Fashion

Michelle Obama stuck to her motto during an event in NYC with Sarah Jessica Parker -- when others go low, she's going high ... as in super thigh-high boots and a matching slit in her gown.

SJP was with the former First Lady Wednesday night at the Barclays Center to discuss Michelle's best-selling memoir, "Becoming." MO brought her couture A-game ... draped in a gorgeous bright yellow dress and a pair of metallic gold knife over-the-knee boots from Balenciaga.

If you're interested ... they retail for $3,900. Happy shopping.

As great as Michelle looks here, "Becoming" is sitting just as pretty at #1 at the top of a lot of bestsellers' lists, including the NYT and Amazon. She's also No. 1 across the pond, having just become the first woman to sell the U.K.'s best selling Christmas book since J.K. Rowling in '08.

It feels like a lifetime has passed since Mrs. O delivered her "go high" message at the Democratic National Convention, when Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination.

Whoever clogged the toilet in the restroom above this H&M but kept flushing anyway REALLY made a damn mess for the store ... and no, this can't be good for holiday sales numbers.

Folks at the Times Square H&M location tell TMZ ... there was a major plumbing issue Friday in the ceiling above the store, and eventually the water leaking from the faulty pipes was too much weight to bear.

Check out the video ... whoever was filming thought it was all fun and games -- until it became cleanup on aisle, well, everywhere.

Nick Foles is clearly FEEEELIINNN' himself after lifting the Eagles from the dead right back into the playoff picture -- 'cause dude wore a pair of webbed-toe shoes to work Wednesday!!!

The Vibram EL-X's ain't exactly known as Jordans in the football world ... but Nick still rocked 'em with pride at Philly's presser Wednesday -- showin' he doesn't need anyone's approval to swag out.

"I was wearing them around the house and figured I'd wear them to the facility and try it out. My wife thought I was a little crazy, but I said I'm not really worried about how I look. They're comfy."

SWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGG!!!!!

Foles has done things unconventionally throughout his career ... but it's paid off for the dude -- he's got a Super Bowl MVP and has Philly right back in the mix again this season.

2:47 PM PT -- A rep for Forever 21 tells us, "Forever 21 takes feedback on our products and marketing extremely seriously. We celebrate all superheroes with many different models of various ethnicities and apologize if the photo in question was offensive in any way."

The image of the model has also been swapped for one of just the sweater.

This is definitely a "You Might Wanna Rethink" moment for Forever 21. The retailer's using a white model to try and sell you its "Black Panther" merch for Christmas. Oh, boy ...

The images are live on its site right now for Forever 21's Wakanda Forever Fair Isle Sweater. It's a blond-haired, blue-eyed white dude rockin' its custom Christmas sweater, with a "Wakanda Forever" slogan and a Black Panther mask on the front.

It's definitely not an oversight either -- someone at F21 really thought this would be a good idea, as they have the model's stats on the same page ... he's 6'1" and sports a medium fit.

We're not saying there's anything wrong with white people supporting "Black Panther" or even wearing something like this -- on the contrary, more power to 'em.

But, to not feature a black model for this Christmas sweater campaign seems out of touch and just dumb, if you ask us. Sometimes common sense just ain't all that common, is it?

Offset celebrated his 27th birthday in high, sparkling fashion ... and the prized present was clear to all.

Offset hit up Poppy in WeHo in the wee hours of Saturday ... wearing a Swarovski crystal mask were told cost around $11,000.

The mask's designer, Laurel DeWitt, tells us it was handmade for the rapper, too.

You couldn't tell from what went down inside that Offset was still pining away for a reconciliation with Cardi B.

But, earlier in the night he was begging for his wife to take him back. He makes it clear his birthday wish is forgiveness, after embarrassing Cardi B and breaking her heart.

When he leaves the club he talks a bit about turning 27, saying he "beat the statistics." And, of course, he couldn't drive off without showing off some pretty insane bling.

Prada just pulled a bonehead blunder that a lot of people are calling racist.

The high-end Manhattan shop put this purse in its window with a Sambo-like doll attached. People went nuts on social media once the image was posted. Some felt it resembled a Sambo figure ... others say it resembled a monkey and some felt it was a cross between the two.

It's pretty incredible that the folks at Prada were this tone-deaf because it's hard to imagine how they didn't see the wave of criticism that would befall them.

