High-profile designers' disappearing act (2024)

fashion label Rodarte.

The Mulleavy team was expected at Wednesday's White House luncheon for the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Awards. The awards are a big deal because fashion is treated with the same respect as more serious disciplines such as architecture and interior design. The winners were announced in advance: Rodarte took the 2010 top honors for fashion.

The label has had a meteoric rise:

The sisters, who have no formal training, took their first tiny collection to New York just five years ago. Their expensive, arty clothes were an instant hit with fashion insiders; two years ago they were honored by the Council of Fashion Designers of America as best up-and-comers; last year they won the CFDA's top prize for women's wear -- fashion's equivalent of an Oscar, reports our colleague Robin Givhan.

They also nabbed deals with the Gap and Target and a fan in Obama, who has worn two of their dresses: a stunning pumpkin co*cktail dress in Copenhagen, a taupe day dress while meeting with Jordan's Queen Rania.

The sisters -- known as shy and eccentric -- were confirmed for Wednesday's luncheon, then backed out at the last minute with a vague explanation about change of plans and a "family obligation to attend to in L.A."

Obama -- who sat next to "Project Runway's" Tim Gunn at the East Room lunch -- did not mention Rodarte during her speech.

"It is a pleasure to be here today as we honor some of our country's most talented, most visionary, most public-minded designers -- folks whose work has literally changed the way we look at the world and how we live our daily lives," she told the crowd. "Our honorees today come from a wide variety of disciplines and fields, from architecture and landscape, to product design, interior design and much more."

The first lady's outfit? A hot-pink two-piece by Isabel Toledo. 'Nuf said.

LOVE, ETC.

_ Confirming the place . . . sort of: There's a big white tent going up on the lawn of Astor Courts in Rhinebeck, N.Y. -- the very place rumored to be the site of Chelsea Clinton's wedding, maybe as soon as Saturday. The Hudson Valley News published pictures of the tent Friday and reported that the Clintons will stay at the nearby estate of Andrea Colombel, the daughter of billionaire George Soros. More hints: Police arrested two Swedish journalists for trespassing last week after they took pictures at the Astor Courts entrance gate. "We're aware of the visit by the former president of the United States and are working with the U.S. Secret Service. . . . Anybody who is located on the grounds of the estate will be arrested and prosecuted," said a state police spokesman.

_ Setting the date: Prince Albert and Charlene Wittstock, the palace announced last week.

Monaco's royal will tie the knot with the former Olympic swimmer in July 2011: a civil ceremony on July 8, the religious ceremony the following day. And no, you're not invited to that wedding, either.

THIS JUST IN _ Sunday was too hot to do anything outside -- but the steamy temperatures didn't stop President Obama, who headed to Andrews Air Force Base to play golf. His foursome sweated through three hours before the game was cut short by severe thunderstorms.

_ Enrique Iglesias promised to water-ski naked if Spain won the World Cup and he's going to do it soon, reports People. But forget the zoom lens, ladies: The singer plans to ski in Biscayne Bay . . . at night, to avoid police and paparazzi.

_ Amanda Bynes isn't giving up acting after all. A month ago the 24-year-old actress told the world she was leaving show business;

on Friday night she tweeted, "I'm unretired." How can we miss her if she won't go away?

"All the inmates are sick of Lindsay."

-- Maria Medina, a relative of an inmate at the Century Regional Detention Facility, complaining to People about Lindsay Lohan, right. Medina claims Lohan's presence in the jail is a huge inconvenience for all the other inmates; a spokesman for the Los Angeles sheriff said the actress is getting "no special treatment."