The best part about holiday shopping, aside from apple cider, is the overflow of shopping events (especially in the wake of such financial disarray).

Next week, Elle and Armani Exchange are teaming up to make you shop. And by Elle we mean Style Director Kate Lanphear.

The party’s next week, Tuesday, November 10 from 6pm-8pm at Armani Exchange’s Fifth Avenue store at 20th Street. You’ll get to preview Armani’s holiday collection, drink champagne and snack your way through the store.

And if you spend over $100, you get to customize your own A/X t-shirt with Kate on hand to dish bedazzling advice.

If a tee designed by Kate isn’t the perfect pre-holiday treat, then we’re not sure what is.

Okay, Rachel must be dying, literally, right now.

Her loyal, often sullen, but always, always hard-working styling associate Taylor Jacobson is finally leaving Rachel Zoe Inc. We’ve kind of seen this coming for a while, but the season ender showed Taylor getting a new role (well, sort of) handling aspects of RZ’s growing merchandise business.

But we guess things didn’t get any better. In an email to contacts today, Taylor said: “After four amazing years at Rachel Zoe Corporation, I’m saddened and exhilarated at the same time to announce my departure. After much thought and consideration, I have decided to take the challenging leap to go off and style on my own.”

Who will make Brad and Rach stay focused now? Who will keep Rodg up to speed on Rachel’s vertigo issues? Who will handle all those returns? We hope there’s a season 3 so we can find out.

Whatever happens, we wish Taylor lots of luck in her solo styling career!

We realized when looking through our newest issue of Russh that in all the talk over these many months about the widespread trend of pantslessness, and even the emerging “jock” fashions of S/S10, that one inspiration had been overlooked. Until now. Thank you Russh editors for remembering.

And who might this trendsetter be? Jamie Lee Curtis in the awesome 1985 “drama”, Perfect. The film is a hip-thrusting romp following the relationship of aerobics instructor Jessie and John Travolta’s reporter Adam. If you haven’t had the pleasure, we highly recommend it for its ridiculous workout scenes and brilliant use of leotards and headbands. (Be forewarned that Travolta wears loose-fitting short shorts that are more revealing than one might like.)

We feel terrible for overlooking Jamie Lee when watching collections like Charlotte Ronson’s come down the runway. We were consumed by visions of Olivia Newton-John and “Let’s Get Physical”, but we’re trying to make amends by giving props now. Because really, no one’s ever looked hotter sans pants.

Please forgive us, Mrs. Christopher Guest. We won’t forget you again.

We’ve anticipated the launch of two websites this week - one came crashing in and the other’s quietly arrived.

Interior designer Ryan Korban celebrated the debut of RyanKorban.com at the Soho Grand last night with a crush of familiar faces including hosts Alexander Wang, Natasha Poly and Victoria Traina. Korban’s best known for designing Alex’s studio, Tribeca’s Edon Manor and after last night, for gathering more models in one place - Iris, Daiane, Stam, Rose Cordero, Vanessa Traina (semi-model?), Angela Lindvall, Erin Wasson, Natasha - than we’ve seen since fashion week. You can’t actually buy anything on his site, except maybe his services, but just glancing at his portfolio will certainly make you rip your apartment apart in disgust and buy lots of other things. Consider yourself warned.

You can, however, buy plenty from AllSaints.com. The British brand’s been quietly creeping stateside this fall. Their Bloomingdale’s concession launched in August and they have tentative plans to inhabit part of the empty Virgin space in Union Square. But they’ve finally launched an online site for the US full of perfectly rock n’ roll leather, slouchy sweaters and studded accessories. As for their dresses, one of their head designers came from Vivienne Westwood. So again, consider yourself warned.

Well, not exactly. But that’s what this behind-the-scenes video feels like, in the best way. Freja’s shooting for the just-launched this week British hardcover magazine Twin, which currently has the fashion world buzzing. We can’t wait to get our hands on a copy.

The Boo George shoot looks hot. We loved the song, “Into the Dark” by Sister. And we have no problem admitting that we were not musically cool enough to recognize it without the credits.

Enjoy two-plus of Freja goodness on this Thursday afternoon!

Oprah’s been on a bit of a fashion kick lately with Christian Siriano last week and two of our favorites Joe Zee and Mary Alice Stephenson yesterday (along with O: The Oprah Magazine’s Adam Glassman.)

Unfortunately there’s no video up yet but you can follow along with their shoe and bag interventions. And, wow, did they have their work cut out for them. Because let’s face it, there are some really, really bad shoes out there. And I’m a huge sports fan, but the Cubs purse? Oy.

Oprah can be a bit (well, a lot) grating at times with all the self-aggrandizing, but anything she can do to make bad accessories go away, we’re behind. And she picked a good team to help her do it. Honestly, if it’s half as successful as what she did for the book industry, really we all win.

