I am incredibly particular about my pillows. I would prefer to pack them and take them with me everywhere I go. But this is obviously not the most convenient situation, especially with the whole $15 per checked bag situation.

But I’ve never really thought much about my pillowcase, other than to make sure it looks nice on my bed. Until now, that is.

Of course, I’ve heard of women who sleep with their hair set in rollers and wrapped in a silk scarf to keep it from frizzing up. It seems very old school and kind of glam, but nothing I’d ever bother to take the time to do. What I didn’t realize was that my choice of pillowcase can actually affect the way our faces looks too.

Tiny, 21, intern

Got Her: Strolling down Broadway.

Stalked Her: Bright colors on a tall girl (don’t let her moniker fool you) will always catch our attention.

Shot Her: Her total look was a refreshing change of pace from what we often see in our neighborhood, and then we also noticed her cornrows. Very Alice Dellal, except without any awkward regrowth periods.

She Said: She gets inspiration from street style, but overall the way she dresses is personal, “My style is my mood. When I’m happy, I’ll just throw on this shirt.”

We Say: Keep smiling!

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Britt’s only been on her much-deserved vacation for two days and I’m already being subconsciously drawn to things that remind me of her, like say, rompers.

I love them, but she loves them more.

Actually this one is like a perfect melding of different parts of both of our styles…short shorts with a little hippie embroidered flair.

Seems like just the perfect all-American summer blend for a holiday weekend filled with burgers on the grill, sparklers, and classic rock.

Okay, Ciara isn’t exactly a new singer on the scene, but people are starting to talk about her real potential to become a new musical style icon, à la Beyoncé, Lady Gaga or Rihanna. We’re not so sure.

We liked the “Love Sex Magic” video, but not totally because of its style. Well, we dug the zebra print jumper, and the white leotards were classy, and the girl is seriously bend-y in serious heels. But mostly it was insanely sexy and our heart stopped a little when she licked Justin Timberlake’s ear. But we were excited to see what she was bringing to the table this time around.

Through His Lens: “I was in bed with Charlotte Rampling. I felt like the king of the castle.” Indeed, Juergen Teller. Indeed. {The Independent}

A Softer, Smoother Madge: More shots from Madonna’s LV campaign have hit the interwebs. And they’re just as crazily retouched as the first one we saw. {Catwalk Queen}

Ads, Ads, and More Ads: Campaign shots abound over at Modelinia and it’s making us feel the need for a trip to the country. {Modelinia}

Tommy Wants To Rule the World: We love the fashion paparazzi shots on Jak & Jil. We also love Tommy Ton’s taste in music. {DazedDigital}

A reader just sent us an email with the subject line: “Copyright Copycat F21 at it again.”

Boy, was she right.

Usually, in an Adventures in Copyright item, we’ll list one or two things that the copiers did to make it a little less obvious that they’re taking someone else’s design, but, well…if there’s some glaring difference we’re missing, kindly let us know.

The best we’ve got is that Forever 21 has put their dress on a model, and the BCBG is on a mannequin.

And we believe that’s what one would call “blatant”.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

The newest consumer confidence numbers were just released for June and they’re still falling, both in terms of how people feel about the present and their expectations for the future.

We haven’t talked at length about the economic state of affairs lately, mainly because it’s been just so darn upsetting. Our block in Nolita still seems to have a store shuttering at least once a week.

But for whatever reason, I was starting to feel a shift back in a more positive direction. Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking, or my failed attempts at rationalizing a few recent shopping sprees. (I do have a tendency to shop when I should be saving. It’s a completely counter-productive form of denial, I know.)

So what about you guys - are your confidence levels still dropping? Or are you starting to feel even just the littlest bit better on the consumption front?

We’ve seen some big stars like Thandie Newton and Halle Berry in Erdem’s creations, and last night, at the ultra exclusive (so exclusive, you practically needed a secret handshake to get in) premiere of The Suicide Brothers—a film starring Keira Knightley and Rupert Friend—Keira showed up, all hard bangs and Erdem maxi dress.

Ms. Knightley’s stylist and friend, Leith Clark who like Erdem is Canadian, chose the butterfly covered creation—carrying on with the insect and bugs theme that is the designer’s leitmotif. It was a brilliant choice, and seemed to match Keira’s quirkiness: “Isn’t it beautiful?” said the actress. Yes, in fact it was.

We’ve admired Erdem for many seasons—well before he was fashion’s “next big thing”. But it’s hardly a surprise that fashion journos have traditionally been lukewarm to the Canadian-Turkish London-based designer. His prints, all blurry and off-kilter are definitely an acquired taste for many. But his “hang on, I am going to hurl” prints are indicative of what is going on right now in fashion—a jerky roller coaster ride of of perching highs and stomach dropping lows, with euphoria and nausea in equal doses. In other words, what we have lived with in fashion for the past year.

But this dress was more calm, sedate, even happy. Could Erdem be telling us something? Keira was anyway: “It’s perfectly comfortable. I may even just sleep in it tonight.”

—CHARLEY B.

“The collection is really for the kind of girls we like. When creating the collection we were thinking of girls like Carré Otis, Debbie Harry; a real sexy tomboy girl who looks good without trying.” —Justin Timberlake, who very obviously has a “type”, to Vogue UK on his latest William Rast collection, newly launched at Selfridges

We’ve been pretty open with the fact that our favorite couple in fashion at the moment is more certainly Lorenzo and Marc. Marc, of course, has always held a special place in our hearts but Lorenzo is quickly making a move for that number one spot. We’re still swooning over his adorable shorts at the Governor’s Island polo match.

And today’s WWD made our hearts swell just a little bit bigger. Lorenzo co-hosted a party with Interview on Sunday in honor of gay pride and marriage rights equality with a silent auction that benefited amfAR. Photographers like Jack Pierson and Steven Klein donated their work.

We’re huge fans of theirs but we really wish we could have gotten our hands on Lorenzo’s stylized print of a shot he snapped of the Barack and Michelle Obama on the television on election night. “The picture is called ‘Election Love’ and is about the intimacy between Barack and Michelle, even in public,” he said of his creation.

Because some days, love is really all we need.

RareChic.com is having a one day only sale starting tonight at midnight!!

Just enter the code “SUMMER” and get 35% off of everything, both sale and regularly priced items. Sounds like a very good deal indeed.

We just made a little list of possible purchases and this romper from Tucker and this ridiculously marked down Mike & Chris jacket are definitely at the top.

Our shopping habit has started to spiral out of control, but how can we pass up an awesome sale?

We just can’t.

We’ve made it abundantly clear that we love Montauk and Mr. Mickey.

And this Sunday the 5th, the two shall come together for the Paper mag editor’s second annual Celebrity Sidewalk Sale at Screaming Mimi’s.

The shindig is co-hosted by Peter Davis, Charlotte Ronson, and Emma Snowdon-Jones and will feature loads of merch from people like Catherine Malandrino, Julia Frakes, and Lynn Yaeger.

Plus, the money goes to charity:water which builds freshwater wells in developing countries. We actually had no idea that it only takes about $5000 to give water to a whole village for 20 years!

So shop away, friends. We just wish we were going to be out east too. But ‘tis wedding season and we’re off to another one in Ann Arbor come Friday.

Just what the world needs, right…another online community. But this one has us at least mildly intrigued.

Launching today, Talenthouse.com is a site for the creative and artistic. You can upload your art, designs, music etc onto your profile and it will also link up with Facebook, MySpace and the like.

I guess the point is that it’s a more focused, niche community and who are we to knock anything that lets people get their creative work out in front of more people. Their soft launch has already garnered 25,000 members and they’re hoping that number will grow to a million.

Naomi Campbell is on board as a supporter. As is Stephen Dorff, which is super duper random. But the name that made us take notice is director Fernando Meirelles. Because City of God might just be one of the most amazing movies EVER.

If you guys join up, let us know how goes.

Today is a rough one.

Fun wedding weekends in Cape Cod are awesome (congrats again Jenna and Ivan!) The Monday after - not so much, especially when it involves a 5 am wake up call and a six hour bus ride.

But this little nugget I found over at Vogue Daily just brightened my day: 1stDibs.com is going to start carrying clothes later this week.

For those of you who aren’t familiar with the site, it’s a treasure trove of antique awesome-ness.

The furniture is to die for and they’ve been carrying jewelry and watches. But now they’ll also be offering selections from the best vintage shops in all the land.

We can’t wait…but we’re pretty sure our checking account can. Sigh.

Karl Who? The Kaiser talks about the bag that got us all talking. {WWD}

Paul Hearts Michael: A runway finale tribute to the King of Pop. We’re almost over the nostalgia moment. Almost. { Catwalk Queen}

Happy Belated Birthday! Ed, we’re so sorry we missed your party because we’re sure that invite just got lost in the mail. Guess we’ll catch you on your 23rd. {People}

Hat Day: We went to a wedding this weekend where a lovely girl totally rocked one of the black Marc Jacobs hats. We’re still debating whether or not we’d be able to pull it off. Perhaps this will help us decide. {WhoWhatWear}

So, Gossip Girl began shooting again today, and our sartorial choices are unconsciously becoming super Blair-like.

