Philippines-born and Texas-raised, Nim Botor, a self-taught designer, uses his eye for style, drape and fit to create stunning (and sometimes futuristic) garments for todayâ€s fashionable, modern women (in other words, you).

Since he can remember, Nim tells Signature9, “I was always fascinated by the female form and dress, visually devouring fashion magazines from cover to cover and trying to recreate and illustrate those images on paper.”

His experience and talent soared working as a design assistant to New York design duo, Pepper&Pistol as well as Texan designer, Cesar Galindo (who is currently kicking butt as a contestant on the hit Bravo series, The Fashion Show, hosted by Iman).

We were inspired by this particular piece from Nimâ€s “Kimono 2010” collection, an array of coats and outerwear inspired by the elegance of the Japanese kimono and the ease and comfort of classic American sportswear. This particular collaboration of eastern clothing traditions and western dress conveys a new and modern aesthetic.

The pullover-silhouette coat in a cream-colored wool and cashmere blend offers a spin on the classic bomber jacket. Detailed with a funnel neck, exposed industrial side zipper, exaggerated kimono sleeves, and inverted center back pleat, this one-of-a-kind creation will surely get you noticed.

On the red carpet at the premiere for her spy drama Salt, the actress can be seen wearing some the first pieces in the collection.

Collaborating with former Asprey CEO, Robert Procop, (whose decade-long design experience will serve as a backbone for Angie’s collection) the design duo will showcase classic jeweled pieces that Angelina will most likely wear herself. {FabSugar}

The exclusive collection won’t be sold traditionally in retail stores like most celebrity designs, however. Instead, her pieces will be sold through Procop’s clients with all of the proceeds going directly to Angelina’s charity, the Education Partnership of Children in Crisis.

It will be interesting to see how a collection from Angelina does. Though her photos regularly command millions – a gift passed along to her children – her stint as an ambassador for St. John wasn’t seen as being the best fit. With what we assume will be more input in the design process this time, maybe a more personal involvement will make a difference. Brand ambassadorships aside, Jolie’s woven a good dose of humanitarian roles into her bad-ass roles, and it’s nice to see her star power (doesn’t that always include a design stint?) directed to causes close to her heart.

“It has been nearly 10 years since Zac, Alexandra and I founded Zac Posen,” Susan Posen, who will continue to serve in her role as chair of the board, said yesterday by email. “During that time I have had the privilege to work — both within the company itself and in the larger fashion arena — with an amazing group of people. The company is now poised for a new phase of growth, and I have decided it is time to step aside from my current role as acting CEO and pursue other interests.”

Susan Davidson, the CEO of Scoop NYC, a sister company of Ron Burkle’s, The Yucaipa Cos, will take over as CEO of the brand.

The move comes on the heels of Yucaipa’s growing frustrations “with the lack of return on its Zac Posen investment and sought a change at the helm to steer the business in a new, more profitable direction.” Susan Posen said.

She is however welcoming the change saying she is “pleased to welcome Susan Davidson, who has joined us as CEO. She will now steward the Zac Posen and Z Spoke brands. I look forward to their success and growth.” {Fashionologie}

The Posen label, despite having a stable amount of press, is reported to have yet not yet delivered on profits and the most recent showing of his more moderately priced Z Spoke line in Paris has received not-so-stellar reviews. {NY Magazine}

Perhaps this change will be just what the label needs to boosts revenues.

Steve Madden has been working hard lately. We recently reported his collaboration on Zac Posen’s moderately-priced Z-Spoke line, and it seems he has his sights on a new venture with pop star Katy Perry. Although she may have been dubbed too sexy for Sesame Street, it seems Steve thinks she is just the right fit for Seventh Avenue.

Known for her outrageous and buzzworthy sense of style it comes as no surprise that Madden has reportedly approached the singer with a proposition to collaborate on a “creative fashion collection” {Second City Style}.

Madden has also come to Betsey Johnson’s rescue after the designer suffered financial hardships. He generously loaned her the funds to get out of debt, leaving the Betsey Johnson empire basically under Madden’s control. This begs the question, is is possible that Perry’s crazy fashion sense will translate into the Betsey brand as well?

“Steve Madden is not taking over the company, and Betsey Johnson is not leaving the company,” Jonathan Friedman, Betsey Johnson’s executive vice president and chief operating and financial officer, told Page Six. {New York Post}

Either way, it’s a match that makes sense. Katy’s kitschy, colorful style (think Candyland figure youthful and brazenly bright) would compliment for Betsey Johnson, or add a bit of teen style to Madden’s own line. We can’t wait to see what the duo come up with.

The line was very demure, focusing on shades of red, cream and metallics. The silhouettes stood out with flowing maxi dresses, scalloped chartreuse, sleek white pants and belted mini dresses all- paired with chunky accessories.

The shoes were a spectacle all their own with varying geometric shapes, cutouts, straps and ties. In the past we have seen how adventurous Siriano can be with designing high heels, and this year was no different. The spiky, rounded and contorted designs are unique, yet feminine and classy. {Le Petite Fashionista}

There was some mixed reaction as the show’s attendees carefully examined each look.

