Last night marked yet another night of synergy between designers and shoppers as Fashion's Night Out inspired New Yorkers to buy all night long at some of the city's hottest stores. Created by Vogue editrix Anna Wintour, NY1 describes the night as "meant to unite designers and retailers for one special night to put some sparkle back in the eyes of shoppers—and to get them off the streets and into the stores" all around the world. It also allowed for some more outlandish behavior on the part of Naomi Campbell. more ›

When we last left off with Anna Wintour's battle against the proposed Jamaican eatery Miss Lily's, Wintour seemed to have the upper hand. 97 of 100 residents on Community Board 2's committee declared they'd vote against the project, which Wintour says will bring unwanted noise and traffic to West Houston and Sullivan Streets. But restaurateur Serge Becker's lawyer Miriem Soliman has been campaigning hard for the new joint, and with possibly good reason: sources tell the Post Becker is the father of her child! more ›

Earlier this year Vogue editrix Anna Wintour was rallying against a developer's condo plan, and now the Daily News reports that her battle cries aren't ending there, as she's now aimed her cold stare at a Jamaican eatery near her home. Yep, NIMBYs: so hot right now. more ›

Last night anti-fur activists (at least four of them!) descended on Pratt Institute as Vogue editrix and fur-lover Anna Wintour delivered a speech at the Brooklyn campus. Along with their "Fur Is Worn by Beautiful Animals and Ugly People" posters featuring Wintour's face, they also brought a lifelike skinned fox to illustrate their crusade. more ›

Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is simply not pleased with a developer's plan to build a condo in her Greenwich Village neighborhood. She put pen to paper (official Vogue letterhead, to be exact) and wrote a letter to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, calling the project "a totally out-of-scale, inappropriate eight-story building" and an "unwelcome intrusion." According to the NY Post she wrote the letter in February 2009, but just last week sent an appeal to City Council Speaker Christine Quinn. more ›

Ernest Hemingway once wrote the saddest story in just six words, but we might have a new contender after last night's Fashion's Night Out extravaganza: Wintour wears t-shirt to Queens Mall. While editrix Anna's tale may not be as sad as "For sale: baby shoes, never worn," it's certainly comically tragic enough. The Vogue editor organized the worldwide event, getting A-list to D-list to no-listers all out to spend their cash at retailers—or at least show up to be a part of the scene, which NY Mag's Cut Blog said was "like Mardi Gras but with smaller boobs and pricier beads." more ›

Incase you were already thinking about back-to-school shopping, Mayor Bloomberg has announced a shopping event in September that will coincide with Fashion Week, called Fashion's Night Out. On September 10th, retailers in all five boroughs will stay open until 11 p.m., holding in-store events. The Mayor even has Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour on his side, though she'd never shop off the rack. She said the event will help protect the city's fashion "creativity and diversity." The overall goal here isn't to make you look pretty, though, it's to support local business, promote tourism and economic activity throughout the city as part of the Administration’s Five Borough Economic Opportunity Plan. The event will also boast a special limited-edition t-shirt with proceeds from sales going to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and shoppers are being encouraged to donate their own clothes at participating stores for the New York City AIDS Fund. Get all the info you need, here, and start stashing away that extra coin in a piggy bank. more ›

Last night was the star-studded, couture-clad Costume Institute Gala at the Met; the theme was "superheroes," to accompany the museum's latest Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy exhibit. J. Lo commented on her own superhero ensemble, saying, "the only thing I could think of was Wonder Woman with my cuffs." more ›

