Much has been made about the fall of Notting Hill.

Its “hip” status has been seriously affronted by the rise of Shoreditch, Hoxton, Dalton et al. In other words, the gritty, mean streets of East London. But some, including us and the newly opened Wolf & Badger, refuse to give up on the quaint neighborhood. Consider the shop Notting Hill’s own Dover Street Market, with an edit that’s as interesting as Rei Kawakubo’s, but different.

While the words “concept shop” are getting to be as annoying as “pop up,”’ we’re okay with this one, which is an incubator of sorts. Talented and cash-strapped designers can rent a spot in the store for as little as £35 (about $55) a week, which buys them a black and white box to display their wares, and a Web site. The worries about retail space, marketing, sales and PR are left up to the duo behind the idea, Samir Ceric and Zoe Knight, who also mentor the designers.

When it comes to clogs, we’re with Garance.

We can’t get behind them, at least not Kate and I; Steff says, “They just make your feet look like hooves.”

Lauren loves Rachel Comey’s clog boots - but she’d never wear real clogs, backless ones, like Chanel’s.

However, if you are into clogs - and we have seen more than one girl stomping around Manhattan making them look great - you need to go to Valley.

It’s the vintage store/amazing nail salon on Elizabeth between Prince and Spring and while my friends got zebra striped nail art last night, I picked through their perfect edit of vintage shoes, including a few stellar pairs of clogs.

They’re all brown, the biggest size is 8, and they’re worth a trek through snow.

Rent the Runway, the clothing version of Bag, Borrow or Steal, is now stocking pieces from Halston’s Heritage line.

Coming up next: fashion darling Prabal Gurung.

I have to admit, I’m a bit skeptical about Rent the Runway. As a person who believes in investing in a few nice pieces and wearing them repeatedly, Rent the Runway seems downright silly. Why, I wonder, would I rent a Vena Cava dress for $100 and wear it for six days when I could buy a Vena Cava dress for $400, and wear it forever?

I’ve done a lot of research on this, meaning I’ve talked to a lot of people and asked them if they would consider trying Rent the Runway. Most said no, and that it seemed like a waste of money.

For years, I searched apothecaries, departments stores and Sephoras the world over in hopes of finding my signature scent.

It started with CK One in middle school. (Which I’ve been secretly considering returning to, if only in jest.) High school belonged to Prescriptives Flirt, which—along with the entire Prescriptives brand—was eventually discontinued.

My college and first few years of employment were dedicated to Marc Jacobs, a gardenia scent I still love. Unfortunately, so did a demanding boss, which means the fragrance also conjures feelings brought on by extreme micromanagement.

Since then, I’ve kind of given up on the whole idea of a signature scent. I like Stella McCartney and Prada Infusion D’ Iris, both of which I occasionally wear. I’ve also become a big fan of Jo Malone’s stable of colognes, particularly orange blossom. Yet none have left me devoted.

But I may be getting closer. And this time, with very little effort.

After work on Friday, we made the rounds in Soho, looking for Fashion Week wardrobe additions on our way to the Phi sale.

So we stopped in Prada (naturally).

I’ve been dying to get my hands on, or should I say my feet in, Prada’s chandelier shoes - specifically, Nimue Smit’s green-heeled pair. There’s no way I can actually afford the $1800 price tag on my feeble college student budget, but walking around the store for thirty minutes would fulfill my fashion fantasies.

Right?

Except that Kate and I ran around the store looking for them; we found the SS10 collection hanging from the racks in its entirety, minus a single chandelier. So like any knowledgeable shopper, I asked the saleslady when they’d be in.

Bloomingdale’s opened in the Dubai Mall this past weekend.

It’s the luxury retailer’s first-ever store abroad, and it sounds pretty fantastic. Very different from Bloomie’s here in the States, with a focus on ultra-high fashion instead of accessible luxury. There are two Bloomingdale’s outposts in the mall, one dedicated to fashion and the other to home.

Macy’s Inc., which owns Bloomingdale’s, teamed up with Dubai-based Al Tayer Group to open the store. Al Tayer runs the Middle Eastern operations of a ton of Western retailers, including PPR-owned Balenciaga, Stella McCartney and others like Harvey Nichols and Gap. The two companies have thus far invested about $73 million in the project.

Al Tayer’s connection to PPR means it’s not a huge surprise that there are Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Yves Saint Laurent shop-in-shops at the new Bloomie’s. Here are some other highlights:

Got about a gazillion dollars and a big heart?

Then you might want to get in on Charity Buzz’s latest auction to benefit The Rose Foundation and The White Ribbon Alliance.

