We all know the Roady is the newest member of the YSL family to cause a commotion among handbag addicts. It’s already being toted around by the likes of Rihanna, Rachel Bilson, Leighton and of course, MK. I have admired the hobo carryall from a distance on their arms, and on mine in my daydreams.

The bag already comes in a bunch of colors and patents, but YSL is taking it to the next level in New York and Los Angeles by offering clients the chance to purchase a customized Roady for the holidays.

From November 19th through December 1st, boutiques will have artisans on-hand to customize the handles of your Roady. You can choose from a bunch of different skins and colors, for a total of 29 different handle options. The handles will be changed on-site and ready for pick-up the next day! And if you’re just dying to monogram your bag, you can do that too, for free even.

More on pricing and options after the jump!

1. I wear one pretty much every day anyway, and now I feel soundly on high beauty ground thanks to the trifecta of YSL, Lanvin, and Chanel.

2. They became new and fresh again at YSL with the addition of a slew of old school comb headbands. I used to rock those things like a champ back in 1997-98 and I’m looking forward to bringing them back. Perfect for every day in my opinion.

We love our wardrobes. And when we spend money on something, even if it was only ten dollars on a t-shirt, we want to keep it in the best condition possible (except, perhaps, for our Chucks and certain pairs of jeans.)

But then life happens.

We usually head to the professionals, humbled and hopeful, with our scuffed shoes or stained cardigans. It’s pricey, though, and we get excited when there’s a way to care for our more delicate pieces from the comfort of our own homes. Like this summer when J. Crew started selling a cashmere wash to keep your cashmere fresh, for only $18.

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

London’s abuzz with talk of a Galliano retrospective.

Like Westwood and Laurent before him, some think it’s time the Dior designer’s eponymous clothes receive full attention in an exhibition at say, the Victoria & Albert Museum.

But stylist, author and longtime Galliano cohort Camilla Morton’s been asking high and low for clothes to be lent, only to find a deficit. It’s not that there aren’t enough of Galliano’s clothes in the world, or that they aren’t museum quality from birth. The problem is that not enough have been collected, archived and preserved well enough to sit on a museum stage.

Which makes us think they’ve just been worn well and hard in lieu of preservation, which should thrill the designer. Plus, he’s not even fifty which means they can start repairing and preserving now for a retrospective in twenty years, no?

So take note Zac Posens and Mulleavys of the world, care for those samples of yours so we can admire their quality in a museum thirty years from now and say, “Remember when?”

—REBECCA SUHRAWARDI AUSTIN

Simon Doonan’s one of our favorite New York fashion figures and we hardly ever turn down a chance to hear him speak.

Especially when he’s talking with someone of Stefano Pilati’s caliber.

The two will sit down to discuss the launch of YSL’s “New Vintage” Collection at Barneys’ Madison Avenue flagship tonight from five to seven. When the collection was first announced, we scratched our heads over what “New Vintage” would mean exactly.

Turns out it’s a selection—exclusive to Barneys—of classic YSL pieces cut from the unused cloth left over from recent seasons. It’s pretty much the chicest sort of recycling we can imagine.

The two’ll talk fashion on the second floor—see you there!

—AMANDA JEAN BOYLE

If you, like us, are getting impatient with summer’s arrival, these upcoming makeover freebies might help put some warm weather pep in your step.

Starting tomorrow and running until Monday, Nars is offering free mini makeovers at Henri Bendel. They’re busting out their just-launched summer color collection and will help you create a new look. The shimmery teal Tropic Single eyeshadow is definitely worth trying out - even if you normally shy away from brightly colored eye makeup. You’ll also get a free sample of Nars foundation with your consultation. Makeovers are by appointment only - call Bendel’s at 212-904-7954 to schedule yours.

And if you’d rather take a hands on approach to learning the art of makeup application, YSL’s Artistic Advisor Val Garland is teaching a master class at Saks on April 23. The class costs $50 but the fee’s redeemable in product.

If not, Garland will conduct one-on-one appointments from 10am to 7pm that same day. Call 212-940-2156 to book.

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

“But the problem isn’t limited to design. The overwhelming number of people in their 20’s at the shows guarantees that everything will seem new to them. So Mr. Jones can do pointless things to tailored clothes. John Galliano can summon his pirates and tri-cornered highwaymen. Jean Paul Gaultier can pop on the Afro wigs and issue some jivey pinstripes (with a mini-me line of children’s clothes). And Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy can evoke a Teutonic fantasy with laced black-leather leggings and severely buzzed heads. There is little demand to do something that’s actually new and relevant.” - Cathy Horyn, on Men’s Fashion Week, in the Times.

Face it.

