If you have a huge crush on Topher Grace, you should probably go to the Ralph Lauren Rugby store on 12th St. and University Place right-this-second to watch him try on jeans and popped collar shirts with little skulls on them. Dreamy.

Starting next week, she will appear in a series of ad campaigns from her home county of Tytsjerksteradiel in the Dutch province of Friesland, encouraging other Frisians like herself to “Praat Mar Frysk!”— As in, “Just Speak Frisian,” not Dutch. If the campaign is successful, it might mean emerging Frisian models won't be able to gossip as fluently with Dutch girls like Lara Stone backstage.

The campaign doesn’t launch until next week, but we know that it will include inflatable mouths- Doutzen is planning on taking them around the world to have her photo taken with them.

Will we see them in the Tents during Fashion Week?

Also: We think this video might be about the campaign, but we don't speak Frisian so we can't tell...

So we realized that we may need another one of our fashion pronunciation tutorials.

Today’s Lesson:

Proenza Schouler is Pro-en-za Shoo-ler
Ann Demeulemeester is Ann Deh-myoo-leh-meese-ter
Leighton Meester is Lay-ton Meese-ter
Costello Tagliapetra is Cos-tell-o Tag-lee-a-pyeh-tra
Costume National is Costume Na-syon-al
Giles Deacon is JAI-uls DeEE-con
Daria Werbowy is Da-ri-a WERE-bow-ee
Agyness Deyn is Ag-e-ness Deen
Doutzen Kroes is Doubt-son Crows
Hamish Bowles is Hay-mish Bowls
Bottega Veneta is Bow-tay-ga Vuh-NEH-tuh
Iekeliene Stange is Ick-uh-lee-na STAY-enge (easy on the "e," like STAYnge)
Irina Lazareanu is I-ree-na La-za-REE-new
Freja Beha Erichsen is Fry-a Bay-ha Ericson

Now can anyone help us out with Andrew Gn?

--NATALIE HORMILLA, is or-MEE-ya

Alison asked this morning if Katie Holmes wanted to look more like Christina Ricci.

After all, her new and very severe haircut is so very goth, it adds a good 10 years to the well-married movie star.

We think it's more of a nod to Anna Wintour, but there is a small goth connection:

Katie's arched eyes and deep, shiny hair looks an awful lot like our favorite tantrum teen, Emily the Strange.

With her glowering appeal and her "don't-touch-me" stance, Emily's entire being seems to be Katie's subtle subtext - unless you've actually started to believe she's totally in love with her life, in which case, well, it's just a very chic haircut.

This often means long-sleeve tees under tank tops and thin sweaters over flimsy dresses. These unexpected combinations are always a hit, but there’s one more layering tactic we love that a lot of people don’t seem to understand: shorts when it’s cold out.

We always wear our winter shorts over a pair of tights- sometimes even with thin socks layered, too.

But the look doesn’t garner the same compliments we get for a thermal under a strapless dress. It’s more like, “why are you wearing shorts out? It’s November.”

We don’t really understand that concern. It’s like no one can separate the two thoughts, “shorts” and “summer.” How is this any different from wearing a short dress with leggings? We maintain that it’s another great way of recycling your summer clothes and just a very cute look, especially with flat boots and thick gray socks.

So what do you guys think? Is this a look better left to LA-based celebrities, or does it still count as legitimate winter layering?

If you've grown out of your "skate or die" days, and you’re more interested in Repetto flats than Airwalks, then you might appreciate the genius of Kris Lovett.

Lovett, a University of Arts grad, had the vision to recycle used skateboards into cute Faryl Robin-esque women’s shoes. He sees the project, called "Reply," as both an aesthetic adventure and a statement about eco-consciousness:

“Used skateboard decks continue to pile up due to the production of over 100,000 decks per month in the United States alone. Reply explores this material waste stream as a resource for women's shoes.”

No word yet on whether you can ollie in the skateboard shoes. But we're planning on wearing these wedges at left as soon as we can get someplace warm.

--ALISON COOL

We felt insanely cool for scoring a Proenza Schouler corset at a thrift shop this summer, but apparently, we weren't that special:

Forever 21 also scored a Proenza Schouler corset, just like the ones Jack and Lazaro made for Target in February. They switched a color from white to black, added a little more room in the cups, and turned up the shine factor on the fabric so it went from Cavalli-shiny to Cavalli-for-H&M shiny.