Which explains why we can’t get enough of this romper from Liquorish.

It has ruffles (which we adore) and looks enough like a dress to make our romper nerves disappear.

And the super tiny cherry buttons and the collar in the back give this piece the perfect amount of whimsy.

The romper is available at Pixie Market for $85, which is enough to bring out the sailor in us.

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

“I call it my all-American collection. It’s sort of an apology for being such a [jerk]. I was quoted in an interview saying American tourists were ruining the Paris landscape with their fanny packs and their man bags, so this collection has leather jackets that have arms that zip off and the jacket becomes a bag.” —Rick Owens on his AW09 Men’s collection.

Bergdorf Goodman’s teamed up with the American Visionary Art Museum for their 5th Avenue windows.

The museum’s in Baltimore, Maryland, but its artists created a collection of fantastical backdrops here in New York for clothes from Jason Wu and Oscar De La Renta, brightly colored homes for Louboutin shoes, erratic sketches frame a bejeweled Valentino bag and a man carved from wood watches over a Rodarte look complete with slashed gloves and Nicholas Kirkwood boots.

The museum’s mission statement defines visionary art as “art produced by self-taught individuals, usually without formal training, whose works arise from an innate personal vision that revels foremost in the creative act itself,” which, when combined with the best of pre-fall fashion makes for a must-visit outdoor museum on the street.

Thank god it’s finally stopped raining.

Each time I move apartments (and I tend to do this often) I fight the same battle; no one understands why I insist upon moving my magazines.

“Throw them out!” they tell me. “They’re too heavy!” they insist. (Though surely they’d balk at the thought of trashing a single book.) Absolutely not. I love my magazines. And while I can be talked into tossing an issue of GQ with Leonardo DiCaprio on the cover, others, like Andre J’s French Vogue or Coco Rocha’s Numero, will stay with me forever - even if I have to pay the movers extra - because nothing beats a really exceptional magazine.

One of the best that I’ve managed to hang onto dates from 2003 (which means its lived in seven apartments). W dedicated an entire issue to Kate Moss. Inside, various artists including Richard Prince, Lucien Freud, Chuck Close and all the best photographers paid tribute to the supermodel and now, the Chuck Close photographs are going to auction.

The black and white nude is expected to sell for as much as $16,300 at Christie’s on Wednesday which means I’ll have to stay content with flipping through the yellowing pages of my original issue.

Considering I’ve spent the better part of today reminiscing about my childhood, either in writing or just in my own head, it’s not surprising that I was drawn to this House of Harlow ring that totally gives off old-school mood ring vibes.

This one is tiger’s eye so it won’t actually change colors on you. Though mine always just went back to black anyway. I guess I was an angst-y youth.

I kind of avoided looking at Nicole Richie’s collection for quite a while which is completely silly because I love her luxe boho style. Actually, maybe that’s it…I’m just incredibly jealous.

But now I’m sold. And even looking forward to seeing what she does with shoes.

So, you gotta figure there’s going to be a new rush on those red leather jackets (both the Beat It and the Thriller versions) right?

I just popped over to Ebay and there definitely weren’t as many for sale as I’d expected. Maybe sellers are hanging onto them now or perhaps that run already happened this morning.

The zipper jacket is definitely the more iconic of the two, and the one I’d snag if I was a collector. There seem to be a plethora of replicas of the other style, somewhat diluting its specialness.

If you’ve got an extra two grand lying around and yesterday’s events have stirred a long-forgotten Jackson obsession, head here now. It looks pretty real deal to me.

On the other hand, originals of the famous Farrah poster are running around $100, with signed copies going as high as $500.

“I told my agent, ‘I want to do anything to do with fashion. I’m amazed how fast it [the show] is, in two minutes it’s over.” - Bradley Cooper to WWD from the front row at Louis Vuitton. We have the Valentino movie to thank for our obsession’s new found obsession. That movie just keeps on giving.

Sui and GG: Pictures have surfaced of Anna’s Blair/Serena/Little J/Vanessa-inspired collection for Target. We’re liking, lots. {Refinery29 via The Cut}

Football Moms: I love the NFL and can be spotted every Sunday of the fall/winter proudly donning my Peyton Manning jersey (go Colts!) But this seems pretty darn niche: Reebok is launching NFL maternity gear. {WWD}

Bird is the Word: Juicy Couture has created a pricier, but more grown up line. We’re reserving judgment until we see it in person. {Elle}

At the Met, no less. How chic is that?

The Costume Institute is launching a film series during July in conjunction with their Model as Muse exhibit and they’ve lined up some pretty awesome special guests to attend and discuss the movies, along with curator Harold Koda and guest curator Kohle Yohannan.

Here’s the lineup:

July 10 - Funny Face and Carmen Dell’Orifice
July 17 - Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? and Dorothy McGowan
July 22 - Unzipped and Isaac Mizrahi

Tickets are only $10 and you can get them here.

It’ll be like a way more stylish version of all those film classes we loved so in college. Plus, we’re just about due for our annual viewing of Unzipped and we can’t wait to watch it with Isaac himself.

Add another slot on the London Fashion Week calendar: Clements Ribeiro is returning for the first time since 2005.

The husband and wife team will be presenting in the British Fashion Council’s new space at Somerset House, not in the main venue.

The duo told Vogue UK, “The rooms have wonderful proportions and are perfect for the intimate setting we want to create for our salon presentation.”

We’re guessing they’ll pack the room.

LVMH’s eLuxury is apparently shutting down after today and relaunching on Monday as some sort of social networking-type site, according to WWD.

Seems like details are rather scarce but the company did say, “ELuxury will learn from its audience, getting smarter each day, and will use this intelligence to present increasingly targeted and relevant content.”

And that the content will be put together by “visionaries from around the world.”

Hmmm. We’re not really sure what to make of that.

But what we do know is that there is some crazy sale action going on over there, with an extra 50% coming off of items already on sale, and loads of shoes and bags.

Go. Now. Shop.

Not to turn Fashionista into a sad place, but another style icon did pass away yesterday and we should give her some props, too.

Farrah Fawcett was definitely one of the greatest beauty icons of all time. Really, who didn’t want to look like that lady at some point in life? Especially in the red Norma Kamali bathing suit, with perfectly tousled and feathered hair.

As much as Michael Jackson represented the 80s, Farrah was the 70s.

As a former beauty editor, I can’t even count the number of times that I referenced “The Farrah” (or the “Jill Munroe” as my Charlie’s Angels-obsessed self preferred) and worked on creating updated versions on set with a hair stylist and a model.

“The Rachel” was nothing in comparison to what this ‘do did to the nation. I’m pretty sure all of my mom’s friends (um, and their daughters) tried to rock it out at some point. And it was 100% percent American, worn by a girl from small town Texas.

Now, we love our Brazilians, eastern Europeans, and Russians as much as any model-philes, but Farrah had that quintessential All-American beauty that we actually don’t see very often on the runways these days.

Perhaps it’s time for a revival. Just a thought.

I had a folder in elementary school with this picture of Michael Jackson on the front. It actually had a cardboard record coming out of the top like a real album cover…and it was my most prized possession.

Of course, I was as obsessed with his music as any girl in the 80s, but I was also incredibly infatuated with the look—the vest, the yellow, the bow tie. And to be frank, I was completely in love with Michael Jackson.

I could go on for a million years about the moments and the memories that his music brings to mind. I will never forget sitting in the family room with my mom and dad, watching the “Thriller” premiere. For any of you too young to remember, this was a serious national event. When MJ’s hair caught on fire on the set of that Pepsi commercial…major disaster! And don’t even get me started on all things related to “Man in the Mirror”.

Angela Lindvall has long been doing the green thing and the charity thing (with her Collage Foundation.)

Now she’s collaborating with Yoox.com and Bono and Ali Hewson’s Edun Live on a t-shirt that will be the first to launch a series called “ever.green”, featuring different eco-friendly tees designed by a variety of celebs.

Angela’s goes on sale on Monday and a percentage of the proceeds will go to Green Cross International (which we had no idea was founded by Mikhail Gorbachev!)

The model says of her design, “My shirt was created from the shadows of trees. Our shadow side is what sometimes pushes us to grow.”

And we’ll just leave it at that and let you ponder away.

I didn’t go to camp when I was younger, but if I had I probably wouldn’t have been able to fashion anything like this fabulous woven bangle from Topshop.

We’re not always the brightest of dressers but this baby could add a nice pop to our ensembles. And we have been totally feeling the whole arts and crafts vibe lately (Abby and Britt are rocking their knot bracelets with pride) - so this is right up our alley.

The bangle is only $30, and bound to make you smile when you see it dangling on your wrist.

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

“I can try the clothes on myself.…The feeling, the comfort and the pleasure of wearing some pieces, for the feeling that it gives to you, it’s very important. Even when something is too small for me, I put it on anyway just to touch the fabric.” —Dries Van Noten in WWD on the best part of designing men’s versus women’s wear. (Though we don’t believe he can resist trying on his spectacular women’s clothes.)

