Say it ain’t so! Along with Pope Benedict XVI’s retirement comes another surprise: it turns out that the pontiff never actually wore shoes by Prada, as it was widely reported throughout his eight-year papacy. CNN’s Christiane Amanpour explained on-air: “We have said for years ever since we watched this this Pope be elected in 2005, that he was wearing red Prada shoes. I’m afraid we’ve been wrong.”

Amounpour’s guest Monsignor Kevin Irwin concurred, explaining “They are red shoes given to him because Contantine gave him the privileges of being an emperor and he allowed him to wear red shoes and a red cape, but frankly the papal shoemaker is up the block. And it’s not Prada.”

The Parisian label chose to hold its Fall 2013 catwalk show inside a special venue erected amid the historic buildings on the Place Vauban, a grand square which was transformed into a zoo pre-show on Friday afternoon, with photographers and show-goers pushing their way through the crowds to enter the space doused in inviting blue light.

Inside, they found silver balloons reflecting an imaginary blue sky and clouds onto the catwalk--a stark contrast to the monotone gray skies outside, framing the mostly black and white tones of the collection.

It was showtime on Thursday night at the Lanvin Autumn/Winter 2013 catwalk in Paris, but it was hard to gauge the mood of designer Alber Elbez as guests arrived.

Retro waiters served sugary popcorn and soft drinks at the historic Ecole des Beaux Arts, a fabled art school with little in common with your local multiplex, where the fashion flock were stacked up to the rafters on wooden benches, nattering to the sounds of live mellow music performed from the runway by some hipsters with a double base.

In what could be called the pre-show to the Nina Ricci Autumn/Winter 2013/14 catwalk, guests gathered in the great hall of Paris Fashion Week – a giant tent erected in the Tuileries named the Espace Ephémère Tuileries – as if for the theater, perched on black benches doused in red light, their chatter mingling with the eclectic and sometimes chaotic sounds from the Philip Glass composition “Two Movements for Two Pianos,” which provided the dreamlike and occasionally urban mood for this elegant show, inspired by dance and presented to convey the feeling of a performance.

Models gathered at the end of the runway after the presentation like a theater troupe ready to take a bow.

Beyonce, Salma Hayek, team with Gucci: Beyonce Knowles, Salma Hayek Pinault, and Gucci’s Frida Giannini have teamed up to create a new global initiative called Chime For Change, which will create awareness surrounding women’s empowerment. The campaign is funded by Gucci and will be formally announced Thursday afternoon when Hayek Pinalt speaks at the TEDxWomen conference. Another announcement will follow in mid-March “regarding a global event that promises to put girls’ and women’s issues on the world stage,” reports The Telegraph. [Telegraph]

Vivienne Westwood Continues Support of Assange: English designer Vivienne Westwood is continuing her support of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange by speaking out against English socialite and writer Jemima Khan, who recently penned a blogpost for the New Statesman against her onetime friend Assange. “I was sad and puzzled when my friend Jemima Khan joined the ranks of these irresponsible women…I hope she will change her mind,” Westwood wrote on her blog Get a Life. “Do they really want our hero to satisfy their wish and vindicate himself by spending the rest of his life in a US super-max jail? Julian is in danger because through WikiLeaks he exposed the killing our authorities over up in wars which cause death and rape.” Westwood recently issued a line of T-shirts in Assange’s support. [Vogue UK]

The Hotel de Ville, with its marble staircases and countless chandeliers (not to mention the security screening at the entrance that had the fashion crowd packed into a scrum), is one of the more formidable venues at Paris Fashion Week. This made it the perfect backdrop for Belgian designer Dries Van Noten’s Fall Winter 2013/2014 presentation that took place early Wednesday. Not one for austere minimalism, this season Van Noten celebrated fashion in all its finery, working with appliqué diamantes and embroidered motifs in addition to an abundance of feathers and fur.

It was a remarkably girlish collection (hello hot pink, feathered, and bejewelled dresses!) for a designer who usually prefers a tomboy aesthetic, but any frivolity was perfectly balanced by more mannish styles including charcoal pinstripe suits and what might be this season’s most perfect white shirt (so far).

Buhbye FNO: Organizers for Fashion’s Night Out have announced that the event will not go on to stage its fifth iteration in New York this September. FNO, as it’s been dubbed over the last four years, will go on hiatus in the United States, while continuing in select countries overseas. Initiated in 2009 at the height of the recession, the event was intended to re-instill consumer confidence and mend the relationship between retailers and shopper—giving them a fun and no-pressure opportunity to visit stores. However, it’s consistently been debated if FNO actually brought stores any additional sales. “I don’t think the success of it was measured only by numbers or money, but was really about engagement,” explained CFDA CEO Steven Kolb. “Everyone feels we had a great four years.” [WWD]

Cara Delevingne is poised to take over the world. At the ripe old age of 20, the British model is one of 2012’s breakout stars, starring in ad campaigns for Burberry and Chanel and walking big-name runways like Marc Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta. Now, the bushy-browed beauty is planning her next big move: becoming a global brand.

Delevingne filed to trademark her name with the International Property Office in December, The Sunday Times reports. The newly-acquired branding rights means that, from now on, she is the only one permitted to use her name--giving her power over a range of products including perfumes, handbags and umbrellas. And that’s not all Delevingne controls. She also registered her own company, Cara & Co, with her father Charles listed as its co-director.

Beasts of the Southern Wild’s Quvenzhané Wallis has started a puppy purse mania, spurred by her many appearances with Poochie & Co.’s bags. At Sunday night’s Academy Awards, the 9-year-old actress paired her midnight blue Armani Junior dress with a custom-made tiara-wearing Yorkshire Terrier. She’s also sported the brand’s English Bulldog, Cocker Spaniel, and Shih Tzu purses to recent events as well.

Poochie & Co. told TMZ that their puppy purse sales skyrocketed on Monday morning, following Wallis’s Oscar appearance. The brand has even received special requests from overseas and can barely keep up with consumer demand. Poochie & Co. currently sells their products at mass-retailers including K-Mart, Sears, and Claire’s.