In only five years, Jason Wu has dressed a First Lady, been inducted into the CFDA and debuted a collection for Target, but that doesn’t mean he’s used to the lifestyle.

“A few years ago all I wanted to do was succeed in fashion,” he reveals on Wednesday’s premiere episode of Out of Character with Krista Smith on USA (airing at 11 p.m. EST). “I didn’t think my work would be in the museum,” he says of the inaugural gown he designed for Michelle Obama, which currently lives at the Smithsonian.

Though he never fathomed Obama would select his dress — and effectively change his life forever — Wu always designs with a person in mind. “I think it’s important to have a connection with the person you’re dressing,” he shares. “Fashion is so personal and I put a lot of me into everything that I do.”

To that end, the designer, who went from a 100-square-foot apartment (“a cabinet”) to a 9,000-square-foot studio in New York’s garment district, is still involved in every aspect of his ever-growing business. “I’m so hands on. I’m on my knees doing the fitting all the time, for every single fitting. I don’t want to miss any part of it, because that’s why I’m in this industry,” he gushes. “I wanted to do that.”

–Justine Harman

FEELING LUCKY? GUESS WHAT STARS WILL WEAR TO THIS YEAR’S GOLDEN GLOBES!

The year was 2006. Sarah Jessica Parker, still reveling in her stylish Sex and the City glow, arrived at the Met Costume Institute Gala, designer Lee Alexander McQueen by her side. The pair couldn’t be missed: not only was McQueen in a kilt, but he and Parker were both wrapped in plaid — his family’s tartan. It was McQueen’s first time attending the prestigious event, but no one could’ve imagined it’d be his last. “I adored him,” Parker told reporters last night while walking the carpet at the 2011 Met Gala — a celebration of McQueen — in another of the designer’s creations. “It was a wonderful, wonderful night.” Parker compared her 2006 experience to that of a shy couple preparing for prom. “It was a quiet car ride,” she recalled. “I had his corsage in my lap, waiting until we met. I’m grateful for that memory, which is vivid, regardless of him passing.” McQueen, known for being a bit of an introvert, stuck by his date’s side all night as they navigated the fashionable crowds. “He wasn’t a terrifically chatty person. He’s not comfortable in environments like these. But I find that charming. And we got through the evening.” Parker, who called the designer “preternaturally gifted,” said she hopes people remember McQueen’s talent as a whole. “I think one shouldn’t pick one memory or recall one thing,” she explained. “He could create clothing that nobody else wanted to, nobody else saw in their imagination. And he did it with great seriousness and flair and whimsy and savagery. I think this exhibit is a wonderful example of that.” –Reporting by K.C. Baker and Jeffrey Slonim

The red swimsuit that made Farrah Fawcett into a iconic pin-up is headed to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Fawcett’s longtime companion Ryan O’Neal will donate the swimsuit and other items, including an original copy of the swimsuit poster, a leather-bound book of Fawcett’s personal copies of scripts for the first season of Charlie’s Angels, a Fawcett swimsuit jigsaw puzzle, a “Farrah Phenomenon” 1976 edition of TV Guide, an original 1977 Farrah Fawcett doll and a “Farrah’s Glamour Center” hairstyling toy, to the Smithsonian on Wednesday. The items will join the museum’s pop culture history collection, which includes items ranging from Dorothy’s ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz to Kermit the Frog. Best known for her role on Charlie’s Angels, Fawcett’s iconic 1976 poster in which she donned a clingy red bathing suit sold millions of copies. After a long battle with cancer, Fawcett died in 2009 at the age of 62. – Alla Byrne

As if nabbing her very own prince weren’t enough of a coup, Kate Middleton is poised to join world-famous stars like Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani and Rihanna, with a wax figure formed in her likeness. Madame Tussauds has announced plans to sculpt the princess-to-be for a statue that will join those of her fiancé, Prince William, and future brother-in-law, Prince Harry, in the Royal wing of museum’s London location sometime after her marriage in 2011. “We have always had a close working relationship with the palace and everyone from Princess Diana–who gave us her wedding dress–to Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, have sat for us,” a spokesperson from the museum told PEOPLE. Will Kate lend as much of her own sought-after style to her statue? “It depends on what she wants and whether she can donate clothing,” a spokesperson told the U.K. Press Association. Tell us: What look do you think Kate Middleton’s wax figure should wear? –Jessie Goldberg; reporting by Simon Perry

CHECK OUT PRINCE WILLIAM & KATE MIDDLETON: THEIR FAIRY TALE ROMANCE!

