Lady Gaga and Rufus Wainwright join forces, designers like big butts, tighty whiteys are cool again

• There are wedding rumours yet again after Marc Jacobs and boyfriend Lorenzo Martone were photographed in St. Barts in front of a cake topped with miniature Jacobs and Martone figurines. Reps have denied the nuptials, saying the cake and party were in celebration of their engagement. The couple is apparently planning a March wedding, and judging by Jacobs’ penchant for grabbing headlines, it won’t be a quiet affair. [Huffington Post]

• Following the lead of such labels as Missoni and Versace, Giorgio Armani will open his first hotel in the recently opened Burj Dubai Tower, newly crowned as the world’s tallest building, on March 18. Armani plans to open other hotels in Milan, Marrakesh, Egypt, New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and London. Surely this period of rapid expansion will work wonders for Armani and co., as it has for Dubai itself. [Vogue]

• Bigger butts are becoming a popular look on the runways, with such designers as Galliano, Dolce and Gabbana, Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, Jason Wu and Pink Tartan playing with hip proportions for their spring collections. Some are even using panniers (old-time hoop undergarments) to boost derrière sizes. It’s a fun look, but watch out for the inevitable “Baby Got Back” and “Fat Bottomed Girls” puns in the media. [Toronto Star]

• Worried you’re sporting dated undies? Fret no longer. Simpler shapes and styles, like the so-called tighty whiteys, are back—modernized with reduced waistbands, which were once outrageously thick to allow for advertising the label. Boxer-briefs in a rainbow of colours are no longer; new styles have moved back to classic white. Jokey Joe Boxers are so 1995. [New York Times]

• Be still our beating hearts. Lady Gaga is set to headline the AMFAR gala in New York City, coinciding with fashion week in February. Elton John and his Canadian hubby, David Furnish, will be honoured at the festivities, along with Louis Vuitton chair and CEO Yves Carcelle. Rufus Wainwright is also set to perform songs from his recreation of Judy Garland’s Carnegie Hall concert. Gaga and Rufus and Judy, oh my! The gay boys in NYC might just go into diva overload. [WWD]

• Canadian designers are weathering the economic downturn by creating collections specially for TV sales, and looks are flying off the virtual shelves. The Shopping Channel has begun stocking designer duds by David Dixon, Lucian Matis and even Toronto model Monika Schnarre. Typically, pieces are priced lower than runway looks, and despite the perception that selling on TSC dilutes brands, designers like Matis are still doing brisk business with traditional boutiques. Looks like Snuggies, Slankets and Neckys have some new sartorial competition on TV. [Toronto Star]