Fashionista commented, “The problem with Siriano’s SS11 collection is that it’s caught in limbo between wearable and editorial looks. While the sportswear felt like a tribute to tried and true vacation-wear (slim white pants, leather short trenches, voluminous maxi-dresses, lone ruffles, and exotic prints) his sumptuous evening wear is a unique offering…At this point in his career, Siriano needs to choose a team and stick with it—I say drama all the way.” {Racked}

We agree that a lot of what we saw on the runway was theatrical and extravagant and not necessarily  practical for wear. The shoes in particular, although designed for Payless, will probably be heavily toned down by the time we see them hit store shelves. Either way, we will be the first in line to snag his sleek styles at a steal of a price.

We love the idea, and think it’s about time we saw a plus size collection from the designer, although we wonder how Marc feels about his partner letting the news slip on twitter. While the explosion of plus-sized models in magazine spreads left more than a few people cynical about if it was tokenism or signs of a real change in fashion, it does seem to mark a shift. Saks Fifth Avenue’s New York flagship quietly announced plans to include sizes up to 20 with fall collections from Chanel and Dolce & Gabbana among others. While it would  nice to see larger sizes included on styles from the main range, something is better than nothing when it comes to more options for 12+ women who are interested in fashion, but don’t find the same variety of options at retail.  Some styles in the traditional 0-10 designer size range may not be flattering if they’re just sized up, so we’ll take the optimistic view that the split from the main line is for the purpose of creating clothes designed specifically to flatter larger sizes. As long as the end result is a sister line that has enough sartorial similarities to the Marc Jacobs aesthetic fans of all sizes have come to admire, we can’t wait to see the result.

In addition to the plus-size line, Robert also tweeted about a debut Marc Jacob’s Men’s show in Milan saying,  “Yea. I guess I broke the news on twitter that we were going to have our first Marc Jacobs Men’s Collection show to be held in Milan.”  The good news keeps on coming, but Duffy admits, “I’m over sharing, but  still unable to resist.”

Included in the collection are tee-shirts, long tunics, leggings, elastic-wasted skinny jeans and tank tops. All are in the reasonable price range you’d come to expect from the retail brand ($4.80 to $19.80). {Fashion Indie}

As long as we’ve known and shopped Forever 21, the merchandise has had a super young and whats-in-now aesthetic. Investment fashion it’s not, but basics like tank tops and tees are often under $10 and hold up fairly well considering the price.

We love the idea of venturing into the maternity market so moms-to-be can still feel up to date and youthful while pregnant without breaking the bank.

While she may not have been cut out for a role in high fashion, the embattled actress already has her 6126 line of leggings which has held up pretty well despite her personal woes. Lindsay has expanded the line to include apparel and handbags. The starlet explains “I wanted to create pieces that would allow you to pair your favorite leg wear items with your favorite statement blazer or top, transforming your look from day to night.”

True to Lindsay’s own personal style, the collection includes a lot of black leather and lace, sheer tops and metallics. You can expect the apparel this fall, followed by the handbags in Spring 2011.

View more images from the lookbook of Lohan’s Fall 2010 collection at FabSugar. {FabSugar}

American Vogue, which produced the event, is proud to claim their next show slated for September 7, 2010 at Lincoln Center in NYC. It will officially snag the title of the biggest fashion show in New York’s history. Perhaps Anna should get someone from the Guiness World Book of Records on the phone – a world record never hurt, and we’re sure the record takers would rather count models than some guy’s long toenails.

With over 200 models  helping in the effort to breathe life into the fashion industry and donate to a worthy cause (part of the proceeds go to the New York AIDS fund), this event is ultimately geared towards stimulating the industry and getting consumers excited about shopping. Three days later, on September 10th, the official shopping event will be held where a new Fashion’s Night Out clothing line is said to be released.

“We felt it is important for people see what wonderful fashion will be in stores at that moment. This show will focus on the key trends weâ€ve identified for Fall so that shoppers will have plenty of inspiration to join the fun during Fashionâ€s Night Out,” says Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue Magazine. {Stylelist}

The twist to the show that we love is that the 200 models will represent 200 looks from this fall’s hottest trends. Instead of focusing on individual designers, the catwalk will serve as a live lookbook for the 1500 lucky attendees.

Zac Posen has released another runway-inspired line for Target, after a hugely successful previous release, which will debut April 26th. The anticipation must be too much to bear because Target is launching its first-ever 24-hour shopping party-complete with designer Zac Posen himself.

The whimsical and fantasy-filled collection spans the spectrum of femininity to androgyny. Women’s suits and long floral gowns are indicative of what you should expect to see a full 10 hours before the line goes public. There are plenty of brights and floral prints to keep in line with the more upbeat feel of clothing this spring that’s lifting spirits and sales.

We love the idea of an all-night party, and adding shopping to the mix is an all-around dream come true. We can’t wait to get our hands on some of the goods. If you need an inspiration, here are a few of the looks we’d line up to buy. Don’t miss out on this one-time event, see you there!

Zac Posen for Target floral print brocade dress with bow

Zac Posen for Target red leather jacket, tuxedo bodysuit and tuxedo skirt

Zac Posen for Target tuxedo jacket and pleated sleeve top

Zac Posen for Target polka dot thick seamed dress