Growing up, there was one beauty rule that was always drilled into my head: stay away from oils. As someone prone to horrible breakouts, I thought greasy liquids were a death sentence for my skin and something I stayed as far away from as possible.

Fast forward to two years ago when I finally got over my fear and first tried the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils. The slippery feel of it on my skin weirded me out, but once I forced myself to stick to it I found that it was unparalleled at removing makeup and helped my skin look better.

Now I use oils for everything. I cleanse off heavy eye makeup with the Shu Uemura Fresh Cleansing Oil (the new limited edition bottles by Manga artist Moyoco Anno are gorgeous btw) and I moisturize with the luxe Sponge Ladi Avokanto. I swear my skin glows and there’s not a zit in sight.

But it’s not just my face that benefits from the deluge — I’ve been experimenting with body oils as well. Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Argan Body Cleansing Oil is fab, although it does take a little bit of time getting used to the lack of lather and how liquid-y it is. I also just started using the new Bamford Organic Nourishing Body Oil on my legs and I swear they’ve never looked healthier. And you won’t end up looking like Gwyneth on The Tonight Show.

I think oils get a bad rap and many women are still too scared to try them out. Are you an oil-phile or do you steer clear of the slippery stuff?

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

Blair Waldorf in Chinatown?

Not exactly. But we hear that Leighton Meester will be performing at The F Word at the Santos Party House on Saturday night.

Amanda Lepore’s on the lineup too, which should make for a rather interesting mix in the crowd.

We totally admit to loving that single she does with Cobra Starship, so we’re actually interested to hear what else she has to offer.

Alas, we’ll be away at a wedding this weekend so let us know how it is if you check out the show.

Kate Reigns: Just in case you thought Kate Moss would ever be less sartorially influential, think again. Here’s a rundown of all the resort shows inspired by the super. If anyone can convince us to wear gold lamé, well, it’s obviously Kate. {StyleFile}

Oh Goody: Vanessa Bruno’s making a short film staring Lou Doillon. Stephanie Di Giusto will direct and there will be a screening in July before it’s available online. {Fashionologie}

Beam Me Up Scotty: Band Of Outsider’s Scott Sternberg answers W’s questions on the CFDAs and NY vs LA. He says that if Paris Hilton tried to wear his clothes he’d tell her, “That the moon is on fire and she better get outside and help put it out right this instant.” As if we could love him more. {W}

Same Old, Same Old: We are creatures of habit, but we’re still not sure we could wear one dress, and one dress only, for a whole year. Having the same thing for lunch each afternoon, not a problem. {Guardian UK}

We think we’ve found our new Fashion Week between-show hangout: The Porch.

Ever since we moved to NYC all those years ago, we’ve missed late summer afternoons and evenings chilling on the porch, cold cocktail in hand. And what do you know? We’re apparently not alone.

In a somewhat random, but welcome, celebration of Southwest Airlines now offering flights to LaGuardia (which is super awesome because we became obsessed with the airline during our west coast years) they’ve opened The Porch in the middle of Bryant Park, offering small plates and drinks. And it will indeed be there come mid-September when we’ll be posting up for the week, especially since Tom Colicchio’s overseeing the food.

We’ll be the ones on the laptops sipping pinot grigio. Be sure to say hi.

I’ve been trying to catch up on the men’s shows before Paris hits and it’s always interesting to scroll through everything at once.

I’m clicking through the boring suits with contrast lapels and short shorts that won’t work on any guy who hasn’t been to the gym every day for the past month and I’m noticing what might be the oddest trend ever: Socks.

My inner fashion demon, the ones from way back, like second grade, have always told me that socks and sandals are the biggest, most absolute NO ever.

But now, post-hours on men.Style.com, I learn that Stefano Pilati thinks they’re OK, Dean and Dan think they’re grand and even Consuelo Castiglioni over at Marni channeled “Grandpa with his pants down” when she decided that loafers paired with knee-highs and boxer shorts make an acceptable outfit.

And now my fashion compass is all sorts of off.

—KYLE HAYES

I’m 99% sure that’s Miranda Kerr on the left.

But I’m only half way through my coffee and three hours deep into a move from Brooklyn into Manhattan and I could be wrong. So we’ll start with a yes.

Is she even allowed to model other lingerie? For a department store? Even if she’s best friends with Elle MacPherson and actually only wears her bras in real life because they’re a million times better than Victoria’s Secret? VS has pretty iron clad contracts for their girls. Want to walk Givenchy? Fine. Want to model in another catalog? Absolutely not.

And if it’s not her, way to go Bloomingdale’s for finding the only other human being in the world who looks like that.

Meanwhile this looks just like Cat McNeil, but it’s not, is it? The url even reads, “PseudoCat.” I might need another cup of coffee.

Recently I’ve been lamenting the loss of my once stellar flea market skills.

And while I vowed to get back in the swing of all things vintage, I am still incredibly grateful to Madewell for making it even easier.

The Manhattan and East Hampton stores will be featuring finds from the Brooklyn Flea starting this Thursday and going until at least Labor Day, though possibly longer.

Fashion Director Gigi Guerra and stylist Lisa Schulner will be scouring the Ft. Greene and Brooklyn Bridge locations for pieces that will complement Madewell’s collections. And everything will be less than $100. I’ve had the pleasure of working with both of these ladies (at Jane and at YM) and I can totally vouch for the fact that they both have extremely keen eyes for hidden treasures.

We can’t wait to see what they dig up. But we still highly recommend you all make a trip to the Flea yourselves too.

Valentino’s been an utter disaster since Valentino left.

So yesterday the company announced they were bringing back Carlos Souza, the former model and current PR whiz to whip it back into shape. Or more specifically, to get back their devoted celebrity clientele.

He’s starting now, or next week at couture and working alongside HL Group here in the States to right what’s become the wrong Valentino image.

If anyone can do that, if anyone knows the brand well enough, it’s Souza, but how can all the PR in the world fix a label with disastrous, or worse, boring designs? From Alessandra Facchinetti’s controversial ousting to the lackluster clothes from Valentino’s former accessory designers the house hasn’t had the least success since Valentino left.

Here’s hoping Souza really is the answer. We’d hate to see Valentino be the new Halston.

We’d gotten so used to waking up every morning to the news that yet another designer would be returning home to London for Spring 09 that we don’t know what to do with the news that Giles will be showing in Paris.

First, we should congratulate him for winning the ANDAM award, the same €160,000 endowment that sent Gareth Pugh to Paris one year ago. The prize, given by France’s National Association for the Development of the Fashion Arts has been previously bestowed upon designers like Margiela and Viktor & Rolf putting Giles in even higher company.

But really we’re kind of devastated. His clothes and spirit are so thoroughly British that the grand celebrations of the BFC’s 25th Anniversary will be lacking without his presence, not to mention that despite the crazy fun that is British Fashion Week there really are just a handful of internationally known designers in town - Luella, Westwood’s Red Label, Chris Kane and now probably Marios Schwab which makes Giles’ show one of LFW’s stars.

Meanwhile, we are excited to see how or if his designs change for such a different atmosphere and probably audience. Can we expect Anna’s presence?

We’re imagining Anna’s lips disappearing into a thin line of anger: Forbes has announced that in the first half of the year, Elle has sold more ad pages than Vogue.

For fashion magazines (and any magazine, really) ad sales are where the big money comes pouring in. With the state of the economy, everyone’s ad sales are down, Elle is down 22%, Vogue is down 32%. Some more numbers for you: last year, Vogue had 10% more ads than Elle, but for the last six issues, Elle sold 970 pages and Vogue sold 956.

It’s pretty close, but are these the winds of change? Vogue has been the most elite and respected fashion glossy for decades though many fans of the magazine have been grinding their teeth over recent cover choices like Blake Lively and Sienna Miller (a frequent cover girl) - choices that Forbes dubs too “down-market” and possible signs that Vogue is slipping.

We would die of happiness if we thought this meant models and designers would regularly be gracing the covers of these popular fashion magazines, but Elle’s recent cover girl choices haven’t been spectacular lately either. Is this just going to be changing of guard, that doesn’t really change anything all that much?

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Have you made plans for the Fourth of July yet? We hope you’re going to be catching some awesome fireworks or grilling out at a sweet barbecue. The American patriotic spirit has even gone global, thanks to Obama-mania.

The latest in the ever-growing category of Obama-inspired fashion (see: Rodarte for Sonia Rykiel) comes from Italian shoemaker Cesare Paciotti - an Obama Tennis Shoe. It’s very simple: a white sneaker emblazoned with the good ol’ stars and stripes.

We don’t mean to be anglophiles, but in the past if we thought about wrapping a flag around our bodies, we’d usually choose the Union Jack.

But now we’re thinking twice about it thanks to Cesare’s cool American look. While the president served as inspiration, the flag detail pretty much embraces the whole country.

So come the Fourth, let’s wave—and wear—our flags proudly.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Camille, 22, intern

Got Her: Walking down Prince on her way to lunch.

Stalked Her: The lace lured us in.

Shot Her: Her light pink dress with its black lace overlay had us yearning to revive our lace addiction. When we got closer we noticed her super cute Miu Miu flats and layered pearls. We love how she managed to look fresh and young while combining such classics.

