Simon Doonan

Fashion is full of characters, but few of them are as delightfully witty or raucously inappropriate as Simon Doonan. Since he was promoted from creative director to creative ambassador at large for Barneys in 2011, Doonan has had more time to devote to projects like writing his weekly column, titled Notes From the Fashion Apocalypse, for Slate, and working on books like his last two tomes, Gay Men Don't Get Fat and Eccentric Glamour.

Both avenues, as well as his other writing and his appearances on various television shows, have been effective dispensaries of Doonan's wit. And while he's been called everything from "a funny gay nugget" (by comedian Chelsea Handler) to "glamorously sublime" (by Narciso Rodriguez), Doonan describes his hilarious output differently. "I'm a Goody Two Shoes masquerading as a loosey-goosey eccentric," he says. A look at Doonan's most memorable Doonanisms here in the gallery.

Alexa Chung, Sofia Coppola, and Clemence Poesy were among those who braved the rain Monday night to fete Acne Paper's Issue 14. Held at New York's storied Four Seasons Restaurant, the champagne-filled soiree featured live jazz from the Blue Velvet quintet, while music stands placed around the room showcased copies of the paper. At 272 pages, it's the magazine's biggest issue yet, and also the first time it's been entirely dedicated to a single locale. "We could have chosen London, Paris, Berlin, or any other city of cosmopolitan importance, but we took Manhattan," editor in chief Thomas Persson explained. "During our many visits to the Big Apple we have had the great fortune of befriending a number of wonderful people who have only taken a keen interest in our publication but who have also helped shape it." Perhaps some of those friends were also in attendance — we spied fashion vets Simon Doonan, Lily Donaldson, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Olivier Theyskens, and Monique Pean all there and having a pretty grand time. An inside look at all the fun, here.

Photos courtesy of Acne

Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan's Shelter Island getaway, featured in the latest issue of Architectural Digest, combines groovy furnishings with clean architectural lines, making it the type of beach enclave every modernist dreams of. We are especially smitten with the couple's outdoor spaces, which strike the perfect balance of high style and laid-back approachability. Take a look at the key pieces we fell in love with from their Shelter Island home, and discover where you can snag the look for yourself!

Photo courtesy Architectural Digest and Joshua McHugh

>> Last night, Vanessa Traina launched her 14-piece capsule collection for the French brand Maje at Barneys, which has the US exclusive. She wore a black tuxedo jacket and pant from the collection, and was joined by her sisters Samantha and Victoria Traina and close designer friends like Alexander Wang, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, Joseph Altuzarra, and Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, most of whom followed her to a celebratory dinner down the street at Le Caprice.

The idea for the collection, which ranges from $150 to $490, came about while Traina was in fittings for the brand's campaign (which she's appeared in the past two seasons). She told Vogue.com: "Maje asked me to do their campaign a few seasons ago and we all got along really well. We met the day before the shoot to do fittings, and by the end of it, we’d put together the proposal for a collaboration."

Her ideas for the collection — inspired by "a lot of old '90s editorial," she told us — came easily: "I had a whole folder with me . . . working in the industry and doing consulting quite frequently, I knew what to expect from a design meeting, and I think it really helped Maje understand my vision right from the get-go."

The resultant pieces are simple, primarily silk or lace, and sans color. In fact, minus one white silk maxi dress, they're all in black. "I wear black quite, quite often," Traina explains. "Because this was a one-time collaboration, I really wanted to do something wearable and [focus on] really great separates that fit into your wardrobe. And black goes with everything, so I really just kind of went with that." She told Vogue.com, "Although I must admit, I haven’t worn anything outside of my bedroom yet."

The collection also provided Traina with her first opportunity to design a shoe: "I mean, I've worked with Joseph Altuzarra and people on their collection from head to toe, so I've kind of worked with a shoe, but he [Altuzarra] really does the crux of it, so yeah, it's the first time. It's really cool because we initially started with doing a flat, and then I just thought it would be cool if we stuck a heel on it. So it's just a sandal design."

Even though she now has more extensive design experience, Traina says the collection is a one-time thing: "I really see myself more as a stylist, and I work as a stylist and do consulting. I was really grateful for this opportunity, it was really fun to do something like this, but I think the direction that I'm going in right now with styling is really what I'm passionate about, [and] is really what I love personally."