Olympia le Tan

The Fourth of July is two days away and we're plotting our outfits. It's tricky, though. Do you go head-to-toe Americana, hunt for a pair of America

Fashion shows in Paris tend to feel very serious. They're staged in the grandest Baroque buildings and they're very exclusive. On the night of the most serious, most exclusive show of Paris fashion week--Hedi Slimane's debut collection for Yves Saint Laurent--Olympia Le-Tan presented her spring summer ready-to-wear and handbag collection. It was not serious. It was not exclusive. It was pure fun. The most fun I had at a fashion show all week, in fact.

What is it about the French? Or French women to be exact? No matter what they're wearing--whether it be a t-shirt or a ballgown--they always manage to exude that certain...je ne sais quoi. And it's precisely that je ne sais quoi that has inspired designers (and our wardrobes) for generations. So in honor of Bastille Day, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite french style icons--from those of the past like Jane Birkin and Brigitte Bardot, all the way up to the new guard, like Charlotte Gainsbourg and Lea Seydoux. Click through to see them all.

It-bags, while not quite as flashy these days as their Baguette ancestors, are definitely still thriving. Much like the new It-girls, they're more simply adorned and low-key. But despite a lower profile--and lack of logos plastered all over--they're still very much a thing.

"I rather like to see someone I don't know wearing my bag in the street and I have no idea how they got it," Olympia Le-Tan said at the press conference before the presentation of handbags she'd designed as the special guest of Pitti W, the smaller women's counterpart to Florence's famed menswear trade show, Pitti Uomo. "Of course, it's nice when Natalie Portman is wearing one at a premiere, too," she added. Le-Tan, who began her design career under Gilles Dufour at Chanel at just 19, has earned the adoration of fashion insiders like Sofia Coppola and Olivier Zahm for both her hand-crafted book clutches and her DJ skills at Paris hot spot Le Baron. As the first accessories designer invited to present at Pitti W, Le-Tan churned out an appropriately Italian-themed collection comprised of 36 bags inspired by Italian cinema and literature.

Today is the first Friday the 13th of 2012, which if you're very superstitious, makes today a very ominous day. (Add this traditionally unlucky day to the purported ending of the world in 2012, and you have a panic attack on your hands.) If you're going to be superstitious, you might as well look good while doing it, so put away your garlic cloves and old rabbit foot and invest in some of these fashionable items that will bring you luck and ward off evil spirits in the new year. There's everything from cross shaped sunglasses (for fending off vampires and/or Twilight fans) to a Wednesday Addams inspired dress that's just plain adorable. Find the best lucky items to buy today after the jump. more

The past four days have been a non-stop party for a lot of fashion people here in New York. And those Halloween parties have been well-documented. The Tribeca Grand's Overlook Hotel party, the Boom Boom Room's fete and last night's V party hosted by Terry Richardson drew the most fashion-heavy crowds and, as we all know, fashion people like to dress up. They also seem to like obscure references--many of their costumes were tough to identify, but still fun to look at. So, from Alexa Chung to Joan Smalls to Marc Jacobs, here are a bunch of fashion people in their Halloween best! Photos: Terry's Diary, Paper, Style.com, BFA

Today is Bastille Day! So whip out your baguette and brie sandwich and brush up on your French. If there was ever a fashionable national holiday, Bastille Day is it. French culture has become so iconic and romanticized, that's it hard not to spend every July 14 wistfully pretending to take a nonchalant stroll along the Seine. To make your celebrations a little more French, we've rounded up 14 great items that'll turn any party into a real fête. Check out the goodies we selected for an awesome Bastille Day celebration.