Then they priced it at $22.80 - a whopping $10 lower than Proenza's price at Target - and rolled it out onto their floor.

It's a serious case of fashion deja vu, but if Forever 21 was going to knock off Proenza, we wish they'd been a little more literal - that black-and-purple color story zooms us straight back to Shira: Princess of Power.

In case you need a little refresher course, Etsy seller Ikyoto has created a line of chemical reaction t-shirts. The Brooklyn-based artist pulled from vintage Japanese science textbooks for informative and funny illustrations to print on 100% cotton tees.

Our personal favorite is the “oxidation” design, which shows anthropormophized droplets of water and fruit juice attacking an iron bar.

We recommend browsing the selection (there's a lot) to find your personal favorite. At $15 a piece, you might want to stock up on a few.

--ALISON COOL

"The guy is so prolific that, like Natalie Imbruglia, we’re torn." - Horacio Silva on Karl Lagerfeld, in T Magazine's new blog.

The flashbacks to Thanksgiving '06, where Nate was actually fun and cool, Blair was sick but happier, and Serena Van Der Woodsen was a serious problem child.

In the course of one episode, we saw her undress in front of her best friend's boyfriend. Get drunk. Get high. Get caught by her mom. And maybe the best part, get almost run over by a car, while craving apple pie. Of course, Dan saved her at the last second from getting squished by a Saab, and this is a good time for us to remind you girls in high school, college, and anywhere with single men that Dan does not exist.

Besides noticing our lack of Dan Humphrey, we also saw this:

That whenever Serena's doing something naughty, she's wearing really cheap clothes.

Hosing down Nate in Blair's bathtub? She was wearing Juicy sweats. Passed out from vodka on Blair's sofa? She looked like an L.L. Bean ad. And perhaps the biggest grievance of all - when Serena was drunk and roaming the streets of Brooklyn, she sported a massive leopard coat from Forever 21!

Are Gossip Girl's costume designers trying to increase Serena's personal and moral value by upping her clothing allowance?

Totally, and that's actually a really cool way to enhance the story. But there's one thing we can't forgive:

That leopard coat and Blair Waldorf's dotted gray dress from Marc Jacobs? Those are in stores now. So how could our two favorite heroines have them a whole year early?!

Oh well. Maybe Eleanor Waldorf is the vice president of the CFDA...

He'll be shooting the famous Oscar portfolio in The New York Times Magazine, which will debut just before the actual Oscars.

The fun part is, Ryan's been booked (and so has a studio in London) but the talent hasn't, at least not officially.

After all, the Oscar nominations won't be unveiled until later this year, though we have a few fashion suspicions - Marion Cotillard is just too good not to get recognized for La Vie En Rose, and writer Tamara Jenkins should get a big spotlight for The Savages.

Hopefully they'll both get their photos taken, and look cool like Kate Moss, left, whom Mr. McGinley shot earlier this year for W...

Those of you asking for more Girls Gone Styled episodes should get ready:

We're filming the first bits of next season tomorrow (!) and there will be lots of adventures in store, including a Heatherette studio visit, a tutorial from a top model (she looks great in a bikini and that's your only clue), and a brand new co-host, Paper fashion babe Quinn Asteak.

Meanwhile, Atoosa Rubenstein asked if I'd talk about fashion for her Alpha Kitty series, and although I can't say "Alpha Kitty" without a low laugh (the same kind I'd make in middle school when someone said "boner", weirdly), it's a great series and it was a total honor and a total blast to be filmed.

Enjoy, and then watch some babes with way better hair - Taylor Warren (model), Byrdie Bell (Vogue crush), Jen Steele (Miss Seventeen!), and Andre J (French Vogue crush)- do their video confessions below!

xo F.

Add to the high fashion mishaps the Christian Dior bag at left.

At first we just thought, “God, that is so hideous.”

But then we noticed the name: The Dior Ethnic Hobo Bag.

