“Here’s an abridged list of some of the ways that [Karl] Lagerfeld gets more out of a day—and often it’s the night too—than anyone I know. Creative director and resident genius fashion designer, at Chanel for 29 years, Fendi for more than 40 years—a world record—and Lagerfeld, the house that bares his name. Artist who sketches with the natural ease of a true talent. Author who writes with the knowledge of the world’s libraries. Publisher who helps keep alive the art of book making. Filmmaker, who is creating the glamorous version of a Cassavetes-like atmosphere by casting his friends and chosen family. Actor-ex-Warhol superstar and current leading man in the many Lagerfeld documentaries that are popping up. Wit—who is every interviewer and writer’s dream, he is so quotable, and deliciously wicked. Collector, who has an eye for design that is as sharp as they come. Interior designer—who makes most of the professionals look like sheep. Letter writer—who would have impressed even Elizabeth Bishop, one of his favorite authors. Advertising’s go-to secret weapon—one who shoots the campaigns for not just his own houses, like Chanel and Fendi, but the competition too, and he also gets a Warholian kick out of creating an aura for all things popular—from Coca-Cola to ice-cream. Tired yet? Karl’s not. He’d modestly say he’s just getting started. And if you congratulate him on any of it, he’d answer, ‘But that doesn’t make the next one.’”

-Ingrid Sischy, presenting Karl Lagerfeld with the Gordon Parks Award for photography, at last night’s Gordon Parks Foundation Awards Dinner and Auction in New York

Hungry for a challenge? Have we got a gig for you. Flash sale juggernaut Gilt Groupe is looking for a gastronomically astute visual designer to join its New York HQ. Ingredients: four cups of digital interfaces, three cups of e-commerce concepts, and two heaping tablespoons of pixel-perfect visuals, sprinkled liberally with mastery of the Adobe design suite, strong collaborative skills, and a keen interest in food, wine, and design, all seasoned with a strong understanding of the latest web technologies. Sound appetizing? Act now, because we suspect that this job opening will last as long as the current Gilt City NYC offer that will allow you to cut the lines at the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party.

Learn more about and apply for this visual designer, Gilt Groupe job or view all of the current mediabistro.com design/art/photo jobs.

Young(ish) people of the world: only one week remains to enter Young Guns 9, the Art Directors Club‘s international, cross-disciplinary, portfolio-based competition to identify the young creative vanguard. By “young,” they mean 30 or under, and by “creatives,” they mean those doing great things in graphic design, photography, illustration, advertising and art direction, environmental design, film, animation, video, interactive design, object design, and/or typography. What’s so special about Young Guns? It recognizes an individual, and considers a body of work, not a single ad or design. Also, you get a really cool cube if you win. Young Guns 9 is open to ADC members and non-members worldwide (last year’s saw entrants from 38 countries). A jury of past ADC Young Guns including Luke Hayman, Chris Rubino, and Jessica Walsh will select the 50 winners. You have until midnight on Monday, May 30 to take your shot.

The Shipping News: Posters and ads designed by Giuseppe Riccobaldi (left) and Adolph Treidler (right) are among the ocean liner and transportation memorabilia that will go on the block today at Swann in New York.

Covet a Christofle silver marmalade holder (complete with attached spoon) that once sailed aboard Île de France? Want a graphic reminder of a mode of transportation in which “The Gentle Art of Civilized Living Reache[d] the Highest Degree of Perfection”? Of course you do! Today Swann Galleries holds a sale of ocean liner and transportation memorabilia. The New York auction house has assembled books, scrapbooks, brochures, photo albums, as well as silver, china, and crystal from famed ocean liners, but the sale is particularly strong in posters and other exuberant, charmingly nationalistic marketing materials. Our first-class choice? A circa-1938 lithograph of A.M. Cassandre‘s famed image of Normandie. The poster, a version of which is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, is estimated to sell for between $15,000 and $20,000. As for the steerage-priced lots, we’ll take Giuseppe Riccobaldi‘s whimsical advertising card for Neptunia ($350-$500) or a silver toast rack that once held the gently browned bread of White Star Line passengers ($250-$350).