She Said: “I like a little bit of everything, and I’ve been super into pearls lately.”

We Say: Antique chic. Nice.

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

Your mom probably wore one when she played tennis. Or the kid that got made fun of during summer camp. And Eminem was pretty into wearing one backwards in 2001.

That’s right, the visor. There are two basic versions: the sporty, and the beachy.

We’ve seen the sporty one cropping up ironically on your basic hipster. Michael Kors had the beachy sort all over his Spring 09 runway. Now we’re even seeing avant-garde versions.

We’re definitely steering clear of the sporty because irony usually fades after a few weeks and then it’s just plain ugly. As for the beach, we thought Lara wore a nice one for Michael Kors, and there’s a version at Neiman Marcus that we’d even consider calling elegant. But these two mostly just look like hats so…why not just wear a hat?

Is there an appeal to the visor that we’re completely missing?

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Silver Fox: Jeffrey Monteiro’s resort collection’s already made its TV debut, courtesy of our noted girl crush, Kim Gordon performing on Jimmy Fallon. Though even a Sonic Youth appearance makes it hard for us to stomach that show. {StyleFile}

Invention Convention: Fashion’s most ethically minded innovators get recognized. Reading this cleared our palate of the NYC Prep aftertaste. {Vogue UK}

Urban Dips Into Sea of Shoes: What do you think of Jane Aldridge’s first collection for UO? We’re not in love, but that flat is kinda cute. {Refinery29}

Less is More: Or so Saks thinks for the upcoming year. Translation: if you want your size, you have to shop early…and don’t expect the discounts you’ve seen lately. {Bloomberg}

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

Rumor has it that Patricia Field might part ways with the Sex and the City sequel, over creative differences with Sarah Jessica Parker.

SJP wants Carrie’s wardrobe to be reflective of the recession, which Field is apparently not so into. The flame-haired style maven told Grazia, “I don’t use the recession as a reference for my creativity.”

Whose side are you on?

In these times, we have all had to struggle with balancing our lust for fashion and cautious saving, or just outright lack of funds. And it’s nice that SJP is considering realism. But do we, as viewers, actually want Carrie Bradshaw to cut down on her fabulous and outrageous outfits? Is this one of those times when art doesn’t have to imitate life?

Personally, this strikes us as exactly the right time and place for fashion escapism.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Given our Gossip Girl obsession, I felt the need to weigh in on the situation that is NYC Prep, fashion news or not.

While I anxiously await Daily Intel’s highly specific (and sure to be hilarious) recap, I’ll just share a few quick thoughts.

I was obviously expecting an abundance of egregious behavior and inflated egos from these privileged youth…they were worse than expected. It was kind of nauseating to watch. Fictional romps on GG = good. Real kids acting like a-holes, not so much. Note: PC, sir, you are no Chuck Bass.

Plus, I was less than impressed by the clothing—which is supposed to be one of their “things”, yes? Personal shoppers do not a stylish girl (or boy) make. And Sebastian, really with the hair? We think Rolando could give you some serious advice.

Blair, Chuck, Serena, and even Little J would be so disappointed.

Fashion quote of the show for sure was from Jessie’s friend, Zoe: “I wear clothes that are less than $20 sometimes.” I don’t even have words…

Are these kids giving their private school counterparts across the country a bad name? Or just our fair city of New York? I, for one, have never been more proud of my public school diploma.

Yet, I know I will still watch every episode of this silly show. What does that say about me? Are you with me? Or are you a more culturally sound person?

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

This morning’s inbox is flooded with sale announcements.

While no one’s hit 75% off quite yet, except for Selfridges which sadly we can’t make, spring prices are being slashed left and right.

Saks just announced 25% off all women’s denim (on top of their already 40% off sale), for two days you can take an extra 20% off sale at Shopbop and Barneys added inventory to their sale while knocking everything down another 25%, too.

J.Crew’s having a ‘secret’ sale - enter SECRET at checkout for 20% purchases over $175 and Net-a-Porter’s sale section’s already disappeared which means we expect it to be further discounted on the Outnet sooner than later.

And, someone emailed yesterday to ask why in the world Intermix is selling spring Rag & Bone for full price when it’s 50% off on Bergdorf’s 5th floor - we don’t know why, but we do think you’d like to know that if you have your heart set on that perfect romper at left you should probably head to 5th instead of Madison Avenue.

Happy shopping!

Jonathan Saunders will join his Brit friends at London Fashion Week this September.

He, like Burberry, Pringle and Matthew Williamson before him, will return to the UK in honor of the British Fashion Council’s 25th anniversary after showing in New York for the past couple of years.

The BFC’s averaging about one glorious return per week and considering LFW doesn’t start until September there’s room for about twelve more to change their mind.

Between this, the recession and the move from the Natural History Museum to Somerset House we’re expecting major changes for fall - here’s hoping the BFC’s grand celebrations make for one serious week long party.

Fact: Lulu Guinness is adorable. Both in person and in her designs.

We’re bummed that her Kooky Eyed Cat Handbag has a waiting list, but the rest of her website is still putting smiles on our faces this afternoon.

Or should we say, smiles on our ears? Lulu has taken her iconic painted lips and made them into the most whimsical earrings since the glass slipper pair we bought at Disney World when we were nine.

We don’t wear earrings that often, but we knew there was a reason we’d kept our holes from closing.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

After seeing the Richard Avedon fashion photography exhibit at the International Center for Photography, our love of fifties glamour is revived. We especially love the circle skirts that give volume to the models’ slim frames.

The fifties have certainly never disappeared from the fashion spotlight but what’s being accentuated of late, however, is the hips - going back to the Balenciaga S/S 08 runway or Galliano’s Lisa Fonssagrives-inpsired couture with its armor-like hip plates.

But it seems that the shoulders had to take their turn first.

Now that we’re all more than a little sick of that Balmain jacket, the hips taking center stage, quite literally in some cases.

Sasha and Carine brought the look to the beach and the past two nights, Beyoncé sang and danced in a gold Thierry Mugler leotard with padded hips at Madison Square Garden.

Seeing as this is an area of the body that often causes loads of female insecurity, do tell us, would you ever try out this look?

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

“NYC Prep is boot camp in Prada shoes.” — The New York Times reviews Gossip Girl’s wannabe reality counterpart, Bravo’s NYC Prep.

Um, when that’s the first thing we read on an invitation, it basically need not say more.

We are so in.

Inven.tory, the people that bring you the overstock from young emerging designer at prices well within your recession budget, is hosting an 80%20 pop up shop through the 28th of June.

If you go by tonight from 6-8 you’ll get to feast on yummy treats and drinks from our neighborhood fave, La Esquina.

Location:
Inven.tory
237 Lafayette (at Spring st)

See you there!

Last year, V named Amanda Laine their model search winner.

Since then, the Canadian’s walked everything from Alex Wang to McQueen, Miu Miu to Vuitton. She’s been in V (obviously), Interview, POP, Numero, W, Bazaar and more. Needless to say, Stephen Gan’s eye for runway potential has a one up on Tyra’s.

So now the mag’s teamed up with Ford Models and thrown Alexander Wang onto their judging panel to find the next superstar. They’ve already received over 6000 online entries, but you have until June 29th to submit your profile on their site.

Finalists will be announced July 3rd and from there the winner gets an editorial in V and a contract with Ford, which is kind of priceless. Gan wants to, “unearth the next classic female beauty with a twist.”

If that’s you, you better get a move on.

Oh Hello: Ed Westwick’s celebrity crush is Scarlett Johansson. He also likes low-top sneakers and laments the fact that Chuck Bass has a billion dollars and he doesn’t. {NylonTV}

Drama Feed: Dolce & Gabanna’s AW09 campaign features lots of models, lots of Marilyn dresses, lots of fur and lots of dresses that we’d really love to have (especially if they come with one of the male models.) {Models}

Strap This: According to Garance, because according to the Italians, everyone needs a little strapless dress this summer, worn with flats during the day. This, we love. {Garance}

So What?: There’s a dude from Kentucky who diets so that he can walk for Cavalli and Co. He only eats twice a day. Mon dieu! {NYTimes}

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

It’s been a long time coming, but we of the weak eyes are finally getting our due.

It started on the runway: Natasha Poly looked sexy with her chignon and frames walking Michael Kors for Fall 08, and then Charles Anastase accented his sweet but sexy Spring 09 collection with black glasses.

Now they’ve gained real momentum. Terry Richardson (whose big frames we love) hilariously chronicled Lily Donaldson’s visit to the eye doctor (a process that ends in the always uncomfortable eye drops that we are all too familiar with) for US Vogue and the new Dolce & Gabbana and D&G ads include shots of bespectacled models.

Apart from advertisements for their actual glasses collections, this is the first we can remember them being used so very prominently in fashion advertisements. And boy, did pictures of Justin in those black frames at the CFDAs get our hearts pumping.

There are some serious fashion idols that rocked frames (Yves Saint Laurent and Iris Apfel come to mind) but now glasses have become a versatile accessory, and even our friends with 20/20 are joining in.

