I spent a rainy afternoon hanging out with Jeffrey Costello and Robert Tagliapietra in their Brooklyn studio.

The boys, who’ve been working, living, breathing together for over fifteen years without ever fighting - they swear - live and work in a warmly decorated brownstone with their lovable bulldog Sammy.

We listened to their i-pod shuffle and talked about when Madonna lived across the hall and what happened when Vogue called. I tried to get Jeffrey to talk, but he’s shy and Sammy’s barks were more than willing to fill in.

The two of them do everything - from sewing their samples to filling their own orders to casting their own shows and love every minute of it. If you’re wondering just how much work that is, read on.

Toni Hacker and Ben Harnett are living a sort of modern Bohemian dream.

The two met almost six years ago while working at Liz Claiborne, woke up one morning ready to do their own thing, like most people do, but they actually did it.

So now, here they are five years later, running Hayden-Harnett out of their Greenpoint, Brooklyn design studio, landing the front page of Women’s Wear Daily, partnering with Target (yes, it is true!) and dreaming up new ideas every day, or night, actually.

Yesterday, we sat down with Toni, the Creative Director and head designer of the label, to figure out how she figured it all out and how she’s come so far so fast.

First, some news:

The Ohne Titel girls, Alexa Adams and Flora Gill, have designed their first line of shoes to debut at their show this September! Cesare Paciotti’s producing them in Italy right this very second, and, according to the girls, they’re along the lines of “hot” and “sick” and “so totally gorgeous.” They’re working out the details of whether the shoes will actually be available for purchase, so there should be some more news on that soon…

Ok - back to now. We paid a visit to Alexa and Flora in their spare Chelsea studio yesterday, and learned that:

1. They love bodies.

2. They love fabrics.

3. They love thinking about how fabrics should go on the body.

4. They like to do their draping on a teeny tiny little mannequin (yes, we got a picture.)

And their much-anticipated, upcoming Spring 09 collection? Well, it’s…

Lady Grey’s Brooklyn studio is stacked high with metals, chemicals and found objects from an abandoned pantyhose factory on Brooklyn’s Dead Horse Bay.

Among the warped bottles and welding tools is a collection of works in progress, works past and various experiments in metal that looked scary to me and calming to them.

The designers, Sabine LeGuyader and Jill Martinelli, met at art school, had similar style and moved to New York two years ago to kick start their line. Since then, they’ve been featured in, among others, Nylon and Purple. Their jewelry’s sold at Curve, Earnest Sewn and a couple of London boutiques.

I swung by their studio last weekend to find out how two girls get their jewelry on Ashley Olsen’s arms and photographed by Jeurgen Teller and what it’s like to try and make it in a city where everyone’s trying to make it.

Reasons we love Botkier bags:

1. Most importantly, we’re obsessed with the Sophie, at left.

2. Almost as importantly, they come in every size possible, so you can carry one whether you’re packing for brunch or an 18-hour workathon.

3. Soon to be important, they’re going to look really cute with the new line of Botkier shoes out later this year.

So we wanted to chat with the photographer-turned-designer behind the name, Monica Botkier, who leads the pack of designers making a killing on the huge statement bag craze. We’ve been wondering about her ever since we started seeing her designs sold in what seems like every store possible (Barney’s, Harvey Nichols, Neiman Marcus, ShopBop…) and hanging from the elbows of the Angelina/Lindsay/Kate B/Heidi Klum type.

But despite the visibility of her bags, it doesn’t seem like anyone really knows Monica. So we thought we’d facilitate a little introduction.

Monica, Readers. Readers, Monica…

The explosion of pyramid studs and chunky chains over the past few years may have some people surprised, but not Anna Sheffield.

The sculptor-turned-designer runs the jewelry label Bing Bang, whose textured metal pieces have been seen on the runways for Marc Jacobs, Phillip Lim, and Lutz + Patmos.

In the process, her home-hewed style of mixing metals, jagging edges, and studding even the most expensive of jewels to look like motorcycle dowries has become something of an industry standard - how many cleeted bags got sacked on the Burberry and Balenciaga catwalk for Fall?

Now Anna’s moved into making her own handbags, as seen on Claudia Schiffer, and designing a new collection for Fall ‘08. This year, she was nominated for the CFDA Swarovski Award for Accessories. Next year, maybe she’ll win an Oscar.

Okay, maybe not - but she’ll probably gain a good group of girls, sick of their status bags but still needing something stamped by the fashion packs as “approved.” Plus, she admits in her interview that she used to mangle her Barbies - a style soul mate, indeed.

A problem with fashion is the relentless drive for “next.” Trends have to zoom; models must morph; editors try and churn pages of “the new” and “the fresh” and “the It” for fear of being left behind.

This is great for reinvention, and usually for business, but sometimes it puts young talent in a weird place.

Witness the case of Ashleigh Verrier, whose first collection - created as her senior thesis project at Parsons - got bought, in its entirety, by Saks. This was in 2004, when Tim Gunn was her thesis adviser and Proenza Schouler was her boss (she was their first-ever intern).

Soon, the 22-year-old was billed as an “up-and-coming” by magazines and newspapers, about a year after she could buy vodka. Now 26, Ashleigh is still younger than most emerging designers, with a sponsored show in Bryant Park and a list of celebrity clients fit for Page Six - not to mention a licensing deal in Japan that could grow her company and label.

Still, the “up-and-coming” title hasn’t vanished, despite newer newbies like Alexander Wang, Vena Cava, and Chris Benz (who shared several college classes with Ashleigh!) hitting the scene. “But I’m not complaining,” remarks the San Francisco native. “Sometimes, when I work with my seamstress, I feel like I’m still in grad school!”

Maybe - but does anyone in grad school make dresses for Courtney Cox?

Didn’t think so.

