Anna Sui's furry cat hat. Image via Style.com

Animal print clothing is classy, trendy right now and a nice way to switch up your style if you typically stick to neutrals and want to indulge in a pattern every so often, but Anna Sui may have taken the animal-as-clothing thing a bit too far. Last Wednesday at Lincoln Center, Sui sent a few models down the runway in giant cat hats. {FocusOnStyle}

Fashionista is reporting that the cat hats will be available at Suiâ€s SoHo store this fall for about $205. If you love crazy hats or you are really into the feline thing, one of these hats may not be a bad investment. The cat hat looks really warm and it completely covers the ears, which is important for staying toasty when the weather gets cold. We do worry, though, that itâ€s one of those things that works on the runway but not in real life unless you happen to be Lady Gaga. Or a junior high school student participating in spirit week.

A few months ago, we defended Baileyâ€s collection (after all, at least he made an attempt to take advantage of modern technology and business practices), but for his Fall 2011 Burberry Prorsum show, which took place this week in London, we thought there would be no need for Signature9 to come to Baileyâ€s defense. The clothes he turned out are overtly fall (Cathy Horyn at The New York Times dinged Bailey for ignoring spring influences in favor of clothes that could be worn right away last season), colorful, 60s-inspired and overall quite charming (love the cow print!). It seems, though, that many fashion critics are still unimpressed by Burberry and still complaining that Baileyâ€s embrace of technology has left his creativity in the dust.

Booth Moore at the Los Angeles Times said the show was “cute” and that “Bailey was right to keep the focus on outerwear,” but criticized Baileyâ€s clothes for being too far from the seasonless looks shoppers crave these days, which is funny considering Bailey was criticized last season precisely for being seasonless.

Suzy Menkes at The New York Times said Burberry was thinking too big, writing that “what [Burberry] gained in bombast, the once-quirky line lost in charm, cheek and irony that the designer Christopher Bailey has previously brought to the Burberry Prorsum brand.” She also said, “Burberry has to be careful that its brilliant and forward-looking embrace of the Internet does not leave too much behind — especially that ironic take on tradition, the British countryside and the brand heritage that Mr. Bailey can tweak so well.”

Looks like we need to weigh in again. Lucky for Bailey, though, it seems the general consensus among smaller fashion bloggers is that Burberryâ€s recent collection was highly impressive, and not just in comparison to the last show. We know we little old bloggers arenâ€t Anna Wintour or anything, but Fashionista, for instance, called Bailey “a master of the brand he has brought into the 21st century with ease.”

We wonâ€t go on a rant about the importance of digital technology and the urgent need for fashion types to make like Bailey and embrace it already, but we will say this: thank goodness for Christopher Bailey. The showâ€s coats looked warm and realistic for winter, the tweeds and tights were just what we want to be wearing come fall and there was the perfect amount of bright colors mixed with snowy whites and neutrals – and Baileyâ€s managed to do this all while catering to the modern need for instant gratification by making the collection available very soon, not months from now like most other brands†clothes. Bravo, Bailey!

This weekend Signature9 attended Diet Pepsiâ€s Style Studio event in SoHo as part of New York Fashion week, and we have to say we were a bit disappointed with the whole thing. The night promised to include designs by Jonathan Adler, a Diet Pepsi “Skinny Bar” and most importantly a window display by Barneys†Simon Doonan, who was recently moved from being their creative director to “creative ambassador at large.”

The window creation Doonan produced for Diet Pepsi was somewhat impressive. It featured a giant high heel made of the new Diet Pepsi skinny cans (which wonâ€t hit retail shelves until March) as well as an equally large Diet Pepsi skinny can, also made out of regular-sized skinny cans. Both were pretty cool by themselves and must have taken quite a lot of work, but overall we got more of a tart than art vibe from the whole setting. The models working the display were dressed in just a t-shirt, panties and fishnets, and the giant shoe was stripper-heel style, though we do have to give props to the models for being able to balance on a platform made of soda cans. A model laid out on a chaise lounge was also sprawled by the front door, but it came off as cheap rather than eccentric chic.

