With the surprising dearth of A-listers at Fashion Week (Does Sophia Bush ever stay home?), those of us who brave crowds at the tents to ask celebs burning questions like: ‘Besides your Blackberry what do you never leave home without?’ the Michael Kors show promised to yield plenty of chatty items that populate the pages of People and Us ‘Weekly. IGM’s Fern Mallis said there’d be no less than 15 marquee names (“Raquel Welsh is backstage”)in the front row. Jackpot!

When Angie Harmon had been nice enough to stop and chat about the Writer’s Strike on her way into the tents, things looked promising. We took a lap around the front row spying cards that boasted names such as Natasha Richardson and Sigourney Weaver. A few seats down, there were plenty of blanks (with the exception of a sole seat tagged Chris Ivery‘ — clever, since he’s the hubby of Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo and the seat next to him was empty. However…

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Self-described style maven and former Full Frontal Fashion reporter Robert Verdi wants to set the record straight — he doesn’t come cheap! The man responsible for putting Eva Longoria in a bathing suit for her hosting stint at the Video Music Awards awhile back is chirping at the New York Post report that he’s styling the Desperate Housewives star’s wedding for free. “It’s totally not true,” Verdi told FishbowlNY at the Gracie Awards Monday night. “I’m not giving her a free ride.” Verdi says it’s Longoria’s stylist, Ken Paves, who is tending to her nuptial tresses for free, as Page Six also reported. The onetime E! correspondent fretted that being lumped in with the ubiquitous mane man who also works on Jessica Simpson isn’t exactly an image enhancer. “Doing hair is a lot different than what I do,” said Verdi. “I’m responsible for dressing 29 people for that wedding. It’s a huge job!” Verdi added, “I’m at a point in my career where I don’t have to do anything for free!” Meow!

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In a move that is hard to not smack of desperation, at least for cynical media bloggers, Condé Nast is rolling out another elaborate ad campaign touting the importance of — nay, passion readers have for — its print magazines. The title of the campaign? “The Point of Passion: An ongoing exhibit by Condé Nast.” Of course.

You’ll recall Condé launched “Point of Passion” in 2005 with “typical” readers.

In this one, eight-page inserts will feature magazine-clutching celebrities in various states of print enjoyment, alongside tag lines like “It’s not a magazine, it’s a muse.” (That’s the subtitle for Mary-Louise Parker‘s gaze for the New Yorker.)

For Wired, Sir Richard Branson lies cradled in a chair aboard Virgin Galactic’s future SpaceShipTwo, reading; the line reads, “Part magazine. Part co-pilot.”

Others slated to appear in future “Passion” spots: Diane Von Furstenberg (Vanity Fair), Patrick Dempsey (Details), Burberry designer Christopher Bailey (Men.style.com), Eva Longoria (Glamour), Giada de Laurentis (Bon Appetit), Terence Howard (GQ), supermodel Natalia Vodianova (Vogue), Andre Balazs (Concierge.com), Marc Jacobs (Style.com), Zoey Kravitz and Lorraine Nicholson (Teen Vogue), Sheryl Crow (Self), Hugh Jackman (Men’s Vogue), Jim Nantz (Golf Digest), Preston Bailey (Brides.com), Greg Norman (Golf World).