Predicting trends can be a slippery thing. One Fashion Spot forum wonders what could possibly follow the popularity of the skull motif. Some guess the smiley face will be big as new rave goes mass and yellow becomes big for spring, others think anchors will get even bigger with the popularity of navy and white, some think playing card motifs, especially hearts, will be popular. Only time will tell, right??

Ugh, I knew I cleaned out my closet prematurely. I bought one of those fabulous floral Fashionaire suitcases for $3 at a Goodwill many, many years ago and sent it back to thrift-store purgatory three years ago. If only I'd stuck it out for the reissue, I could have made bank on eBay. Oh well.

“I can't get enough of high-waisted jeans at the moment — mine are from Acne.”

— Beverly Knight on her fave jeans. From Fashion Week Daily.

The replacement of Hedi Slimane with Kris van Assche at Dior Homme as creative director leaves many wondering -- just who is this guy? Well, first off, he's a Belgian designer with a strong accessories background. Clean pieces and classic tailoring get a dash of wit in the form of little embroidered drawings and chunky colorful details, which filled his last collection. Poor guy has some big shoes to fill, but we're excited to see what he'll do.

Related Links: Get the Hedi while you still can.

I know it's barely spring, but I'm already flipping for what Northwest indie designer Liza Reitz has lined up for Fall 2007. Reitz's Victorian-inspired frocks look good on nearly any body and are proof positive that some of today's most elegantly wearable fashion hails from a region still overrun by fleece.

Related Links: Fight frumpiness in your satin Cole Haan slingbacks.

Perfect for describing the bandwagon-hopping types who've adopted the turban as their headcover of choice, a "turbanista" is anyone who would buy one and appear in public. The word first showed up on The Ugly Earring blog, but will likely come to wider use after appearing in the New York Times today: "Turbanista Mary-Kate Olsen...strangely wore one atop her long white tresses and ended up looking more like Axl Rose." Use it while you can, because this new phrase may not last very long -- it's only as long-lived as the trend that inspired it.

Related Links: Rock it while you can.

“If you don't own the dress by now chances are you never will.”

— Fashion Addict Diary on Philip Lim's best-selling dress.

We couldn't be happier that the glory of the world's largest diamond pendant went to Lil Jon and his $500,000, five-pound "Crunk Ain't Dead" diamond-and-gold pendant. The Guinness Book of World Records, which bestowed the honor, better keep tabs on the hip-hop world's ever-escalating search for over-the-top luxury, because pretty soon someone else will have to topple Lil' Jon's hard-earned record. From the New York Post's new fashion blog Haute List.

Related Links: So maybe it's not five pounds, but it's still blingy.

Talk of a possible Zac Posen diffusion line have style addicts aglow with the thought of owning a piece of the designer's work at a fraction of the price. Along with the happy thoughts of cheap clothes, a few skeptics over at The Fashion Spot also note that designers make more money on contemporary collections and licensing, such as Zac Posen's foray into crystal-encrusted Champagne.

Fashionista may be just two months old, but Faran's been writing about fashion since college, most recently for Fashion Week Daily. We're loving the new blog, and especially love it when Faran's dispatches are delivered in artsy collage-like doodles. Isn't she adorable?

What she's wearing:
I am wearing the Proenza for Target swing coat that I bought at Opening Ceremony on the very first day the collection was sold. It was the night before Fashion Week and there was a crush of fashion editors in line to buy Proenza, then race home, change into cuter clothes, and go out to parties and events. It was sort of like the first day of school; everyone was there and talking about what shows they had the next day. Underneath is a Marc bubble dress that I bought for a dinner party, with Betsey Johnson tights, an H&M necklace, and the Abaete for Payless flats. I made one of the bracelets I'm wearing -- it says "Am I The Imaginary Socialite?" -- and the other was a present from Jessica Kagan Cushman. I think that I look like a Muppet, always.

Tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got into fashion writing:
I was always into fashion -- I used to hack Vogue and W into little pieces and make collages all over my bedroom of Kate Moss and whatever was on the Chanel runway. In college I wrote a fashion column for my school paper, and it was so over-the-top that it got a lot of attention. WWD came down to research my school and interview me for their college issue, and they were like, "Come to New York after college." So I did.

Do you consider yourself unhealthily obsessed with fashion?
Not at all, but my friends think I'm weird - they're more into music and they can't believe how fast I can look at something on a celebrity or on the street and know where it came from. I wish there was a game show for that.

If you could see any lost trend return to fashion, what would it be?
I am killing for Haagen-Dazs to revive those t-shirts from the '70s with all the ice cream flavors on them. Kate Spade did it with handbags, but no, I want the actual t-shirt to layer under all my strapless Marc dresses.

What is your most prized possession, fashion-wise?
My mother's blood red leather swing jacket from the '70s with a giant red leather belt -- I wear it over anything and I look like Emma Peel in The Avengers. It's amazing.

Are you looking forward to any spring trends?
Miniskirts! Mini dresses! Anything obscenely short that I can wear with flats and dance with boys! Yay!

If you could describe your style as a fashion mashhup, who would you be?
I am... um... Penny Lane once she goes through rehab and starts working under Phoebe Philo for an imaginary Topshop collection. But really, I think my style is always, like, "I have a crush on you but I don't want you to know it." It's really flirty, but also a little messed up.

Related Links: A little Abaete, a little Marc.

Barneys Girl over at iamfashion has revisited the minor furor over Louis Vuitton's tongue-in-cheek market bags, from the spring 2007 line, and the 99-cent store laundry bags they emulate (above, in Teen Vogue). Personally, I love the high-low aesthetic, and, with the right attitude, any bag that doesn't break the bank is A-OK by me.

Related Links: Paper or plastic? The answer is clear.

Kate Moss can't keep her hands off the Babyshambles team, and that now includes the messy band's former drummer and haute model, Irina Lazareanu, who will front Kate Moss' line for Topshop. You may ask yourself, Why should I care? We don't have Topshop in the States. Stop torturing me. Well, the good news is, KM Topshop will sell here at Barneys in May. In other news, since Kate and Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty aren't posing naked on W anytime soon, we thought we'd make it up to you with a cover of our own. And speaking of naked, Pop B*tch tells us that Kate's lack of interest in underwear means all the samples she tries on for fittings must be tossed for hygenic purposes...or sold on eBay.

Are these ladies the latest members of the X-Men team? Nope. It's just a few looks from (left to right) Manish Arora, Vikram Phadnis, Arjun Saluja, at India's exuberant fashion week, which has clearly gone far beyond saris.

Related Links: Fight evil in these.

No one ever said being steeped in the fashion world is good for your health, and here's just one more piece of evidence to prove it: Donatella Versace's daughter, Allegra, has checked herself in for anorexia treatment, reports the New York Post. This has been a long time coming for anyone who's seen Allegra (notice how her arms are about half the size of Donatella's). We would have guessed that she kept toothpick-thin to fit into all those sample sizes, but apparently Allegra's more interested in acting than fashion, despite her 50% ownership of Versace. If she ever does take over the company, let's hope she's recovered so we won't have to watch a bunch of skeletal models that are skinny enough for her. [photo via the Superficial]

Related Links: Accessories fit all sizes.

“Really, anyone can spend time with some pumice stone.”

— Manolo Blahnik on foot care for the masses. From the Observer (U.K.).

Rumors that Hedi Slimane may leave Dior Homme have grown more fierce as the designer's contract continues to languish, having gone unsigned for nearly a year now, reports WWD. Apparently Dior wants to own his name, Hedi very wisely doesn't want to give it up. What's in a name, you ask? A whole lot of branding power, that's what. Just launch a women's collection someday, Hedi, and we'll be happy. [update: Dior has ditched Hedi for Kris van Assche, reports WWD.]

Related Links: His fingerprints are everywhere.

