Before you hit up the shows, step into the worlds of 2 of fashion’s hottest, chain-smoking designers. Read the following articles on the train in the morning, while waiting in line for a show, on en route to the after-parties:

• The Tastemaker by Lynn Hirschberg for The New York Times - a piece on designer Stefano Pilati of Yves saint Laurent
• Enchanted; The transformation of Marc Jacobs by Ariel Levy - a profile for The New Yorker

Monday - July 21, 08 - Why do only older men wear bow ties? And why does seersucker look so good on them? As younger men grow older, will they dress in this fashion as well? These men in bow ties and seersucker are always reading The New Yorker.

Tuesday - July 22, 08 - So many women on the Upper East Side dress the part of a young Bunny MacDougal and I just don’t get it. Pearls, scarves tied in bows around ponytails of frizzy hair, Chanel-inspired jackets and spectator pumps…it’s all just a little too much and only makes these UES princesses look old and less marriageable. I can’t really think of a less sexy look…