Fashion statement

Ashley Olsen and Mario Russo at the Institute of Contemporary Art's fashion fund-raising party last night. (bill brett for the boston globe)

A bus full of cutting-edge designers rolled into Boston from NYC yesterday for the ICA 360 fashion soiree - and among them was diminu-twin Ashley Olsen , repping her line, the Row. Working the crowd at last night's bash were designers Brian Reyes , Elise Overland , Jason Wu , Lyn Devon , Magda Berliner , Sari Gueron , Chris Benz , Maria Cornejo , and Bryan Bradley with Tuleh . But the star of the evening was actress/fashion designer Olsen. "The designers here are really inspiring," she said in between photographs. "I'm a big fan of their work."

Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady shopping for a wedding ring? So says the New York Daily News. According to the tabloid, the supermodel told pals that she and her pigskin hero went shopping for a ring, and the pair ended up squabbling about size. She wanted an "antique-looking and understated" ring and No. 12 wanted an enormous rock.

Improper Bostonian gossip guy Jonathan Soroff has a new - though short-lived - gig. The scribe will play Grandmere Ballabile, a.k.a. Mother Ginger, in the Boston Ballet's "Nutcracker" Saturday night. (That's the character who releases a ton of children from under her . . . uh, his . . . giant hoop skirt.)

Former Pats running back Corey Dillon has filed a lawsuit in LA County Superior Court claiming he was duped by an auto-repair shop. Dillon says he brought his 2005 Ferrari F430 to the shop for work, and was enticed to invest $470,000 in the business. According to the lawsuit, which was first reported by TMZ.com , Dillon didn't get his car back for several months and the shop owners wasted his money on "fast food, perfume, liquor, groceries, and gasoline." He's asking for $500,000, which includes the investment and the money he spent on repairs.

Joey Pantoliano looked relaxed in the lobby of the Liberty Hotel, the former Charles Street Jail. The bars on the windows made the actor feel strangely at home. "My stepfather spent 22 years in and out of federal penitentiaries," he said. "I like prisons." Joey Pants was staying in the presidential suite while in town hyping his documentary about mental illness, "Hope Messengers," and promoting an upcoming fund-raiser for his foundation No Kidding, Me Too! "I'm trying to remove the stigma of mental illness," said Pants, who played Ralphie on "The Sopranos." "If I could make it cool to talk about mental disease, I'd be very happy." Partially shot at McLean Hospital in Belmont, the film isn't finished, but it will be by the time Pants throws his fund-raiser here next spring. If the guest list for the party looks at all like the foundation's board, it'll be a star-studded affair. The board, which is stocked with the actor's famous friends, including Jeff Bridges , Delta Burke , James Cameron , Matt Dillon , Robert Downey Jr. , Charles Dutton , Edie Falco , Laurence Fishburne , Marcia Gay Harden , and Ang Lee , added two new members this week: actress Christy Cashman and Debbie DiMasi , wife of House Speaker Sal DiMasi . "I'm not just a guy in the movies who says, 'Stick 'em up,' " said Pantoliano. "This will be my legacy."

"Chicago" star Tom Wopat (and former "Dukes of Hazzard" hottie) was out do-gooding yesterday, promoting the Colonial Theatre's canned food drive for the Greater Boston Food Bank. Wopat (right), who's had a soft spot for Boston since his daughter went to Harvard, is so thrilled to meet local fans that he plans to spend all his intermissions and pre- and post-show time signing CDs in the theater lobby.

"Tricks of a Woman," filmed around Boston by director and writer Todd Norwood (a native Granite stater), has won the Angel Award for best picture at the Monaco International Film Festival. Cast members also cleaned up, with Elika Portnoy winning best actress, Madonna ex Carlos Leon winning best supporting actor, and Natasha Lyonne taking best supporting actress. The Angel Awards go to films that convey messages of humanity such as positive change. "Tricks," which premiered at the fest last week, tells the story of a fashion photographer who takes a bet that he can turn any girl into a supermodel.

There's a new tell-all book out on our favorite local R&B bad boy, Bobby Brown , and we can't wait to get our hands on it. According to Fox News, Derrick Handspike's "Bobby Brown: The Truth, the Whole Truth and Nothing But" is full of dish on Brown's drug problems, his volatile relationship with ex Whitney Houston , and possible liaison with Janet Jackson. Brown was originally behind the book, but apparently he had to pull out for legal reasons - a confidentiality agreement with Houston, according to Fox - so now it's an unauthorized biography.

The Coolidge Corner Theatre has a new executive director. Denise Kasell will take over on Jan. 1, replacing Joe Zina , who recently resigned. "You're so lucky to have this amazing theater," Kasell said yesterday, on a drive from Boston back to the Hudson Valley, where she's living until she finds local digs. "It's a gift." Kasell served as director of the Hamptons International Film Festival for almost a decade. She also ran her own production company and worked with Mary Travers, and her group, Peter, Paul and Mary.

Shonda and Curt Schilling threw the Bubbles & Bites fund-raiser at the Omni Parker House last night, treating guests to cuisine cooked up by prominent local chefs, including Dante de Magistris, Brian Poe, Anthony Caturano, Todd Winer, Gerald Tice , and Todd English . Singer and pianist Cheryl B. Engelhardt provided the tunes, while NECN's Billy Costa did the emcee duties.