Ethnic, exactly, how? Is it the wannabe hand-sewn edges, so much like our Jewish grandmother's challah covers? Is it the braided strap, perhaps meant to evoke images of African village women plaiting with their families? Or maybe fuchsia just screams "Russian" (like Faran) or "Cuban" (like both Natalies) or "Egyptian" like Britt. Or something.

We know it can't be marketing- as an office of "ethnic" women, we all "ugh"-ed in unison upon mere sight of the bag.

Really, we are totally stumped. Can anyone explain this one?

Ever wonder what fashion editors do when they're not coaxing Coco into a risky Balenciaga blouse?

"Where's the rest of her?"

"Could I wear that with Burberry plaid booties?"

"Wait, am I wearing my underwear?"

"Aren't we right next to Pop Burger?"

"Do Stephen Hawking's theories on particle evolution relate to Oliver Curry's latest hypothesis?"

"I can't believe you're paying me for this."

"No really, can we go to Pop Burger?"

And even though the duffel bag seems like the obvious solution, the options are often misses- American Apparel makes cute ones, but they’re a little flimsy for non gym-bag use. And Gucci did a duffel tote for fall, but we’re not about to drop $2,350 on the kind of bag you get for free when you participate in intramural sports.

When it comes to sturdy, attractive, and adorable carry-alls, we turn to Olivia Harris. In particular, the designer’s “Flap Hobo” in charcoal – a luxurious mid-size leather version of the classic duffel – just might be the perfect everyday winter bag.

--ALISON COOL

Some wrote them off as models rather than real musicians, and we can't tell you how many prestigious campaigns they turned down, but they preferred instead to work on an upcoming album. They're still writing it.

But lately, rock stars have craved more from the fashion world than just its trophy wives -- and designers are more than willing to oblige. It's a symbiotic relationship: the designers score some pop-culture cred, the musicians get free publicity.

This explains the love affair between Karl Lagerfeld and Chan Marshall, or why Bloody Social frontman Jamie Burke -- the one-time boyfriend of Kate Moss and Sienna Miller -- is lending his scratchy black nails to Calvin Klein.

There's also Hedi Slimane, who championed the ghoulish threads of the Horrors, and John Varvatos, who crafted an entire ad campaign featuring Iggy Pop and Alice Cooper traipsing in posh suits. Varvatos' newest project is a boutique in the old CBGB space.

Gwen Stefani may get dressed by Dior, but we can't envision any self-respecting rock star dropping 3 grand on a jacket (stealing one is another story...). And though the Sex Pistols were outfitted in Vivienne Westwood in the '70s, they would never have gone into Seditionaries and actually bought her clothes.

But nobody really wants their rock idol to admit wearing expensive and manufactured style - something that's a little revered in the hip hop community, but not with rock bands. If you know your favorite band is wearing designer outfits, do you respect them less as musicians?

-- NATALIE GUEVARA

The dream dress is always way too expensive, usually on a celebrity, and probably not even sold in stores.

Also, unless we crash the Oscars, there's usually no place to wear it.

Still, none of these annoying protests from the land of reality can keep us from dreaming.

Like an unrequited crush that you stalk on MySpace, we like to look at our unobtainable dream dress on shopping and fashion blogs, imagining a life in which we too get to pose for Style.com's Look of the Day.

Alison's Dream Dress is the amazing gold silk one from Vanessa Bruno, which costs $684.

Natalie's Dream Dress is the Marc by Marc silk faille dress that closed his London runway show, which costs $548.

Faran's unrealistic frock star is the McQueen gown that Nicole Kidman wore to the Country Music Awards.

And you?

--ALISON COOL

But truth be told, we shop at a million other places, too, and a lot of them have labels that read more like, “Made in Taiwan.”

Today’s Wall Street Journal details the lives of two different cashmere sweaters, one designer and one mountain-wear. The first is is a $750 version from Brunello Cucinelli, made in a 17th century castle in Umbria where the workers enjoy siesta on a daily basis. The other comes from Lands’ End, $100, and manufactured in China (their spokesperson would not say where in China, only things like, “The employees feel honored to be employed there.” The WSJ thinks the sweater is made in less-than-okay conditions.)

