Maggie Betts

Socialite Maggie Betts hoped that there would be a secret photo shoot with a wind machine at the CFDA awards dinner last night and there totally was! [FWD]

Former Project Runway contestant Christian Siriano was asked to make a guest appearance on Gossip Girl, but he's still considering. [E! via The Cut] 

British design couple Mary Eley and Wakako Kishimoto have departed as the design duo behind Cacharel, citing creative differences and brand vision as the reason. [WWD]   read more »

As investment banks collapse, insurance firms file for bankruptcy, and jobs continue to be lost, it seems that New York socialites deserve some of the blame for jinxing the stock market.

On March 7, Arden Wohl, Derek Blasberg, Amanda Hearst, Claire Bernard and nightclub owner Simon Hammerstein rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange--seemingly also ringing in the period of financial ruin that directly followed the ceremony, reports Cityfile, which even retrieved graphical proof.

We suppose that's what we deserve for allowing the party people of our city to handle such historically important tasks. But all of this also got us thinking.  read more »

On Sunday afternoon, Sept. 7, at Herve Leger's Spring '09 show, the Daily Transom was—shivers of excitement!—seated across from a front row filled with uptown gals.

From left to right, in exact order, were: Genevieve Jones, Derek Blasberg, Fabiola Beracasa, Lauren Remington Platt, Zani Gugelmann, and Maggie Betts. (One of the chairs was labeled "Arden Wohl," but alas she never showed.)

Ms. Platt, clad in a binding (and blinding) white Herve dress with black detail, had arrived by herself and unfashionably early. There she was standing in line up for nearly twenty minutes like everyone else waiting to be let into the Promenade, looking around and checking the time periodically.  read more »

Shepherding was the unlikely topic of conversation on the evening of Friday, Sept. 5 at the Dolce & Gabbana store on the Upper East Side, where guests had gathered to celebrate the release of The Good Shepherd, a new book by Vanity Fair Fashion and Style Director Michael Roberts.

The book is collection of photos that Mr. Roberts took in Sicily over two and a half days, the theme of which is a glistening male model posing as a shepherd while wearing sheepskin designed by Dolce & Gabbana. (Hel-lo!)

We wondered if Mr. Roberts was concerned about PETA coming after him.  read more »

In this month's 8-pound Vogue (we estimated!), William Norwich writes about a new trend: the disappearance of the socialite.

Apparently our city's young women who've made their names attending galas and charity balls are suddenly opting to stay home these days. Why? Well, it seems that the weakening dollar has made the socialites want to slow down and show less of themselves in public.

Over-exposure is suddenly so crass.  read more »