Those of us who suffered through elementary, middle and high school embarrassment eventually coming to self-acceptance and love of our glasses, felt a little bitter at first towards those who just threw on the frames now that it was cool. But ultimately, we feel rather proud that glasses are being embraced.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Though the skies threatened to open up just about every other minute, most of the raindrops held off last night as we headed over to the penthouse at the Cooper Square Hotel to view the Sachin + Babi for Ankasa resort collection along with influential types like Fern Mallis and Meredith Melling-Burke.

The married designers started their own collection a few seasons ago after years of doing fabric work and embroideries for designers like Oscar and Vera. Basically, they wanted to bring their knowledge and skill in that area to a more accessible price point - dresses average about $300. And it worked.

We’re even considering wearing sequins, something we haven’t done since some choice high school dresses, after seeing the subtle way Ankasa uses them in not only dresses, but even shorts and pants. The cropped jackets, vests and necklaces were also favorites, as well as the navy and black story in the collection. Most of the work is hand-done in Mumbai with the designers on site for much of the process and you can definitely see it in the details.

Now if someone would just plan us a fabulous vacation on which to wear all of these lovely pieces…

Post-Melissa’s addiction admission last week, I feel it’s time for me to come clean too.

I have sixty-seven bottles of nail polish in my collection, every single one a different color. In fact, I have everything from periwinkle to mod white to highlighter yellow, but there isn’t a classic red in the bunch.

Scarlet nails make me think of Melanie Griffith circa 1985. There’s always been something old lady-ish, maybe even tacky about a red nail to me, until I tried out Deborah Lippmann’s latest launch, It’s Raining Men. It’s the reddest of the red — bright, hot and on the other end of the spectrum from my usual offbeat color selection.

It’s both crisp and clean and I love the way it looks on my super-short nails. I’m not sure what triggered this new found love of crimson but I know I’ll be rocking the retro shade all summer. So if Bordeaux’s a little too dark and Candy Apple’s a little to orange, check this out.

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

— PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

Donatella Versace threw a lavish dinner party in Milan last night at the close of a very brief and very sobering Men’s Fashion Week. She told The New York Times that the world will re-discover its love of excessive luxury in no time.

While she holds her breath, we’re going to enjoy the ways in which the fashion industry repeatedly comes together to help out the struggling. Like Elie Tahari partnering with the CFDA to rotate jewelry designers in his East Hampton shop this summer.

Kara Ross, Me & Ro, Stephen Dweck and Subversive’s Justin Giunta are among those with mini pop-ups in the Tahari store, complete with signs in the windows, for two weeks at a time from July 1st through September. Each will make personal appearances, too.

Tahari told WWD, “I wanted to show my support for the fashion industry by giving these designers a platform from which to raise the awareness of their brands and be seen in a highly trafficked environment such as the Hamptons.”

It amazes us that Scottish designer Graeme Black isn’t more widely known.

After all, he was senior designer at Armani for years (not to mention the great Giorgio’s boyfriend for much of that time), and before that Creative Director of Ferragamo. He launched his luxe, very tailored, eponymous label a few years ago.

Victoria Beckham’s a major fan; her own line was equal parts inspired by Black as Mouret. His fiercely loyal following also includes Arab princesses, political wives, English (celeb) royalty including Elle MacPherson and Yasmin LeBon, whose daughter walked Graeme’s AW09 runway and so on.

The designer’s been more quietly successful stateside, his new Saks concession is ka-chinging along and he’ll be part of the new ninth floor in September. In London, he’s launching an entirely new retail concept - think a more luxe Colette - this fall.

And why are we talking about him now? Because the Scottish Fashion Awards were kind of irrelevant until Scotland started producing the likes of Alexander McQueen, Louise Gray, Christopher Kane etc. and since Jonathan Saunders was more than expected to take home designer of the year, everyone’s eye has turned toward Black after scooping the award this weekend.

So for now, Black gets to be the Great Scot.

—CHARLEY B.

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

United Bamboo just launched their online store today, just in case you don’t have time to pop into Opening Ceremony or Confederacy to pick up one of their color-block dresses. They’ll also be offering up lots of items exclusive to the site.

In keeping with the company’s philosophy of collaborating with cool downtown artists, musicians and the like, they got James Iha, of Smashing Pumpkins guitar fame, to do the music.

Plus there will be graphic animation by French illustrator Pier Fichefeux, just another person who makes us really, really wish we could draw.

Who would you like to see as their next musical or artistic partner?

Our first thought when we saw this photo: weird.

American Apparel introduces: Kids Shiny Leggings.

AA is known for some out-there products (slashed leggings, all-mesh dresses) but their selection of kids clothes has been pretty tame until now.

Now, I like leggings, and I like shiny things, but the combination of the two was just never for me, unless I was going to an 80s rocker party. And when I saw them on this little cutie, I thought, “Oh, come on now, do we really have to try and push kids into these tacky eyesores?”

This afternoon the Daily Mail showed us the first pictures of the characters from Tim Burton’s film adaptation of Alice in Wonderland.

And while we feel that Tim’s cycle of remaking a classic in a quirky weird way starring Johnny Depp might be getting a little tired, there’s no arguing that the hair and makeup teams are doing some genius work on this set.

I’m kind of loving Anne Hathaway as the White Queen, perhaps because it’s such a very different Anne than we’re used to seeing. And I forever love a perfect scarlet lip with ultra-pale skin.

But from a beauty standpoint, this look leads us to ask the question: when you go from brunette to blond (a current topic of much discussion here at the office) do you bleach the eyebrows too, or do the more dramatic dark brow/light hair combo?

We’ve been trying hard (and failing miserably) to not complain about the rain. We can’t help it. This sucks and it’s eating away at our summer.

But we’ve often found in the past, that as soon as we buy a new umbrella, it stops raining and vice versa. Case in point, the torrential downpour we got stuck in yesterday in Soho, sans any sort of protective gear. So we’re going to make some moves on that front and purchase ourselves some.

And even if it doesn’t work, at least we’ll have one of these super cute little ladies from Fred Flare when the skies open up again. They can’t help but brighten up the gloomiest of June days, right? Because we need some majoring brightening, along with a solid helping of Vitamin D.

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

Michelle Trachtenberg’s danced around the fashion crowd for a bit now without actually attaching her name to anything (except for her stint as one of the faces for Candie’s at Kohl’s which she’d probably like us to forget.)

But now she’s throwing a party for Guess.

They’re re-opening their Soho flagship store at the end of July and Georgina Sparks, along with Marie Claire, will host the bash.

Which of course makes us wonder, will Michelle grace an upcoming cover of Marie Claire or join forces with Guess’ sultry models?

It also makes us wonder what went wrong in the world of Gossip Girls-turned-campaign faces. We’re still not over Leighton for Reebok or Ed for K Swiss, and Michelle for Guess is just as disturbing. They all have faces worthy of high fashion campaigns and Michelle and Leighton both have curves we’d love to see in runway clothes.

Make us proud Blake.

A Fashion Veneta: Booth Moore’s in Milan, well actually everyone’s in Milan, for Men’s Fashion Week. She caught the Bottega Veneta show on camera. Will purple ever not be in for men? {LATimes}

Surprise, Surprise: Look who’s on the cover of Teen Vogue. Emma Watson, looking like we do in our wildest dreams and saying, like they all do, “I want to be normal.” {TeenVogue}

Say It’s So: Gap’s bringing back their Heaven and Dream fragrances, the latter of which throws me back to my 8th grade locker, Third Eye Blind, Doc Martens and tiny floral dresses. {BeautyAddict}

Fashion and tennis have always shared a special bond: Coco Chanel, Lacoste, Anna and Roger.

Today marks the beginning of the most fashionable, in our opinion, of all the Grand Slams - Wimbledon. It must be noted that I am a huge tennis fan and much like Ms. Wintour, I have much affection for Mr. Federer. Though, unfortunately I do not get the chance to frequently jet to his matches.

I look forward to seeing what the people at Nike come up with for him every year for this tournament. It’s always dapper and ultra chic, like this jacket in the picture, though the cardigan sweater from last year might be my favorite.

I simply swoon over the classic gentlemanly touches and the retro feel. It just sums up everything that I think Wimbledon should be sartorially.

Maybe he can throw some advice about subtlety in fashion choices Serena Williams’ way if they cross paths at Centre Court, because we’re a little unsure about the gold pants as well as some of her on-court choices.

Do you prefer the classic look or something a little jazzier on the court? If you like tennis, that is.

As of today, the fashion crowd in NYC has a new go-to dining establishment, The Standard Grill at Andre Balazs’ recently opened Standard Hotel, just under fashion’s other favorite new spot, the High Line.

Fashion publicists, designers, stylists, and editors have been flocking to the restaurant’s previews the past couple of weeks and we got our taste on Friday (at a table next to Pat Field!)

Random side note for those of you who watched this season of Make Me a Supermodel, Mountaha is totally waiting tables there.

We expect that many an industry event will be held at the spot and we can’t wait. And of course we’d be remiss if we didn’t give you guys a couple of our amateur critic recommendations: the “million dollar” chicken with smashed potatoes, the haricots verts salad (with a cinnamon twist), and pretty much anything on the dessert menu - though we were partial to the chocolate milkshake and Snickerdoodles combo.

