In the spirit of Friday, here’s something absurd.

In Topshop’s “New In” page, it’s not the horrible Blake Lively-esque side-braid the model’s rocking, it’s her sweater. Or more specifically, what’s on her sweater.

At first, I wasn’t sure which animal I was looking at. A skunk? A hamster? It was cute, but creepy. Upon further investigation - or clicking - I discovered that the critter’s a guinea pig, which is probably one of the most random things I’ve ever seen.

Sure, Miuccia scattered kittens all over Miu Miu and Giles went dinosaur crazy. I’ve even seen animal-centric sweaters in Topshop before (adorned with large cats, for example), but out of all of them, I think I prefer this guinea pig (it lacks the “crazy-old-cat-lady” stigma).

I’m not the only one drawn to the cuddly creature, the top’s sold out in almost every size. If yours is gone, don’t fret. This clip of Stephanie Pratt will more than fill your guinea pig quota for the day.

From Blogs to Billboards: Next Model Management just announced their representation of BunnyBISOUS’s Julia Frakes in New York. Julia isn’t their first fashion blogger client — they signed Fashion Toast’s Rumi Neely to their LA branch in April. {Fashionologie}

Baby Face: Claudia Schiffer just doesn’t age. Vogue UK featured the supe in a retrospective. And it’s simply stunning. {Vogue UK}

Book It!: Leave it to the beauty experts to find the best venues for you to schedule your Halloween makeup appointments. They give you addresses, phone numbers and even rates! Your fake lashes woes are officially over. {Style.com}

An Early Xmas Gift: Don’t forget! Kate Moss’ Holiday line for Topshop launches tomorrow. As always, she models part of the collection on the store’s site, looking gorgeous as ever. {Topshop}

O-Style: For anyone who wants to truly follow Michelle Obama’s style choices there’s been one go-to site, Mrs-O.org. Now, blogger Mary Tomer’s got her own book on the First Lady that looks to be equally well-done. Also, we love the Alaia in this first official family portrait. {StyleFile}

Hands off our DvF: For shame, criminals of Madrid. Diane von Furstenberg was mugged this weekend in the Spanish city. Though we’re sure AmEx hooked her up with some new cards really quickly. {Jaunted}

Phew! Sesame Street is not, repeat not, collaborating with Amercian Apparel. Thank god, because we don’t want to imagine what Dov was dreaming up for the ad campaign. Shudder. {Stylelist}

We’ve had a few themes that seem to have organically emerged on the site today: Rock ‘n Roll (grunge included), photography, and now the moustache, thanks to a couple of Hamish references, Ruben Toledo’s work, and this t-shirt we just happened upon over atTopshop.

Random? A little. But also fairly culturally on trend. Kitschy? Definitely. Wearable? Totally. We’re planning to work it under our now ubiquitous blazers.

Also we just really, really like a moustache. When we see one, we smile. And sometimes write poetry. So there’s that too.

All students know that Wednesday is the worst homework night of the week.

That’s why tonight’s Student Shop at Topshop is the perfect distraction!

From 7-10pm, the Topshop store at Broadway and Broome is offering a 20% discount with student IDs.

Aside from the excellent savings, there will also be a DJ and hidden prizes - fun times.

I’ll be stopping by between writing my French essay and doing my million pages of art history reading to grab this Christopher Kane for Topshop dress (that looks all the better with a discount) and this casual blazer that’s perfect for fall.

Grab your ID and meet me in Soho for some chic procrastination!

I need Style.com like I need my morning coffee.

But I’ve been clicking on Vogue.com more and more lately, in part because I’m anxiously awaiting obvious changes and excited for Condé Nast to really truly enter the digital age (I’d never actually say that out loud), but also because it lets you see a totally different side of Vogue’s editors.

Hamish has his sphere and Candy has her cast, but some features, like Meredith Melling Burke’s Most Wanted, feature a rotating cast of Vogue-ettes listing their current favorite things.

Sometimes there’s a theme, like Devon Schuster’s wedding or Jane Aldridge’s shoes and sometimes there’s not. Like this week’s list, from features associate Stephanie LaCava, is basically because she has ridiculously great style. She’s mixed Proenza shorts with Topshop boots and a Band of Outsiders toggle coat; it’s fun to see the thought process behind style we consistently admire.

Surprisingly, Vogue.com’s the best place to go if you ever forget that even the most major fashion people have a sense of humor.

Georgia Peach: Just in case you don’t have as massive a crush on Georgia May Jagger as we do, which is kind of inconceivable, here’s a mini-portfolio from Vanity Fair. We like to say we knew her when. {VanityFair}

Herm-Asprey?: Maybe Hermès thought no one would notice if they bought Asprey’s massive New Bond Street store since the whole fashion world’s on a plane to Paris. But they did, and now word is they’re not just buying the store, but maybe the whole company. Interesting…{VogueUK}

Kane Control: From the second I left Heathrow, I was bombarded with Christopher Kane for Topshop. For every fifteen pieces, an original ape popped up, but for the most part with was crocodiles (alligators?) everywhere you looked, as captured here. {Streetpeeper}

The fashion world’s been waiting for ages to get a glimpse of Christopher Kane’s Versus collection for Versace.

