters in Hollywood. On the program: a lesson in evolving body images as seen in the current exhibition, "Fashioning Fashion: European Dress in Detail, 1700-1915" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Before there were silicone implants, collagen injections and liposuction, there were bustles, corsets, and bust enhancers," said Karla Ahmanson, luncheon co-chair along with Lynn Leipzig. "They were not for comfort, but for style."

In fact, on taking the podium, guest speaker Sharon Takeda called some methods torture. Takeda is LACMA’s senior curator at the Costume and Textiles Department.

"Even in the 18th century, women were never pleased with their natural bodies," Takeda said, as she flashed slides that took guests on a time trip via undergarments that boosted bottoms, billowed out hips, pulled in waists and flattened, pushed up or popped out bosoms. Using Georges Seurat’s famous painting, "A Sunday on la Grande Jatte" she showed examples of the 1880s "shelf" bustle, some being "so flat, you can put a book on top," she said.

Not that men were immune to taking liberties with reality. Takeda pointed out an 1840s English waistcoat with removable pads for poufing out the chest.

ALSC provides social services for families, seniors and children. The Anne Banning auxiliary, named for the league’s founder, runs Operation School Bell, which helps keep children in school by giving them uniforms, shoes and other clothing and necessities.

Chapter President Andy Goodman, ALSC president Wendy Overmire and past ALSC presidents Judy Kloner, Cynthia Ardell, Peggy Hemmings and Sally Hinckley attended the Feb. 15 event.

-- Ellen Olivier

Photo, from left: Lynn Leipzig, Sharon Takeda, LACMA's senior curator at the Textile and Costumes Department, and Karla Ahmanson. Credit: Janet Harrison

A who's who of New York turned out for Michael Kors anniversary show. There was the Hollywood contingent (Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Emma Roberts); the Broadway contingent (Bette Midler) and the socialite contingent (Aerin Lauder, Marjorie Gubelmann).

On the show invitation, there was a funny photo of the designer, back when his hair was long and lustrous. But that was the extent of the reminiscing. Kors is secure enough with his place in the industry that he doesn't need a step-and-repeat photo op or a sizzle reel.

But the collection he showed was a perfect example of the confidence that comes from working hard and staying true to yourself for three decades.

The clothes were all about sporty decadence, with the strictest of lines. "Polished, yet easy," read the show notes.

For Kors, there must be 100 shades of neutral, and a lot of them were in this collection. A blush-colored knitted fox fur bathrobe coat, worn over a blush silk charmeuse blouse and gabardine trousers, with a sleek silver collar, was textbook Kors elegance. While the ginormous fur crossbody bag, worn over a "suntan" turtleneck sweater as thick as a winter blanket, and matching silk charmeuse pajama pants, showed the designer's tongue-in-cheek approach to luxury.

Speaking of suntans, skirts were designed with slits high enough to show off a toned and tanned thigh. A black viscose bodysuit (they're baaack!) worn with a wide belt over a long black slit-front pleated georgette skirt was a hot look.

As for trends, well, after 30 years, you don't much need 'em. But the monochrome dressing seen at Kors has been all over the runways this week, as has the dress over pants look. One of Kors' best versions involved a nude crystal georgette toga worn over matching pajama pants.

Or you could be your own Wonder Woman and stop traffic in a billowy crimson toga gown with a hammered silver collar.

Something tells me Kors would like nothing more.

Michael Kors fall-winter 2011 runway collection photo gallery

--Booth Moore in New York

Photos: Looks from the Michael Kors fall-winter 2011 runway collection shown during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Catherine Malandrino consolidation sale Ongoing: Score past- and current-season looks at up to 80% off retail at both Catherine Malandrino locations.

Melrose Place, 651-653 N. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Sunset Plaza, 8644 Sunset Blvd., 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday to Saturday; noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Mariska sample sale Thursday through Sunday: Shop chic looks from downtown L.A.-made contemporary brand Mariska, designed by lawyer-turned-fashion-designer Maria Janossy.

Em & Co., 7940 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles. (323) 782-8155. 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

Barneys New York warehouse sale Through Monday: We're already a few days into the semiannual Barneys warehouse sale, but as we all know, the deepest discounts — up to 75% off — happen in the sale's final days. Though, of course, you risk missing some prime goodies by waiting — so we leave it to you to cook up a winning scheme.