There’s more than enough Lady Gaga to go around: Madame Tussauds has unveiled not one–but eight!–wax figures of the always over-the-top diva in her signature statement styles. Gaga’s figures are going global and will be displayed in New York, Las Vegas, London, Hollywood, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hong Kong and Shanghai, reports the UK’s Daily Mail. The museum spent $2.4 million–about $300,000 each–getting her looks just right. Her wax replicas are dressed straight from her iconic wardrobe, ranging from the Philip Treacy-designed ‘Telephone’ hat that she wore on UK talk show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross to the nude body stocking and towering purple hair piece she rocked in July 2009. Gaga joins the ranks of other fashionistas like Heidi Klum and Eva Longoria, who have all been immortalized in wax by Madame Tussauds. Tell Us: Which Lady Gaga wax figure is your favorite? –Alison Schwartz

CHECK OUT ALL THE STARS AND THEIR WAX LOOK-ALIKES HERE!

After three decades as the perpetual enfant terrible of French couture, Jean Paul Gaultier is finally getting some deserved respect–and his very own retrospective. The first ever museum exhibit dedicated to the man credited with popularizing Trash fashion, designing Madonna‘s iconic cone bra and putting men back into kilts, will open at the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal in June 2011 before making a pit stop in the U.S. ‘The Fashion World of Jean-Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk’ features more than 100 items, including ready-to-wear and haute couture pieces along with sketches and photographs celebrating the designer’s 35 years in fashion. The exhibition will then travel to Dallas (Nov. 13 – Feb. 12) and the San Francisco Fine Arts Museum (March 24 to August 19, 2012.) — and additional cities are under consideration. “He’s positively thrilled,” a spokesman for the designer told PEOPLE. –Peter Mikelbank

Peter Kramer/AP

It looks like we’ll be seeing twice as much of Lady Gaga and her statement-making styles before the year is out! Madame Tussauds has confirmed to PEOPLE that the superstar will be immortalized with her very own wax figure, set to be unveiled at the museum’s New York CIty location–as well as additional figures in undisclosed cities–before year’s end. And while it may have been easy to choose signature styles for fellow body doubles like Marylin Monroe and Kim Kardashian, choosing just one iconic look for Gaga out of the hundreds of over-the-top ensembles, might prove to be a true fashion challenge. Will Gaga’s multiple figures feature her outrageous headgear or her barely-there bodysuits? If you think you know which Gaga look should be set in wax, visit nycwax.com to voice your fashion voice and point them in the right direction. Tell Us: Which Lady Gaga look should be recreated for her waxy look? –Jessie Goldberg

CHECK OUT ALL THE STARS AND THEIR WAX LOOK-ALIKES HERE!

Tammie Arroyo/AFF-USA

Jane Lynch has a clone. The Glee star, 50, was joined by her new wife Dr. Lara Embry, a real-life high school Glee club, and more than 100 screaming fans Wednesday morning when her wax figure was unveiled at Madame Tussauds on Hollywood Blvd. Following opening remarks by Ian Brennan, the co-creator of the hit Fox show, Lynch walked out beside her statue, modeled after her character Sue Sylvester, and told the crowd, “Holy crap—unbelievable. This is too much. This is too weird. I feel like I’m seeing myself in a coffin or something. Thank you so much!” Lynch tells PEOPLE the whole experience is “strange and eerie,” adding, “it looks just like me.” But the cloning process was not so simple. “It took four hours,” Lynch said. “They took the measurements of my face and my body, and they put dots all over. There was a contraption that measured from here to here, to here, to here, to here for four hours.”–Dahvi Shira

CHECK OUT ALL THE STARS AND THEIR WAX LOOK-ALIKES HERE!

Erik Kabik/Retna

First Halston came knocking on her door, and now New York’s world-famous Metropolitan Museum of Art is recruiting Sarah Jessica Parker for her style expertise. The museum has asked the tastemaker to record an audio guide for their Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit, reports WWD. And with 2010′s theme being “American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity,” Sarah Jessica seems a natural choice. “Because of Sex and the City, she is so much associated with New York and with America, and with using fashion as a way to shape identity,” says Andrew Bolton, the institute’s curator, of choosing their new virtual tour guide. The new exhibit, which will explore perceptions of the American woman from the 1890s to the 1940s, will open on May 5. For more information on the Costume Institute check out MetMuseum.org. Tell us: What do think of Sarah Jessica’s newest gig?

