But things are looking up for next year.

You'll get as much milage out of them as you do from your moto jacket. We promise.

KISS: Keep it simple, stupid! (Not that you're stupid, it's just an expression -- oh, you get it.)

Some will point to the '90s, some to Marc Jacobs' final collection for Louis Vuitton -- but whatever the reason, light denim is definitely having a moment.

From of-the-moment anoraks and parkas to moto jackets with a twist, here are some options to get you through the next couple of months until -- haaay -- tank top season officially starts.

They're a very chic way for this intern to accentuate her so-called "chicken legs."

We turned to the denim pros for advice on how to clean our beloved coated jeans. Here are all the potential options.

See how a pair of jeans gets made, from concept to shipment.

Oscar de la Renta reveals how he had to convince Anna Wintour to put then First Lady Hillary Clinton on that iconic Vogue cover. {Haute Living} A vending machine is out there, somewhere, filled with Hermes, Dior, and McQueen handbags--but they'll cost you a bit more than a bottle of Coke. {HuffPo via Instagram} Because two beautiful and unrelated Jablonski models (Constance and Jacquelyn) weren't enough for the world, now there's a third leggy Jablonski you might want to get acquainted with: Meet Maggie! {Daily Mail}

Stop the presses! Lady Gaga stepped out in New York looking like an ACTUAL LADY. More of this, please, Gaga. {NYLON Blogs} Is it safe to call Cara Delevingne a Karl Lagerfeld muse at this point? The designer photographed the model for Numéro's September issue. {The Front Row View} As for another prominent designer-cum-photographer, Hedi Slimane lensed Sky Ferreira in these press images, featuring "ethereal and sultry" makeup by Amy Chance. Those words don't always belong together, but in this case, it's accurate. {Bernstein & Andriulli} Gah! On Kanye West's Kris episode, he'll apparently give us a look at baby North. Audience members say that North looks like Kanye, but with Kim's huge almond-shaped eyes. Smart move, Kris, making us actually want to tune in to your show (but just this once). {Daily Mail}

J. Brand just never fails me. Their jeans do the one most important thing that all jeans should do: make your ass look good. This is a new style from J. Brand called "photo ready." These jeans are supposed to slim and lift and hold and make you look great in a photo--get it? But they really do all those things.

I've been kind of obsessed with an unrolled hem on jeans lately. I already cut the hem off my beloved high-waisted J.Crew jeans (which I still wear to death) but recently I've been craving that extra level of undone-ness. Enter, the unrolled hem.

There's really an all-in-one thing going on in fashion right now. First, we wanted rompers; then it was overalls. Now, we're fiending for a good, full-legged jumpsuit. Celebs, it seems, are right on board with us.

"Our customers told us it was the right time," J Brand CEO Jeff Rudes told us, explaining, before we could even ask, why the label decided to make its fashion week debut yesterday. And what a polished, compelling debut it was.

Marc Jacobs, Altuzarra, Derek Lam--all names we expect, and look forward to seeing on the New York Fashion Week calendar. But, J Brand, G-Star, and Juicy Couture? Not exactly what comes to mind when we think about runway shows. We look into why so many mass market brands are showing at fashion week this season.

Blindingly bright white jeans are not attractive, and they only really look good on a very small subset of the population. But I like the look of light jeans. Enter these skinnies from J. Brand.

Compared to, say, the 1950s, very little clothing (or anything for that matter) is manufactured in the United States. There are a few heritage brands

Kim Kardashian Gets a Little Messy: This is definitely not the kind of flower flour girls like receiving. After spending probably three hours in hair and makeup, poor Kimmy K was flour-bombed (think pie-d before the ingredients are mixed) by some disgruntled onlooker at her fragrance release event. Turns out that suspected culprit PETA was in fact not responsible for this half-baked (hehe) sabotage-- but a rep made sure to tell TMZ that they were pretty pleased just the same. {Styleite, TMZ} Dov Charney is An 'Innocent' Man: Could 2012 be the year of Dov Charney's comeback? After being on the constant brink of bankruptcy, American Apparel's founder and CEO can say adieu to another legal hurdle. A Brooklyn judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought on by a former employee last year claiming that Charney had used her as a "sex slave." {HuffPo} American Idol Becoming Fashion Forward: Following the announcement that Tommy Hilfiger will be the reality show's new "style advisor," it's been revealed that American Idol will be releasing its new 'Authentic Icon' clothing line at Kohl's in April - also home to AI judge Jennifer Lopez's own clothing range. It seems even Idol alum (and Smash star) Katherine McPhee is getting in on the fash game: She was reportedly seen sprinting to the Conde Nast building to "meet Miss Anna Wintour" on Wednesday-- though we're betting there was nary a mention of 'Kohl's' in that meeting. {NY Mag, NY Post}

Parsons Alums to Design for Christian Louboutin: For the never-ending celebration of the brand's 20th anniversary, Christian Louboutin is enlisting the talents of Parsons alums to design garments to fit the Loubi aesthetic. Five 2010-2011 graduates were chosen, and their designs will be on display at the Louboutin 20th anniversary event at Bergdorf Goodman in early February. Congratulations to the winners, we can't wait to see what they've come up with! {WWD (Subscription required)} Topshop and the British Fashion Council's NEWGEN is Teaming Up Once Again: for a collection of t-shirts designed by some of its most noted alums including Mary Katrantzou, Christopher Kane, and Meadham Kirchhoff. The collaboration is in celebration of Topshop's ten-year affiliation with the NEWGN designer sponsorship, and will be available during London Fashion Week in stores and online at Topshop, as well as in the retailer's LFW pop-up shop in Selfridges. {Vogue UK} Rihanna is Having The Best Vacation Ever: The bleater singer has been snapping twitpics of herself in various bikinis all week, but last night Ms. Fenty let loose on Twitter sharing several shots of her island frolicks. At one point she tweeted @KhloeKardashian a picture of her on an elliptical machine in a bikini, "Come tap this." If she won't, we will. {Rihanna Twitter}

Yesterday morning, over espresso shots and oatmeal at Barneys new interactive genes@CO-OP cafe (each place setting has a touch screen so you can browse Barneys on a flat screen before you shop it IRL), Christopher Kane presented his new resort collab for J Brand. Kane's line is synonymous with neon ("it's part of my DNA now" he said) so it's no surprise that his collection for the denim powerhouse, the first of many, is DayGlo-tastic. There are flares and shorts in bubble gum pink, highlighter yellow and safety cone orange with cute little cropped jean jackets to match. The line is available now at Barneys and everything is under $300. J Brand's founder and CEO Jeff Rudes interviewed the charming and humble Glaswegian designer about fast food, TV, oh, and fashion.