When fashion goes south

NEW YORK - There was an honest-to-goodness fashion identity crisis taking place in Manhattan Sunday night. The dilemma: In one part of town, Calvin Klein, magnate of skivvies and Brooke Shields's tight jeans, was celebrating his 40th anniversary in the business. Elsewhere, pop god Justin Timberlake was making his Fashion Week debut with the William Rast label.

Those who were industry-minded and looking for fine champagne flocked to the exclusive, white rose-covered Klein event. Those more comfortable around bottles of Bud Light ended up at the Roseland Ballroom for Timberlake's debut. It was the ying and yang of Fashion Week - elegance versus the basic human instinct to scream loudly at Timberlake.

Timberlake is more a partner in the William Rast line than fashion designer - that task is left to the creative team of Johan and Marcella Lindeberg - but like his New York restaurant Southern Hospitality, his affiliation brings in the celebs. At the Roseland Ballroom party on Sunday night, Jeremy Piven, Andy Samberg, and, oddly, Anthony Edwards all witnessed Timberlake's vision, best characterized as somewhere between Southern culture on the skids and NASCAR chic.

Models emerged from the facade of a rustic cabin that looked as if it might have been cast off from Timberlake's film "Black Snake Moan." Dead leaves were scattered on the ballroom floor. Waitresses circled the room with bologna and pineapple skewers.

The clothes followed suit. Models, styled like they were ready to brawl, walked the runway in denim cutoffs and studded denim vests. The only thing missing was a well-placed mullet. The Lindebergs leaned heavily on stereotypes of the American South, attempting to mix a "Joe Dirt" aesthetic with high fashion. Unfortunately it was the stereotyping that appeared to win the fight. Between the fringe and the distressed denim, an occasional well-tailored jacket emerged. But for a man who once pledged to bring sexy back, there wasn't much appeal.

Sox wives and girlfriends have been running in and out of the Natick Collection this week, prepping for Friday's "From Fenway to the Runway" fashion extravaganza. The show, emceed by WCVB's Liz Brunner, benefits the Red Sox Foundation. Hideki Okajima's wife, Yuka, spent Friday getting outfitted at Michael Kors. And Manny Delcarmen's wife, Anna, tried out her bejeweled gold tank dress at Stil yesterday, while Shonda Schilling checked out a black and off-white number at Michael Kors. Other significant others planning to hit the catwalk: Tiffany Ortiz, Bertha Lowell, Dawn Timlin, Ashley Papelbon, Jacque Francona, Georgia Nua, Maria Crisp, Kelli Pedroia, and Kelsey Hawkins, girlfriend of Jacoby Ellsbury. Organizers are mum on whether any players will show, but we're betting a few smitten dudes are spotted.

Remember last summer, when Boston was filled with stars? Meg Ryan and Annette Bening toddled down Newbury Street with shopping bags, Jada Pinkett Smith dined out, Debra Messing signed autographs on the street, and Eva Mendes was seen sailing through downtown hotels. Well, they're back - on the big screen, anyway. "The Women" premiered last night at Loews Boston Common, and while the big stars weren't out, the ladies behind the scenes were. Director Diane English and producer Victoria Pearman walked the red carpet, introduced their film, and then joined a bevy of beautifully dressed women (mostly fashionista, beauty, and media types) at the Liberty Hotel for an elegant after party. Contrary to gossip, the actresses in the movie got along well. "There were no divas in this movie," said Pearman. "I think everyone realized they had so little time and so little money, there was no time for divas." English said one of her favorite scenes in the movie is "the confrontation in the lingerie dressing room at Saks." The cast filmed overnight at the store after it closed, which English said "was pretty wonderful. We had the whole store to ourselves. We could run around and try on clothes." The movie opens Friday.

Robert B. Parker was happy to take Hollywood's money when it wanted the rights to his Western "Appaloosa." "And if you take the money, you can't whine about the movie they make," he told us yesterday. "It's like if you sell your house and you don't like the color they paint it, tough [expletive]." Judging from the early word on "Appaloosa," which screened over the weekend at the Toronto International Film Festival, the plain-spoken Parker has nothing to whine about. The film, directed by Ed Harris, and starring Harris, Viggo Mortensen, and Renee Zellweger, is good. "It is," insists Parker. "Would I lie to you? Yes, but it really is." The Cambridge writer and his wife, Joan, had just returned from Toronto, where they walked the red carpet. "We got there early in case anyone wanted to talk to us, but no one did," Parker said, laughing. "Appaloosa" opens this weekend's Boston Film Festival.

Ken Burns was at Fenway yesterday shooting footage for "Tenth Inning," the update of his popular "Baseball" documentary. The filmmaker shot interiors at first light, then filmed Sox historian Ed Carpenter leading a Fenway tour, and, later, the pregame scene outside the ballpark. The BoSox were featured prominently in the original series, and "Tenth Inning," scheduled to air on PBS in 2010, will include even more, notably the club's dramatic, come-from-behind victory over the Yanks in '04 and the team's first World Series title in 86 years.

Calling all extras! McGreevy's is looking for ordinary folks, ages 21 to 40, to appear in a TV commercial with Ken Casey's crew the Dropkick Murphys and Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon. Show up at the Boylston Street bar today between 2 and 4 p.m.

Hugging all those ecstatic fans must have made Donnie Wahlberg hungry. The New Kid was spotted at Kowloon over the weekend, feasting with his entourage on crab rangoon, spare ribs, chicken fingers, and Saugus wings.

Boston ballet dancers are on the move this month, as artistic director Mikko Nissinen announced six promotions and a handful of new company members. Jaime Diaz, John Lam, Heather Myers, and James Whiteside are now soloists. Paul Craig and Robert Kretz jumped from the pre-professional program, Boston Ballet II, to the corps de ballet, joining newcomers Alison Basford, Tiffany Hedman, Tanner Schwartz, and Mark Wax.

In the category of unfortunate timing: Pats golden boy Tom Brady is seen with his feet up in a swanky new ad campaign for NetJets. In the shots, Brady is first seen boarding a Gulfstream 200; next, he's lounging in a cushy seat, next to what looks like a fruit plate. Alas, it looks like the QB's going to have plenty of time to stretch out - on the sidelines, sadly. . . . Official Sox florist Rick Canale of Exotic Flowers at Faneuil Hall delivered a 4-foot-tall get-well arrangement to Brady's Beacon Street townhouse yesterday.

Former Ambassador to Austria Swanee Hunt and Harvard Law professor Charles Ogletree hosted a fund-raiser the other night for the new nonprofit Business Advancement & Social Entrepreneurship, which mentors disadvantaged high school and college-age kids. The evening ended with Hunt and state Representative Marie St. Fleur singing "La Vie en Rose" as the former ambassador played piano.

Aerosmith drummer Joey Kramer stopped by the offices of Marlo Marketing the other day and donned one of the Purple Dog Tags created by Bostonian Ron Lawner to raise money for wounded soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. Kramer, a big foodie, also signed several aprons, which will be donated to nonprofits around Boston for charity auctions.

Names can be reached at names@globe.com or at 617-929-8253.