But today, I finally got the ultimate vindication: during a field strip to the meatpacking district, we spotted Blake Lively on set (Spice Market! They're probably still there!) walking in head to toe black and leather pants.

[Side note: We also saw a very poorly styled Michelle Trachtenberg - guess she's not going to be a lovable character after all.]

But back to Blake's pants - I first started thinking about the Buffy the Vampire Slayer staple again (oddly enough, another Michelle vehicle) after Alexander Wang's Fall 2007 80's supermodel homage collection, which included leather pants just like his Fall 2008 (at left.)

Then, a friend brought back from home a pair of CK’s circa 1997 - terrible, but just the idea that she was thinking about them had my mind reeling.

Cut to Barneys CO-OP in Soho last week where a Rag & Bone pair (for women, let me say here that no man should attempt this look lest he should resemble Bret Michaels) caught my eye. And I mean, if the denim gods at Rag & Bone are sewing their label into slinky leather non-leggings, we should take note.

I just feel like as we move away from Lolita-inflected dresses of seasons past to fall’s body conscious sportswear, it seems right again to see women embracing that ultimate body conscious staple; a literal second skin.

Right?

--BRETT KANE

"Every day I have a moment when I say to Chris, 'Maybe we should cash in. I'll make handmade lotion, and you'll write music and sell it on the Internet.' " - Kate Hudson, in Vogue, June 2004.

Yesterday the Manic Panicked blogger posted a shot of Agyness Deyn in Paris, getting photographed for the new Reebok campaign!

We think the face of Armani, Mulberry, and Burberry will be a brilliant fit for the brand, especially since they've let Scarlett Johansson and Christina Ricci put their stamps on the sneakers before.

There's only one problem:

Agyness has famously claimed she never works out -

How will that fare with a sporting goods company?

Maybe nu rave dancing and DJing counts as cardio...

Heatherette's technical designer, Macky Dugan, is going out on his own.

The New Zealand native, who came to Heatherette almost five years ago, is opening his own studio (well, actually sharing a studio with super-cool designer Sue Stemp) and starting a new collection of clothing called "Macky Dugan" - which, we suppose, is better than Mackarette.

His contributions to the brand won't be forgotten - Richie and Traver have been pretty constant with their praise of the cute blondie (left) and how his technical expertise helped the label build more sophisticated shapes and complicated patterns - plus that infamous paper pineapple dress as seen on Lydia Hearst last year.

"I'm doing menswear," he told us, but when we pouted, he quickly amended it to "Unisex! Unisex!"

We wonder if those tuxedo jackets will come with purple sequins (please?).

Go to V Magazine's website.

They may have lost their Editor-in-Chief to Interview, but they've gained a sequel to their wildly successful modeling contest, V A Model. Their first winner, Amanda Laine, got a shoot with Mario Testino, a contract with Supreme, and the opening slots at McQueen and Miu Miu (what?!). She also closed Louis Vuitton (double what?!).

Now V opens their contest to boys. If you win, you'll score the cover of V Man (which recently had Brad Pitt as its star), plus a photo shoot with Hedi Slimane and a contract with Ford Models.

Clearly, these stakes are huge, so if you think you look like Ashton Kutcher in his pre-Demi days, zoom on over and good luck!

Natalie: Ha. You know it'll get cold three more times before it's actually spring.

Britt: Noooo! It's really really here! I even saw a girl yesterday wearing the new YSL Spring Tribute Sandals. The weird thing was she wore them with white athletic socks. Like thick white socks, over her black tights, under her sandals.

Natalie: Oh my God! I saw that girl! I couldn't figure out what was going on - are we supposed to be wearing running socks outside of the gym now?!

Britt: Um, I hope not. She was French, and so chic, but that's one thing I definitely don't want to try and pull off.

Natalie: Maybe she was just keeping her feet warm. Since this is still fake spring.

Britt: Please stop saying that! Spring IS here.

When Jazzi told us she's been using a website called Ebates to get paid for shopping online, we were like, "Whatever" but after hearing her out, we thought, "Woah! this could really add up." If you've heard of it, you love it, and if you haven't, allow us to explain:

1. It's basically a shopping savings account that very simply gives you back money for shopping. Most websites make money for referring you, but Ebates just shares the wealth.

2. All you have to do is sign up (10 seconds max), then shop directly at some of your favorite stores through a link on the Ebates website.

The hardest part is remembering to go through the Ebates when you feel like shopping, but they even have a "reminder tool" for that, so we've got zero complaints. And the perks? Well, money for shopping and referring friends, no spam, a lot of shopping options (sorry, no Net-a-Porter), plus you get a $10 gift card just for signing up. And the best part? More shopping, less guilt.

So if you feel like shopping on the likes of Nordstrom, Shopbop, Bloomingdale's, Old Navy, Saks, Target, Zappos, Bluefly and YOOX - to name a few - at least make some cash doing it for, you know, more shopping.

We seriously just made $39.00 on some relatively small purchases we would have made anyway. Maybe it really is magic...

-- JAZZI McGILBERT

I love presents.

But it wasn't a present so much as a product called, "The Present: Clear Makeup."

The label reads, "Do you crave airbrushed skin?" Yes. "Do your wrinkles and pores deserve to appear minimized?" Yes. "Are you searching for a new foundation?" Don't tell Natalie, but yes.

So I stashed it in my purse when she wasn't looking and tried it in my bathroom after my roommates left for work even though it looks just like lotion, so I wasn't technically breaking my no makeup vow.

And now that I've been using it for a week in place of moisturizer, my skin's never looked better. I know I said that last time, but I'm seriously catching up to Natalie's glow.

The only thing that'll get me closer is the salmon and berry diet from Prom Countdown 2002. But that's about a million times harder than slathering some moisturizer on every morning.

"As the owner of a 32E bosom, I was once informed that the Vivienne Westwood clothes I was eyeing up were for women who want to look as if they have breasts, not for those already in possession of them. On another occasion, a designer stared at my unclothed form and stuttered: "Hourglass!" in tones one might use to utter the word "paedophile". Most mortifying of all was the moment an Armani tailor waved her hand dismissively across my chest, before pronouncing: "These are not Armani!" - Hannah Betts, in the Daily Telegraph.

1. Stock up on head accessories (think bejeweled headbands, scarves, big barrettes) now before everybody else decides they're Blair and shows up to work glittering with Stacey Lapidus holding back last season's bangs.

2. Stock up at La Perla or even with Elle MacPherson's lingerie. You will seriously reconsider striped underwear after Blair gets down to a vintage slip in "Victor, Victrola."

3. Get ready for teenage school kids embellishing their outfits with ribbon trim and a hot glue gun - thanks Blair!

4. Do not ever begin a conversation with, "Can you believe Serena slept with Nate?!" or something like that, lest your desk mate bends a stapler around your monitor. All Friday morning conversation must begin with, "Hey, did you see Gossip Girl last night?" and continue from there.

Ok, now we promise to shut the hell up about GG until it actually returns. Well, if we don't think of anything else about it, that is.