It’s hard to balance fashion-as-art with fashion-as-outfit, but Anna Sui welds the compromise each season.

When her clothes go down the runway, there’s a chain reaction in your gut:

A gasp - the patterns are so deep you’re dizzy.

A breath - the shapes are so fresh it’s fun.

A stare - the dresses that might save your season.

A crush - it’s not all for you, but there’s one thing you have to have, and you’ll tackle Irina backstage to get it.

At least, that’s how we’ve always felt.

To find out why, we sought the designer herself…

You probably don’t own anything by Libertine, but that might change next week.

That’s when the Los Angeles label launches their first line from Target – a sharp turn from the one-of-a-kind, reworked vintage pieces they create for The Olsens, The Trainas, and the magazines.

But how can the brand Anna Wintour described as “very Galliano� maintain their cool in a store that also sells barbecues and Barbie bedding?

Designers Johnson Hartig and Cindy Greene (who’s also a member of Fischer Spooner, the coolest glitter band ever) explain…

Talk about fan mail:

At least one email that Fashionista gets every day is about the designer Henry Holland, best known for his zany graphic tees with fashion in-jokes and filthy rhymes.

Some of you love Henry’s gleeful humor, his bold aesthetic, and his party pictures from Boom Box and MisShapes.

As reader Violet gushed, “Henry and Agyness are like the prom king and queen of style… The best part is how Henry can turn [the fashion world] into a joke and a secret password at the same time.”

Meanwhile, some of you wonder if we’ve been snorting Strawberry Quick - as reader Alex snapped in her email, “All this for an expensive t-shirt? Can’t you buy some iron ons and get over it?”

We could… or we could let Henry Holland speak for himself. Click below for the inside info on Henry’s next collection, his imaginary jewelry line (sorry!), and his biggest prank yet…

Things Laura Poretzky has that we want:

1. A dress form named “Gemma� in her studio.

2. Ancient photographs of Hollywood movie stars.

3. Fluency in Portuguese.

4. A song written for her by a major rock band (but that’s all we’ll tell…)

5. Every dress and swimsuit that Abaete has ever made. Of course, that’s only right considering she’s the owner.

We won’t lie: there’s lots of little dress labels crafted by pretty party girls who scatter about the city like jelly beans dropped on the floor.

But Laura actually makes all her own patterns and samples, she usually boycotts the scene-y parties, and her dresses end up in W for a reason. They’re cool; they’re cute, and exceptionally well made.

Laura’s clothes are also a little more gussied than some of her competing labels – her dresses don’t come with built-in cigarette ash –

But this means her favorite swear word is even dirtier than most…

A secret:

The first thing I bought when I moved to New York was a Charlotte Ronson dress.

It was cream, with little flowers, and I wore it for two weeks straight, which seemed to make it cooler. I couldn’t explain it to my then-roommates, but something about the tiny print, the a-line shape, and the pink label made me feel like I finally belonged in the city - pretending not to care, but secretly swooning. At different points, I felt like a Reading Festival VIP, a sister from The Virgin Suicides, and a Soho DJ.

And this is the magic of Charlotte. Somehow, her simple clothes make you feel like the coolest girl in the world.

Her famous addicts like Nicole Richie and Lindsay Lohan may not need help in that department, but for a girl holed up in Brooklyn, the feeling - and the dress - were priceless.

Four years later, Charlotte has more clothes, more fans, and - yes - a favorite swear word. Get a glimpse of how she does it below…

Proenza Schouler isn’t the only design collective selling out of Manhattan – Have you met Felix Rey?

The handbag line belongs to Sulaika Zarrouk and Lily Rafii, a glossy-haired team who named their brand for Van Gogh’s infamous doctor. For six years, they’ve made handbags to crave like candy, and amassed a steady stream of US Weekly hits – Lindsay, Sarah Jessica, and J. Lo have all snatched the purses.

Meanwhile, Sulaika and Lily – who come from Donna Karan and the world of finance – prowl the streets of New York in search of inspiration. “We’ve definitely stalked a girl down the street to get a better view of her bag,� confesses Lily.

But what happens in their Soho studio?

Abandoning denim is a little bit like swearing off carbs: it works for a few days, maybe a few weeks, but eventually, you come crawling back. And so, instead of denying the twelve (yes, twelve) pairs of jeans in our closet, we’re simply going to highlight the brands that we see on Kate Moss and not on Lauren Conrad.

Enter Chloe Lonsdale and Made in Heaven, a British brand that began in the ‘70s and recently got resurrected in London. Ms. Moss has surfaced in their jeans, but so has this idea: that denim trends will soon shift territory from California to Britain, and with it, a big chunk of street style inspiration.

Which means that Chloe could be the start of something big…

Things I remember from Elise Øverland’s recent presentation: Julia Roitfeld looking perfect. Sally Singer breezing past. Clumps of models in hunks of fur and leather sheaths, catching slivers of sunlight in their hair and on their shiny patent bodices. Me feeling totally uncool.

Things I remember from Elise Øverland’s studio, which I visited last week: Slabs of yellow light in the windows. A crumpling pile of classic records. Illustrations of Mongolian Warriors on the walls. An incredible jacket made of horsehair. Elise sitting calm on a wrecked sofa, talking about her hometown in Norway. Me feeling totally uncool.

But hopeful, thanks to the clothes.

Elise used to make rock star costumes, but her new collection is more exciting than stage wear because it’s real: slide into the leather mini dress, slouch into the horsehair jacket, add the rough hewn boots, and you’re somewhere between a warrior princess and a party queen.

“You won’t want to stay home in the clothes,” explained Elise, “but… I like the idea of a girl being alone, needing to be alone sometimes. These clothes are good for a girl who can be alone, and not really be lonely.”

And suddenly, we felt a little cooler…