It’s Monday, it’s cold out, we’re still ahead of the Fashion Week calm-before-storm, and you’re probably headed out early on Friday for the holiday weekend anyway.

So why not just skip lunch altogether and shop instead?

Oh, you were planning on doing that already? Great, because the YSL boutique on 57th Street is having a sale, so all their Fall 08 clothes / shoes / bags are up to 40% off.

Right now.

If that doesn’t work for you, we suggest the extra 20% off Net-a-Porter is now offering on all winter clearance items.

Talk to you soon.

While some may be antsy about the upcoming awards season, we, as always, are more concerned with the results of the upcoming buying season. So here’s a taste of the more notable additions you can expect on Net-a-Porter for your Spring 09 at-home shopping:

- Adam
- Christopher Kane
- Etro
- Eugenia Kim (Who, incidentally, just named one of her hats the “Faran”, which may or may not be related to our founding editor)
- Jason Wu
- Jil Sander
- Kova & T
- Loeffler Randall
- Philip Crangi
- Preen Line (Preen’s more affordable secondary line)
- Steven Alan
- Thakoon
- Victoria Beckham
- Vivienne Westwood Gold Label
- Yves Saint Laurent (no word on whether that’ll include Pilati’s new Edition Soir collection)

(Full list after the jump)

So, if you can get your mind around Spring clothes and spending money, happy clicking!

Everyone was up in arms over Bebe’s Louis Vuitton rip-off last month.

They’ve officially entered the realm of designer shoe rip-offs, though they’re not very good at it. Their “France” shoe was an embarrassment to the Louis version - unless adding and subtracting details and changing the proportions is their attempt to thwart us.

Either way, it’s easy to see where they got the inspiration for their caged heel. You can’t buy the platform, peep-toe stiletto online yet, but we found it here and in stores.

The original, the Spring Summer YSL, is so much cooler not because it’s YSL, but because the caged heel so perfectly mirrors the leather cage pattern over the foot. Not to mention it lacks the front platform that kind of pushes the shoe from sexy to hooker.

If Bebe wants into the world of rip-offs, they’re going to have to do better than this.

When I interned for a British designer my senior year of college, we planned a major, major, party.

The ridiculously gorgeous event planner showed up wearing a gray YSL sweatshirt with a giant navy blue logo - it was the one time wearing a logo appealed to me.

There’s something so iconic and almost graceful about the YSL logo but there’s something morbid about this t-shirt designed by artist Brian Lichtenberg. It sells on Blood is the New Black - or it did before it sold out.

Lichtenberg’s woven his own RIP label to mirror Yves’ and done both a black on white and white on black version. We get that it’s in tribute to the man but the tribute lacks taste.

Does it sit well with you? And more importantly, would you actually wear it?

Waiting with bated breath for the Christie’s YSL auction?

Sorry, it’s still not here.

But Vanity Fair’s acquired some very cool pictures of Yves’ apartment in which you can see a selection of the items that’ll be for sale come January.

His partner, Pierre Berge, isn’t just parting with the extensive art collection but Yves’ general trove of treasures including furniture, mirrors, lamps, a variety of found objects and even their bed from the 1930s which is expected to fetch between $60,000 and $90,000 - there will be 800 lots in total.

The Goya will go to the Louvre, the Warhol will stay with Berge and we’re not sure about Moujik’s fate, but the rest is up for grabs.

See anything you like?

If you’re craving of a Top 10 of 2008 list, Time Magazine’s got you covered.

They’ve ranked everything from The Most Awkward Moments to the Top iPhone Applications. Their fashion list, however, is slightly uncomfortable - they name check Vertiginous Heels before Yves Saint Laurent’s death and Valentino’s retirement.

But if you can skip past that list to the Top 10 magazine covers, you’ll notice Interview’s September cover squeezed in between those covering the election, the war and Wall Street’s wreckage.

It’s the first issue of Andy’s mag post re-launch, art directed by Fabien Baron and featuring Kate Moss in a Catwoman mask that Time says, “effectively uses Moss as a prop…and turn[s] the photo into a piece of art.”

The consistently brilliant new Interview’s earned the recognition and we love that a fashion, or style, magazine can hold it’s own with The New Yorker .

And Andy would, of course, be thrilled.

The art world’s refusing to let go of their auctions, regardless of how tough times might be.

We get it - as if the fashion industry would ever relinquish Fashion Week.

But wouldn’t it make sense to postpone things a bit, especially after Christie’s disastrous auction at the beginning of this month?

Yet, they’re forging ahead with an impressive auction of Jeanne Lanvin’s mostly Impressionist paintings, including works by Degas, Pissarro, Renoir, Vuillard and a lone Picasso as the cherry on top. They’ll go up for sale on December 1st and are expected to bring in at least $25 million despite today’s economic state. Christie’s will follow that, of course with the highly anticipated auction of Yves Saint Laurent’s art and valuables.

