This just in via WWD:

Gareth Pugh’s been busy at work on accessories lines, including shoes and makeup.

Obviously, the shoes will be a hit - while not everyone has the courage to dress like a life-size Lego girl, almost everyone has the guts to tack on some serious shoes at the end of an otherwise plain outfit.

And the makeup? We’re hoping it’ll be more than just Urban Decay-esque dark shadows with a coating of green glitter - though a fragrance by the name of Pepe la Pugh might fare well.

No word on exactly when - or if any of this is even definite - the lines hit stores, but it’ll be very interesting to see who licenses all of this…

Those of you still worried over the Mike & Chris-going-out-of-business rumors from late last year can finally rest easy.

Not only does WWD have the scoop on the husband-and-wife designer label’s new line of shoes for Spring (Shopbop, soon), but the LA-based brand is set to debut their first full line of bags for Fall 09, too.

And now, leather lovers everywhere, exhale.

Happy Monday….

Perhaps Rick Owens’ animal clutches were just a warm up to designing accessories in jest.

The American in Paris has signed a deal with Eastpak, of junior high and hiking fame, to design a collection of fifteen bags (plus a unisex raincoat) under his denim brand, Dark Shadow.

If Raf Simons’ previous collections for Eastpak are any indication, you can expect the Rick backpacks to cost at least $100 each, making you the most subversive (yet well-packed) kid in the hallway.

At least, if high school kids even carry backpacks anymore - Do they?

A while back, Rick Owens started releasing a series of fur monsters - first the bunny clutch made of mink ($700), closely followed by The Monster ($850).

And now? Marc’s released a skull face watch, which we find a little too scary-looking for ordinary life (and $200).

So what’s with designers obsessing over busted faces? (Remember that Kidrobot made a mean bunny, too.)

Relatedly, Britt thinks the Marc watch must have been inspired by Jack from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

But for us, this just means we really think Tim Burton should take this trend and run film.

Well, at least the New York Public Library thinks you are.

Starting on the 1st of January, there’ll be an online auction (through the 31st) to benefit the 87 branches of the NYPL and their teen programs. And what will everyone bid on? Tiaras designed by the likes of Vera Wang, Tommy Hilfiger, Nicole Miller, Bobbi Brown, Lauren Conrad, and Austin Scarlett from Project Runway (among others), in honor of the Princess Diaries.

If you believe none of this, please visit the official site.

LC’s, which we knew we had to pull from the gallery for you, is at left.

Happy clicking.

For those of you wondering when Proenza’s line of bags will be available to more people than their socialite friends, here’s your answer:

The line - dubbed PS 1 after the New York City public school system and not the boys’ initials, as previously thought - debuts at Harvey Nichols next month, and on Net-a-Porter (for the rest of us) in March.

Start saving now. Otherwise, you could always try DIY-ing the bag at left by covering a stiff clutch with a vintage safari jacket, no?

Update: Ah, yes, they’re on barneys.com.

Obviously, the recession is on everybody’s minds, and obviously, most talk here at the Fashionista offices usually turn to shoes. So here’s a thought we had this afternoon:

If one good thing comes out of this economic crisis, it could be the deafening pop of the what we’re calling the Shoe Price Bubble. Picture it:

Constant sales lead to constantly lowering prices. Constantly lowering prices could lead to stores beginning with more reasonable prices rather than suffering through crawling profits and an embarrassing stream of sales. Price adjustments could lead to stores pricing strategically, in order to get the most customers, which could ultimately lead to the general price of what we all know are stratospherically over-priced goods plummeting back down to a normal range of say, $400 for designer shoes, rather than $1,000+.

Because as it is right now, we’re living in a world where hundreds of extra dollars can be slapped onto something as some kind of name-association fee. But if brands want to survive, it’s getting to a point where everybody has to throw their hands up and just admit they’re marking things (and by “things,” we’re specifically pointing towards shoes, bags and denim) up because they can, and because nothing’s stopped then.

Until now. Do you think prices could start much lower for this Spring’s wares? Or could store’s conservative ordering keep the supply - and prices - as high as they’ve been?

Natalie: Have you noticed all the press watches are getting lately? I feel like I’ve seen at least three or four round-ups in the past month alone.

Brett: So..?

Natalie: But who still wears a watch? I mean, isn’t that what cell phones are for?

Brett: I wear my watch every day!

Britt: Well, I used to always wear my dad’s watch, but lately I forget to put it on in the morning.

Natalie: Because you can just check the time on your cell, right?

Britt: Right. And I’m always late anyway.

Brett: But watches are a thing. They say something about the owner, and they’re necessary.

Natalie and Britt: But they’re not.

Brett: Well yeah, but there’s something amazing about pulling up your shirt sleeve and checking your time on your watch. I mean, if someone walks up to you on the street and asks for the time [Editor’s note: Natalie swears no one ever asks her for the time, Britt and Brett say “all the time.”], it’s so much cooler to look at your watch instead of your cell phone.

Britt: But I think men should wear watches.

Natalie: But why? Why men and not women? We all have phones.

Brett: (Cuts off Britt) Because watches are to men what handbags are to women.

Everybody’s trying to break into accessories these days.

First, the news was that See by Chloe, Proenza, Hussein Chayalan and Ohne Titel would all be breaking into shoes (and since then, Proenza’s quietly started giving out bags to their friends, which everyone hopes will actually make it to stores.)