The company issued a statement Friday saying it "abhors racist imagery." It went on to say the figure was meant as "fantasy charms." It's clearly a bad fantasy.

Meeting Meghan Markle is apparently more difficult than breaking into Fort Knox ... even for fashion icons and some of the biggest stars in the world.

The pregnant Duchess of Sussex made a surprise appearance at The Fashion Awards in London Monday night to present Designer of the Year, but all the excitement of her presence turned into disappointment for many ... because they couldn't get close enough to say hello.

Sources tell us Markle's area backstage at The Royal Albert Hall was cordoned off by Royalty Protection officers and security guards the whole night, as a tactic called "Royal Movement" was in place. It means when Meghan's on the move, all hallways and stairs have to be kept clear.

We're told several big stars at the awards show -- like Kendall Jenner, Rita Ora and the Beckhams -- were up in arms about the intense security ... because they were denied an audience with Megs.

There were a couple people who did get some face time, though -- actress Rosamund Pike, who co-presented with Meghan, and Clare Waight Keller ... who won the award Markle presented.

The trio even posed for some photo booth pics ... but that was it.

Other celebs in attendance included Kate Moss, Penelope Cruz, Uma Thurman, Lana Del Rey, Winnie Harlow, Robert Pattinson, Saoirse Ronan, Brooke Shields, Cindy Crawford and her daughter Kaia Gerber ... who won Model of the Year.

And, even the MoY didn't get a selfie with the Duchess.

James Harden was channeling his inner Migos before takin' on LeBron and the Lakers ... showing up to the game Thursday in a full Versace snakeskin short suit -- and then he BALLED OUT!!

With the majority of his thighs out on display, Harden swagged his way into the Toyota Center in Houston and then dropped a 50 BURGER on the Lake Show.

The Rockets eventually won the game 126 to 111.

So, how much does drip like this cost? Versace tells us the faux python outfit isn't even available to the public until the start of 2019 -- the top will set ya back $7,595 ... and the pants are $3,495!!!

Harden's also in the middle of a $228 MILLION contract extension, so money is no object when it comes to fashion.

Seems the fit could be a tribute to Bron's trend-setting look from the NBA Finals last season ... when the King rocked a short suit before Game 1.

We gotta say, Harden's got the upper hand on LBJ with this one.

Some good news, bad news for Serena Williams ...

The Good News -- The Women's Tennis Association (WTA) has announced massive rule changes allowing athletes like Serena to wear full catsuit outfits during 2019 matches.

The Bad News -- The French Open -- where the whole catsuit drama went down -- could still ban it because the rule change doesn't apply to Grand Slams.

Remember, French Open officials created a huge controversy after they told Serena she couldn't wear her custom-made Nike compression suit ... despite the fact that it was designed to increase blood circulation in the wake of her health issues surrounding blood clots.

The ensuing outcry was LOUD -- with everyone from ex-pro tennis player Anne White to ex-Iran president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad racing to defend Williams.

In an effort to prevent similar drama from happening ... the WTA announced in rule changes this week, "Leggings and mid-thigh-length compression shorts may be worn with or without a skirt, shorts or dress."

Translation ... catsuit's back!!!

The problem -- the rule changes only apply to WTA Tournaments ... NOT Grand Slams.

Jennifer Lopez was front and center for the world premiere of her new movie ... and, eventually, the rest of her dress caught up with her.

J Lo showed out in an extravagant pink tulle high-low gown Wednesday night in NYC for the debut of her flick, "Second Act." As you can tell, the outfit was over-the-top -- with a loooong trail of fabric she had to be mindful of as she posed for pics.

That said, would you expect anything less from Jenny? She's kinda famous for moments like this ... just sayin'. And hey, the fashion choice paid off ... folks were wowed.

As much room as Jen had out on the red carpet of the Regal Union Square Theatre to strut her stuff, she looked a bit cramped in the car with A-Rod on the way over ... where the ruffles from the dress looked like a whole other person occupying the seat next to her.

Nike has put their money behind Colin Kaepernick -- and now the man who founded the company tells TMZ Sports, he believes the QB should still be playing in the NFL.

We saw shoe legend, Phil Knight leaving Michael's restaurant in New York the other day and while he threw his support behind Colin -- he stopped short when we asked if he believed CK is being blackballed by the NFL.

"I don't know," Knight told us ... "I don't know."