Now that the seemingly never-ending delays and budget stumbles at the World Trade Center site have caught the attention of outlets like 60 Minutes (who you’ll recall said the slow crawl toward completion was “a national disgrace“), as well as last week’s high-profile rally by construction workers who are trying to keep their jobs and push the rebuilding schedule forward, the effort (and sometimes lack thereof) has become big news. One of our favorite people, the New Yorker‘s architecture critic, Paul Goldberger, was on NPR‘s “All Things Considered” this past Friday, talking not just about the delays (like how much work has actually been done underground that no one sees, so they don’t care much about when complaining), but also looks at the larger picture, how maybe the site’s meaning and importance has shifted since 2001. Here’s the transcript and here it is for the listening:

If that leaves you hungry for more Goldberger in your ears, the critic was also recently over at “Studio 360″ talking to Kurt Andersen about a more beloved New York site: the High Line Park.

“I was born in Texas, left school at 17, went to acting school, dropped out, and went to Parsons to study architecture. Graduated, went to Paris to intern at Chloe and decided on fashion design. Architecture was very serious and I didn’t admit that it was what I had just graduated in—I just took a load of sketches about and said I was a Parsons grad—nobody asked me what I’d actually graduated in.”

-Tom Ford on career planning, in a chat with fashion writer Colin McDowell last week at London’s Selfridges department store

It’s no secret that crafts are going strong during the recession. It’s the thing to do while anxiously awaiting news about a job or to make time pass when you’ve been laid off. Jo-Ann Stores, the go-to source for fabric, patterns and notions, for many Americans has managed to stay afloat even while other chains have shut down. “Sales in our core sewing and craft categories were actually holding up quite well,” Darrell Webb, Joanne’s President & Chief Executive Officer said of the chain’s third quarter during a Jan. 10 conference call. “Quilting, fleece, and sportswear fabric sales were very strong during the quarter while apparel crafts and food crafting remain strong on the non-sewing side of our business.”
So while the quest for new crafts-related books have slowed, at least one is sure to stir the blood of sewers who have a Borders coupon or two. Christine Haynes has a tome, Chic & Simple Sewing: With Full-Sized Patterns For More than 20 Projects. A book with that many projects has value in today’s market. What’s more, sewers are heading to class to tweak their skills. This writer is teaching how to make a hat class that’s nearly sold out at a local fabric store.

Interesting, fun piece to end this writer’s day upon, before you are shifted over into Stephanie’s capable hands. Out of the UK comes the story of the suit and counter-suit between design Andrew Ainsworth and filmmaker George Lucas and his production company. The battle is over Ainsworth, who created the famous Stormtrooper costumes in 1976 for Lucas’ Star Wars and his insistence that he should still be able to build and sell replicas of the outfits he designed, as he made the original molds and still has them in his possession. Lucas and his galactic attorney power team say otherwise. And after suing Ainsworth into oblivion in the US back in 2006, they’re now trying to do it in the UK as well, as the designer is still selling his wares in that country.

What do you do when your name is synonymous with a product but you want to tell people you’re much more versatile than just something that performs one lil’ ol’ task? If you’re Xerox, you roll out a whole new identity package, which they did yesterday to much fanfare, the first time the company has touched their logo in forty years. Personally, we think the new logo, created by Interbrand, seems a little too Web 2.0 for our liking, but we guess it’s okay. We’re certainly not offended by it or anything. But the thing we really dig when these big branding changes from major companies happen is that you get to read all the interesting weirdness that goes on behind the scenes and gets told to the press to help disseminate all the information the public needs to know about their shiny newness (you’re welcome). Case in point, here’s a bit from BusinessWeek‘s coverage of the change:

The new graphic identity of the company is meant to make Xerox a more approachable brand without compromising its reputation for engineering. In fact, an internal document circulated between Interbrand and Xerox describes the new graphic font this way: “I am FS Albert. I am a modern and approachable font. My rounded corners make me more human and less technical.” The sphere symbol will be especially used on the Internet and will spin in other animated applications, says Maryanne Stump, Interbrand’s senior director of brand strategy. “The old Xerox logo and graphics just didn’t lend themselves to the new media landscape.”

What, do these companies only employ children and that’s the way they have to talk to them? Do you really need a friendly, talking font? Is this the same team that came up with Microsoft’s talking paper clip? We have so many questions that we don’t need answered by anything even remotely anthropomorphic.