Rachel Bilson’s in the new Flaunt (which is amazing by the way, more to come) looking pretty damn fashion-y.

Bilson might be one the of the few starlets we’d rather just abandon Hollywood and movie-making altogether, admit her love for fashion overpowers any other interest and take those leather Phillip Lim gloves from editorial to real life.

She says:

“New York is more inspiring, I think, than L.A. And you’re definitely closer to the fashion pulse. You see girls walking down the street, and they look amazing. They’re not afraid. No one gives a fuck.”

“Like, I love trees. I notice trees. It’s a weird thing for me because L.A.’s my home, but now I represent something very different, so it’s bizarre.”

“She [Diana Vreeland] was so cool and innovative, and at her time, what she did with Harper’s and what she wore, her columns and everything were so unique.”

Rachel Antonoff stopped by It’s On With Alexa Chung last Friday to talk clever, not-slutty Halloween costumes.

The holiday might’ve officially passed at this point, but Rachel’s super clever costume ideas are no less inspiring and if you love Halloween as much as we do, you’re already excited for next year.

Rachel showed Alexa how to dress like a gumball machine, gum-under-shoe and static cling. And if you do insist on stripping down (hey, at least it was 70 degrees on Saturday), there’s always Babe-Raham Lincoln.

Happy early birthday to me is what I thought when I opened up this email with V’s latest beauty extravaganza.

My former beauty editor heart definitely starts beating a little faster when a single story contains work by so many of my most favorite hairstylists, makeup artists, and photographers. And the models aren’t too shabby either!

Seriously check out just some of the people who gave their interpretations of what the definition of beauty will be in the next decade: Gucci Westman, Aaron de Mey, Didier Malige, James Kaliardos, Val Garland, Richard Burbridge, Miles Aldridge, Jimmy Paul, Julien d’Ys, Mario Sorrenti. The list goes on and on and their work is completely outstanding.

And charity!

The industry’s famous Taco Tuesdays are back. And as always, everyone’s invited. We always love hitting up Rewind and having our fashion friends mix us up margaritas and other assorted cocktails. And while there’s no battle of the bartenders tonight, it’s sure to be a good time.

The publicists from Krupp Group are hosting with all the proceeds going to the CFDA’s Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Campaign.

You’ll be sure to spot some of their clients like Phillip Crangi and Rachel Comey…maybe they’ll even make your drink. There’ll be tons of raffle prizes and live music too.

Plus, who doesn’t love a $2 taco and a $5 marg after a depressingly dreary day? There’s no need to RSVP, just show up. Details after the jump!

A tipster tells us the Mary-Kate and Ashley are at their Olsenboye treat truck in Union Square like now. Send pics if you’re there and eat a cupcake for us since we’re stuck in the office.UPDATE: Wow, you guys are fast. Click through for a photo.

We know many of you are suffering from Gaga fatigue, but not us. Not even the massive number of Lady Gaga costumes sure to take over the nation on Saturday night can quench our thirst.Her SNL performance a few weeks ago was awesome and so is this new video over at Dazed Digital.

It starts out a bit interpretive modern dance Gaga, set to piano music she scored just for the short, directed by Kathryn Ferguson, before moving to seems to be outer space. The styling is sparkly, colorful, and athletic kind of all at the same time. And the multi-colored makeup is pretty ridiculous, and I mean that in the best possible way.

You can get a better look at the details in the behind the scenes photos. Personally, we love that Gaga takes time out from rehearsals and whatnot to do these kind of projects. Because whether you love her or not, there’s no question the Lady is busy.

We have been long trawling the street for a new trend — one that you can cannot simply ape by looking at a magazine. The studs, mega-heels and shoulders have all gotten a little, well, ho hum, as of late.

But finally that exciting feeling of a fashion rush came roaring back at last week’s launch of model cum photographer Ellen von Unwerth’s new book with Taschen, Fraulein, authored by the legendary Ingrid Sischy.

The book is not out until December, but we got a sneak preview last week at the Michael Hoppen Gallery, where a mob of well-wishers came by to congratulate the ever-smiling photographer.

Let us count just five of the ways…

1. Your new retrospective book, Nick Knight, is phenomenally gorgeous. (The publisher sent us a copy but you can buy it starting on October 27th for $75, which is actually not a bad deal at all.)

2. Picking out which smattering of pictures to scan was incredibly hard but really fun. Thanks for making our morning so much better.

3. We forgot how much we truly died over that 2000 Dior campaign with a dirt-covered Angela Lindvall. Love, love, love.

4. You can do super high concept and impeccably simple equally well. What a gift.

5. SHOWstudio is totally badass and changing the industry in important and innovative ways.

Just keep doing what you’re doing. Thanks!

A few more of our favorite shots from the book after the jump. (UPDATE: We had to switch out a few of our scans due to some copyright issues…sorry!)