Is it the nature of these auctions - both collections developed by famous people and both connected to the fashion industry which could bring in an entirely different kind of buyer - that makes Christie’s think they’ll be more successful? Or do the auction houses believe that things will just get worse and therefore aren’t willing to hang on to the art for ten or so years while the economy rebuilds itself?

One of the things you’ll often hear a designer complain about is the number of seasons for which they have to design - Spring and Fall are the standards, but then there’s Pre-Spring, Pre-Fall, Resort, Holiday, sometimes even Summer, and then those random capsule collections they might do that are probably driving each of them slowly insane, something Jane Mayle once touched upon when announcing the end of Mayle.

But Stefano Pilati isn’t fazed - he’s just announced a new, annual collection he’ll produce, Edition Soir, a 26-look evening wear collection topped off with matching accessories and shoes to be sold worldwide alongside the normal YSL Fall 08 range.

He’s even borrowed from Isaac Mizrahi, who once launched a made-to-alter collection a few years back, and designed each look to have interchangeable color/fabric/embroidery choices from which his customers can choose.

It sounds like semi-couture, except it’ll never see the runway and sounds entirely based on what the customer wants as opposed to the designer’s potentially irrelevant vision. So, a boring line that might end up on pageant stages nationwide? Or a democratic line for the people, (kind of) by the people?

Either way, we’re sure Pilati’s design assistants are working major overtime these days.

Cacharel’s removed Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto from their designer posts.

The duo’s been designing the line for just one year and though they haven’t made much commercial headway, they’ve gotten solid critical reviews and appeared to be on the right track toward revitalizing the French brand, which celebrated it’s 50th anniversary in Paris this past Fashion Week.

But they weren’t doing it fast enough for Jean Bousquet, the brand’s founder, who’s still in control of the line and let them go over “a conflict over creative vision”.

The thought of designing for someone else’s brand when that iconic figure’s still alive could make even the most hardened designer feel sick. It might not be Laurent and Pilati, but tension inevitably arises when trying to express something so personal while trying to create something fresh and new.

This Spring’s Cacharel collection was fun to see on a runway, and ten times more wearable than most, but it wasn’t so much classic Cacharel as it was grown up Eley Kishimoto, and we’re not surprised they weren’t the right fit for the French brand.

Though we don’t think Bousquet has too many chances left. Maybe he should focus on a total vintage revival - because that’d sell in a heartbeat.

“It’s over. Fashion designers don’t understand that, or maybe they don’t want to. Long evening dresses with pearls and sequins — for who, for where, for what? I dare say I prefer Zara, H&M and Banana Republic. That’s serving women and it’s cheap.” —Pierre Bergé at the De Young’s YSL exhibit to the LA Times.

Mark Haddaway and Katy Rodriguez, the brilliant duo behind Resurrection, have been working on a project.

We’re so jealous, we might cry.

They’ve assembed what The Telegraph calls, “the most important [collection] to come up at auction.”

It includes original 1970’s Vivienne Westwood from both the legendary Seditionaries and Pirates collections. There are Paco Rabanne dresses and leather jackets from the 60’s and an entire, unworn look from Yves Saint Laurent’s 1968 Safari collection. There’s a 1986 zippered, hooded, green mini Alai that was in fact worn, but by Grace Jones, a python skin Ossie Clark coat and a few slinky Versace dresses circa Gianni.

Are you emptying your piggy bank yet?

If not, there’s also a group of dresses from Marc’s 1992 Grunge collection for Perry Ellis.

We’re kind of speechless. So in the words of Rachel Zoe, (since she’s probably the only one who can justify shelling out thousands for these pieces right now), “I die. D-I-E.”

It’s not often that an important exhibit skips over New York to San Francisco without so much as a stop on the way back.

But alas, the newly modern, (well, three years ago) DeYoung museum will host the only US presentation of a forty-year retrospective of Yves Saint Laurent’s work.

The exhibition, which opens November 1st, will include 120 accessorized outfits, (including couture), sketches, videos and photographs to show the, “revolutionary nature of his body of work that presents a new definition of femininity”.

Four themes will divide the exhibit: “Pencil Strokes,” in which the chronology of dress making is explored; “The YSL Revolution,” in which you should expect an excess of le smoking; “The Palette,” in which they’ll explore his use of color; and best of all, “Lyrical Sources,” in which they’ll group his work with that of the artists whose influences were constantly seen on his runways, including Mondrian and Braque.

And, if you’re not already booking a ticket to San Francisco, you should know that the museum will host a symposium on opening day with a host of speakers including Hamish Bowles.

It’s almost too good to be true.