Madonna Crosses Pond, Supports Brooks

Although storied clothier Brooks Brothers took some economic lumps with the shuttering of its Fifth Avenue store this past January (keeping the Madison Avenue location intact, of course), it's ready once again to live in a material world, thanks to the Material Girl. For her Sticky and Sweet tour, which opened its second swing through Europe this week at the O2 arena in London, Madge kicks things off with a dance routine set to her song "Candy Shop," during which she's surrounded by dapper backup gents wearing top hats and classic Brooks Brothers tuxedo shirts. Two of the company's shirts, the slim-fit, ten-pleat wing-collar (inset) and the tennis-collar, were modified by the tour's costume designer, Arianne Phillips, to give the dancers a look that was both classy and distinctly American. If you, too, want to look like a backup dancer for the world's buffest performer, get yourself to the gym fast, so you can shed enough pounds to actually slip into a slim-fit tux shirt. Then head to Madison Avenue, where Brooks Brothers is currently (and conveniently) in the midst of a 60-percent off summer clearance.

Madonna, who plays in Paris tonight, concludes her year-long tour in September, with two concerts in Tel Aviv. Photo courtesy of Kevin Mazur/Wireimage.

Fifth Avenue Finery

Even the dogs got in the act today, as the city's annual Easter parade took to Fifth Avenue near St. Patrick's Cathedral. The annual tradition, begun in the 1870s, attracts chapeaued ladies and gentlemen in creations that are often of their own making. In its heyday, the parade drew crowds of up to a million; in recent years, it has become less a parade and more a large gathering, where participants and spectators alike clog the streets to check out the creativity on display. An estimated 30,000 people attended last year's outing. Helping to keep the spirit of hat-wearing alive is the Milliner's Guild, which seeded the crowd with women in hats that were more fashionable than comical. No word yet on this year's numbers, but those who did show up enjoyed a full dose of sunshine (despite the brisk winds) and a collection of hats that you're not likely to see in the windows of Saks or Bergdorf Goodman anytime soon. 

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