Olivier Douliery/Abaca

While many designers dreamed of creating Michelle Obama‘s inaugural gown, it was young Jason Wu who nabbed the honor with his one-of-a-kind one shoulder ivory gown with delicate floral details. And today, the 27-year old designer stood next to the stylish First Lady, in a Prabal Gurung sheath, as his handiwork was donated to the Smithsonian to be a part of “The First Ladies at the Smithsonian” exhibit. Mrs. Obama praised Wu’s work as being “a masterpiece. It is simple, it’s elegant, and it comes from this brilliant young mind, someone who is living the American Dream.” And as for seeing her gown be a part of a museum exhibit, the First Lady admitted to being just a little flustered by the attention to her wardrobe. “And I have to say, to be honest, I am very honored and very humbled, but I have to say that I’m also a little embarrassed by all the fuss being made over my dress. Like many of you, I’m not used to people wanting to put things I’ve worn on display. So, all of this is a little odd, so forgive me.” But, she continued eloquently, “But, at the same time, I truly recognize the significance of this day. This gown –- and all of the items that we’ll see in this wonderful exhibit –- help us connect with a moment in history in a very real way.” And she explained that she felt connected to that historical day in her own life just by looking at her dress — for the first time since she took it off! “When I look at my gown –- which I, in fact, have not seen since the day that I took it off –- memories of that moment truly come rushing back.” And a thrilling moment it was, as she explained, “I’ll never forget the moment that I slipped on this beautiful gown. I remember how just luscious I felt as the President and I were announced onto the stage for the first of many dances. And I’ll cherish that moment for the rest of my life.” The new gallery in the “The First Ladies at the Smithsonian” exhibit, “A First Lady’s Debut,” opens to the public March 10. Get more details at americanhistory.si.edu and see a behind-the-scenes video here.

Landov

Rodarte, the wildly imaginative line by sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy, can be found on trend-setting stars, from Reese Witherspoon to Natalie Portman—as well as civilian fashionistas, with the successful launch of their affordable GO International Collection for Target, which promptly sold out upon hitting stores in December. As if the award-winning line (the sisters won the 2009 CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year award) needed any more validation, it will soon be on display at the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in N.Y.C, as the focus of the upcoming “Quicktake: Rodarte” fashion installation. A selection of Rodarte designs from past collections will be on view from February 11th through March 14th. For more information, visit cooperhewitt.org. -Emily Hsieh

“Fashions fade, style is eternal,” Yves Saint Laurent once famously declared and you may now add: “March 11 is essential.’ Unquestionably, this spring’s Paris fashion essential is a ticket to the just-announced YSL Retrospective. The iconic designer will be the subject of the first major retrospective since his June 2008 death beginning on March 11, scheduled to run through August. And befitting the man whose designs defined sophistication, they’re pulling out all the stops to create a definitive spectacular. Organized jointly by the fashion legend’s long-time partner Pierre Bergé and the City of Paris, the exhibition will display over 300 haute-couture and Prêt-à-porter items, ranging over the entire 40 years of Saint Laurent’s canon. Fittingly, the retrospective will be housed in the city’s Petit Palais, just around the corner from the Dior showroom where Saint Laurent first found global acclaim in 1957. The exhibition will include pieces from Saint Laurent’s first Dior success, his “Trapeze” collection, as well as pieces from his 1965 Mondrian-inspired collection and his iconic “Le Smoking” tuxedo suit. His influential designs for film and theatre, including items worn by his muse Catherine Deneuve, will also be present in this comprehensive exhibit. Scheduled to open as the finale to Paris’s forthcoming Pret-a-porter week, the YSL Retrospective is being handled as a reserved event policy. Tickets are €11 (approximately $ 16) and the show runs until August 29. Visit yslretrospective.com for more information (and reservations, if you’re lucky enough to be in Paris!). –Peter Mikelbank

Goff/INF

She’s long been a source of inspiration of some of fashion’s top designers, and a new art exhibit in the heart of Paris is setting out to examine Kate Moss‘s status as a modern-day muse. France’s Musée des Arts Décoratifs has announced plans for an exhibition dedicated entirely to British supermodel. Just yards from the Mona Lisa’s famous perch in the Louvre, the display will showcase Moss’s 19 years in the industry. Museum Director Beatrice Salmon explains the choice, saying that the museum intends to “decode the phenomenon” the supermodel has become. “This is an occasion to ask a certain number of experts in image and communications to explain why and how [Kate has] become someone the whole world knows.” As for just how involved Moss herself will be in the project, the Museum’s press officer Marie Laure Moreau says that “Kate Moss has agreed to cooperate, to collaborate on the exhibit. The show will concentrate on her life, her career — and be a celebration of her 19 years.” But will Moss be there to kick off the launch of the show, which will run from November 26, 2009 to April 25, 2010? Moreau adds laughingly, “We certainly hope so!” Tell us: Would do you think of the national museum’s choice to create an exhibit based on Kate?–Reporting by Peter Mikelbank