PM Update: The jury has found Braunstein guilty of 14 of the 15 charges. He was acquitted of the arson charge (the fire he started in order to convince the victim to open up her apartment door as he posed as a firefighter). more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a body was found at Schenk and Livonia Aves. in Brooklyn that was initially reported as body parts, a shooting on Prospect Ave. in the Bronx, and there was a police car multi-vehicle accident on the Henry Hudson Parkway near 79th St.
• A daycare cries child abuse as the artists who share their space are attempting to throw the tots out on the street.
• The head of neuropsychiatry at NYU Medical Center testified that Peter Braunstein was plotting to cap his life of crime by killing Vogue Editor Anna Wintour.
• A former domestic violence counselor was found strangled to death in her own home in Brooklyn.
• The Yankees cursed pitching staff suffers another setback as Darrell Rasner broke his finger in today's game against the Mets.
• New York's Attorney General Andrew Cuomo is investigating real estate practices that may have involved brokers pressuring appraisers to inflate values.
• Jason Giambi finally admits to taking steroids prior to the BALCO scandal and apologizes for it. Deafening silence is heard from other accused players.
• Eyewitness News anchor Liz Cho gave birth to a little girl this week.

The trial of Peter Braunstein reached another pinnacle of weirdness as some new revelations were made. First, the defense team of the journalist, accused of the sexual assault, kidnapping, burglary and more of a former co-worker at Women's Wear Daily, argued that certain passages from Braunstein's diary - or "personal manifesto," as he called it - shouldn't be read to the jury. The prosecutors, though, wanted to get all the mentions of "serial killer David "Son of Sam'' Berkowitz, fictional cannibal Hannibal Lecter, the Columbine massacre, and a quote from the Notorious B.I.G. about killing" (per the AP) out there. However, the judge did not allow mentions of those folks, plus Gianni Versace's murderer Andrew Cunanan, while he did allow the prosecution to present Braunstein's journal entry about killing Vogue editor Anna Wintour. What? more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery on Lafayette and Broome in Manhattan, a missing child on Rochester Ave. and President St. in Brooklyn, and a shooting on East 183rd St. and Crotona Ave. in the Bronx.
• A self-admitted alcoholic gave shaky and erratic testimony this afternoon, but was positive that he never would have given his beneficiary a stupid name like "Rafra" in the trial of two men who were accused of plotting to kill homeless drunks for their insurance money.
• Leave off the last "S" for settlement. Mattress retailer "Sleepy's" is coughing up some change from under the mattress.
• Ground Zero was Giuliani's finest hour, but linked illnesses remain a political liability.
• Nora Ephron is now a guest NY Times Op-Ed columnist. CultureGrrl Lee Rosenbaum writes, "Her first column, about her obsession with online Scrabble, appeared yesterday. Next essay topic? Maybe Mah Jongg."
• The price of NYC apartments have surged 23% in the last quarter, to an average of $743,000.
• The price of a first class stamp just rose to 41¢. If you buy Liberty Bell stamps now, they'll remain that price forever.
• Peter Braunstein wanted to skip the whole fake-fireman routine and just kill Anna Wintour.
• Donald Trump's next ratings stunt will be firing his own grandchild, or at least making the big baby cry.

The Peter Braunstein trial finished the week with the defense reading parts of the journalist's diary, written while he was on the run after attacking a co-worker. The Daily News excerpted many parts yesterday, including:

"There are no 'innocent people,' God tells me repeatedly. 'There are no victims.' Either we're all victims, or none of us are. And none of us are. more ›

Seems like the Hotel Chelsea residents have long been at battle with the clubs that open in the basement of the building. This used to be the case with Serena (which was owned by Anna Wintour's stepson/Minnie Driver's cousin) and now with Star Lounge (which has opened in its place). The basement lounges seem to draw a posh crowd that's the antithesis of who the Hotel was founded upon: starving (or at the very least, quirky) artists. more ›

Anna Wintour, Balenciaga's Nicolas Ghesquière, and Cate Blanchett hosted last night's annual Costume Institute gala, which was a celebration of Paul Poiret, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Poirot was the pioneer in modern fashion, and freed women from petticoats and corsets - though many, even those in attendance last night, aren't familiar with him. Everyone did their best to dress "in the spirit of" the King of Fashion however, including: Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kirsten Dunst, Renée Zellweger and many other bold-faced names (photos here). more ›