But while the choice may seem clear from an ethical standpoint, what if you don’t have $750 to drop on a top? Do you abstain from clothing made in questionable situations altogether, or do you simply go for the cheaper sweater and argue that you could spend some of your savings on charity?

Obviously everybody wishes that sweat shops didn’t exist and that every clothing option was a moral one.

But since that’s not the reality at all, we’re wondering- does where, and how, a garment’s made dictate where you shop?

"Nobody is going to take your picture for Lastnightsparty if you look regular.” -from Ruth LaFerla's article on female DJs in today's New York Times

But that's part of the problem.

We know some girls who can't bear to strip in anything but designer bras. There's an entire industry to back them up - Agent Provocateur, Kiki de Montparnasse, Catriona MacKechnie, all with panties that cost more than James Jeans (or, yes, champagne!).

We know a lot of girls who aren't confident at parties unless they have expensive handbags or killer high shoes. But is there also a tribe of women who can't perform in the bedroom unless their lingerie is runway quality?

Personally, we're a big fan of t-shirt bras and tie-dye undies (and sorry if that was an overshare). But there's got to be something sustaining the million-dollar industry of very expensive underthings. Is Agent Provocateur like Viagra for fashion girls?

WHICH magazine is having Blake Lively (sans Leighton) on their cover first? Stay tuned for winter...

Got Them: Walking home in the East Village.

Stalked Them: Because Claudia's neon jeans were perfect for a cold night out.

Shot Them: Check out the proportion on that Y & Kei jacket - the flare at the waist is sharp, and it can happen over a long sweater dress or a cropped hoodie, which means you can layer for late fall and winter. And Cassidy just looks adorable, especially since his entire outfit is from H&M!

Claudia Says: "I got these jeans at Trash & Vaudeville. My friends can always find me at night."

Cassidy Says: "When we moved to the city, our mutual friend from home said, you have to meet each other, you're going to be best friends. And we are!"

We Say: The kids stay in the picture.

Plastic bottles cut to look like Christmas lights.

Reindeer made from soda cans.

Recycled paper subbed for snow.

But one thing struck us as odd - that the windows screamed for a Green Christmas, but their flickering lights seem to suck energy the way we devour Skittles.

Surely they must be solar powered? Fueled by little running mice? Something?

Determined to figure out the exact shade of Barneys' Green, we approached their fashion director, Julie Gilhart, at the Calvin Klein party last night.

"I don't know the specifics on how much energy the windows use," she said candidly. "But of course we use electricity, we use energy - but nobody can decide to go totally green overnight. It's a process. We're making a huge effort to be as green as possible, and to spread awareness to our community so they can start making adjustments, too. And we're really proud and excited about that... isn't the reindeer fun?"

The reindeer is totally fun, yes.

We appreciate Barneys being both honest and aware with their eco-promotions, even if their Loomstate organic jeans are still a little too expensive. And the recycled plastic windows are a neat concept - maybe next year for the solar panels. And the cheap organic jeans. Please.

10. Didn't they build up this Project Runway challenge to be so unique and crazy that it would alter the show's style forever? And this big crimp in the formula turns out to be... um, menswear?

9. Haven't gay men and football suffered enough?

8. Who was Gargamel's cat in The Smurfs? Azreal? Doesn't Christian kind of remind you of him?

7. Exactly which men will Elisa touch?

6. How cute is Kit? Seriously, we might actually like her.

5. Mrs. Barber's Versace dress: real or from Bebe?

4. Does Michael Kors really want us to look at the male model's crotch? Oh yes; yes he does.

3. How long are we giving Sweet Pea's extra-long tie to show up, in all seriousness, on Jamie Burke?

2. Next week, Bon Jovi?

1. Do you want to get drunk? Because we have an idea - let's take a shot every time Kevin tells the camera that he's a totally macho straight guy.

And then let's not stand up for three days.

First we break the good/bad news that Victoria Beckham is Marc's new ad muse, and now we've got something else:

Cory Kennedy just signed her first beauty contract with Urban Decay cosmetics.

She'll be their new face for the next year, and her ads will appear in magazines, on billboards and posters, and probably on the makeup counters at Urban Outfitters - where they'll stand alongside her new clothing line.

At this point, all that's left is a Le Sportsac line and a Kid Robot toy, and the girl will officially be a franchise.

