Susan K.

Kitty, a Japanese cartoon and global fashion star, became a reoccurring theme in Sachs ouvre, which includes models of McDonalds that function as standing restaurant stations and a gas chamber with Prada logos that debuted at the Jewish Museum awhile back.

Sachs, 41 -- a favorite of designer Miuccia Prada who has feted him in New York and Milan --has taken over Gotham with two massive fountains -- one Hello Kitty and her bunny friend Miffy -- at Lever House uptown and an exhibit called "Animals" at Sperone Westwater in the West Village.

At Sperone, a white foam whale sits atop a polished baby grand piano, creating a metaphor for how so many pianos serve as shelves for family photos and nothing more. In an adjacent room, Sachs constructed another piano made of plywood, with strips of construction site orange and wheels. A pianist sits and plays with concentration as guests walk by. It's a piano made of scraps, but unlike the whale shelf, it's exploited properly. Sculptures of mini lions and dolls, possibly Narnia inspired, pop up in corners. A drawing of a rabbit and scholarly donkey visiting evil royal cats could turn Beatrix Potter on her head. Plus, there's live "negro music" played on a boon box behind a glass, and of course the echos of piano chords throughout all rooms. (See videos below)

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Madonna, JLo, Eva Longoria, Gwyneth Paltrow, Beyonce, and Lauren Conrad from "The Hills," (see photo): Alvin Valley's private client list reads like a paparazzi dream. New York's socialite packs -- girls with names like Tinsley and Olivia and Fabiola -- have flocked to Valley's Soho showroom for close to a decade to enjoy his private touch, attention to body type and style. Now, online shoppers at alvinvalley.com can come close.

Valley, the innovator deemed from New York Magazine to Vogue as "Lord of the Pants," initially began making trousers to pull in the tush. When white folks became accustomed to JLo's 'junk in the trunk,' he got requests for trousers that lift. So, he created the "Wonderbutt," with sewn in points to enhance curve. In his studio a few years back, Kate Winslett was trying on several pairs. She raved to me that post baby delivery, Valley was the only designer to make her figure look good.

Since he's always been ahead of the curve commercially, I'm not surprised, he's the first high end designer to post a personalized, customized online shopping site where gals can plug in their body types and get visuals from his collections that fit. The five categories -- full chest, full shoulder, hour glass, petite, straight, figure and tall-- result in at least thirty choices each. Shoppers can also browse by trends, "romantic, "metallic," or "skinny pants," for example, or by occasion: "night out, weekend, office."

A few years back, department stores like Barney's, Bergdorf Goodman, and Neiman Marcus -- the latter two that sell Alvin Valley -- turned the "sell through" liability back to the designer. This meant that whatever pieces of collections that were not bought during the season, the designers would need to buy back. Valley, an acute businessman, now provides a shopping site so that not only will more pieces sell, but women will get the benefit of his individual styling online. As they say, it's 'win win.'

Of Cuban/Spanish descent, Valley got a degree in architecture from the University of Miami, thus, he pays close attention to line and tailoring. Armed with a needle and thread, Valley's former nanny, Tati, works side by side with him.

Beyond pants, I think he's a master of the jacket and not to be underestimated in the boogie down dress department either. A blue velvet bubble frock with amber bow has scored me compliments and champagne everywhere, including the Marc Jacobs post show party last September. Lots of oohs and ahhs. Check it out: http://alvinvalley.com PRICES RANGE ON WEB FROM $200 (Alvin's line and ASIS diffusion line) to $600, for individual pieces, blouses, halters, trousers, dresses.

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Last night, the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrated its sixtieth anniversary with a ball, celebrating the exhibit "Superheroes," co-chaired by Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour and Italian designer Giorgio Armani. Both count as icons, Ms. Wintour as the first queen of England to ever rule over American insecurity and Mr. Armani, for making menswear tailoring acceptable for emerging power women in the Eighties.

In a press conference in Milan in February, Mr. Armani mentioned that Ms. Wintour prefers French designers to himself and other Italians in her editorial content. He also stated publicly when it came to her, he was "indifferent." Please note, that the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference. My, how fashion makes strange bed fellows!

And since celebrity now counts as fashionable, then last night's gala fit the bill. In super hero terms, we can interpret. George Clooney (Mr. Movie Star Handsome) Maggie Gyllenhaal as Scarlet O'hara in full skirted purple Peter Som gown ( American Girl Next Door), Tom Cruise (Mr. Gay) and his fake wife Katie Holmes still pretending to be a woman in red Armani gown (Artifice Girl) JLo! (Latina Wonder) Jimmy Fallon(Mr. Funny Man Looks Hot in a Tux!) Bill Mahr (Please explain???)

At least, the lovely trio of Misshapes represented the downtown kids with Leigh Lezark in an opal shimmer dress and Geordon Nico in what I'd spy to be Hedi Slimane Christian Dior slick slim suit.

Hats off to Zac Posen for wearing Clark Kent glasses. Here was an actual couturier casting off his real life persona as super designer -- versus Superman-- to arrive as a geek. At least somebody gets it!

"I got tricky." Winks Esther Silber, as she lifts her Christian Louboutin heels on Barney's fourth floor to show me the fat signature, "Pour Esther," scrawled underneath. She had just escaped the throng on women lined up to pre-order fall styles, and to have just one pair of Spring/Summer signed by the man himself, sitting behind a long desk in checked brown jacket.

As waiters elegantly slipped through with champagne flutes and truffles, Silber tells me, "I wore these and when I got to him, I said, Christian I know you're only signing one but please, would you do these?" She flips open a box of slingbacks. Indeed, she had scored "Love Christian" with drawn hearts.

Mon Dieu! No one inspires shoe frenzy quite like Louboutin, who sat down like a rock star for four hours last Thursday afternoon. He's held the top post for hot French shoe cobbler, until a year ago, when Pierre Hardy, a favorite of French Voguettes, edged him out for a moment.

Kimberly Oser, PR Director at Barney's, told me the Fall styles, ordered to arrive in September, were completely off limits to photographers. A whole mess cracked open last season when a spy from Steve Madden shot the shoes in advance, then knocked them off. But to give you a teaser for autumn, black platform ankle boots with odd heels have reappeared, the platform pumps, and fringed black and fuschia boots: think Nancy Sinatra girls!

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