Now we just need for the beer garden to open so we can pretend to work off our sinful eating with a wicked game of Ping Pong.

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

“Don’t tell anyone, because I’m not allowed to do this, but we absolutely are going to have a show in mid-July, during Fashion Week - and it won’t be a funeral: it’ll be a fightback…I can’t stand the idea that people think I am to blame, but to a certain extent I am paying for not having done what everyone else did, with their logos and It-bags. I never went down that route.”” —Christian Lacroix to The Telegraph.

News of the World, one of those super reputable British papers, is reporting that Emma Watson’s designing her own line of clothes.

For teenagers of course, with all profits going toward UNICEF and with advice from Karl Lagerfeld.

So basically that’s not true.

But since signing on as the face of Burberry we’ve heard more than one whisper she’ll design a range for the British label. Probably accessories and probably not targeted at teenagers since well, Burberry couldn’t be less teenager-y.

Emma’s clearly had the fashion bug since she started wearing Chanel couture to her premieres at eleven and while we bitch and moan about celebrity lines like it’s our job (is it?), we might not mind seeing what the Harry Potter star comes up with - especially with Christopher Bailey at the creative helm.

And bloggers take one more step up the fashion food chain.

Holt Renfrew, the Canadian department store, will pay tribute to a handful of fashion’s most famous online personalities including The Sartorialist’s Scott Schuman, BryanBoy and Jak & Jil’s Tommy Ton in their new window displays.

Creative director John Gerhardt’s orchestrated the entire thing without any input from the bloggers themselves - just inspiration from their sites and their voice. So we’re guessing layered prep a la Band of Outsiders with a bright scarf for Scott (and a bike of course), an explosion of Balmain and Givenchy for Tommy and just something major for BryanBoy.

We can’t wait to see the windows come Friday (because someone will send us pictures, right?) and we probably would buy anything straight out of one of Scott or Tommy’s gorgeous images, but we can’t help but wish Gerhardt had actually enlisted the bloggers’ help with the project.

“In many ways, the first lady has made people see — really see — black women for the first time. For example, when a black model appeared on the May cover of Vogue, news articles credited the ‘Obama effect,’ ignoring the concerted lobbying by fashion industry activists that began long before Barack Obama was even a presidential contender…Enthusiasm over glossy-magazine beauty as defined by a darker-skinned black woman has to be seen against the backdrop of history, when black women’s appearance was used as a tool of oppression. High culture rhapsodized in love sonnets about ivory complexions, flaxen hair and ruby lips. And today, black women still mostly surface as sidebars in beauty stories.” Robin Givhan in her interesting story from today’s Washington Post on Michelle Obama’s cultural role, and her real and fictional predecessors.

It’s true. I can’t stop myself. I love the feeling I get when I glance down and see a flash of cool on my digits.

Abby says she would call for an intervention except that she likes seeing what I show up with every day. (She also just told me about Rescue Beauty Lounge - who make this amazing glitter polish - I might have to go directly after work.)

Currently, I’m rocking a horizontal-striped double-Essie combo (Aruba Blue topped with Bermuda Shorts). I live for the Sally Hansen nail pens, and fully see some lightning bolts in my nail future. I also love vertical stripes and painting each nail a different color.

And I will forever maintain that being the person who comes up with the names of nail polishes is undeniably the most amazing job ever. Reading the label on the bottom of a nail polish bottle brings me endless joy.

Are you as obsessed as I am? What is your go-to nail hue?

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

It’s been super fun running around New York in the pouring rain checking out resort collections.

Or not really.

But yesterday, at Goldsign, we found something that made it all worth it - the stretchy stirrup thigh-high jeans at left.

Goldsign’s developed this exclusive super stretch legging/jean fabrication that they’ve turned into a pant, but also into two tubes with stirrups at the bottom that are kind of like over the knee boots except you can switch up the actual shoe part and they’ll sell for around $128, not $1028.

We’re slightly worried about the fact that we have more fat on our thighs than their look book model, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be the first people trying them on when they hit stores in October.

So once I got over my line of Olsen questioning I finally got down to business.

If there’s a common thread among the people I’ve interviewed, it’s their nostalgia for a time when talent was enough, when you worked hard and made your way up the chain to the ridiculously successful place in which they all sit now instead of these days when everyone wants a piece of the industry and who you know becomes more important than what you know.

In Part II, we talk about how Rolando ended up at Bumble & bumble, Fashion Week work versus editorial work, being on a plane with Charlie’s Angels and his Madonna moment - because really, everyone has one.

Nudie Ladies: Finally, outtakes from Terry Richardson’s Pirelli Calendar shoot. WARNING: There are lots and lots and lots of naked boobies. {VanityFairIT}

Hallelujah: Is there anything wrong with the fact that only one photographer and one model have been booked for the August issue of French Vogue? Not when Inez & Vinoodh are shooting Daria. {WWD}

Are You Ready: It’s that time of year, when the fashion blogosphere holds its breath in anticipation of Fall ads. So far, Marc Jacobs throws Natasa V out the window and Calvin Klein casts Jourdan Dunn. {TheFashionSpot & Fashionologie}

Mellow Yellow: Have you seen this yellow Margiela clutch Sea of Shoes Mom has? It’s amazing. Also, Sea of Shoes Daughter is designing shoes for Urban Outfitters, but we’re not supposed to know that. {SeaOfShoes}

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

We all know Father’s Day is this weekend. Or if this is your reminder, get to rush ordering online stat!

And this dad’s day-inspired story that Refinery29 did on their blog just made our Friday morning. They’ve got a slew of photos that staffers and fashion friends sent in of their cooler than cool dads.

Not surprisingly, Chris Benz’ dad is kinda smokin’ hot, way hip, and looks to have been shot in Cameron’s garage from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. And a little Kate Lanphear and her pop are in coordinating tanks. Aw!

Of course, it got me thinking about my own dad’s style. (That is indeed him and yours truly in the photo. He rocks that sweet ‘stache to this day…and now it’s totally in again!) You see he’s the one I got my shoe addiction from. The man loves a great pair of shoes. And he’s so much more of a clothes horse than my mom.

My favorite fashion phase was when he got super into madras in the form of shorts, pants, and blazers. Actually, I think I’m going to tell him to bring those back into rotation.

What’s your favorite dad fashion moment…good or bad?

The Trovata v. Forever 21 case may have ended in a mistrial, but it seems the beauty world (in Europe at least) is a step ahead in protecting designer brands.

WWD reports that the European Court of Justice ruled for L’Oreal and against three companies that were knocking perfumes owned by the cosmetics giant, including Trésor, Anaïs-Anaïs and Noa.

Not only had the companies created facsimiles of the scents, but also the bottles and even the outside packaging. Really, does it get more blatant than that?

Obviously, I’m no legal expert and I do realize that there are different trademark laws, etc associated with fragrances as opposed to clothing. But, regardless, it is refreshing to see legal protection being offered to a company whose resources, knowledge, and creativity are the reason the product exists in the first place.

If only we could just throw a little of that legal justice Trovata’s way. Sigh.

At least New York was kind enough to place a couple of days between the CFDAs and the Whitney Art Party - London decided to cram it all into one very fashionable evening.

First up, the Hoping Foundations charity event to raise money for Palestinian refugee camps. Sienna Miller and Kate Moss held court on the dance floor, the former laughing loudly above the crowd and the latter admiring Sienna’s shoes.

We ran into Sienna again at Quintessentially’s summer party, but she, as well as we, left when we realized the bar was dry.

So it’s a good thing Grey Goose sponsored Ralph Lauren’s Summer BBQ at the Kensington Roof Gardens. Tennis stars mingled with princesses though we had our eye on Dolce & Gabanna model David Gandy. He’s unphased by Jesus’ turn in the Dolce spotlight, in part because he’s busy penning a column for the new magazine Fash-ism, launching next month.

—CHARLEY B.

Roksanda Ilincic, the Serbian born, Central Saint Martins trained designer, is collaborating with British high street store Whistles on a capsule collection of cocktail dresses.

The seven pieces will range from £175 to £300, plus the cost of a plane ticket to London if you’re not already there.

Roksanda’s clothes are like fairy tale concoctions full of shifting colors and easy to miss details which makes us wonder how well they’ll translate into mass produced clothing. They’ll be pretty, definitely, but will they have that magical quality her runway collection does?

Then again we’re probably just sad we won’t be able to see them in person (though realistically we won’t have a penny left post-Chris Kane for Topshop). Unless of course, you know, you want to send one our way.

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

Sorry for the minor Life With gap - we’ve been busy!

We’re getting back in the swing of things, so meet Rolando Beauchamp.

He’s a Bumble & bumble super stylist who does both editorial and runway work. And oh yeah, he styles Mary-Kate Olsen’s hair for most major events in New York.

I fell for him backstage at Vivienne Westwood’s AW09 Gold Label show in Paris this past March while we both kind of passed out from the joy of being in a basement with Dame Viv, Pam Anderson and a bunch of models for a few hours. He’s vivacious, friendly and so fun to talk to. So when I wanted a Life With a stylist, he was my first choice.