We love Cory and we're dying to see what kinds of colors she inspires for the Los Angeles cosmetics line - Internet Indigo? Silver(lake)? Translucent Fairy Dust?

Stay tuned...

But we never considered wearing our bra OVER a tank or t-shirt - even after this season's lingerie explosion - until we found this VPL set on ShopBop - something that's also appeared in several of our favorite fashion magazines.

The model rocks a Vespa-green "Smoking Bra" over her white t-shirt, (with Helmut Lang shorts that we're also mildly obsessed with), prompting Faran to wonder, "DIY Proenza Schouler?"

There'd have to be rules for this look, like funky, not lacy, bras.

A smaller chest would work best, and the outfit underneath the lingerie should probably be casual.

But with the right ingredients it could definitely draw well-deserved second looks.

Have you seen anyone pulling this off, besides Ali Michael in Teen Vogue? Or is this one "trend" best left to quietly die?

1. J.Crew leggings cashmere, with a faux pee flap in front, $150.

2. Basic bathrobe, Banana Republic, classified as what to wear while “opening presents,” $298.

3. $200 sweatpants. Also BR.

On the one hand, it must be fun to romp around in cashmere jammies all day. But unless you're also drinking hot cocoa brewed with marshmallow diamonds, it seems a little excessive... even, dare we say it, tacky.

Is there an excuse for overpriced pajamas? Can robes that cost more than champagne really be worth it? Or is this just another "luxury" markup, to go with our $2000 handbags and $750 shoes?

It's the most subversive anti-fur protest we've ever seen, and as such, we think it's brilliant.

The coat plays on the classic fault lines of outsider and insider - the "anti fur" stance in fashion is often stuck with the "outsider" label, thanks largely to PETA and their disrespectful and immature protest tactics. Okay, Christy Turlington once said she'd rather go naked than wear fur - but she's still modeled for houses that use it. And although Stella McCartney is a vegan designer, her parent company is the Gucci Group, who would skin zebras and kittens if it meant the latest It Bag. Meanwhile, the "insider" name gets tagged to Fendi and J. Mendel - both houses whose fur legacy continues, thanks to ingenious design.

But that's where Gareth enters the picture. He's a fabulous fabric architect, so he can build a great jacket. He's also a master prankster, in the vein of Tim Burton or Damien Hirst, and his exploration of grim grins is part of his blackly beautiful style. His rat mink "passes" the style bar because it's well built and terrifically terrifying - it references Isabella Blow at her darkest and hottest. It reflects the Grey Gardens sense of beautiful decay. It looks like Johnny Depp would dig it.

But the joke is really on the wearer. It may be a beautiful and historically rich piece of fashion - but it's also a pile of dead rats. Which you're wearing because you think it makes you look powerful/ beautiful/ rich/ It.

In fact, it's just gross. So is fur, unless it belongs to a living animal. Thank you Gareth.

ELLE needs some fashion interns for next semester. You should be college age or older, ready to do absolutely anything with a quiet smile, and very knowledgeable about fashion, style, and the many attitudes of Keira Knightley. There might be a bit of reporting involved for their website, and you'll definitely get to see the inner workings of stories, fashion shoots, and how to fetch your boss' dry cleaning.

Meanwhile, Marie Claire needs one key intern, right this second, for their fashion closet. There's no writing and no styling involved, but you will be waist-deep in Prada, Marni, Marc, M.A.C, and a path strewn with Balenciaga heels that could lead to a fashion assistant future. College students are best, because Hearst prefers their slaves to get credit for steaming and starching.

If you want the job, send BRIEF emails with your contact info to Carol, chan@hfmus.com (that's ELLE) and akalicka@hearst.com (that's Marie Claire, and yes, that's Abby from Girls Gone Styled).

Good luck in the trenches.

The black and gold color combo has a little bit of holiday sparkle without crossing all the way over to bedazzled red and green territory of your great aunt’s Christmas sweaters.

We recommend wearing this one for decorating the tree, lighting the menorah, ice skating in Central Park- or all of the above. So in case somebody out there is planning on taking us to Rockefeller Center sometime soon, we already have our outfit all picked out- I’m talking to you, Mom!

