julia restoin roitfeld

>> Last night's British Fashion Awards provided a forum for all kinds of announcements — Christopher Bailey, who accepted both BFC Designer Brand of the Year for Burberry and BFC Designer of the Year, confirmed that Burberry will show in London again for Fall 2010; and Victoria Beckham said she's planning to take an active role in the BFC that in which she would mentor young designers or serve as an ambassador.

Christopher Kane was awarded BFC British Collection of the Year, Kate Moss won the publicly-voted London 25 Award, Peter Pilotto nabbed the Swarovski Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-wear, and Georgia May Jagger took the BFC Model of the Year award — "Thank you so much to the BFC for picking me. I'd just like to say [fellow nominees] Daisy [Lowe] and Rosie [Huntington-Whiteley] are amazing girls and amazing models. Thanks to my mum for being the biggest inspiration."

But the model who really stole the night was Karen Elson, who, when onstage to present Grace Coddington with the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, walked straight into the orchestra pit and fell four feet out of sight.  She emerged minutes later, ”I am the clumsiest person on this earth. I cannot believe I just did that. That is the worst fall I have ever had. I might have broken a rib, but I’m fine.” After presenting, she took to the emergency room to see about her injuries — including a sprained thumb.

>> Stefano Pilati has been in New York since the weekend, hanging out at the Mercer Hotel with Purple's Olivier Zahm, Chloe Sevigny, and Waris Ahluwalia, but last night he got down to business, hosting the launch of the Yves Saint Laurent sustainable "New Vintage" collection with Barneys.  All the bags, shoes, and dresses were cut from archive fabric left over from previous seasons, and Barneys fashion director Julie Gilhart reports that it went fast — only a few pieces left, and she grabbed one of the bags for herself.

Today, Pilati presented his Cruise 2010 collection to press and buyers — where Chanel Iman was apparently called out for Twittering while she modeled.

>> New York Mayor Bloomberg declared yesterday "Burberry Day," in honor of the lighting of the brand's logo atop its new US headquarters — watch a video of it going down here — and the weather complied with rain, appropriate for a brand known for their trench coats. "I was worried about the drizzle before, but now I love it," said Christopher Bailey, in town to celebrate. "It's all very English."

Christopher arrived to the unveiling last night with Lily Donaldson on his arm, who grinned and gushed about being "a Burberry girl" and "part of the [Burberry] family."  He went on to explain what an honor it it is to have the Burberry logo lit in the first place: "It's one of only six grandfathered buildings in New York where you can do that, so it's a big deal for us to be able to affect the iconic Manhattan skyline, which I love."

The excitement seems to have made him chatty — he covered a range of topics, from admitting that he dyed his hair blue once to discussing advertising fees — like Mario Testino's, which runs $140,000 a day: "You’re buying talent. And I think talent never goes away with the changing economy, and talent is something we all need to keep nurturing."

Models (Hilary Rhoda, Helena Christensen) mingled with editors (Kate Lanphear, who apparently has dyed her hair black underneath, Amy Astley, Cecilia Dean) and it girls (Byrdie Bell, Alexa Chung, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Harley Viera-Newton), and the mix left at least one girl confiding that she didn't recognize Blake Lively — Lily Donaldson, who admitted: "I don't watch Gossip Girl. But you can't blame me. I don't even own a TV at the moment!"

The celebration seemed a success, except for skimping in one area.  An alcohol shortage kicked in around 9:30 pm, leaving one guest unhappy: "That's the driest party I've ever been to."  Same goes for Harley, Leigh Lezark, and Derek Blasberg, The Cut tweeted: "The party has run out of glasses, and the trio is displeased."

If ever you've wished to be a fly on the wall of someone truly fabulous, here's your chance. Julia Restoin-Roitfeld has opened up her NYC home to photographer Todd Selby, and she reveals more than just her coffee tables and stuffed animals. We know Julia has amazing style, but we're about to get real personal with her collection of killer footwear, exquisite jewels, and delectable bags. Are you ready? Step inside her enviable boudoir.

Todd Selby