We sat down to talk hair (obviously), growing up on the Lower East Side in the 60’s, Olsens, divas and his dream gig (are you there Carine?).

You know the drill. Part II tomorrow!

Okay, so this new technology we just came across over on Allure’s blog sounds way cool in a very Minority Report sort of way.

Apparently there’s a company in Japan that is developing a “fragrance communication” system that allows you to send a scent via the internet.

What the what? Yeah, we did a doubletake too. Seems that you hook something up to your computer that then follows digital commands and mixes the fragrance for you to smell.

Of course many perfumes are super complex, so there are sure to be some limitations. But it sounds like sooner rather than later you’ll be able to test a scent before you buy it online. Just keep some coffee beans at your desk when you’re trying out a bunch.

Our one fear? Pop-up fragrance ads that become the digital equivalent of unwanted scent strips inside of magazines.

Before you say anything, know that I am fully aware that it’s just about time for me to enter a 12-step program to deal with my jewelry obsession.

But not before I snatch up this ring from In God We Trust.

The shape looks like a silhouette of a seriously huge diamond dazzler, and is delicate enough to contrast with my usual pieces. Plus, it’ll look super chic next to our newrough diamond ring.

‘Tis true that maybe I don’t need more rings, but it’s on sale for $66 at Revolve so I say done deal.

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

I dream of a day when I can finally take the boxes upon boxes of my beloved books that sit in my parents’ attic and unpack them in what I imagine to be a gloriously large library inside my fantasy brownstone off lower 5th Avenue.

And in this library, there will definitely be many, many books from Taschen, one of our favorite publishing houses. We’re obviously partial to the fashion and photography lists. But really, we can’t pick just one genre. And the limited editions, like the Peter Beard one we’ve been obsessing over, are so ridiculously well-done.

Hence our utter excitement about the company’s warehouse sale which starts tomorrow (11am - 8pm) and continues on Saturday (11-8) and Sunday (12-8) at the Soho store at 107 Greene St. There are going to be literally thousands of books (new! vintage! limited editions! out of print!) on sale from 50-75% off.

We’re envisioning a major shipment heading to M&D’s in Indiana come Monday.

“In contrast to Alex Shulman’s letter to the industry, I have very rarely experienced situations in which the samples are too small for the models (once or twice, mostly things with corsets) but have lost count of the number of times I have had to send a tailor to a celebrity’s house to take in a sample I have lent them…Sample sizes got tiny about the same time celebrity magazines started to multiply like those weird mushrooms that grow under the trees that dogs like. Up to that point there just were not that many ‘red carpet’ opportunities that it was worth schlepping samples around for…Whilst it is admirable that she [Shulman] has such strong feelings, it puts the fashion houses in a very difficult position as the value of celebrity coverage, particularly to beauty sales, is so high there is little they can do to back away from lending to x-ray thin celebrities.” Interesting excerpts and opinions on the sample size debate from an anonymous insider publicist on the LibertyLondonGirl blog

The latest issue of WWWWD’s out today and it, together with lots and lots of coffee, is helping to cure our hangover.

The Intellectual Issue covers Natasha Poly’s catastrophic runway fall, one which left her with telepathic powers, and researches NASA’s interest in Miuccia Prada’s “obnoxious genius.”

We actually laughed out loud at their sartorial timeline: Jesus invented Birkenstocks in 1 A.D. and in 2004, Gabriel Aubry, “first known human with IQ of 23 able to digest food without use of machines, claims Earth is flat on the set of a Versace shoot.”

But Agyness Deyn’s poem, a sort of ode to the Beatrice Inn in which she wonders, “Where shall drink with Ashley and MK / Weep I shall all night and all day,” might be the most random bit.

Kinky Mickey: These S&M meets Mickey Mouse ears that Stephen Jones created for Ascot are one more reason to love the fantastical milliner. {VogueUK}

Forget Disneyland: If we won a lawsuit we’d go shopping, too. 50 Cent just dropped $33,000 on Tom Ford suits. {NYPost}

But We All Wanna Be Like Kate: Beth Ditto wouldn’t perform at Topshop without designing her own line. They said no, but gave her Evans and now plus-size lines are popping up everywhere. Ruth La Ferla discusses. {NYTimes}

W in Jersey? Someone over at W has actually eaten at the restaurant where the Real Housewives of New Jersey finale, aka the best episode EVER, took place. Perhaps it’s time for a Zip car road trip. {W}

—PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEREMY KOST

When we were younger, we loved Legos. Making little towns could entertain us for hours— or until our Barbie showed up and totally towered over her supposed home.

And we think that these Jean-Charles de Castelbajac customizable Lego sunglasses that we found on Dazed Digital, are too funny.

The sunglasses are available in red, white, and yellow, and can be customized by adding Lego as you please.

While we think that in some cases, paying to DIY a designer product, like this $5,500 Fendi baguette and this lettered black Roger Vivier bag, can get kind of ridiculous.

That said, we can’t help but want to try to create our own Lego masterpiece. And at just over $150, the shades are quite a bit cheaper than the make-you-own purses.

With Ray Ban offering up their Colorize kit, and items like the One-Dress being sold, we have to ask, do you get nervous at the thought of being left to your own devices and prefer your purchases to be ready-made or are you willing to shell out to DIY your designer goods?

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

Just to quickly recap the very swingin’ Whitney Art party last night, Britt was totally right, bandage dresses took over the room. (To be noted though, Britt did opt for something very hot herself!)

The music was old-school (loved). The champers ran out two hours in (did not love). And the room was filled with amazing art and all the cool kids from Camilla Belle and Hilary Rhoda to Anne Slowey and Joe Zee.

We can’t lie, though, the highlight of the evening was not running into Brian Reyes and snagging an invite to his huge new design space (though that was lovely) or perusing the pieces of art that, sadly, we didn’t have the funds to bid on.

No, it was Bradley Cooper. What can we say: we’re girls, he’s way dreamier in person, and the smile, god, the smile. Even cynical fashion types swooned in his presence. We saw at least two ladies hand him their cards.

Sorry, enough with the crushing when we should be talking about fashionable things. He just does that to us.

But so does a great dress. And the best-dressed of the night was definitely Lake Bell in red BCBG which clearly stood out in the sea of Herve.

Elle’s launching their own online video channel.

Apparently do it yourself or how to beauty videos are all the rage on YouTube and since Elle has an actual stable of beauty editors in house and an endless supply of experts on call they figured they’d tap into that market.

Emily Dougherty, Elle’s beauty and fitness director, told WWD, “We want to incorporate as many parts of the Elle brand as possible on the Web.”

So VideoStar - that’s what they’re calling it - will feature both amateur and professional makeup artists doing instructional videos for online viewers with loads of Cover Girl, probably, since they’ve signed on to sponsor for a year.

Great, between this and Modelinia’s mini-movies we’ll probably never get any work done again.

Just in case you need one more reason to want to escape to the Hamptons every single rainy weekend, Temperley London’s opening up a pop up shop.

The shop, in East Hampton, is a miniature replica of their New York, London and LA stores and will house Cruise 08, SS09, and Pre-Fall 09 as well as a few pieces from their Black Label collection and accessories.

To celebrate the opening, and because everything kind of comes with something these days, every 50th shopper will receive a $250 gift card to the shop, which means you have to use it before it closes in December.

So if you’re still looking for the perfect dress to wear to all your summer weddings, go east.

“I’m coming back to Lara [Stone] because she has these fantastic breasts. A lot of designers don’t use her because she is too big for them. For me, I want to celebrate Lara. I’m like, ‘Put her in the tightest dress and get her down there.’…The fact that she comes across as awkward is a lot sexier to me. She’s about as sexy as it gets.” —Stella McCartney to artist Chantal Joffe in Interview.

While the London Topshop is in a tizzy over swine flu, the New York Topshop is giving out gifts!

Well…not exactly, but the store will be loaning out bikes from June 20th to the 27th and as far as we’ve heard, they’re free.

Topshop is showing some love for the city by helping to encourage city slickers to stay fit and have fun. While there probably won’t be a lot of actual commuters standing around at Topshop waiting for a bike to head to work, we’re hoping the New York biking trend will keep on growing to keep our city cleaner (fuel emission wise) and less congested.

We’ve been skeptically and cautiously wondering how easy biking in heels and a dress is for some time now, thanks to Scott, so maybe it’s time to give it a try? But we will definitely be sporting a helmet, and thankfully Topshop will provide you one along with the bike.

In case you needed an excuse to whip out a new (or old) pair of bike shorts…

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Exposed zippers are everywhere. Adorning everything from leggings to shoes, to the 3.1 Philip Lim dress Kate Bosworth rocked way back in December.

And now we’ve found what Abby deemed the “ultimate exposed zipper” in this amazing bangle from Nasty Gal.

It’s simple, and serves up the perfect amount of rock and roll. It’s chunky, but the cool design of the zipper’s teeth keep it from being too heavy-looking.

We are addicted to layering bracelets, and at only $12 it is certain that this baby will be dangling from our arms in no time.

