You might remember that earlier this year I saw Takashi Murakami's "©Murakami" show at the MOCA in Los Angeles. Well now the Japanese artist is bringing his show to the Brooklyn Museum, along with his Louis Vuitton pop-up shop. Handbags aside (which cost between $800-$900), the show itself is something to behold. Murakami infuses his cute, anime-inspired pieces with an underlying darkness, creating a strangely unsettling experience. The show's name points to the way Murakami controversially mixes art and commerce, collaborating with Louis Vuitton and creating a plethora of products with his company KaiKai Kiki.

The Brooklyn Museum's free "Target First Saturdays" series kicks off April this Saturday from 5pm-11pm, featuring a slew of special events including: an anime costume contest to win the "©Murakami" catalogue; Hayao Miyazaki's "Kiki's Delivery Service" playing at 6pm; Brooklyn-based Japanese bands Love Etc. and Sakura Madams; and Japanese DJ Muro aka King of Diggin'.

The Tim Hamilton collaboration with Uniqlo premiered today at Uniqlo's Soho store. The scene? Madness! If by madness you mean the opposite. There were a few people perusing the offerings, which were stationed near the entrance to the left, not upstairs in the men's section where a few confused guys were looking for it (including myself).

I bought a cardigan and pair of gray jeans. I really liked the washed-out color palette, elongated proportions and, of course, the prices. Make sure to get there soon! Or later, or whenever, it doesn't seem like they are running out soon. I guess as fashionable as New York men are, they just don't go ga-ga over big designer collaborations. Now, the release of the Alexander Wang collection will probably be a completely different story, so don't take today as a sign you don't have to show up early when the Wang line is released.   

If there's one thing New York envies about L.A., it's the Walk of Fame. There's nothing more inspiring than stumbling through the Hollywood streets at 3am and realizing that you've spilled guacamole from your late-night burrito all over Phil Collins' star.

But did you know, New Yorkers, that you have your own Walk of Fame? It's the Fashion Walk of Fame on 7th Avenue. Marc Jacobs, Bill Blass, Norma Kamali and other fashion icons already have their stars, err, I mean, circles.

Now YOU can decide who gets honored. Just vote in the online poll and the audience winner will get a plaque. As a bonus, you can vote for both a living and deceased fashion icon. Vote now, because Michael Kors wants his star, and if you don't vote for him he will hunt you down and make a catty remark about your outfit.

The right person won. I didn't always like Christian, but I always respected his work. He was consistently the most talented designer on the show. Also, now I don't have to hear the word "fierce" anymore.

The complete recap. [EW]

Rami and Jillian get some love. [Blogging Project Runway]

Congrats Princess Puffysleeves! [Project Rungay]

Tim Gunn ponders the universe with the finalists. [Gawker]

Not that you would actually forget, but the "Project Runway" finale is tomorrow night at 10pm. Who is going to win? Perhaps a look at the contestants' Fashion Week collections will help inform your decision (via Jezebel): Christian, Rami and Jillian.

The real question is, How are you going to celebrate the final episode of the greatest reality show in the history of the world? Throwing a huge party (on the cheap) and going dancing both seem like good options to me. 

Duuuude, have you heard? Fashion co-ops are all the rage nowadays. No, they aren't crunchy dens of hippie dresses and Grateful Dead CDs. They're places where designers get their own shelf space to sell whatever they like at whatever prices they want to charge. In exchange, the designers usually work at the boutique for a set amount of time per month.

The pluses?

Normal boutiques charge high rent for shelf space, making it hard for up-and-coming designers to get their stuff out there. In a co-op, all kinds of new talent can sell their collections. So, ultimately, you get edgier, more out-there fashion than in most boutiques, plus the offerings are diverse.

The downsides?

Fashion Week is all grown up. Mature, subtle collections reigned, with muted colors and classic silhouettes. Gone are the days of baby doll dresses and sequins galore. Not that it was boring. Designers like Phillip Lim, Camilla Staerk and Chris Han can work wonders while only using the darkest of colors. Derek Lam invented funeral chic, while Rubin Singer was inspired by a bleak, dystopian German Expressionist classic. Sorry girly girls, looks like next fall is not your season.   

Favorite collection: Ruffian. Remember in "Rock 'n' Roll High School" when the Ramones triumphantly storm through the school, their wailing guitars freeing the students from the oppressive Miss Togar? Yeah, the collection was kind of like that, but if the movie was set in an all-girls British school.

Favorite show I attended: Cynthia Rowley. For adorable theatrics, fun feminine clothes and hip celebrities, there's nothing quite like a show from Ms. Rowley.

This is my last post from the tents at Bryant Park ... for this season. And what did the Aussie Kit Willow have in store us? Loose and flowy fabrics, wide-legged trousers and shiny gray leggings. It all looked very expensive and luxurious, but still had a casual feel to it, like something you would wear whilst at a faaaaabulous party down the street from your vacation home.

The color palette this Fashion Week consists of lots of violets and grays. Chris Han excels with these colors, creating looks that are subtle but never boring. She is a relative newcomer to Bryant Park, but I think her collection was one of the most solid I've seen so far this week. Plenty of women will love her cute separates; plus, she seems like a very sweet woman.

Waris Ahluwalia in the front row is a sure sign of fashion hipster credibility. How does Cynthia Rowley acquire such cred? By pulling cute stunts like this: The room goes dark and Gotham Hall gets very quiet. All of a sudden a large white wall falls with a shocking thud to reveal a forest diorama. Lights and music burst on as the first model struts out to thunderous applause.

Applause at the start of a show is pretty rare, so my expectations were high. The collection was an eclectic mix that included all of the following: floral prints, a leather jacket, cosmic metallics, layers in the shape of forest flora and much more. It was quirky, it was feminine, it was beautiful.

Find her line at her West Village boutique, and check out several whole seconds of Canon Powershot video coverage below.

Cynthia Rowley Fall 2008 from New York Shopping on Vimeo.