The brothers Caten of the DSQUARED2 label mix superb craftsmanship, cool practicality and a little theatre (a holdover from their party host days, no doubt) to create one of the most sought after labels of today. The fashion cognoscenti were particularly abuzz about the Men’s Fall 2008 collection. It was all about the tailoring, the ski motif, the camouflage bomber jackets, tartan plaid and the mix of usual suspects — a little swagger and joie de vivre.

How happy are we here at Couture that we carry the line of shoes? Estastic, actually. Our picks for men are: a great, versatile summer sandal; a wonderful monotonal everyday shoe; and a shoe for an evening at La Bernadine or the opera. For women, we were torn, so much to choose from, so few words to write it in: good enough for Rihanna on the runway, good enough for us; this artfully, height challenging sandal is worth the climb; and who doesn’t need a sensible, sexy hot shoe?

Well. sort of. we are talking about trigger-temper catwalk queen Naomi Campbell here. Today is her birthday and as luck would have it, it coincides with her appearance on tonight’s season finale of Ugly Betty. Playing her supermodel self, she takes up a bat as a member of a softball team opposite the fictional Mode magazine’s team. The softball outfit that she wears in the show will be autographed and auctioned off online on Elle.com to benefit Clothes Off Our Backs organization, an organization that raises funds for children’s charities. You can go to Elle.com to make your bid. The bidding started on May 16th and ends on May 26 at 9:00 a.m. EST. Play ball!

It would seem the Pepper Potts playing Gwyneth Paltrow is the new celebrity face for Tod’s fall 2008 ad campaign. The company had taken a celebrity face break after Sienna Miller two seasons ago, replacing her with an of-the-moment blonde model beauty. The Paltrow faced campaign was shot in Capri, which is said to be a favorite city of Ms. Paltrow, with the campaign making a return to a bygone Italian aristocrat jet-set era. Diego Della Valle, president of Tod’s Group told WWD during an interview on May 20, “It had to be Gwyneth Paltrow. She’s the perfect ambassador for the brand — modern, charming, with a strong sense of family. To me, she’s the contemporary embodiment of Audrey Hepburn.” Enough said, no?