Since last year’s Fashion’s Night Out was such a success, the fashion Gods (and by that I mean the important people in the industry) have decided to do it again on Sept. 10.

Dubbed as the “biggest fashion party,” the event spans the globe. New York City is the epicenter of action with appearances by celebs, designers, and other important people that are oogle-worthy — but that doesn’t mean San Francisco is out of the picture. Last year, the School of Fashion partnered with Neiman Marcus to celebrate FNO with a night of shopping and fashion; showcasing the talent of our school.

But if you want to attend the big event in NYC, you can enter a contest at CBS for a chance to win an all access VIP pass to Fashion’s Night Out. All you have to do is upload a video and say why you like fashion — or something like that. Simple enough, right? Click here to enter.

The new season of Project Runway airs tomorrow on Lifetime (It’s the 8th season? Has it really been that long?) and we have some representation on the design/drama-infused show!

Former fashion school student Michael Drummond (pictured above left) and alumna McKell Maddox, BFA Fashion Design, 2005 (obviously, she’s the one on the right) join the ranks of designer hopefuls that will either be “een or owt” (said in a heavy Heidi Klum accent).

And it just so happens that this new is a hot topic of discussion on our Facebook Fan Page.

Check out videos of their casting sessions after the jump.

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If you happen to be an Erin Wasson fan and you happen to be in San Francisco this Thursday, you may be happy to know that the model/designer will be making an appearance at Azalea in Hayes Valley to show off her latest collection of jewelry:

In case you can’t read that lovely flyer, the event is this Thursday, July 29 from 7 to 9 p.m.. Azalea is located at 411 Hayes Street at Gough.

Azalea SF [Official Website]

In the late ’90s, you may (or may not) remember Tori Spelling as a fashion and cultural touchstone due to her role as Donna Martin on the prime time drama of privileged teens Beverly Hills 90210.

Now, Tori has maintained the spotlight with a reality show, a clothing line for children called Little Maven, a jewelry line for the Home Shopping Network (ask merchandising instructor Hersha about that — she knows all about it) and three books; her latest is titled “uncharted terriTORI”.

The book picks up from where she left off in her last book. She basically talks about her life — but she says that this one is much deeper.

“”When I was writing the book, my life was going down a different path,” says Tori in a recent phone interview. “It was during the time when I was reconciling with my mother — it started writing itself.”

In the cleverly titled book, she talks about everything from her relationship with her husband, Dean to Twitter stalking to the paparazzi. She’s very open about everything. With us, we wanted her to be open with her fashion regrets from 90210.

Tori in her 90210 days

“There were so many of them!” she laughs. “But what we wore was really cool — for that time. I could understand why some of those things we wore came back in style — but things like belly shirts and exposed midriffs should never come back. I was obsessed with daisies and sunflowers — that was pretty horrible.”

Tori Spelling will be in San Francisco signing copies of her book at Books Inc. on 2251 Chestnut Street this Saturday, July 24 at 7 p.m.

Elisa Palomino, a guest to the May fashion show (and Simon Ungless’s classmate when he was at St. Martins), has just shown her namesake collection in Rome and here are some photos.

Palomino (who also selected six of our students to intern at Diane von Fürstenberg) first made a splash in the fashion industry as the designer behind Moschino’s Cheap & Chic Collections where she developed the whimsical style of their second line. After five years, Elisa Palomino was recruited by John Galliano to work for his own label as well as Dior.

I spy Beppe Modenese in the front row. (He started Milan Fashion Week and was once a guest of the School of Fashion with Oscar de la Renta)

At John Galliano, she was appointed Head of the Studio and during the next eight years helped the fashion house flourish creatively. At Dior, Elisa worked with the “petis mains” at the haute couture ateliers where she helped create real works of art.

Following Galliano, Elisa worked as studio director at Cavalli before moving to New York to become Vice President of Design at Diane von Fürstenberg. Fall 2010 marks the first season of her own label, Elisa Palomino, as well as her debut runway show during New York Fashion Week.

Follow the jump for more pictures and video from when Elisa visited us in May.
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Photo by: Donato Sardella, Style.com

Remember when we announced that alumna Jill Giordano and her partner Brian Scheyer of the San Francisco-based fashion label gr.dano were chosen to participate in the fourth California Design Biennial? (click here if you don’t remember) Well, the people at Style.com were there to cover it and, in turn, Jill and Brian were featured on the site.

Rose Apodaca, who assembled nearly 100 items from 11 designers for the showcase at Pasadena Museum of California Art, had nothing but praise for our alumna:

At first sight of the gr.dano collection, I could instantly spot the technical skill in the draping and construction,” said fashion curator Apodaca. “Deciding what the show needed to be was easy; the real challenge was limiting the choices to 11.

Gr.Dano joins the ranks of other designers who have showcased at the event including Phillip Lim and Rodarte.

Congrats Jill and Brian!

Click here to read the complete story

gr.dano [Official Website]

Gladys Perint Palmer continues her reports from her time in Paris. This time, she shares some pics from a little soiree given by a designer you may have heard about…

July 7, 2010

Valentino gives a party at the Château de Wideville — an hour outside Paris.

Château de Wideville

At night it’s pink

Follow the jump for more pictures — including some of Gwyneth (as in Paltrow).
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If you happen to be in the Mission in San Francisco, you may notice a new Levi’s space on 580 Valencia Street. Yes, it is a store where you can buy some denim paraphernalia that gives a nod to the heritage of Levi’s — but it is much more than that.

Throughout July and August, the Levi’s Workshop is opening its doors as a space for the artistic community of San Francisco to celebrate the art of printmaking. From authentic print machines to silk screening to photocopiers, the space will serve as a haven for the community to come in and participate in events that include printmaking workshops, book launches, snazzy parties and other artistic ventures.

“The Levi’s® Workshops celebrate the pioneering spirit and hard work of people and organizations that we admire,” said Joshua Katz, head of Collaborations, Partnerships & Creative Concepts Levi’s, in a statement. “It’s all about community, creativity and collaboration. Through the programming, the various production projects and the public resources that we are providing, we are able to collaborate with local heroes who have mastered their craft while inviting in the broader community to roll up their sleeves and get to work.” Read more…

We’re going to try something new on FSD. Every week (or so) we will post a picture of a famous person, monument, artist, and things of the like (with three clues) and it will be your job to guess what or who it is. It’s a wonderful little trivia game that will hone your cultural chops.

Each week (or so), the person who correctly identifies the picture will win $10,000!

Just kidding.

The winner will win the ultimate prize: knowledge…and bragging rights — but who knows — further down the road prizes may be given away.

Check out the pic and see if you can guess who this lady is:

Clue #1: She was a pop-jazz-cabaret lady who could play the piano and swing with the best of them.

Clue #2: In her later years, she broke her hip and walked on a cane for 8 years, but still managed to be carried out to her piano for concerts.

Clue #3: “Gay, gay, gay, is there another way?”

Please enter your answer in the comment area below. Make sure you spell her name right and tell us who she is and what she did that made her so cool. Deadline to answer is Thursday July 15 and the winner will be announced July 16.

Good luck!

Paris
On Aura Tout Vu
The gardens of Palais Royale
July 7th 10 a.m.

This is the day of Flora and Fauna in Paris.

The fauna continues from Chanel, with crocodiles on shoulders and shoes at On Aura Tout Vu.

On the subject of wild life there was Claude Montana looking quite mellow. In his heyday his bite was worse than his bark.

Follow the jump for more pictures…
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