A few words to describe the experience at Savage Beauty: Alexander McQueen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this weekend: Hot. Crowded. Worth the trip, no matter what.

Vogue UK is reporting this morning that the McQueen exhibit is the Costume Instituteâ€s most popular ever at the MET with 5,100 people showing up on opening day, and @WorldMcQueen tweeted that the MET reported a record 43,000+ visitors to the exhibit in less than a week. We certainly believe it.

We got to the museum around 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and headed straight for the special exhibit, which was unveiled at the Costume Institute Gala last Monday and opened to the public May 4, making this the first weekend ordinary folks could visit it. On reaching the entrance the crowding was apparent, but there was no line. However, upon exiting the Savage Beauty exhibit about 90 minutes later, a 45 minute-long line had formed and was snaking its way throughout the European paintings.

Savage Beauty will remain at the MET until July 31, so if youâ€re really not into the idea of a potential long wait, holding off for a few weeks might be a good idea. Weâ€re of the opinion, however, that this special exhibit is worth the 45 minute line.

McQueenâ€s pieces possess a certain magic, and being in the presence of his work had a goose-bump inducing effect, particularly in one of the multiple rooms of the exhibit which contained mounted television screens running clips of some of McQueenâ€s most memorable shows like “What a Merry Go Round” and, our personal favorite, “Itâ€s Only a Game.” Seeing the “Armadillo” shoes and several looks from “Platoâ€s Atlantis” was also amazing. You can truly appreciate McQueenâ€s attention to detail and perfect execution when viewing his work in person. We couldâ€ve stared at some of the pieces for hours without becoming bored.

The exit from the exhibit included a Savage Beauty gift shop with all of the expected memorabilia including Savage Beauty T-shirts and wall calendars. Also available was a catalogue by Andrew Bolton, which can also be purchased online in addition to a commemorative skull scarf (for $495, of course).

If we had one gripe regarding Savage Beauty, it would be the banshee music in the second room. The exhibit consisted of multiple rooms, and in each the different music was appropriately haunting and set the tone perfectly. In room two, however, the music consisted of a repeated banshee howl, which was actually a bit corny and somewhat annoying as movement through the exhibit slowed with the growing crowd. One other minor inconvenience: no pictures are allowed. It’s an understandable rule, but still disappointing that the museum docents were strict about enforcing it.

Surprisingly, the large number of visitors to the exhibit doesnâ€t fall into the category of pitfalls. Though the crowd had its annoyances, it was actually an additional fascination. So many different types of people were there, from fashion types to mothers and their kids, groups of girlfriends and a few older groups. It was at once surprising and refreshing to see such varied and large interest in a fashion exhibit, since it often seems widespread interest in fashion is restricted to shopping.

Bottom line: no matter who you are or how much knowledge of or interest in fashion you have, Savage Beauty is worth the trip to the MET. Get yourself there. ASAP.

Exhibition renderings by Joseph Bennett via the Metropolitan Museum of Art Blog

Some of the hottest trends in fashion may look great, but what if they carried irritating health risks? Dr. Oz recently took on a few summer style staples that have some not so pretty side effects. {Dr. Oz Fans}

The first offender, and most popular summer footwear for women, are the ankle-strap wedges. Offering little to no ankle support, coupled with friction and an uneven walking surface, this stylish trend may be your worst enemy this season leaving you with sprains or blisters. A suggested fix? Choose styles with multi-strapped, buckled ankle support. Also try wearing gym socks in them the day before to stretch out the shoe to ensure a comfortable fit all day.

The thick, cinched-waist belt, also a big trend, comes with its own health hazards. Offering that hour-glass shape also means prolonged pushing against the stomach walls, causing indigestion and heartburn. Skinny belts can be layered and worn slightly lower to accentuate your shape without as much discomfort. If you can’t part with a wide belt look but want to avoid the discomfort, we’d also suggest a fabric belt, which can be a bit more flexible than stiff leathers or plastics.

One of our favorite trends,  metal aviator sunglasses, are also on the hazard list. In hot weather, metal frames mixed with sweat can result in heat-related rashes on the delicate skin around the eyes. Dr. Oz notes, “Many people don’t realize their sunglasses are to blame for the rash.” Plastic frames are recommended for shades that won’t leave you with any conditions that require larger sunglasses to cover up.

We’ve accepted a while ago that a certain amount of suffering can be required for fashion, but there’s nothing wrong with minimizing the risk.

CBS News reported on Monday that pedestrians walking by the latest Calvin Klein billboard in New York City at East Houston and Lafayette have spotted something highly inappropriate in the ad. These folks donâ€t find Lara Stoneâ€s almost-naked body offensive; rather, they believe a hidden curse word was planted in the photo.

The table behind and to the left of Stone supposedly forms an “F,” while her underwear bottom forms a “U.” Get where weâ€re going with this? Then, to Stoneâ€s right, the “C” and “K” of the Calvin Klein logo complete the subliminal naughty word. {CBS News via Racked NY}

Our first thought upon reading this news was that the alleged curse word must have been spotted by someone with way too much time on their hands. First of all, the images of Stone for this ad campaign are beyond cool, as is the television commercial, and secondly, why would Calvin Klein risk creating this kind of controversy? But now we canâ€t look at the ad and not see it. The question remains whether Calvin Klein did it on purpose and how the label will defend the situation.

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!