The interior decorating was classier, but less creative, as it consisted basically of a few white flowers stuck in Diet Pepsi skinny cans throughout the room. There were also apparently special straws by Adler in the Diet Pepsi skinny cans that were served, but we really didnâ€t notice anything special just from drinking from them. Maybe weâ€re oblivious, but we thought they were just colorful.

Most of the headlines and blog posts about the Diet Pepsi Style Studio are actually about Blake Livelyâ€s attendance at the event, not the event itself, which pretty much says it all about just how memorable the night was.

We must say though, if Diet Pepsi is angling to replace Diet Coke as the fashionistaâ€s drink of choice, as many speculated a few weeks ago, they might have more of a chance than we initially predicted. The event was buzzing with fashion types, and Gabrielle Union, Rachel Roy and Lala Vazquez made an appearance in addition to Lively. The brand also partnered with Charlotte Ronson and Betsey Johnson for promotions. Plus, as an official sponsor of Mercedez-Benz Fashion Week, Diet Pepsi was very present in the main tent at Lincoln Center where we didn’t see one Diet Coke. There is work needed on the uptown class part of the campaign, but diet drink loyalty from the fashion set does seem to be up for a Pepsi challenge.

Although most are optimistic about the move, not everyone sees Lincoln Center as quite the right fit for such a massive showcase. Businesses surrounding the center are voicing concerns about what this means for the future. Fashion week alone has estimated revenues upwards of 1/4 of a million dollars annually, entertaining thousands of people.  Hotel owners note that during fashion week they do peak business, leaving little to no available vacancies. Will the influx of people be too chaotic for surrounding businesses?

Fashion week doesn’t last forever, and we think that this move could open up opportunities for other companies to profit. More exposure can lead to more business, which would be a win/win for everyone.

February will mark the last time Bryant Park plays host to New York’s Fashion Week. In celebration, Spring/Summer 2010 will be a grand occasion. Damrosch Park in Lincoln Center will be the new home for Fashion Week and they have been making preparations to welcome the festivities. It is a sad farewell to Bryant Park, where so many fashion memories have been made, but we look forward to Lincoln Center’s rendition.

We do wonder if this will help the MAC sponsored festivities at Milk Studios. The alternative venue had a successful launch in September with designers like Proenza Schouler, Temperley London and Erin Fetherston. While Milk isn’t exactly around the corner from the new Central Park West venue, it is a more direct route to the Meatpacking District. Bryant Park didn’t seem to suffer from having an alternative venue, and now that there won’t be any crosstown traffic to navigate we have to imagine that come September you can catch even more of the fashion crowd moving up and down 9th and 10th all week.

Read the full story {The Cut}

The best part of Moscow’s fashion set, Boselli states, is that there are “many different designers going in different directions, which is a good thing — it creates a wealth of fashion.”

Because of the economy slump and the subsequent cynicism directed toward the fashion world, there is much more opportunity — and an even greater need — for new names, faces, and outlooks to make it into the bigger fashion picture.  Our eyes will be fixed to the east from now on (not just Russia, but South Korea and Syria, too), and we eagerly await what’s next on the fashion horizon.

Read the full story {The Moscow News}

Despite an initial tepid response from some merchants, the event proved to be much more lucrative than originally hoped for, with both shopper turnout and immediate sales figures soaring higher than expected.

Plans are to make the event next year even bigger and better than the first, with an emphasis on adding substance to the initiative to give Fashion’s Night Out some staying power after the novelty factor has worn off.

Read the full story {WWD}

Yes, we know tradition states that Paris, London, New York, and Milan dictate the fashion world, but with the uncertainty of the future of fashion comes an opportunity for new blood to crop up and make its way into the industry.

This past Friday marked the end of Seoul Fashion Week, which is organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government — something new for us, since we in the US are unused to the government making any sort of proactive effort to help the fashion industry.  Although it is difficult for new Korean designers to “make it” on an international scale because of lack of capital and previous lack of government help, the fashion world exhibited a new interest this season in what designers from the former Hermit Kingdom have to offer.

Fashion is all about renewal and fresh ideas, and we look forward to watching all these new kids on the block.

Read the full story {JoongAng Daily}

Photo courtesy Yvan Rodic.