--ALISON COOL

"While some guests shopped (like Elton John, who purchased two bags before his 45-minute set), others played it cool. "I don't need to buy anything - they give it to me," boasted Monica Bellucci." - from W Magazine's story about Dior's Paris blowout.

We really want to test-drive the feather trend, but we still keep in mind the wise reminder from Style.com that, “feathers may be the new fur, but they're not necessarily easy to wear—there's a fine line between super-chic and Big Bird.”

Natalie satisfied her feather craving with Yarborough’s gorgeous necklaces, and now we’ve decided to get in on the trend with this awesome Grey and Black Pheasant pin that we stumbled across on the otherwise hokey art teacher/Upper West Side mom-ish website Frou Frou collection.

You can clip it to black ballet flats, stick it in your hair, or attach it to the strap of an otherwise yawn-worthy cocktail dress.

--ALISON COOL

We stayed too late at the Lydia Hearst for Puma party, so today we're a little groggy.

Still, even if we'd had a yoga class and 8+ hours of sleep, we bet we'd think this video of Suzy Menkes and Natalia Vodianova was hysterical.

To start, there's the contrasting pouf and pull of the hairstyles.

Then there's the way Suzy eggshells away from Natalia's super-rich husband in favor of her charity work building Russian playgrounds, which we get to see via interspersed clips.

We're thrilled to see Natalia plugging her charity, but it's interesting how Suzy frames the subject - Natalia is being interviewed for Suzy's "Luxury" series, and she says "For me, luxury for Russian children is a playground."

Natalia Vodianova is married to one of the wealthiest men in Great Britain. Her home in Tribeca costs $10 million. This is not mentioned in the Luxury segment, nor is this fun fact:

Her husband's name is Justin Portman, so her married name would be "Natalia Portman," and that sounds just like... anyway.

According to WWD, the location is confirmed as 478 Broadway in Soho (right by us!). If the mega-space does well, there will be two more Manhattan stores probably within a year. And if those do well, TopShop will roll out in other American cities- think San Francisco, Atlanta.

For Americans, the worst thing about TopShop has always been one of its selling points, that if you want to shop there in person, you have to go overseas. We always thought this lent the brand a certain exclusivity- we all know when something is hard to get it only makes us want it more.

While we like the idea of TopShop opening near people who would never otherwise see it, we still feel like this might be a Catch 22. We've all been complaining for years that TopShop should open stateside, but will we still be head over heels when it shares the same sidewalk as Zara and H&M?

Now Ben Sherman is jumping on the bandwagon, partnering with design and record label PPQ for a diffusion line. Though PPQ isn't so known in America, they're like an upscale Heatherette in London - this October, they opened their fashion show with Peaches Geldof and Agyness Deyn (in that order), and the MisShapes played their after party.

The limited-edition collection launches this March with only five dresses, all meant to capsule decades of musical style. The outfits begin with a Mod-inspired shift for the 60’s and end with a high-necked lace frock, which references (they say) the Cranberries, KT Tunstall and other moody songstresses from today.

Ben Sherman is only making 175 of the dresses, and only 25 for the US market. We think this is a cute idea, but something else is bugging us:

If the Indie Dress at left comes in white, it’s going to look a lot like the Chiffon with Velvet Dress from Erin Featherston’s diffusion line. But the Ben Sherman version is £180 - can we still rock out to the Kills if we shop at Target?

The London brand followed Mulberry's recent example and got a pop-up store near Carnaby Street to sell art, CDs, and clothes to British youth addicts - their space is a lot like Opening Ceremony in New York or Satine in Los Angeles, but with more prints and photography, and less Marc by Marc.

As for their recent campaign, the Real Gold crew somehow corralled every Tatler hipster in sight to wear one of their t-shirts on camera, and while Peaches Geldof looks adorable (and rested and healthy, which we've sort of never seen from her...), our real standout shot is Alice Dellal, the photographer and best friend of Lizzie Jagger who was recently named to Vogue's "Definitive Most Glamorous Women" list with Lily Donaldson and Alice Temperley.

She sure looks glamorous jumping around in her Day Glo t-shirt, doesn't she? We're going to wear the exact same thing to the Dior cocktails tonight.