What used to be called “P.T. Barnum’s Great Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan, and Hippodrome,” and the moniker “Greatest Show on Earth” was added later; it is now known as Ringling Bros. And Barnum and Bailey.

Diane Moss-Martin and Eric Martin are the designers behind the line martinMartin, and they have certainly pushed the limits with their newest collection . . . long gowns for men, forget it! Leather fringe bottoms, side zippers, skirts for men, all black, maxis with uneven hemlines… at first glance I thought, hmm, Matrix.

I’ve always loved to watch the Academy Awards, whether I’m doing it with a big group like I did at the Hyatt Hotel in Century City last year or just in my den with my dog and a big screen TV. Either way, the experience is always the same for me: hopeful and engaged. This year’s Oscars was very entertaining. It seemed to flow better than past shows.

There’s a lot to be said for free “stuff!” From my observations, people are really inclined to make an appearance if they’re promised a loaded swag bag. I used to suffer from that affliction until my office storage room began to overflow—that being one of the main reasons I personally stopped attending gifting suites.

With the sunlight streaming through, models and stylists were busy at work creating just the right look for designers Miho Aoki and Thuy Pham who were to present the following looks of coats, coat dresses, oversized cardigans and jodhpurs sprinkled with plaid, wool, and thigh high leather boots.

Several groups of smartly styled models halted military style in front of their rear-projected anthems before walking one at a time down the runway in her themed L.A.M.B. uniform.

A variety of colorfully vibrant outfits with sumptuous shades of gold and crimson, sky blue, red, and western-themed blacks were featured heavily on Furstenberg’s runway during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week New York Fall 2011. Furstenberg has always been the type of designer that never misses.

The cozy collection had a nice combination of hand-knitted sweaters, tweed cropped jackets, fur coats, silk dresses, satin trousers, ruffled and wrap skirts. Prominent fabrics were silk, chiffon, organza, cashmere, and flannel. Styles ranged from over-sized turtlenecks to beaded patched skirts.

“One year ago, I came upon an old photo collection at a small flea market in L.A. Within in it were very deep and expansive black-and-white landscape images. I learned it was a collection of photos of Yosemite National Park by the artist Ansel Adams. He was the first to compile photographic techniques in written form.”—N. Hoolywood Fashion Designer Daisuke Obana

From Alison Sweeney to Suzanne Somers, The Heart Truth’s Red Dress 2011 Collection was spectacular in every way. Each celebrity walked the runway to her own special choreographed song. Singer Patti LaBelle strutted confidently to “New Attitude” as she wore Zang Toi. Alison Sweeney, known for her role in Days of Our Lives and reality TV’s The Biggest Loser, walked and flexed to “Let’s Get Physical.” She wore Tadashi Shoji.