80-year-old Knight still serves as Chairman Emeritus for the Swoosh -- the company that recently inked Kaepernick as the face of its "Just Do It" 30th Anniversary Campaign.

After the first Kaepernick ad dropped back in September, the brand reportedly saw a 31% boost in online sales ... so, ya gotta think Phil would be pumped about bringing Kaep back into the fold.

One more thing ... what kind of shoes does the $30 BILLION Nike founder rock out in public?

Phil says they're special "PK 80s" -- a special line of shoes created to honor Phil's 80th birthday. We're having a tough time finding the exact model and value of the shoes ... but we're working on it.

Olivia Culpo's holiday shopping outfit is giving everyone lots of ideas ... for gifts. And, other things.

The former Miss Universe looked catwalk-ready Friday, as she floated out of a Epione dermatology in Bev Hills, rocking a ridiculously hot pair of red thigh high boots.

'Tis the season for red ... and leather, apparently. Mind you, this is just her out-and-about running errands ensemble.

Olivia's holiday shopping list will NOT include a stop at a Rolex store. She's got that covered.

Amal Clooney's got her hands full ... with her bundled-up twins, their teddy bears and even a go bag for her little girl.

George's wife was flying solo Thursday morn with the couple's 1-and-a-half-year-old twins, Alexander and Ella, as the trio left the Four Seasons and headed out into the chilly streets of New York City.

It is a pretty rare sighting of their kids, and we gotta say ... even toddler Clooneys look stylish wherever they go.

As we reported ... George and Amal got dressed to the nines Wednesday night to attend the United Nations Gala in New York with his parents. Amal, who is a human rights lawyer, was one of the speakers.

Remember when Drake was the biggest Kentucky Wildcats fan on the planet??

The dude's leanin' more towards Duke, now ... 'cause Drizzy's added a FULL R.J. Barrett Montverde Academy basketball uniform to his insane collection ... and he's proudly showin' it off.

We all know the 6 God has a TON of rare prep jerseys -- from John Wall to Boogie Cousins to Barrett's Duke teammate Zion Williamson.

The newest addition might leave some people scratching their heads considering Drake's a big BBN fanboy ... and Barrett's tearing it up for the Blue Devils this season.

It's especially interesting because Barrett destroyed Kentucky in his college hoops debut earlier this season with 33 points and 6 assists ... but we take it Aubrey's had some time to heal.

The only explanation here -- Drake's pride for the North outweighs his Kentucky fandom ... and considering Barrett's one of the best Canadian hoopers since Steve Nash, he's probably cool with pissing off a few 'Cats diehards.

But, the full jersey AND shorts combo, Drake??

Sheesh.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian are just like you -- constantly posing for the 'Gram with their friends ... except their friends are 2 Chainz, Donatella Versace and Hailey Bieber.

The Wests were definitely holding court backstage at Versace's pop-up fashion show in NYC Sunday night, and we got this vid of them rubbing elbows and taking pics with everyone. Kim and Hailey -- who was sans her hubby, Justin Bieber -- caught up, while Ye and 2 Chainz chopped it up.

Kanye was in a great mood, not only mugging for cameras backstage, but having a blast sitting front row during the show. When one of the models dropped what looks like an earring ... Ye was Johnny-on-the-spot.

Hailey actually walked the runway, along with Gigi Hadid, Amber Valetta and Emily Ratajkowski.

Mary J. Blige, Bradley Cooper, Tracee Ellis Ross, Blake Lively and Ciara were just a few of the other celebs who showed up.

Point being ... tons of people striking a pose -- on AND off the runway.

Halsey's making it clear, just because she appeared in the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show ... she's still pissed off about one of its execs disregard for the LGBTQ community.

The singer, who performed in the VS Show, blasted the show as it was airing Sunday night. She called out Ed Razek, the chief marketing officer for VS's parent company.

Last month in Vogue, he was asked about having transgender models in the show and said ... "No, I don't think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It's a 42-minute entertainment special. That's what it is."

Halsey's IG post slammed VS for "a lack of inclusivity" ... and added she stands in solidarity with the trans community.

For his part, Razek apologized and walked back his comment, as soon as the backlash began. He said, "To be clear, we absolutely would cast a transgender model for the show."

Razek added, "We've had transgender models come to castings. And like many others, they didn't make it. But it was never about gender. I admire and respect their journey to embrace who they really are."

Halsey seems to want action, not words.