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

Claire Danes is tying the knot, and Narciso Rodriguez, her longtime friend and frequent fashion date, is designing for her. Not even close to a shocker. We totally saw this one coming.

But naturally, this makes us incredibly nostalgic for the gorgeous Narciso-designed Carolyn Bessette Kennedy wedding dress that first brought the designer onto our radar.

It might be our favorite celebrity wedding dress ever . And this makes us very excited for what Claire’s dress will look like. I’m personally indifferent towards strict white for the dress—if someone wants it, go for it, but if not, whatever floats your boat.

Now, as stated, we will forever love love love the Kennedy dress, but we’re kind of hoping for something a little bit off the beaten path for Claire. But maybe that’s just because we’ll never stop thinking of her as Angela Chase.

Of course, we’re not talking about throwing her into plaid or 90s floral, because she has a classic style, and Narciso has a classic aesthetic. But minimalism can be quirky too, like that short white dress that Raquel wore or any of the light green numbers that came down the runway in Narciso’s fall 09 collection.

Just a thought, Claire.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Hiba, 31, law student

Got her: She was looking for lunch on Broadway, we were looking for her.

Stalked her: Because of that print.

Shot her: Because when we got closer, we noticed the gorgeous earrings, too.

She said: Her mother’s American and her father’s Saudi Arabian, so she likes a mix of east and west and a mix of vintage and modern. She calls her style “sort of hippie with 1930s flair.”

We said: Dressing like that while studying for the bar? We’re impressed.

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

Love Me: The LOVE staff, including Tim Clifton-Green and his perfect hat, spent the afternoon perusing The Armani Times. Rubbish Mag, one more reason we wish we lived in London (or Britt does). {LOVEblog}

Greener Pastures: This made us so giggly and excited, we’re a little embarrassed. There was not a cooler shade on the runway all season, and now it’s coming to real life. Hooray! {BeautyCounter}

Renzo to the Rescue: Sophia Kokosalaki apparently scored a big enough paycheck from Diesel to get her own company back too. Well played. {VogueUK}

Nine Daughters and a Stereo: There’s no headline better than the actual name of this model agency in Cologne of all places. Rick Owens and Raf Simons think they’re way cool. We agree. {DazedDigital}

Poor Abercrombie’s been having a hell of a time with this whole recession thing.

Last winter they refused to cut prices pre-Christmas which led to devastating losses and now, they’ve announced they’re closing Ruehl. A good friend worked at Abercrombie’s Ohio headquarters while Ruehl launched and here’s why, according to her, it bombed:

“At first their product was awesome, it was so different from anything else on the market. But it didn’t catch on immediately (most new things don’t) and instead of giving it a proper chance, they caved to corporate pressure and turned it into just another A&F. If they’d just stuck to the original idea without conforming to the A&F model, it would have made it through this downturn.

They didn’t differentiate themselves from their umbrella brand and you can’t draw an older, brand new demographic with the same merchandise they wore in high school. You can’t use sex to sell to a 29-year-old woman like you do a 17-year-old. Like look at Madewell. J.Crew’s offshoot does so well because it’s completely different from J.Crew - an original idea as opposed to a recycled version of the same thing.

Not to mention, no one even knew what Ruehl was.”

So there you have it. If you wanted to pay extra for your moose-embossed polo you should probably go now, all twenty-nine stores will be closed by the end of the year.

It’s New York’s 400th birthday next week.

Which makes us feel wonderfully young and makes designers, including Elizabeth and James, Michael Kors, Tibi, Tory Burch and DvF feel like making one-off designs in honor of the city they love.

The pieces will sell at the two Bloomingdales in New York (where a purchase also gets you two tickets to the Museum of the City of New York) and online.

Everything’s under $128, including jeans from Seven for All Mankind, a scarf from BCBG, a Michael Stars tee and a Kate Spade tote.

It launches on Monday, but if you’re feeling patriotic today, Gerard Butler’s been filming a 4th of July parade on my street all week.

We’re starting to hear rumors that fabulously talented makeup artist Tom Pecheux is in talks to create his own line with a major cosmetics company.

From what we’ve heard, this is not likely to be a simple one-off collaboration, but indeed a brand under his name. We like the sound of this a lot.

As a former beauty editor, one of the first things I do when I look at an editorial is check out who did the hair and makeup. Well, after I’ve tried to make my educated guess first. More times than I can count, it’s Tom on makeup. Seriously, there’s not much the man hasn’t done from Balmain ads to YSL shows to French Vogue editorials.

Designer Malcolm Harris hung up on Angelina Jolie twice when she called him up to order some dresses.

You know, because usually when you answer the phone, the most famous actress in the world is not on the other end. Maybe he should have asked to speak to Maddox for confirmation?

Anyway, he finally believed it was the real Angie and took her order for three of his One-Dress - which got us wondering about said dress.

Turns out that Harris spent about a year and a half gathering the opinions of women, via social networking outlets like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and ASmallWorld, about everything from fabric to cut to color and then created the One-Dress.

You can wear it in a million different ways and it’s meant for every body shape. Check out the website to see options that people have come up with. As you’d expect, some are great and some are not.

We can actually imagine Angelina working something nice out. Plus, there’s totally a humanitarian aspect which we’re sure is how she came to find it in the first place. A chunk of the proceeds go to Womankind Worldwide and KIVA.org.

All in all, kind of a cool thing.

Jimmy Choo’s next up for H&M.

Tamara Mellon is designing shoes and bags for the Swedish mega-store, as well as a full women’s collection for the November launch. The clothing, however, is meant to complement the accessories, not the other way around. They’ll also do a full range for men.

The whole things sounds kind of weird to us. We’re usually thrilled with H&M’s design collaborations and we know girls will scramble to buy something stamped ‘Choo’ - but why not let Jimmy Choo stick to accessories and find another great designer, one who’d love the opportunity, to design a solid clothing collection?

Not that we won’t be there on opening day, it’s just that we’ll probably bypass the clothes for the tallest shoes we can find.

We just came across this article on MTV (via The Australian) about a legal battle brewing between pop star Katy Perry and and Australian designer also named Katie Perry.

The “ie” Katie (born Katie Jane Perry) has been designing and selling a clothing collection online and in various locations in Oz for about two years. She filed a trademark application in September and was rightfully freaked out when she received a load of paperwork from a law firm representing the “y” Katy - asking her to withdraw her application and basically, from what we understand, stop using her own given name for her business.

This sounds absolutely absurd to us. It’s the girl’s name. And as designer Katie said to the newspaper, “”I love my business. I’m not going to give it away without a fight, either,” she said. “I’m not trying to become a singer. I’m not pretending to be her. This is my income. And it’s the livelihood of my contractors as well.”

While we’re not surprised that Katy Perry is seemingly batting around the idea of a fashion line (God help us all!), we don’t think she should be able to block anyone from using the name they were given just because she’s famous.

Fight the good fight, Katie! Maybe you’ll be able to save us all from sushi dresses.

“Okay, off ze top of mein head—a yellow Adrienne Landau printed chinchilla rex rabbit newsboy hat, worn mit ein Cynthia Steffe blue-violet velvet cadet jacket over a Cavalli back-belted chunky oatmeal sweater vest on top of a Cacharel gala shirt in silver, matched mit John Varvatos stretchtwill-brocade sailor pants over Stella McCartney patent snakeskin monk shoes offset by Costume National elbow-length leather gloves, und to accessorize, maybe a rudraksha-bead twenty-two-karat white-gold Neil Lane Infinity Pendant. Simple. Timeless. Classic.” Bruno on his definition of “creative black tie” to GQ. Sorry, we’re kind of obsessed today.

Alexa Chung is quickly taking over as the number one girl about town since her move to NYC from London.

From TV hosting to DJing to extremely prolific Tweeting, the girl is everywhere - not that we mind at all.

And now she’s starring in Wren’s holiday lookbook along with her buddy, drummer Tennessee Thomas from The Like.

The girls couldn’t look cuter in the party frocks and what we like even more is that we’re certain they’ll actually be wearing them out on the town. Alexa wore Wren last night to the CFDAs and to the Men.Style.com party last week.

You know how we love seeing like-minded fashion people come together for projects that actually make sense.

Dear Rihanna,

I don’t know much about your music. Mostly because I tend to pick up on music from the boys in my life and yours aren’t exactly their go-to tunes. But you’re on my radar (because I don’t live under a rock) and I’m digging your sartorial choices.

I know you have a red carpet/video/tour stylist, but I’m pretty sure when you walk out of the house in something like the Chris Kane dress at left, you’ve thrown it on all by yourself. Between that and your Stella sailor cardigan, the slouchy bag with which you dressed down that Alex Wang dress, your Balmain touches and this necklace you’re rocking all over NYC, we’re impressed.

So please wear more Chris Kane, check out Charles Anastase and maybe grab one of Marios Schwab’s 3D dresses? Also Ann D’s ribcage belt probably has your name etched along the spine and we’d love to see you in some Rodarte knits.

In closing, thank you for branching out where so many wear faded white tees and leggings - you’re like Michelle Obama for the Hollywood set and we kind of love you for it.