Red carpet favorite Marchesa has put together a package for the site’s annual Valentine’s Day auction.

Not only will the winner receive a collection dress—which she’ll get to choose herself at the design duo’s Manhattan studio—she’ll also get two VIP passes to the label’s February 17 presentation at Chelsea Art Gallery. The current bid is just $1,850, but the auction closes at 12:56 pm on February 10, which means it’s bound to creep up to its estimated value of $15,000 by then.

For the lucky ones we say: Happy shopping! For the rest of us, we say: Happy dreaming!

There’s a new Apple product in town. And yes, it has a really bad name. But soon enough, there’ll be a slew of accessories to match this new plaything. Some are sure to be stylish, while others will certainly veer towards disgusting.

Here’s what I’m hoping for:

Vers wooden case. I picked up Vers’ wooden iPhone holder at Minimal in San Francisco over the holidays. Not only is it super sturdy, but it’s also the most attractive case I’ve ever seen for a gadget. That is, if you’re a sucker for mid-century-inspired design like I am.

Lanvin zip-up satchel. I’d love for the fashion house to convert one of Alber’s cotton carryalls to a cover for my shiny new contraption.

Philippe Starck-designed display stand. Since the iPad’s suppose to replace books, I might want a well-designed stand for which to display it on my coffee table.

The real-life existence of these products will make the chances of me actually buying this thing much more likely.

Valentine’s Day falls smack in the middle of Fashion Week, so we’ve built a list of things to put you in the mood today instead.

Do you like pink and red and conversation hearts and doilies? Check.

Prefer whips and handcuffs? Check.

Wish your boyfriend dressed like Don Draper? Check.

Think the whole thing’s ridiculous, but will take any excuse to shop? Double Check.

Click through for our essential shopping guide, but beware, we’re not really the Hallmark type.

Los Angeles-based Tiffany Tuttle has been designing shoes to accompany Victoria Bartlett’s VPL collection for a few seasons now. Yet at the VPL Spring 2010 show, we couldn’t help but be even more impressed with the duo’s latest efforts.

Not only are the soft, slouchy straps of leather—reminiscent of the ready-to-wear collection’s omnipresent grosgrain—back, but this time, they’re available in a muted coral and a deep seaweed blue-green (which is difficult to see in the photos.) The requisite pebble and dove grey styles are there, too.

I love Tuttle’s and Bartlett’s individual designs, but I have to say, their aesthetics are a match made in collaboration heaven. The project brings their individual visions to another level. I can’t wait to get my hands on a pair!

Officially, Mayumi Tamieko, 24, is in London for a language course.

Unofficially, she’s here as a self-described Dover Street Market (DSM) groupie. “I love everything that Rei Kawakubo does,” she says in halting English. “But you have to understand — Kawabuki-san is a legend in my country.”

And a legend in the Ol’ Blighty as well. Most retailers, especially in this climate, would shudder at the thought of closing their store for four days and losing out on those sales, but Kawakubo does so each year post-Boxing Day. It’s called Tachiagari “beginning” in Japanese, and Kawakubo takes that concept very seriously, completely clearing out the old and adding new, interesting designers to her world famous Dover Street Market. This week, the store re-opened with a refreshingly slick new look, and without a single sale rack of sad leftovers.

As I’ve said before, I’m not someone who wears a ton of jewelry. But when I spied Parisian designer Aurelie Bidermann’s Do Brasil bracelet, it became my latest conquest.

While I jumped on the friendship bracelet bandwagon last fall with one of editor-cum-designer Jenny Kang’s rhinestone styles laced with rhinestones, I can’t help but covet Bidermann’s Do Brasil gold and cotton thread version.

Why? Because it’s sturdy, structured and bold without losing the kitschy appeal of the traditional style. I’ll wear it alone or with my watch—simple, but still fun.

Britt, on the other hand, is dying for one of Bidermann’s lace cuffs. Which do you prefer? Click through to see more of the designer’s latest collections. (Blue background is from fall 2010, red background is from spring 2010.)

In an ideal world, we’d march down Spring Street, buy the Chanel football at left, slice it open, pull out whatever’s inside of a football, add a zipper and voila! We’d have our very own Chanel-to-Wang clutch.

But we’re not billionaires, and in reality, it’d probably be ugly. So instead we’ve pictured three of this season’s football stars.

Chanel’s is actually mean to be thrown, apparently they’ve embraced all things sporty. One might be able to squeeze a phone into Alexandre Herchcovitch’s mini-ball, and Alexander Wang’s slouchy brown leather version is probably the most practical, though answers may vary depending on who’s asked, Peyton Manning or Erin Wasson.