Then, Marc announced he’d be expanding into a full line of swimwear for Marc by Marc, while Brian Reyes announced he’d be launching a line of lingerie (ok - swimwear and lingerie are not exactly accessories, but they do fall into that small things/cheaper things category).

Not too long after, Prada announced plans to design costume jewelry, and Yigal said he’d make the shoes from his Spring 09 runway for the stores.

And now? 7 For All Mankind is launching their own shoe range for Spring, retailing between $150 to $350, which may seem too close to their denim price range, but is probably a bit less than most 7 customers usually spend on their shoes.

Clearly, companies are hoping their shoppers will still be out there looking for cute things to acquire, but they know it’ll be with a much smaller budget, so they’re trying to make more things at lower price points so everybody can still get their buzz. Because as Elle MacPherson put it today, her lingerie line is doing better than ever because “when a woman can’t afford a dress in the luxury echelons, she may opt instead to part with £20 on underwear that makes her feel good.”

But the question for all these other high-end brands persists -

We know something you don’t know.

But since everyone knows how touchy things can get when Gossip Girl spoilers are strewn about right on homepages, we’re keeping this one safe from regretful eyes, after the jump.

Just one carrot: It does have to do with fashion…

This morning’s Vogue UK has a funny bit of news:

That PPQ’s teamed up with something called the Carphone Warehouse to design a little bag for your Blackberry.

It’s striped magenta, dark blue and silver in a Prada-ish way, and will be sold at Selfridges and Oli.com. The PPQ duo, Amy and Percy, say, “The combination pouch and handset will make even the most stylish fashionista stand out.”

Does this strike anyone else a little strange? A little too random? Not fun, like PPQ’s usual stuff, at all? And a little too much like something Dior Accessories would do? Is a lipstick holder next?

At least all the proceeds go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

My dad’s on a cufflinks kick.

He scours outdoor markets from Lisbon to Cairo to Istanbul looking for readymade antique versions or vintage coins and baubles to make into his own.

So I’ve had my eyes open - his birthday’s coming up - and these popped up on Etsy. They’re charmingly vintage, but not cheesy, and the colors of the playing cards are subtle enough for him to wear to work with his suits.

And of course, because I’m the one who actually loves them, I’m already guessing which size men’s shirt, (with link holes), I need to buy so that I can wear one as a dress with an unexpected accessory.

Don’t worry, I promise to wear pants.

We love when we can look at something and know exactly where the inspiration came from, especially when we know it has something to do with Blair.

The first major example happened when pictures of Luella’s new accessories range were first out. Then we saw these Blair bow earrings on Fred Flare. (These are just two examples among many, by the way.)

And now, Marc Jacobs is cashing in on the look with his range of Faux Bow accessories.

We know these designers (and so many more) are inspired by the GG character the way sixth-grade girls were inspired by Cher (raise your hand if you tried to convince your mom to buy you thigh-highs), but they sometimes miss the mark - plastic? She would never.

Marc’s come the closest so far - a $70 barrette seems right up her alley. But tortoiseshell? Please.

Let’s start this off with a disclaimer:

We like Tory Burch’s clothes. A lot. They’re too expensive, sure, but there’s nothing like a fauxhemian tunic or a Kool-Aid colored skirt to get any girl - big, small, dark, light, uptown, downtown, city, suburb - through a day when she just can’t decide what to wear.

The issue is what happened last night at the CFDA Awards, when Tory Burch won the award for best accessory design.

You know the only accessory that anyone associates with Tory Burch?

Those crazy flats. Which are actually quite simple, except they have a massive, dare we say distracting, gold or silver logo on the top.

Are they brilliant from a sales perspective? Absolutely. Do we want our mom to get a pair? Oh, yes. But do they deserve an award for innovative American design?

Come on. It’s true that the branding of those shoes is incredible, but Tory was not the first American stylist to correlate status with logos and therefore with wanting: Ralph Lauren put his polo silhouettes on ties to launch his empire, and the DVF signature print of her ’70s wrap dress is legendary.

More recently, Kate Spade sold out of shoebox-shaped bags as soon as she put her labels on the outside of the purses. Ms. Spade has two CFDA Awards, both from the ’90s.

Not since Stella McCartney and LeSportsac teamed up has there been such a “what?!” in the accessories world:

Today, earlier rumors were confirmed that Lauren Conrad will pair with Avon, the makeup brand, to launch a new line of accessories for their youth-geared line, Mark.

These bags (and presumably, these makeup cases) are different from the collection Lauren already designed for Linea Pelle, and aren’t connected to her own fashion line.

They’ll debut to the press in mid-June, so until then, we’ll have to imagine:

Will the bag named after “Lo” be big enough to edge the bag named “Audrina” off the shelf? Is the lone male messenger tote named “Stephen” or “Brody”?

And will People’s Revolution be doing their press?

Stay tuned!

Reasons why we want at least twenty of these:

1. Because we’re becoming obsessed with flowers

2. Because these might actually make a decent gift for Mother’s Day

3. Because whenever we get a cute bobby pin, we lose it immediately

4. Because the red will really suit our hair color (or anyone’s)

5. Because we’re getting into muggy heat territory, and these are better than just plain black ones to hold up braids

6. Because sometimes, it’s the littlest details that really make a look