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Interesting - the Post has a sorta followup to yesterday's Daily News story about Fashion Week being at Bryant Park next February. Though yesterday's Daily News article had Vogue editor Anna Wintour saying that Mayor Bloomberg would support fashion - and tents in Bryant Park - in spite of the park's desire to keep the ice rink up, the Post says Diane Von Furstenberg couldn't convince Bloomberg to keep the tents there. Von Furstenberg, designer and president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, made a "personal appeal" to ask Mayor B to prevent the tents' eviction, but "instead he'll work toward finding another suitable location," according to a CFDA executive that told the Post. So, the locations that may see the Spring shows next February: Javits Center, Lincoln Center, and Chelsea Piers. more ›

It's Bryant Park-going plebes versus the fashion plates! The Daily News has an article about how Bryant Park wants the fashion shows out (or auf, if you like) this February, so the park can keep its free skating rink, The Pond, open. Dan Biderman, the head of the Bryant Park, says, "The public hates the [fashion] shows, except the public who goes to them, and they want the ice rink in the winter and they want the ability to use Bryant Park the way they always use it, sitting under the trees and reading or talking or eating." So true! The fashion tents, though glamorous seeming, are just huge blobs for the rest of us. However, Vogue editor Anna Wintour deigns to give the Daily News a quote:

"We need a very, very large place and we need something that's very central and convenient for all the press and media coverage that the fashion industry quite rightly garners, and nobody has come up with anything that's as good as Bryant Park."

Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Creator, Post Punk Kitchen, Author, Vegan With a Vengeance more ›

Andrew Krucoff, beloved former-Gothamist interviewer, media maven and dark-horse candidate for the Media Bistro editor's job, was just fired from his research job at Conde Nast. His crime? Conde's servers went down last week, and Kru leaked the tech email to Gawker. They report: more ›

- It's the first day of school for NYC public school students, teachers and parents more ›

The MOMA presents Miramax: 25 Years, showcasing such favorites as City of God, an intriguing and fast-paced look at Brazil’s slum gang wars, Friday @8:30 PM; Kieslowski’s classic Blue, White, and Red, starting Saturday @4:30 PM; Kill Bill, Vol. I on Sunday @ 2:00 PM and Kill Bill, Vol. 2 on Sunday at 5:00 PM. more ›

The Hollywood Reporter says that Meryl Streep will be playing the Anna Wintour-inspired devilish boss in the movie of The Devil Wears Prada. Streep has already played another Conde Nast employee, New Yorker writer Susan Orlean, in Adaptation, so we can't wait until she plays Graydon Carter or Jeff Jarvis next (hey, she played a rabbi in Angels in America - she can probably do it!). We think that someone like Lara Flynn Boyle, with aging makeup, would be more physically like Wintour, but these are the movies and Streep can play insane well (see Manchurian Candidate, She-Devil, and Death Becomes Her). Streep does have experience playing people in journalism - she was a thinly veiled Nora Ephron (who wrote for Esquire) in Heartburn. more ›

You can tell a lot about a year by seeing which posts were popular, and from Gothamist's standpoint, it's been a banner year for our readers who are perverts or nerds (we're hoping the loyal readers are both). Here are a few of our most popular posts: Thoughts on the Matrix Reloaded; 100 Best Songs; when we pretended to know all about friendster messages; Paris Hilton sex tapes and her SNL appearance; Nicole Richie's racial identity; What not to do when you blog; Jelly Kelly; Best Movie Sex Scenes; Michael Jackson's mugshot; Nudist camps for teenagers; Blackout Edition; Lever House Restaurant; Metrosexuals; Hating Lauren Weisberger (related, Weisberger on her boss Anna Wintour ), Jayson Blair, Blair Hornstine; Larry Wachowski's possible sex change; anything on teenaged stars, speficially Hilary Duff (related, her nutty fans); the New York City Blackout Edition; and our Events page, brought to life by editor Mindy and intern Willa. more ›

The Times also has a Julian–Niccolini drawn seating chart for the Four Seasons and while we expected to see Anna Wintour, Harvey Weinstein, and G.Pa(ltrow) on it, we were surprised to see Kerry Kittles, Nets guard. For some reason, basketball players seem more steak–oriented, like at Smith and Wollensky, Sparks, or Michael Jordan's. more ›