When Pierre Hardy’s gorgeous suede boots and leather sandals for Gap were released in stores last October, they seemed to sell out so quickly that most shoppers didn’t even get a chance to glimpse their beauty, let alone buy a pair. (I was luckily enough to spy them at Gap’s London flagship on Oxford Street as well as its lower 5th Avenue shop in New York.)

However, Fashionista reader Andrea tipped us off today that the mid-calf suede boots with a wrap-around buckle are now available online in both grey and sand.

I did indeed try this pair on at the store and I must say, the built-in platform makes them very comfortable for a heel this high. And they look good, too. Definitely more expensive than the $175 price tag.

Why do we think that Gap decided, months later, to release these online? Well, there’s a chance a back-order came through. Unlike the first Pierre Hardy x Gap collection, this one actually sold out—and quickly. Luckily, those whose local Gap didn’t carry the shoes can now get their hands on them. Happy Shopping!

Yoox.com made dreams come true last November 2009 when it released a collection of 100 pristine, one-off Martin Margiela pieces from 2005-2009.

Frenchie auction site 1stdibs.com garnered a similar reaction in December when it announced a partnership with upscale vintage boutique Resurrection to release pieces from private Margiela collector Marcia Berger’s archive in February 2010. (Some items date back to 1989, when Margiela was actually designing the collection.)

New information about what’ll be on sale next month was finally released today. Exciting news, but it also raises the question, where is all this Margiela stuff coming from, and why are people eager to sell it?

The economy is obviously one answer, but it doesn’t satiate us. Know anything?

Update: We’ve been told by someone close to the late Marcia Berger that she was an avid collector of Margiela. When we say avid, we mean that she owned every single women’s piece that was produced from 1989 through the early 2000s. “Every single piece and every accessory,” reiterates our source. It’s unlikely, however, that Resurrection has acquired the entire collection. If they have, that means there are plenty more Margiela sales to come. Hopefully Berger’s estate also donated a few pieces to a museum.

Banana Republic’s launched a new denim collection to match their shiny new Broadway flagship.

The jeans range from classic dark skinnies to pre-wrinkled slouchy boyfriends. There’s a 70s looking lightweight cut with a slight flare that hits a little higher than usual, and made my legs look significantly longer. They’ve included an easy boot cut and a slouchy skinny that should be avoided if you’re less than 5’10”.

They range from $89 to $99 which is slightly more than the Madewells and Gaps I’ve been favoring of late, but they’re significantly softer. Denim this soft - I took home the boyfriends - usually comes with a $200 price tag.

Before I left I had to sign this Notice and Disclosure agreement:

I love underwear as outerwear, no pants, leather tees and socks with sandals, but if there’s one thing from SS10 I’ve been waiting for with particular impatience, it’s Mulberry’s Alexa bag.

Alexa Chung carried a caramel version of her eponymous satchel throughout New York and London Fashion Week last September, and it’s finally hitting stores this Monday, January 11th.

Emma Hill designed the bag after spotting Alexa’s vintage men’s briefcase (also Mulberry) and added some girly touches and a handful of color options including snakeskin trimmed leather, hot pink leopard and a beige tweed - they all come in either regular or oversized.

It’s the first time I’ve caved to an “It Bag,” but also the first time an “It Bag’s” looked so classic. More images, after the jump.

In honor of the new decade, Selfridges is honoring the one before last.

Rellik, Beyond Retro, IDEA and Work It are coming together to build a concept shop in the middle of the department store.

Rellik will offer a stellar collection of not quite vintage clothes from the 90s including original Gaultier, Westwood and Alaia. IDEA will handpick the best books from the decade and Work It’s created two limited edition tees.

The pop-ups in store from January 11th to 29th, which means we’ll just miss it when London Fashion Week starts a few weeks later, but if you’re in the UK and manage to pick up a piece of 90s era Alaia, we’ll be scouring eBay for anything you don’t want.

Sarah Mower was disappointed with Jil Sander’s collection for Uniqlo, but the people wrapping down Broadway and around Prince this fall might’ve begged to differ - and maybe the critic will be won over by Jil’s Spring/Summer collection for the Japanese retailer.

The collection, which has been displayed in the store’s Oxford Street flagship windows all week, launches in London tomorrow morning, and next week, on January 14th, in the States.

WWD posted images of the collection before Christmas including pastel colored vests, white tux jackets, crisp white shirts and an athletic looking men’s jacket in navy blue (that we’ll be snapping up in X-Small).