Last season, the duo teased us with a peek at killer shoes and bags, as black and studded and sexy as expected. But this Sunday, he and the boss lady finally revealed the whole thing during a presentation in Milan.

In the video, he talks to The Guardian’s Jo Jones about the process, the importance of Donatella, and why he steers clear of too much color (to showcase his almost manic attention to detail). A few of the dresses actually bear a striking resemblance to Kane’s Topshop collection, with their lace panelling and detached sleeves and of course all of them sort of scream sex.

Red carpets should be flooded in no time.

That rumor we spread about Mark Fast doing a line for Topshop?

It’s true. And it’s in last week’s Sunday Telegraph magazine which means it was true before we even said anything and we’ve had it in our lap since Friday and we should really work harder at finishing every article we start.

The article about the Canadian “prairie boy” fills the reader in on his rise to design fame, pre-plus-size models, and how he left Canada for a coveted spot at Central Saint Martins under Louise Wilson’s tutelage. He’s since worked with Alber Elbaz and landed repeated NewGen sponsorship from Topshop.

Apparently the high street brand approached him before his SS10 show regarding a design collaboration. So those still wondering if the plus-size girls were just a press ploy can stop, because he obviously doesn’t need it.

The only thing more daunting that Fashion Week is turning out to be Fashion’s Night Out.

We’ve probably received fifteen to twenty emails per day since July telling us what’s up, who’s coming, where’s happening Thursday night and after much deliberation we’ve come up with a game plan.

Given there are really only two of us, splitting up’s the only way to cover the most ground without exhausting ourselves before the week actually even begins (and without spending all of our money before Christopher Kane hits Topshop).

I’ll run home for dinner after work which strategically puts me on Bleecker Street to start. I’ll kick off the night with Teen Vogue’s Bleecker Street party then swing by Intermix to glimpse the Miller sisters (and to actually buy a couple of tank tops I’ll need for the week) before swinging around the corner to Rag & Bone on Christopher Street where Jessica Stam’ll be at the cash register and Guinness will flow.

Wishin’ and Hopin’: If I could look like this in ripped tights and a sweater for, oh, even five minutes…life would be good. {Topshop}

Modeling Dynasty: So Cara Delevingne got a modeling contract too. But we’re more interested in the fact that Alexis Carrington is her godmother. {Vogue UK}

D-Bags Unite: A little humorous reading for your afternoon. GQ ranked the douchiest colleges in the country. I (Abby) went to the number 2 school. I love my alma mater but I can’t really argue with that ranking and am well aware of how much people hate when Blue Devils are #1. And can I just throw in a “Go to hell Carolina!” for good measure? Okay, sorry, back to fashion. {GQ}

FNO in LA: Our in-boxes are overflowing with Fashion’s Night Out emails and we’re very much looking forward to all the festivities. Sounds like the west coast was feeling a little left out, so they’re jumping in on the action too. {All the Rage}

The designers at Topshop have spent a bit of time this summer on the music festival circuit. Well, at least their clothing has. Like with so many of their other collaborations, they are the first high street line to create custom stagewear for the music set.

This past weekend at the V Festival, VV Brown and Shingai Shaniwa of The Noisettes wore their creations. And earlier this summer Florence Welch of Florence and the Machines and Natasha Khan of Bat for Lashes (my current obsession) got the Topshop treatment.

Henry Holland for Topshop?

We wish. Instead he’s heading to their stateside flagship to celebrate the launch of his brilliant new tights collection, or so we hear.

The legwear, launched in collaboration with Pretty Polly, launched at Dover Street Market last week, though we’ve already seen them on Agyness and the Geldofs. The tights go for about $15 and mimic the pastel stripes of his AW09 collection.

We’d love Henry to be here for Fashion Week.

In fact, we think he’d fit into Intermix’s Fashion’s Night Out party, hosted by Sienna and Savannah Miller, quite well.

What Did You Think?: Hadley Freeman wonders whether or not it’s really true that models subsist on coffee, cigarettes, vodka and champagne. Just for the record, we’ve seen them eat sandwiches, with champagne of course.{TheGuardian}

Risky Business: Karla Martinez just left her job as Market Editor at T, The New York Times’ style magazine, for Karl Templer at Interview. {FWD}

Surf’s Up: Yigal Azrouel took a trip to Costa Rica & took lots of pretty pictures. What we’d have given to be on that boat… {TheMalcolm}

Too Good: Mickey Boardman, Sam Shipley and Jeff Halmos will be manning the dunk tank at Bird & Vena Cava’s Fashion Week Block Party. It’s over 90 degrees outside & we love all those people and it pretty much sounds like heaven. {Refinery29}

I was walking through Saks yesterday, overwhelmed by the perfection of Helmut Lang’s pre-fall collection, when I saw the BCBG skirt at left.

It was hot pink in the store, so it jumped out against the greys and blacks, and perfectly banded. The piece was tiny and stretchy with a zipper up the back just like Herve Leger’s signature bandage skirts. At this point, you can find Herve rip-offs everywhere, but it made us wonder what Mr. Azria, the man behind both Herve and BCBG, stands to gain from ripping himself off - like when Topshop ripped off Kate Moss for Topshop’s dress.