In an effort to cut costs and be sensitive to the times, Vera Wang plans to show her Fall 2009 collection in her new Mercer Street store instead of at Bryant Park. [WWD] 

Betsey Johnson has also dropped out of showing her collection in February at Bryant Park, a venue that typically costs at least $100,000. [WSJ]

Gareth Pugh plans to design his first menswear collection, which he'll show during Paris Fashion Week this year. [Vogue UK] 

Miu Miu opened its third New York location at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue last week with an opening party attended by Claire Danes and Ciara. But this week, the company seems to have quietly closed their other uptown store at Madison and 69th Street. [FWD]  

Despite reports about Zac Posen getting ready to design a secondary line, all efforts are currently on hold until the economy brightens up. [WWD] 

MSNBC confirmed in a  release today that David Shuster will be taking over as anchor of the 6 p.m. hour, a slot vacated by newly minted Meet the Press moderator David Gregory.

Mr. Shuster had been filing in for Mr. Gregory in recent weeks and on Sunday Brian Stelter of The New York Times reported that the cable news channel was on the verge of naming Mr. Shuster the anchor of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

"After six years working with MSNBC primetime, I'm humbled by the opportunity to host my own show, and honored to join a line-up that includes Chris, Keith, and Rachel," said Mr. Shuster in a statement today. "As I transition into my own show, I'm particularly grateful to Chris for his support and encouragement during my years at 'Hardball' and now. I'm thrilled to get to work."  read more »

It looks as though former Page Six columnist Lydia Hearst's internship at BlackBook was, in the style of James Frey's recent visit to Gawker, more of a one-day joke/publicity thing than a long term joke/publicity thing (their former intern, Ryan Adams, stuck around long enough to get his own column!). Ms. Hearst's brief return to the publishing universe consisted of staring intently  at a computer through a pair of chunky glasses, stuffing and delivering guidebook-laden holiday gift boxes, riding the subway,  bringing an empty envelope to nightlife columnist Steve Lewis at Webster Hall, and Blackberrying on a stoop.  All that work seems to have earned Ms.  read more »

In October, Christopher Buckley, the son of conservative Manhattanite William F. Buckley, called the $24.5 million price tag for his late parents' four-bedroom Park Avenue apartment an “absurdly inflated price" in the New York Times. 

The real-estate agents handling the listing, Tom and Catherine Holmes, were displeased to say the least.  

At the time of the published insult, the Observer's Max Abelson wrote:  

Mr. Buckley should have known that at 778 Park Avenue—Buckley and his socialite wife, Pat, were downstairs; Vera Wang just sold to a Hummer cars heiress; Brooke Astor’s duplex is on the market for $46 million—saying something bad about your family’s listing (even if it’s true) is like insulting a neighbor’s wife’s rhinoplasty.  read more »

Last night, the Transom ventured out to Varick Street's Chung King studios, where Tim Harrington—the bearded, antic frontman of agit-rock art-band Les Savy Fav—had gathered a group of his friends to film a clip for Pitchfork TV, the video arm of tastemaking music Web site Pitchfork.com. Also a writer and graphic designer, he regularly produces material for the site as part of an ongoing series he named Beardo ("We were going to call it the Tim Harrington Show, but that seemed too weird"). It was a mixer for his mostly unacquainted pals, hence the helpful name tags identifying the musicians, comedians, and "people from the neighborhood" he characterized as his guests.  read more »

"If you shop, drive or drink in New York, Gov. David Paterson's proposed budget is not for you," writes the Times Herald-Record.  read more »

ALBANY—Not to be left out, State Senator Malcolm Smith held something of an ad hoc availability for the press this afternoon to respond to David Paterson's proposed budget--even as leadership of the new Democratic majority is still unclear  read more »

Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Michael Bloomberg seemed to hint that there could be layoffs of city workers if David Paterson’s proposal to cut about $1 billion in state funding for the city was enacted.

In describing the impact of Paterson’s proposal, Bloomberg said, “That’s an awful lot of city employees.” In fact, he said, “that’s 12,000-odd city employees."  read more »

ALBANY—The legislative leaders have responded to David Paterson's proposed budget.  read more »

NOT EVERY KENNEDY BOOK (see page 39) is about a sinister, implausible conspiracy that ends in violent death and wrenching national tragedy. Margaret Leslie Davis’ Mona Lisa in Camelot (Da Capo, $24.95), which was excerpted in last month’s Vanity Fair, brings back all the glamour and high hopes of the Kennedy White House with the story of Jacqueline’s successful campaign to import Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to the United States.

Getting the painting to these shores meant seducing, so to speak, France’s eminent cultural minister, André Malraux, just the man to overcome bureaucratic intransigence and the fussy caution of museum curators. Jackie went at it with tremendous style.  read more »