President Obama has returned to e-commerce and haute couture with Runway to Win, a collaborative campaign merchandise fundraiser pegged to the kickoff of New York Fashion Week. As fashionistas rev up for the Fall 2012 collections, designers and Dem supporters have been rallying to raise money, chicly, for the president's re-election campaign.

The collection features patriotic clothing and accessories, moderately priced from $45 to $95, from top designers including Tory Burch, Rachel Roy, Derek Lam, Beyoncé and Tina Knowles, Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, Proenza Schouler's Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, Diane von Furstenberg, Narciso Rodriguez, Vera Wang, Thakoon, Jason Wu, Grace Tsao-Wu and Laura Kofoid of Laudi Vindi, Marc Jacobs and Tracy Reese.Continue reading...

Last week, Alexander Wang collected a €100,000 ($147,000) prize, after winning the 2009 Swiss Textiles Award. His is the second American design house to nab Central Europe's most coveted fashion prize, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this month. New York-based Wang beat out a field of six candidates, including Vogue favorites Thakoon and Ohne Titel.

Kate Mulleavy, one-half of last year's winner Rodarte, presented the award to Wang. Mulleavy told British Vogue:

"The investment made such a difference for us in the past year — we have taken the business in a direction we just couldn't have otherwise — and I'm sure it will change things for Alex too."Continue reading...