After 10 years in  business, Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler are among the most influential fashion designers in the country (witness their nominations in two categories in this year's Council of Fashion Designers of American annual competition).

Now they are poised to expand. Los Angeles Times Fashion Critic Booth Moore spent some time with the duo recently to find out what inspires their designs and what the future holds. Her report appears in Sunday's Image section.

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-- Susan Denley

Photo: Lazaro Hernandez, left, and Jack McCollough of Proenza Schouler greet the crowd during their runway show in New York in February. Credit: Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times

Fashion design shown for the art that it is has become all the rage the last few years, with exhibitions from Chanel, Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen, among others.

On Saturday, “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” opens at the De Young Museum in San Francisco. Los Angeles Times fashion critic Booth Moore says the exhibition, which runs through Aug. 19, "spotlights almost four decades of the French designer’s collections that pushed the boundaries of gender, sexuality, multiculturalism and good taste — all in the name of promoting diversity — and inspired a generation of enfants terribles" (including McQueen). Moore's report on the exhibition appears in this Sunday's Image section, along with a list of some of the other fashion-as-art exhibitions around the world this year.

My favorite tidbit: For Gaultier, it all started with fashioning a cone bra out of newsprint for a teddy bear when he was 8 years old. The bear is on display right along with costumes for Madonna, garments inspired by Hasidic Jews, corsets and mermaid gowns. 

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-- Susan Denley  

Photo: Dita Von Teese, left, has been a muse and sometime model for Jean Paul Gaultier, right, whose exhbition opens in San Francisco on Saturday. Credit:  Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

At least for some people, "The Hunger Games" strikes up an appetite for stuff related to the book series and film that opened Friday. 

Writer Susan Carpenter reports in an article in Sunday's Image section that there was a wealth of "Games" related merchandise to be found, even before the movie hit the screen. Some are predicting that the tie-ins, including jewelry, nail polish, companion books and even an archer's bow like the one employed by young heroine Katniss Everdeen, will be bigger than the onslaught that came with the "Twilight Saga" series.

I can't wait to see on Monday morning which of my colleagues comes to the office with a Mockingjay pendant or tat (preferably of the temporary variety).

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-- Susan Denley 

Photo: A cardboard Mockingjay pin is shown on the shirt of an audience member at a screening of "The Hunger Games" in Grand Rapids, Mich. The pin is similar to the one worn by character Katniss Everdeen, played by Jennifer Lawrence, in the film. Credit: Katie Greene / Grand Rapids Press / Associated Press

The Limited kicked off a five-store expansion in California with the opening of a branch in Roseville, Calif., on Friday. The 4,300-square-foot store is in the Westfield Galleria mall near Sacramento.

According to a news release, the Limited also plans to open or remodel stores this year in Westfield Main Place Mall, Santa Ana; Fresno Fashion Fair, Fresno;  Fashion Valley, San Diego; and Westminster Mall, Westminster. 

The company has 240 locations nationally and has recently been overhauling and updating its brand. The new or refurbished stores will have modern taupe walls, white shelving and red accents. The dressing areas will be larger and there will be a waiting area for companions.

Van Cleef & Arpels

Van Cleef & Arpels in Beverly Hills is moving to a temporary location while its Beverly Hills shop undergoes renovation. The new digs at 332 North Rodeo Drive are scheduled to open April 5 while the original boutique at 300 N. Rodeo Drive expands and refurbishes. When it reopens this fall, expect a plush, updated look inside and out.

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DC X Converse kicks for spring: Wonder Woman and Killer Croc

-- Susan Denley

Photo: The interior of the Limited's new store in Roseville, Calif. Photo:The Limited

The sixth season of collaborative kicks from Converse and DC Comics brings two versions of the Chuck Taylor All Star silhouette for spring 2012 -- a red, white and blue pair emblazoned with the image of Wonder Woman, and a green and yellow pair depicting a Batman villain named Killer Croc.

Wonder Woman's low-top sneaker is done up in a pop art motif, with the heroine's image on one side of each shoe and her Wonder Woman logo scrawl on the other, some patriotic-looking American flag detailing wrapped around the heel, and a footbed of black polka dots on red (Why polka dots? We'd like to believe they somehow represent WW's alter ego Diana Prince, but that's sheer conjecture on our part.)

Killer Croc gets a high-top version, the better to display both a reptilian scale pattern and a green splatter paint effect, with an image of said homicidal reptile leaping to attack from the ankle. 

Both retail for $59.99, available online through Journeys e-commerce site now (according to a note at the website, the crocodile shoe won't ship until April), with Wonder Woman stepping out to stores (including Burbank, Santa Monica, Cerritos and Lakewood locations locally) on April 2, with the Killer Croc version hitting hot on her heels on April 9.

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-- Adam Tschorn

Photos, from top: The newest DC Comics collaboration with Converse includes Chuck Taylor All Star silhouettes featuring Wonder Woman and Killer Croc, both available exclusively at Journeys retail stores for $59.99.

Detail of the Wonder Woman Chuck Taylor All Star low-top sneaker. Credit: Converse Inc.

