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.

The holidays mean parties; in the next few weeks we’ll be digging through our closets for the perfect party outfits.

Luckily, December’s British Vogue’s given us a way to make those outfits better without breaking the bank.

Glitter!

Who doesn’t love a little shine? Instead of a light smattering, makeup artist Lisa Eldridge says that the look should be “bold, simple and beautiful, with the rest of the face kept bare and natural.” This grown-up version of glitter looks best in jewel tones like emerald or cobalt, and in a solid block of color over the eyes instead of shadow or liner. We noticed it on a handful of SS10 runways like Louis Vuitton, Betsey Johnson, and Derek Lam and it works well in liquid liner, glitter eye pencil, or loose glitter pot form.

It’s just a Rachel Antonoff kind of day.

The designer’s designed a dress, that’s right, just one dress, for Target’s Red Hot Shop. It’s gold brocade, sleeveless, with a sweetheart neck and available online. Maybe in stores? We delight in knowing Target has even the tiniest indie designers on their radar.

In other news, Teen Vogue has amazing stills from her SS10 video - she’s shot her brother, Jack Antonoff and Alia Shawkat, yeah Maeby Fünke, re-enacting the “Top That” rap scene from Teen Witch.

The Antonoff video isn’t done yet, but if you need help putting words to images, Teen Vogue’s posted the original scene which we guarantee will make your day.

Didn’t think you’d be able to find a great design internship until next semester? Think again.

Helmut Lang needs an intern, immediately, for the rest of this year and into next.

Candidates need to be available a minimum of two full days per week, but ideally would be able to do three or more. You’ll be working in the design department, and would help the team create flats (candidates must know how to flat by hand), prepare boards, organize and maintain notebooks, and assist with creating cut tickets.

On nasty, icky days like today, I hardly want to get out of bed, let alone get dressed up for work. No matter how badly I’d love to pull on a cozy sweatshirt and run out of the house in rain boots, I hate feeling sloppy in addition to my rainy-day blues.

As per usual, Shopbop has provided me with a cure for the common get-up. New on the site today is a jewelry line called Landver, which features a collection of moderately priced, on-trend pieces that are perfect for everyday wear.

This necklace, when worn with a t-shirt or sweater, could elevate any outfit from casual to chic. The line includes bracelets, necklaces, and earrings made in silver, gold-tone, and leather.

With most of the items priced well under $100, I’d even consider buying this cuff or a few of these cute, braided bracelets to pile on when I am feeling less-than-enthused about choosing an ensemble.

Here at Fashionista, we love playing buyer, stylist, beauty editor… the list goes on. If you do, too, Polyvore.com is probably proving to be an addictive guilty pleasure.

On Polyvore, you can create your own fashion layouts or look books with products or images from the web and share them with the world.

Today, the site is launching a contest with Lancôme. It’s called “Hypnotize Lancôme with Your Fashion Sense,” and it celebrates the new fragrance Hypnôse Senses. Create a layout that illustrates your sense of style, and one winner will win a $250 lancome-usa.com gift card and a bottle of Hypnôse Senses, signed by Daria. Five runners-up will each win $100 gift cards plus a bottle of Hypnôse Senses.

You can create as many sets as you like that sum up your unique fashion sense, as long as each one includes a bottle of Hypnôse Senses. After all, every fashion icon in the making needs a signature scent.

More details and entry instructions can be found here.

UPDATE: We just heard that Daria herself will be picking the winner!

Thanks to the magic of television, I’ve seen Rachel Zoe die after Diane von Furstenberg told her “she’d become the woman she’d always wanted to be,” and watched Whitney Port stare blankly as the fashion icon dished out invaluable career and relationship advice. Now, thanks to Teen Vogue’s Fashion University, I’ve heard DVF for myself.

As the program’s keynote speaker, Diane walked out to so many flashbulbs that she had to tell her overly-eager audience to cut it out and listen. Here are some highlights of her lively, inspirational speech.

1. She takes pride in understanding women. Diane believes that clothes should be like close friends: “When you’re standing in front of the closet in the morning, and you feel like shit, you should go for the reliable one that makes you feel good.”

2. She always has a camera with her. Her close-ups of leaves, bark, or anything else she finds beautiful in nature can end up a pattern in one of her collections.

This past weekend, Teen Vogue hosted a Fashion University event for their readers who were eager to learn the ins and outs of the business.

Not only were they given the rare opportunity to visit the magazine’s editorial floor and famed fashion closet, but they also got the chance to sit down with designers like Richard Chai, Philip Crangi, and Thakoon Panichgul. In a discussion moderated by Amy Astley, Thakoon shared stories about his rise through the ranks of the industry and gave pointers to the many aspiring designers in the audience.

You may already know that his Fall 2005 presentation was the most buzzed-about of the season, or that his most famous customer is Michelle Obama. But here are some things you might not know about the designer. I definitely didn’t.