“The gold is just enough to spice up any outfit for a special occasion, like a date with your favorite vampire or werewolf, or just for your everyday dreams.” —MTV’s Twilight Fashion Week reporter on Nordstrom’s new collection of Twi-gear.

Ed. note/warning: This is an Adventures in Copyright post. If reading it will cause you to wish death upon us, please jump to the next post! xxB

Remember this Marc by Marc dress?

Yes, SS06 was a long time ago, but it was all over the press again after model Heather Bratton’s tragic death. (She wore it on the runway and it was the image accompanying almost every news story.) And now it’s back.

When we saw the dress at right on Nordstrom’s site (it’s sold out now) we thought it was actually the same dress. We thought it was weird that Marc was bringing the old print back after so long, but kind of cute because it really is such a great pattern and we really did love the dress.

But it’s actually by DKNY. Guess they didn’t feel the need to change the swirls of the roses, the size, the color scheme, the fabric, the price point etc.

They changed the sleeves though, that was nice.

—MELISSA ELLIOTT

A handful of former Nordstrom employees are suing the department store for allegedly stealing their commission.

The plaintiffs are upset that Nordstrom deducted commissions on returned items from their paychecks.

I worked at Nordstrom in California - where the lawsuit is taking place - the summer after my freshman year of college. Yesterday, I got a letter in the mail asking me to sign on to the suit.

When you work in commission-based retail, you make money when you sell product and lose it when it gets returned. So if I sell you a $1200 Herve dress, but you bring it back next week, I make nothing, which is totally fair.

Inside Scoop: Your only look inside last night’s ball. #36 is an incredibly uncomfortable picture of Anna and Blake Lively. {Vogue}

Met Times: Eric Wilson on the ball, Kate Moss’ wad of gum and Helena Christensen’s silly dress. {NYTimes}

Come On Boys: Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland headbutted Jack McCollough at SubMercer last night and that half of Proenza’s still in the hospital. Reports say it’s over a girl but it’s pretty obvious that can’t be right. {Guest}

What would happen if Forever 21 sold original Marc by Marc dresses next to all of their rip-offs?

Chaos would surely ensue.

Reader Jasmine alerted us to this black and white scalloped Matty M dress which originally cost $148 at Nordstrom. It’s simple, cute and its retro design is actually an exact copy of the Karta dress to the right - which debuted a full year ago and, though now sold out on Nordstrom’s website, cost around $225.

Which means you could have bought the original, well made, independently designed dress for about $75 dollars more and supported an up and coming brand. Or you could have bought the barely cheaper version without the extra details - stitching, a-line shape etc. that you need to see in person - that set it apart from the racks of summer dresses at H&M.

But, well, you know where we stand on this one.

A little something from the folder of I Told You So:

Artist Keren Richter has already been asked to do a second round of sneakers for Vans because the first batch, which launched on Sunday, got such a good response.

Actually, they got a great response, to the point where retailers anticipate being sold out within the week, and Vans has decided to ship Keren across the country on a shoe-signing tour for Nordstrom.

We can see all the arty fourteen-year-old girls crowding the juniors department already…

What kind of friends would we be without letting you in on some of our coolest finds?

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

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

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

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

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

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

— JAZZI McGILBERT

We all know green is the direction to which department stores (many kinds of stores, actually) have been inching.

Barneys’ holiday window theme was green, Nordstrom just announced its own earth-friendly plans, and now JC Penney is labeling all organic/renewable/recycled products with a “Simply Green” sticker to help shoppers make more environmentally conscious purchases.

And as much of a help all these different moves are for the greater cause of slowing down harmful effects to the planet, we’re starting to wonder, when will the inching stop and the real all out changes begin?

We’re surprised that no major stores have announced any plans to go completely green. We’re sure there must be little ones dotting the country somewhere, but when will major retailers like Kohl’s or Macy’s set a standard of totally sustainable practices? Like, solar-powered stores, totally recyclable bags - or better yet, charging people to use new bags - or selling clothes only from designers who watch their own environmental effects in their work?

We realize this is a long shot and is probably decades away, but we’re already sort of wondering who will be the first. We think it’ll start with a smaller but well known store, like Barneys of Maxfield, and then eventually the bigger chains would have to follow suit.

The question is, will we see it in our lifetime?

Against everything that we understand, the fashion industry seems to love Pete Wentz.

He’s designed his own line, Clandestine Industries, beat Rachel Bilson to designing a capsule collection for DKNY Jeans, posed for the Gap, and now, the prince of guyliner is partnering with Nordstrom to bring his junior high mall-kid aesthetic to other junior high kids at the mall.

According to WWD, Wentz is launching a junior sportswear line (not unlike Heidi Montag, may we remind,) still under the name Clandestine Industries to launch in April. The clothes, consisting mostly of jeans and tees are meant to be unisex (oh this is going to go over so well with 12 year-olds shopping with their moms,) and will be sold in Nordstrom’s BP sections, where we’ve been secretly buying flats for years.

Nordstrom already has a plan in the works to prime shoppers for the emo overload coming this spring - a Pete Wentz CD-DVD featuring behind-the-scenes footage of the design collaboration and some previously unheard songs by Wentz will be available just before the line debuts.

We’re betting on an Ashlee Simpson guest design collection next. Because really, at this point, why not?

Nordstrom is following in the steps of Barneys by going a little greener.

The Seattle-based department store introduced a reusable shopping tote to West Coast shoppers this past Saturday, featuring a cityscape illustration by Ruben Toledo; the tote won’t be available in Nordstrom stores across the country until later this year.

And for those of us either unwilling to part with $22 (the cost of the bag,) or too forgetful to bring the tote along on shopping trips, they’re getting ready for another green initiative - 100% recyclable shopping bags and gift boxes.

As of right now, the bags are only partially earth-friendly due to propylene handles; but those will soon be replaced with cotton ones, which will be filtered into stores while the old ones phase out, a move that should be completed by September, just a couple months before the new and improved gift boxes should complete their own transition.

We’re are all for this and hope that other retailers, big and small, follow suit. The next logical step? Companies like Urban Outfitters and Victoria’s Secret laying off on the 70 or so catalogs we get in the mail every five seconds.