Everett

From the iconic pink “Material Girl” video dress to the Jean Paul Gaultier cone bustier, over 300 of Madonna’s most personal items will go on display for a month at London’s Old Truman Brewery. In one of the biggest collections ever, fans will be able to see an array of clothing, photographs, film props, costumes and more. Some of the most memorable items will include Madonna’s gold tassled bustier, her League of Their Own baseball outfit and Evita wedding dress. The exhibition, “Simply Madonna,” which will celebrate the star’s 25-year career, will kick off Febraury 21st and end March 22nd. If you can’t wait or won’t make it to London, check out our 50 unforgetable Madonna looks. Tell us: What is your favorite Madonna look?

courtesy Costume Institute

If you love talking about fashion as much as we do, then you’ll be thrilled to hear about the new blog that has style hounds buzzing. The Metropolitan Museum‘s Costume Institute (famed for their yearly celeb-studded bash) wants our thoughts on the newest, most stunning additions to their world famous closet. Their new exhibition, called “blog.mode: addressing fashion”, features a blog that asks for viewer participation — both in the museum and on the web. Can’t visit the Institute’s priceless works of fashion in person? Then be sure to post your comments on 18th century gowns and contemporary masterpieces from designers like Olivier Theyskens and John Galliano at metmuseum.org.

Olivier Theyskens (Belgian, b. 1977) for Nina Ricci (French, founded 1932)
Evening Dress, spring/summer 2007
Steel gray heat-crinkled silk organza embroidered with linear chain stitch in white silk
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Mario Grauso, 2007 (2007.376.2a, b)

While we can’t stop buzzing about all things stylish from Britain across the pond, London’s biggest art and design museum has turned the focus on us. The Victoria & Albert’s exhibit ‘New York Fashion Now’ opened on April 17, and the results are great. The fierce young N.Y.C designers — think Zac Posen, Proenza Schouler, Derek Lam and Behnaz Sarafpour — are celebrated for their rapid, style-setting success throughout the exhibit. Photographs and trend-defining garments, such as Sarafpour’s fairytale gowns, exquisite tailoring from Thom Browne, Zac Posen couture and avant-garde costumes from Cristian Joy, known for style-setter client Karen O. And why New York now? “World fashion has a lot to do with celebrity and New York is the souk of the world,” Posen told PEOPLE at the exhibit’s opening. More details on ‘New York Fashion Now’ are at the museum website, or if you won’t get to London before the exhibit’s September 2 close, the V&A also released a hardcover book, New York Fashion, to coincide with the collection.

Photo: Courtesy of the V&A

What’s the reason Gwyneth Paltrow buys — not borrows — gowns from Vivienne Westwood? Could be that one style icon recognizes another. The English-born designer Westwood claims her place in sartorial history with her retrospective, Vivienne Westwood: 36 Years in Fashion, that opened at San Francisco’s de Young Museum this week. Wandering through the exhibit is like walking down King’s Road in London and soaking up the very essence of brilliant English style. You can see the God Save the Queen t-shirt that Sid Vicious famously wore, with safety pins piercing the monarch’s image; the red-and-black hunting jacket that Amanda Pays donned in Oxford Blues with a 20-year-old Rob Lowe; the designer’s trendsetting mini-crinis; imaginative gowns that graced supermodels such as Linda Evangelista and Christy Turlington; and the pair of 12-inch platforms that toppled Naomi Campbell on the runway in 1993. “Even after her fall, she still walked my next show,” says Westwood. “She was backstage crying and I heard her say, ‘Oh no, I have to wear those shoes again!” Visit the museum’s site for more info on the exhibit.

Photo: Courtesy of the de Young Museum

Were you a child of the 80′s and remember doing the “Locomotion” with your friends? Then Kylie: The Exhibition at London’s V & A museum, which opens today, is for you. Gold lamé, corsets, beads, sequins and feathers galore (and that’s just one outfit!) the exhibition is a homage to Kylie’s career, featuring costumes from the 80′s through to the present. Amongst the Dolce & Gabbana and John Galliano creations, the standouts are the pale pink Chanel gown with feathered train and diamante encrusted front that the singer wore recently for her Showgirl Homecoming Tour and the iconic screenprinted Museum Dress made in 2004. And after seeing all the miniature sparkly heels that accompany each outfit, I can confirm she is a tiny size 3. If only I could own all of these, um, in three sizes bigger — in the words of the showgirl herself, “I Should Be So Lucky” right? Click here for an interactive online preview or check out the show through June 10. — Monique Jessen

Click here to read more about Kylie Minogue and the opening of her exibit.

Photo: Courtesy of the Victoria & Albert Museum