bee shaffer

>> The final challenge of this year's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition — a fashion show by all 10 finalists at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles — took place last Thursday. “You’re never really a spectator at your own show, so it’s an amazing experience," said second-time finalist Joseph Altuzarra. "I wasn’t so much looking at the girls as at people’s reactions in the audience.”

Ryan Murphy, Bee Shaffer's current boss — both were in attendance — revealed another project Altuzarra has on his plate: designing some costumes for Murphy’s new movie based on Larry Kramer’s play, The Normal Heart.

Justin Bieber wasn't the only one making the girls scream outside NYC's Madison Avenue Dolce & Gabbana boutique — we also witnessed a couple excited fans lose it as they saw Anna Wintour walk in! Anna and Justin joined Brooklyn Decker, Chace Crawford, and Usher yesterday for the brand's Fashion's Night Out bash. The evening had a "passionate duo" theme in celebration of their new lipstick line, and platonic and romantic couples were there aplenty. Justin had his manager, Scooter Braun, on hand while Jeff Gordon had wife Ingrid Vandebosch, Gossip Girl's Kelly Rutherford and Matthew Settle stuck together, and Leann Rimes showed PDA with Eddie Cibrian. Justin stuck around to sign the purchases of a few lucky fans, but later wrote on Twitter, "That place was a zoo!" Justin also shared a photo of himself, Scooter, and Usher, dubbing them the "three musketeers."

Chanel feted its new face Blake Lively with a dinner in New York; the party moved to Paris with a glamorous dinner over a show-packed weekend that attracted some of the chicest women in fashion including Anna Wintour and her daughter, Bee, Florence Welch, and Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. We took a close-up look at the super stylish soiree, featuring zoomed-in shots of Blake's amazing Chanel dress, accessories, and sexy Louboutin heels — click through to see all of the best looks!

Blake Lively headed to Paris in time for Fall Fashion Week, and on Saturday she shopped around the city with her mom, Elaine, to pick out new red-heeled shoes alongside Christian Louboutin himself. She sported a new pair, or perhaps one of the 40 she bought at his sample sale last year, that evening when she threw on her latest Chanel party frock for a dinner at their Rue Gambon headquarters. It was the second dinner toasting Blake's appointment as the new face of their Mademoiselle handbag line following a meal last week in NYC. Blake sported one of Karl Lagerfeld's white creations to that event — who do you think rocked her Chanel better, Blake or Diane Kruger? Blake granted the New York Times an interview to discuss her long-awaited gig with the legendary French brand. She said of finally snagging the job, "I had other opportunities and I would say, 'Thank you so much, but I am holding out for Chanel.' That’s who I want to be the face of. And people would say, 'Well, that’s unrealistic, they only hire Europeans,' and I said: 'Well, how great. I’ll be the first then.'" Let us know what you think of her first ad!

>> Scott Sternberg has a love of elaborate sets and cookies, and his first ever Boy/Band of Outsiders runway show involved both. Meyer lemon cookies were on every seat, thanks to David Chang's Momofuku Milk Bar (the chef was also in attendance, along with Kirsten Dunst — the brand’s latest lookbook model — Bee Shaffer, Kanye West, and Aziz Ansari, who wears the brand on his comedy tours); even Anna Wintour was spotted taking a bite. And then male models started rappelling 30 feet down from the top of the ceiling.

Thick knit sweaters, cropped plaid pants, fur scarves, silk print gowns, and slouchy fur beanies all pointed toward a grungy glamorous ski-inspired feel, while sharper looks, like a thin-wale corduroy suit, injected just the right amount of polish. A striped wool blanket poncho emoted the perfect sense of Winter cozy and semi-sheer maxi dresses were adorned with diminutive floral prints. Stylist Tina Chai topped off the look with chunky heeled hiking boots, pearls from Mikimoto, and pendants from Aesa.

>> Prabal Gurung had us at look number one — when Karlie Kloss stomped out in a brilliant red dress, sexy in its full party skirt and sleeve nonchalantly slipping off one shoulder. The designer says he was dually inspired by John Singer Sargent’s A Parisian Beggar Girl and Miss Havisham from Great Expectations for Fall 2011, but really, it was about a simple challenge: "Can I do undone? . . . After such a long time of tight, short dresses constantly, I thought that was something so chic.”

Gurung returned to his dressier roots after last season's more sportswear-driven stint — there were textures galore (furs, sequins, intricate appliques and the like, which made for some expensive-looking pieces). But that's not to say that the collection was uber feminine; in fact, with its black leather moto gloves and leather lashings around the waist, it forayed into edgier territory than Gurung has tried in the past. Pink hair streaks (which have also been spotted this week on stylist and WSJ contributor Lauren Goodman and the model Charlotte Free) finished off the look, and evidence that the designer's star keeps rising came in both the caliber of model cast (Kloss, who walked Gurung's show for the first time, Constance Jablonski, Jourdan Dunn, Joan Smalls, Liu Wen) and the number of editor-in-chiefs in the front row (including Robbie Myers, Emmanuelle Alt, and Anna Wintour, who was joined by Bee Shaffer).

Last night styled stars and fashion's elite gathered to honor the year's best designers at the seventh annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards. Billy Reid took home top honors, while Prabal Gurung and Eddie Borgo finished as finalists. Among the star-studded tribute, Carey Mulligan took the stage in sparkles, Anna Wintour was caught chatting with Prabal and Karl Lagerfeld, Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester and Blake Lively each made a stunning red carpet entrance, and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen coordinated in full-length fur. Inside, it's a world of fashion and designer favorites not to be missed — click on to see who stepped out for one of the biggest style nights of the year!