The Los Angeles Convention Center, Kentia Hall, 1201 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles. (310) 777-5700. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Feb. 16 to Feb. 18; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 19; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb 20; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Feb 21.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photo: A spring 2011 look from Catherine Malandrino. Credit: Catherine Malandrino.

Vera Wang wrote in her show notes that she was inspired by stylish American women such as Lady Emerald Cunard and Wallis Simpson, who mixed with English aristocracy in the 1930s. Their free-spiritedness was probably what she had in mind when she paired technical outerwear with delicate, 1930s-inspired pleated chiffon dresses.

But that seemed to be the extent of this one-note collection. There were fur-trimmed satin parkas, faille sleeveless coats and vests, and a dozen variations on the same chiffon multi-pleated and tucked dress (which requires a rail-thin physique to pull off), done in different lengths and different shades of drab taupe, black, gray and mustard.

OK, so maybe there were a few skirts -- but they looked just like the dresses with the tops chopped off.

This isn't the first time Wang has done endless permutations of the same idea. Maybe it's the curse of designing bridal wear for so long that has made it difficult for her to think outside the box.

-- Booth Moore in New York

Photos: Looks from the Vera Wang Fall-Winter 2011 runway collection shown during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times.

Thom Browne's first women's runway show may have taken place here on Valentine's Day, but the collection was no love letter to the female form, offering up dramatic pieces that played with volume:  broadening at the hips like a set of parentheses, wrapping like a fur tourniquet tightly around the  thorax, layering bell shapes to form an almost  Christmas-tree silhouette, and closing with an outfit that looked like the cross between an egg-timer and a tea cozy.

The show itself was exactly what you might expect from a showman like Browne -- before the show, the cavernous, wood-paneled Edna Barnes Salomon Room upstairs at the New York Public Library contained only a pair of altar boys kneeling in prayer and a soundtrack of monastic chanting.

Then the models entered -- each clad in an identical black nun's habit topped with a winged, white
wimple (similar to the headgear sported by Sally Field in "The Flying Nun"). Then, to the tune "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?" the models began to step forward one by one to be literally defrocked by the altar boys, revealing the outfit from the fall-winter 2011 collection underneath.

The first few looks to shed the habit looked like the standard-issue shrunken men's suits Browne is famous for, only with tailoring tweaked to fit the female form and pant legs cuffed so high the garments might technically qualify as clam diggers.

But then Browne's beauties quickly became studies in shape and volume. One gray wool coat sprouted a funnel-neck collar that reached the upper lip, arms that flared in semicircles from shoulder to elbow to mimic the arc of skirt ballooning from hip to thigh. Another gray wool mini-dress had a hem that grazed the thigh, a tall collar reaching mid-cheekbone, and was styled with a pair of gray cable-knit leggings.

Some outfits were nipped in at the waist to form a silhouette that "Mad Men's" Betty Draper would feel right at home in, others were designed with an empire waist. Many looks were layered -- skirts, capes, jackets and scarves.

It was this focus on layering -- and Browne's love of capes -- that resulted in the most unusual silhouette of the collection, a closing look that might kindly be called the Humpty Dumpty, which layered a stiff white felt ovoid cape trimmed in red-, white- and blue-striped grosgrain over a white cable-knit pencil skirt.

Avant-garde? Certainly. Wearable? Not so much. But like the three-legged trousers and feather-festooned suits that Browne has been known to send down his menswear runway, it's as much -- if not more -- about showcasing the vision and tailoring talent of the creative team as it is about wearability.

Besides, Browne knows that making an omelet requires breaking a few eggs.

And what we saw here during New York Fashion Week was merely his first crack at it.

RELATED:

Thom Browne women's collection fall-winter 2011 runway show gallery

-- Adam Tschorn in New York

Photos: Looks from Thom Browne's debut women's wear runway collection on Monday. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times

Los Angeles-based designer Barbara Tfank's retro ladylike dresses have caught the eye of Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie, among others. And this season, she added to her repertoire denim and leather pieces designed in collaboration with Henry Duarte.

This was denim at its most elegant: a Japanese-sourced, platinum-colored pleated denim capelet, lined in a peppy navy and gray floral print, and matching denim flared trousers; and a gunmetal denim cape jacket, worn with a floral velvet straight skirt. The soft black leather capelet jacket and belted leather dress were nicely done too.