Kim Kardashian's latest fragrance launch went awry when a woman threw white powder (later determined to be flour) all over her as she arrived at the London Hotel West Hollywood. Kim, shown in photo covered in the flour, was a trouper, though. She declined to press charges, changed clothes and went on with the launch party for her new True Reflection scent. [CBS]

When "The Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence went on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Tuesday and said she looked like a troll, she protesteth too much, says my colleague Alexandra Le Tellier. While some commentators found it refreshing, LeTellier points out that "when someone as beautiful and talented as Lawrence admits her insecurities ... it fuels a culture of insecurity along with self-destructive 'pro ana' sites and 'Am I ugly?' videos." [Los Angeles Times]

Lawrence's costar in "The Hunger Games" Elizabeth Banks, above, was among celebrities who attended Restoration Hardware's party Thursday night celebrating EXPOSED, the company’s spring collection of  home furnishings at the Los Angeles store. Banks looked notably sleeker than Effie Trinket, the character she plays in the film, below, both in dress and hairstyle. Other stars at the event included Malin Akerman, Abbie Cornish and Milla Jovovich. [Society News LA]

Stella McCartney and Adidas introduced new uniforms she designed for the British Olympic team that she says are like nothing she's ever designed before. [Cut]

Kiehl's has teamed with celebrities including Florence Welch, Mark Ruffalo and Rosario Dawson to create limited-edition jars of Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque ($23). Starting in April, the jars will feature labels designed by the celebs. Proceeds will go to promote "earth awareness" at schools. [Elle]

Eva Longoria of "Desperate Housewives" plans to launch a second fragrance. [WWD] (subscription required)

See Alberta Ferretti's new collection for Macy's in our photo gallery.

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-- Susan Denley

Photos, from top: Kim Kardashian is covered in flour at fragrance launch Thursday; Elizabeth Banks at the Restoration Hardware event; Banks,, Woody Harrelson and Jennifer Lawrence in "The Hunger Games." Photos: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Society News LA; Murray Close.

Those who want to avoid the busy mutliplexes through the opening weekend of "The Hunger Games" might want to consider heading to the ballet instead -- especially if they happen to be fans of both high fashion and avant-garde dance.

That's because Ballet Preljocaj's production of "Snow White" -- with costumes designed by Jean Paul Gaultier -- hits town for three performances starting Friday evening. (In case you missed it, I wrote a piece about the ballet -- and the costumes -- that ran in Sunday's Calendar section.)

Although the ballet itself is not new -- it premiered in France in September 2008 and has toured Europe and Asia extensively -- it hadn't been performed in the U.S. until last weekend's March 17 stateside debut at the Mondavi Center at UC Davis.

Ballet Preljocaj's "Snow White," 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Tickets: $28 to $110. Information: (213) 972-0711 or www.musiccenter.org.

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-- Adam Tschorn

Photo: A scene from Ballet Preljocaj's "Snow White" ("Blanche Neige"), which will be in town for three performances beginning March 23, 2012. Credit: Jean-Claude Carbonne 

Tom Ford revealed his fall women's wear collection to the world via a YouTube video Tuesday night. Ford famously stopped having public fashion shows a few seasons back. [Cut]

The latest TV-inspired fashion line is debuting at Kohl's. Dubbed Authentic Icon (or AI), it's inspired by "American Idol." [Los Angeles Times]

It's Tokyo Fashion Week and Chanel is a major player, putting on a series of events to emphasize "the significance of the brand's ties to Japan." [WWD]

Now technology can help you pick the perfect pair of jeans. Just step into a machine called a Bodymetrics pod. It will scan your measurements in 3-D, analyze your shape and recommend styles and brands that would look best. The company behind the invention hopes to roll 100 into U.S. stores over the next two years. [Cut]

Naag.com, an online fashion magazine started by model Agnyss Deyn and Fiona Byrne in 2010 has shut down because the two founders are too busy with other projects. [Fashionista]

Amy Odell, former editor of New York magazine's highly regarded fashion blog the Cut, launched the new BuzzFeed verticle Shift on Wednesday. Shift is more general interest-related than fashion-focused. Odell said in an interview posted on Fashionista that her primary interest "is the intersection of feminism and pop culture and covering fashion for four years for New York allowed me to explore some of that, but I think I’ll be able to explore it in a much deeper way and in a way that’s more meaningful to me personally on this site.” [Fashionista]

Totally useless things department: A Romanian fashion design house has created a wedding gown with a train that's 1.85-miles long. Yes, almost 2 miles. [People]

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-- Susan Denley

It seems the "American Idol" television phenomenon has crossed into the fashion world. Mega-store Kohl's is teaming up with design and apparel production company LF USA to launch a line of clothing inspired by the reality television singing competition. The line, called Authentic Icon (AI), will be available in the junior's and young men's departments at Kohl's stores beginning in April.

LF USA's MESH (Music Entertainment Sports Holdings) division will be the design force behind the new collection, which "will build upon the powerful influence of music and entertainment on today's fashion conscious consumers," said Rick Darling, president of LF USA, in a release.

The AI collection consists of items you'd expect the rock concert-going crowd to don with an appropriate head bob and sign of the horns. For women, candy-striped denim, printed tees, denim vests, jackets and printed maxi dresses, and for men, printed tees and oxfords, vests, blazers and a denim shirt with an American flag design on the back that reads "US Tour." 

The line will be exclusively available at Kohl's through the end of the "American Idol" 11th season in June.

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-- Jenn Harris
twitter.com/jenn_harris

Photo: Kohl's announces plans to launch exclusive American Idol collection called Authentic Icon. Credit: Business Wire.

Tommy Hilfiger and his parent company, Phillips-Van Heusen (PVC), will impose fire safety standards and hire an inspector to enforce them in Bangladesh factories where their clothes are manufactured, the company announced Wednesday. Reportedly, this is the first American clothing company to commit to such a program.

The decision came as ABC News chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross prepared a report showing that Hilfiger and other American clothing companies including Gap and Kohl's have continued using Bangladesh factories where deadly incidents have occurred, including one where 29 workers died in a fire last year. (Gap and Kohl's say they are also working on ways to ensure worker safety.)

Ross plans to break the story Wednesday night on “ABC World News With Diane Sawyer,” according to a news release from the network -- which also provided this video -- with more of the investigation airing  on “Nightline.”

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-- Susan Denley