What's a cheery theme to base your collection around? How about Fritz Lang's dystopian sci-fi flick "Metropolis" from 1927? It's got it all: German Expressionism, robots, class struggle.

What does this mean in terms of the collection? Lots of black, metallics and short wigs. Not that I didn't like it; I did, very much so. I loved the dark and dangerous tone to the collection. It was urban to the core, and I think the Russian Mr. Singer has a bright future ahead of him. You can find his collection at Linda Dresner.

Tyson Beckford likes what he sees.

Have you seen this new show, "America's Next Top Mo..." er, I mean, "Make Me a Supermodel?" It looks like "Project Runway," except its contestants can't, like, do anything. It also features "American Idol"-style voting so that YOU determine the outcome.

Fans of the show can meet hosts Tyson Beckford and Niki Taylor this Thursday at the NBC Experience Store in Rockefeller Plaza. Sure, they're blander than Tyra, but not nearly as annoying. Try not to cut yourself on their chiseled features!

Just when you thought the Japanese couldn't get any more creative, designer Aya Tsukioka has created an urban camouflage line for the citizens of Japan who are in constant fear of crime. With one simple tug of your skirt you can disguise yourself to blend into the urban setting. Say goodbye to muggers and hello to urban camouflage!

Talk about one-upping everyone in the fashion biz! Fendi and Lagerfield stage a 10 million dollar fashion show by the Great Wall of China.

Stella McCartney goes green (who isn't these days?) along with other designers for Barneys in February.

Good news for those hipster mom and dads--John Galliano has just teamed up with Diesel to design a childrenswear collection.

Montreal Fashion Week steps up to the debate on "skinny models" by banning models under the age of 16 and models who appear to be struggling with their health. So far, six women have been dropped from the shows last week. Long live the bacon cheeseburger!

(Photos Courtesy of NYTimes)

So, spring 2008 Fashion Week is finally over, and the reaction is … meh. Nobody seems to be raving about anything. Did Balenciaga's 2006 collections (F/W, S/S) just ruin fashion for everybody, like we saw what great heights fashion could reach and then were soured on everything to come afterwards?

This year designers took retro to absurd heights, with waists that seemed to hover just below the neckline. Excessive girliness, however, did seem to die out for spring, which is good news for 40-year-old women who don't want to have to dress like 13-year-olds to look "current."

Here is the rundown on all my Fashion Week favorites.

Favorite show attended:
Cynthia Rowley

Favorite collection:
Proenza Schouler

Favorite gift bag:
Gen Art Fresh Faces in Fashion

Favorite celeb sighting:
The four celebs of the apocalypse (Maggie Gyllenhal, Hilary Swank, Demi Moore, Clive Owen) sitting next to each other at the Miss Sixty show.

Favorite Fashion Week posts from around the blogosphere:

Kim Gordon and Vincent Gallo talk fashion. [NY Mag]

Oh celebs, enlighten me with your Fashion Week style choices! [WhoWhatWearDaily 1,2]

I usually love Mischa Barton, but Mischa, seriously? [Go Fug Yourself]

How much does it cost to run a fashion show? [Fashionologie]

Fashion Week street style. [Facehunter]

Cathy Horyn defends Marc Jacobs. [NYT]

Bloggers use the power of IM at the Betsey Johnson show. [Jezebel]

As for me, it looks like an end to air kisses and pretending to text on my cellphone while actually playing Chessmaster. Au revoir, Bryant Park, until we meet again.

What is Rock & Republic all about? One guess: It starts with an S and ends with an X. Some say it feels like warm apple pie.

You guessed it, Einstein, the new spring 2008 collection from Rock & Republic is all about unabashed sex appeal. To hell with vintage charm and pencil skirts! The new collection has necklines so low and hemlines so high that each piece of clothing should come with a bottle of bronzer.

The show itself consisted of an entrance room where annoyed photographers bemoaned the fact that guests kept walking past the stage where models posed one by one. Past this room was a 70s-style lounge where models drank champagne on an elevated platform. There were disco balls, champagne, a DJ and white couches. Only if the models made constant bathroom breaks to, um, freshen up could the setting seem more like a Monaco disco party.

If you are indeed planning on visiting Monaco or Vegas or the Meatpacking District, you can find Rock & Republic's fine clothing at Atrium, Big Drop and Jeffrey.

Side note: I noticed a group of people saying "Happy Fashion Week!" to each other, like you would say "Happy Hannukah" or "Merry Christmas!" Since when is Fashion Week a holiday? I don't go around saying "Happy Oscars!" at Oscar parties or "Merry Primary Elections!" when it's time to vote. Sigh.

More pictures after the jump...

We get a lot of email at Citysearch and much of it goes right to the "recycle bin" (sorry press folks), but some of it is just too good to recycle. One such email came yesterday on behalf of a new company, Sexy Beast. No, it's not a grittier version of Agent Provocateur, it's a "luxury canine-care brand" that just introduced unisex dog, er canine, perfume ($50 for 1.7 oz). The brand also has a line of three finishing products--mist, powder and gloss ($26 each)--to keep pet hair at its best. And, there's a special for Valentine's Day: You can have that bottle of eau de parfume engraved with your sexy beast's name, free.

Sure, America's Next Top Model is no Project Runway, but it's not bad compared to other reality TV shows. Last night CariDee English (does anyone else think that name sounds made up?) celebrated her victory at Marquee. I learned two things: The North Dakota native is very friendly (maybe she hasn't lived in New York long enough) and that p.i.n.k. vodka is not normal vodka, but is in fact vodka infused with caffeine and guarana, which is why I didn't get much sleep. TGIF indeed.

As if denying Uli her crown wasn't bad enough, now Heidi Klum drops this lump of coal in our stockings. To any other models thinking of cutting holiday tracks of their own, we offer this gentle advice: Shut up and strut.

This week's how-did-we-miss-it news: Kate Moss looks to redefine the phrase "triple threat." Last week, Simon Cowell reportedly said he'd be interested in having her sign a recording contract. In the same week, it was announced she'll be appearing in the stage version of the nutty BBC show "Little Britain." That third threat is up for interpretation. In any case, here's what we want to see: Can she and Lindsay trade battle raps, please?

(Photo from chinadaily.com)

Dove's been on its Real Beauty campaign for a while now. And despite the occasional renaming of its efforts the "Ugly Chicks Rule" campaign (those Gawker commentators are oh-so-witty!), I think Dove's doing a good job of bringing to light the process models go through to tranform from girl-on-the-street to model-on-a-billboard. Check it out for yourself!