But the designer hasn't gone all sporty. Her hand-designed prints were as lush as ever, especially the peacock, hot pink, persimmon and gold brushstroke print on the V-neck floor-length gown, inspired by the color-streaked canvases of artist Larry Poons.

The orchid-hued silk opera coat was a showstopper. And the solid-color peacock satin tunic top worn with floral cigarette pants was a fresh alternative to a cocktail dress.

-- Booth Moore in New York

Photos: Looks from the Barbara Tfank fall-winter 2011 runway collection shown during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Jonas Gustavsson and Peter Stigter / For The Times

I've noted in several recent posts that a decidedly British influence is one of the take-away themes of the fall-winter 2011 collections. And one label that caught my eye for offering a fresh interpretation -- and by that I mean avoiding the bowler hat and Prince of Wales check caricatures -- was Timo Weiland, a New York City-based men's and women's line designed by the aforementioned Weiland and his design partner Alan Eckstein.

The pair presented 23 looks at the Lincoln Center tents that paid homage to British colonial life -- in India. On the women's side, that inspiration resulted in glen plaid skirts and jackets with ikat jacquard inlays, bold red windowpane plaids that evoked the look of the Union Jack, a Bengal tiger jacquard, and an almost pointillist snow-covered desert landscape print in a range of blues, pinks and a pop of yellow, that appears on dresses, gowns and coats.

The menswear pieces, which were comparatively subdued, included five-pocket jeans in a range of colors (including a smart-looking royal blue), glen plaid button-down shirts, and a hooded, multi-pocket safari jacket in a super-subtle midnight blue windowpane plaid.

The collection was also peppered with polka dots, sparkling with Lurex and accessorized with a handful (make that two hands full) of faux fur muffs, which made the clothes feel as fun as they were fashionable.

I'm embarrassed to admit that team Timo hadn't really been on my fashion week radar until now, but, based on the fall-winter wares on display, it's an oversight that won't happen again.

-- Adam Tschorn in New York

Timo Weiland Fall-Winter 2011 runway collection photo gallery

Photos: Looks from the Timo Weiland fall-winter 2011 men's and women's presentation held Feb. 13, 2011, during New York Fashion Week: Credit: Dan Lecca.

Joy Bryant is part of that rare breed of fashion model-turned-actress who actually becomes a successful film star. The beautiful 34-year-old has starred alongside Denzel Washington in "Antwone Fisher," Kate Hudson in "The Skeleton Key" and Jessica Alba in "Honey."

As a model, Bryant has appeared in ad campaigns for Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren and Cover Girl, modeled in the Victoria's Secret catalog and snagged a Teen Vogue magazine cover.

Although Bryant may have made it as an actress, currently starring as Jasmine Trussell on NBC's "Parenthood," it's clear that when she dresses for events she hasn't forgotten her roots in fashion.

During an appearance at the Essence Black Women in Music event in February, Bryant looked fun and flirty in a floral print dress and black leggings. She toughened up the girly dress with a military-style jacket and dark grayish-brown ankle boots that were just a tad rugged and her cross-body brown bag with fringe gave her a little hippy-chic vibe.

With spring fast approaching, a floral print dress is the perfect way to escape the dark, muted colors of winter. There are many varieties available in terms of colors and print size, but Bryant's choice of a dress with a smaller flower print allows her to layer other pieces without clashing.

For a floral print dress that can easily go from daytime shopping to a night out with friends, Macy's, Forever 21 and Asos all have some great frugal finds: Be Bop Dress from Macy's for $36, the Vero Moda Winter Floral Frill Sleeve dress on Asos for $39.45 and the Chloe Floral dress from Forever 21 for $15.80.

Layer one of these military-inspired jackets over your dress to keep warm: Keely Twill motor bomber from Delia's for $29.99, Military Knit Jacket from Forever 21 for $32.80, or the Surplus jacket from Old Navy for $44.50.

I actually contemplated keeping this week's frugal shoe finds to myself and ordering 10 pairs of each but I realized there are plenty of cute boots to go around. Target has the uber cute Mossimo Supply and Co. Kamara ankle boots for $10.48, The Cassy Distressed ankle boot from Delia's is $19.99 and the Three Flap Flat Boot from Wet Seal is $14.75.

Cross-body bags are a great buy because they are super versatile, functional and comfortable to wear. Here are some frugal picks for under $40: Sonnenberg bag by Aldo for $19.98, Braided Strap cross-body bag from Tilly's for $16.99, BDG Double Buckle bag from Urban Outfitters for $38 and the Brown cross-body bag from Delia's for $24.50.