Get ready to retire your skinny jeans and say hello to a fresh fall style this year. Last weekend we had the pleasure of attending Tory Burchâ€s Fall 2011 runway show as part of New York Fashion Week, and the designer delivered a ‘70s style collection with looks for work, weekend and evening.

The show was dominated by 70s-inspired pants with super wide legs in camels, plaids and prints and also featured models with center-parted,unfussy tresses that recalled the decade. Some of the models also wore red leather boots, grey stockings and blouses ruffled at the neck.

Our favorite look (which, according to Twitter, is one of Toryâ€s favorites too!) was a matching camel and navy print ensemble with, of course, wide leg pants and a blouse with matching scarf. Our other favorite? A black lace top and super flare leg pants with layers of shimmering  detailing at the collar, cuff and hem that was the perfect blend of ’70s inspiration and modernity.

According to show notes, Burch was going for something currently American with touches of English country. We certainly got that vibe from the furry parkas and previously mentioned blouses and tights that were mixed with of-the-moment trends like sequins and lace.

Overall, Burch stayed true to her signature styles while coming up with a fresh set of looks. Almost makes us want to rush through summer to next fall so we can wear the clothes. Almost.

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.

We have a few thoughts on this situation. First, the Vogue reps looking to get the pictures taken off the Internet are wasting their time. Gaga has 8 million followers on Twitter who have already seen the cover by now, and no doubt millions of other people around the world got wind of the leak and have searched and found the photos as well. As a reference, in 2010 Lady Gaga made Googleâ€s list of top 10 most searched people in entertainment. {Google Zeitgeist} Thereâ€s just no fighting the power of the Internet to spread news like wild fire – particularly news that involves as huge a pop star as Lady Gaga.

Our second observation is that it was quite unethical for Lady Gaga to leak a cover of such a prestigious magazine, but more importantly, it was genius. Leaks are a fantastic way for celebrities to use social media to their advantage, and what is Vogue honestly going to do about it? Shun Lady Gaga forever? That wonâ€t be much help in keeping Vogue relevant into the future, since a significant challenge for the magazine has been being relatable to the average consumer which is something Gaga, even in all her fashion extravagance and craziness, does very well.

Not to mention that Lady Gaga probably did Vogue a favor. She also leaked via Twitter this week that her new single will be out Friday, February 11^th, a few days earlier than originally planned. Now that fans anxiously waiting the release of Born This Way are aware of Gagaâ€s Vogue cover appearance, many of them may go purchase the magazine as well as the song.

As for the cover itself, Lady Gaga’s bleached out eyebrows, Louise Brooks bob in Gwyneth Paltrow pink and berry-colored lipstick actually remind us (in a good way) of something you might find in a 1910-era magazine, when covers were expressions of illustrators’ creativity. It’s nostalgic, but modern at the same time. We do, however, find it a close second to her 2010 grayed-out Vanity Fair cover in terms of mystique. Which do you prefer?

Comfortable? Probably not. But ladies, these shoes go with EVERYTHING.

To be fair, one would not actually look naked in this shoe. Rather, one would look as if their feet had entirely disappeared. We absolutely love it, but we do have a few concerns. For one thing, how do the mirrors on these shoes not break when you walk on hard pavement in them? The floating on air look is beyond cool, but shattered glass? Not so much. Plus, these shoes could be too blinding in very bright sunlight. We were also bummed to learn that these shoes have been around for a while, and Chaves†final collection was planned for February 2010.

Still, word about the “The Invisible Shoe” has been slowly making its way around the Internet, and it isnâ€t the only funky footwear Chaves came up with in her time. She also created a high heel made with leather and sycamore wood cubes, called the “Form & Texture” shoe, in addition to shoes made with large straps of Velcro. {Yatzer} Both designs look like something Lady Gaga would wear, and we have to appreciate Chaves†unique vision, but both also look like theyâ€d be quite difficult to actually walk in.

“The Invisible Shoe” seems like the best of concepts related to sci-fi and pale color palettes combined, but do you think anyone wearing them on the streets would look cool or just strange? Weâ€re undecided.

Vera Wang is one of the few designers who isn’t afraid to venture into new markets, no matter how “out there” they may seem for the top wedding gown designer. For example, over the last few years Vera has expanded her empire to include the Simply Vera gown collection for Kohl’s,  a mattress collaboration with Serta as well as designing floral arrangements for FTD (an online floral design and shipping company), and who can forget her support of White Castle burger scented candles? Okay, we’ll be honest, we’re trying hard to forget the last one but everything else has been a solid step in pushing the Vera Wang brand beyond the wedding day.

We can’t forget that wedding days are what put Wang in that position though, and her latest collaborations come back to the basics.

If walking down the aisle is a mere dream due to the hefty price tag that usually accompany a Vera Wang wedding gown, you may have heard about her more affordable lineup of wedding dresses for David’s Bridal, slated for release sometime in February. Even the pickiest of brides will not be disappointed in the $600 to $1,400 range of gorgeous gowns that don’t fall short of the romantic styles of her full price collection, boasting all the same detailing with draped organza and flowing taffeta.{Fashionista} The exclusive line is not yet available for sale, but you can log on to David’s Bridal.com to get a preview of what is to come.

What could possibly be left for Wang? Well it turns out bling is in her near future. Working with Zales Corporation, the third largest jewelry manufacturer in the world, Vera Wang is “this close” to closing the deal on her new diamond ring collection. Perfect fit to compliment her signature flowing gowns. {Second City Style}

Looks like Vera’s wedding train is full speed ahead and we can’t wait to see what else she comes up with this year.