I don't know a single L.A. fashionista that doesn't own a pair of plain black leggings or tights, so definitely go with a pair you already own. And if you don't? This look will still look great without the leggings.

Happy shopping!

Have an outfit you're dying to buy but need a frugal alternative? E-mail us a picture. We're up for the challenge.

-- Jenn Harris
Twitter.com/Jenn_Harris_

For more photos of Joy Bryant's style check out a gallery below:

Photo, top: Actress Joy Bryant arrives at the second annual Essence Black Women in Music reception honoring Grammy-nominated artist Janelle Monae in Los Angeles on Feb. 9. Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press.

Dresses, from left: Be Bop Dress from Macy's. Credit: Macy's. Vero Moda Floral Dress from Asos. Credit: Asos. Chloe Floral Dress from Forever 21. Credit: Forever 21.

Jackets: Keely Twill motor jacket from Delia's. Credit: Delia's. Military Knit Jacket from Forever 21. Credit: Forever 21. Surplus jacket from Old Navy. Credit: Old Navy.

Shoes: Mossimo Supply and Co. Kamara boots from Target. Credit: Target. Cassy Distressed boot from Delia's. Credit: Delia's. Three Flap boot from Wet Seal. Credit: Wet Seal.

Bags: Sonnenberg bag from Aldo. Credit: Aldo. Braided Strap bag from Tilly's. Credit: Tilly's. BDG Buckle bag from Urban Outfitters. Credit: Urban Outfitters. Brown cross-body bag from Delia's. Credit: Delia's.

Waris Ahluwalia, a New York-based actor, designer and all-around renaissance man whose creations already include a high-end jewelry collection and a line of tea (yes, the sipping kind) has expanded the House of Waris brand into a scarf line that made its debut with a presentation during New York Fashion Week on Tuesday night.

"This was my first Fashion Week event, my first collection, and my first model casting," Ahluwalia told me in the packed seventh-floor exhibit space at the Museum of Arts & Design overlooking Columbus Circle, while A-list friends such as actress Chloe Sevigny (who hosted a celebratory dinner in his honor earlier in the evening) and members of the fashion media milled about between vitrines filled with sparkling jewels and models wearing little more than scarves.

So was he nervous? "No, I'm no more nervous than if I were crossing the street," he said. "I'm a storyteller, and it doesn't matter if I tell my story in tea or in scarves. It's no different."

I never got a chance to ask Ahluwalia exactly what story he was telling with his debut fall-winter 2011 scarf collection before he was pulled away by well-wishers, but it didn't matter; the scarves made a beautiful statement all by themselves.

The hand-dyed, hand-batiked scarves, are made in the three different fabrics (cotton, silk and cashmere) and at least a dozen styles, including an all-over honeycomb pattern (printed on some scarves, embroidered with pink thread on others), a palm-frond pattern (a recurring motif in the House of Waris jewelry line), a songbird-and-chain-link print, and a wavy pink-and-black pattern that at first seemed like a reptile print but on closer examination was revealed to be more like delicate tongues of flame or the tips of palm fronds.

The scarves are expected to retail from $300 (for cotton) to $1,500 (for embroidered cashmere) and sell at Barneys New York, including the Beverly Hills boutique.

-- Adam Tschorn in New York

RELATED:

Screen Presence: More Than A Cameo

Top and middle right photos: Models wear scarves from the new House of Waris line that made its debut on Tuesday during New York Fashion Week. Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times

Middle left photo: Waris Ahluwalia at the event. Credit: Dario Cantatore / Getty Images

Bottom photo: A cotton scarf with honeycomb pattern embroidery from the debut fall-winter 2011 collection. Credit: Adam Tschorn / Los Angeles Times

When we got home from work last night, what did we find waiting amid the stack of bills and credit card offers? The Sports Illustrated 2011 Swimsuit issue! It is, after all, something we look forward to every year. Seriously. We look forward to burying the Sports Illustrated 2011 Swimsuit issue beneath stacks of old newspapers and magazines ... just to see whether our roommate of the last several years remembers to ask if it has arrived. We enjoy observing the look on his face when we play dumb. And we enjoy the discovery that "Simon Southwood, co-owner and designer of Sauvage  swimwear, was also shocked to learn one of his bikinis was front and center on the bestselling issue." Simon, it's a small world, after all. [People] 

When we think of the SI Swimsuit issue, our next thought turns to Victoria's Secret Angels. (Because, really, if it's not one ego-deflating model, it's another.) And this week, we learn from Vogue UK, that director Michael Bay of "Transformers" fame, is apparently working on an advertising campaign for the label's summer "Bombshell" collection. Michael, you're a giver.

Speaking of givers, is there anything more irresistible than a Kardashian? Hanging out at Fashion Week in New York, Kim and Kourtney have been dishing about their style icons. Let's start with Ali McGraw ... and end with Jennifer Lopez. [Stylelist]

Also hanging out at Fashion Week are our very own Booth Moore and Adam Tschorn. Keep up with all the goings-on on the runways ... right here, at All the Rage. And in case you're wondering Who buys all those beautiful creations? Rich people. The Wall Street Journal reports that "many of the runway styles are actually purchased by a small group of customers, not all of them from the isle of Manhattan."

Colin Firth's  wife, Livia, has been out and about lately as her husband collects awards and accolades for "The King's Speech." According to People magazine, Livia Firth "decided to bring eco-couture to the red carpet by wearing designers who care about environmental and social justice causes." And "for this year’s Golden Globe awards, her dress was dyed by homegrown indigo plants from designer Jeff Garner’s community garden in Tennessee."  

Diane Kruger, who is also known for her red-carpet looks, says she does not use a stylist. " 'I got rid of all of them,' " she says in a report in Vogue UK. " 'Only because I just don't think a lot of people have style in Hollywood, or at least not what I like. I think everybody looks the same.' "  

Zsa Zsa Gabor's ninth husband, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt, needs to raise some money to pay for her medical care. So what's a guy to do? Auction off her furs online, that's what. [NY Post]

And, finally, if you want to talk style, please talk about the stylish Scottish deerhound, specifically the Scottish deerhound named Hickory that was crowned top dog at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Sleek, elegant and poised. Everything we could ask of America's next top model. Sports Illustrated, take note.

--Alice Short

Abraham Lincoln was one dapper guy -- even a fashion muse, of sorts, with his trademark black bow tie and top hat. Decades later, Franklin D. Roosevelt used his cravat to make a political style statement, forming the “bow tie alliance” with Winston Churchill during World War II in opposition to Hitler’s four-in-hand.

Having ebbed to nerd lows in the 1970s, bow ties have made quite a comeback, from “Mad Men” to Johnny Depp’s Mad Hatter. And they’re not just for gentlemen. Style-setting ladies such as Sarah Jessica Parker, J. Crew’s Jenna Lyons and Chloë Sevigny have demonstrated quite a knack for the cravat. We’d love to see one on a future madam president. But until then, we’re pinning our hopes on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and our first lady.

Hint, hint, Mrs. Obama — we spied the adorable Alexis Bittar bow-tie cuff bracelets, above and at right, on the spring runway of one of your favorite designers, Jason Wu.

As we mentioned in a previous post, 40 fashion bloggers hit the trade-show floor at WWDMagic in Las Vegas to sniff out trends, tweet about them and speak on several social-media-centered panels throughout the week.

One of the more well-known bloggers in attendance was Jane Aldridge, the 18-year-old high-fashion-loving petite redhead whose blog, Sea of Shoes, has a strong following. Aldridge isn't just a veteran blogger; she has done a shoe collaboration with Urban Outfitters and is a staple at New York fashion shows and events. (She was flying from Vegas straight to New York for "meetings")

Dressed in a black 1970s YSL dress and 6-inch Alaia booties (that she refers to as comfortable all-day shoes) at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Aldridge shared her thoughts on her first trip to the Magic trade show and her first love in footwear.

What is your impression of Magic so far?
It's really fun. It's great because you get to see all these big brands and get a sense of what's happening with clothing throughout America.

What are your favorite shoes right now?
I love these Alaias. I think shoes with a lot of heft and weight are great because they're comfy and can really change the silhouette of your outfit. I think that's why the Acne booties did so well.

When did you discover your love of shoes, and was there one specific pair you remember falling in love with?

In 2006, I was 14 and loved the Junya Watanabe spiked shoes. Also the Prada shoes from the fall of that year. That was the best year ever for shoes.

-- Melissa Magsaysay

Photo: Sea of Shoes blogger Jane Aldridge at WWDMagic. Credit: Melissa Magsaysay / Los Angeles Times