As designers embrace the nouveau lucite stripper-heel, last year's giant jewels have moved from the top of shoes to the soles of your sandals. Appearing in stores now are Marc Jacobs crystal-heeled shoes, Viktor & Rolf's chandelier-esque sandals and Casadei's smoked lucite pumps. Fashion IQ has plenty of lucite to look at.

Related Links: Walk on air.

“I love Naomi because she is a diva.”

— a woman at the "America's Next Top Model" casting call. From the New York Times.

Since the upcoming Marc Jacobs documentary will only show in Europe (at least for now), we thought we'd console you with some upcoming and resurgent fashion documentaries. Eco-luxe designer Linda Loudermilk will be profiled as part of a Sundance Film Channel series "Big Ideas for a Small Planet." The documentary "Model," filmed in 1980, showed recently in New York as part of a fashion film series. You also can't neglect the 90s classics "Unzipped" and "Paris is Burning." And if that's not enough for ya, check YouTube for some DIY fashion docs.

Does it bother anyone else that people like Kate Moss, Madonna and Gwen Stefani are allowed to take stuff out of their closet, pretend like no one ever designed those clothes, tweak it a bit (to alleviate the guilt or just to cover their tracks?) and mass-produce it for her own profit? Yes, yes, it takes a good eye to select good-looking clothes, but it also takes talent to dream up a garment, get it fitted, and produce it for the market. I guess the truth is, these collections are less about designs and more about owning a piece of Madonna's or Kate's closet. Should we simply congratulate them on their shopping skills?

We stopped 31-year-old Echo on Market Street in San Francisco. Although the calendar said it was the dead of winter, it was so toasty outside, she didn't need a jacket! But after chatting up this tiny fashionista, we kinda wonder what fab coat she would have sported, had the temperature been so non-wintery. We love how her semi-bohemian duds flatter her small frame, without being too loose.
She told us she aims to look "elegant, but effortless. Casual,
but not too crazy." We think she nailed it. She's wearing:

+ a vintage dress she bought in the UK for $20.
+ a sweater from Banana Republic (a gift)
+ leather boots from Ferragamo (ditto. hey, can we be friends with your friends, too?)
+ distressed bag from H & M, which cost another $20.
+ sunglasses from a street vendor in London for a cool $12.

Our one-night stand poll results are in, and it seems very few of you style freaks out there would risk a fashion emergency of any kind. The majority of you, 38%, said you'd go home and change rather than risk the dreaded morning-after walk of shame. Only 16% would wear the same clothes, and 24% said they'd avoid work altogether (well, who wouldn't?). A surprising number of ladies, 22%, said they would be fully prepared for an overnight encounter with an extra outfit stashed at work. Naughty, naughty.

“Is it so horrible it's good? No, maybe it's just so horrible, it's horrible.”

— Marc Jacobs on an unusual fabric he considered using for Louis Vuitton. From the upcoming MJ documentary, via WWD.

The latest issue of Vogue makes a case for shoulder pads, insisting that the old-is-new-again linebacker shoulders can make you look inches taller. Personally, I don't see how bigger shoulders can make you look taller without making your neck disappear (just like Martin Margiela's model, pictured here).

Related Links: I like my shoulders as they are, thank you very much.

Target's latest entry into the world of capsule collections is from Libertine, and Carol Han's cute new blog for Elle has given us a sneak peek. Minidresses, espadrilles and tops and jackets silkscreened with spiderwebs and birds, hallmarks of their original collection. Peep the entire collection at Fashionista.com.

Related Links: Silkscreened cuteness here.

Who knew it was so tough to find a good catsuit? Stylephile tells us to beware the crotch snaps. The M by Madonna version looks more like a jumper and less like a bodysuit. But the real secret weapon comes from Trash and Vaudeville's Jimmy Webb via the New Yorker. His advice? Avoid the overpriced, ill-fitting ones and go to Capezio.

Related Links: Stretch to fit.

In my ongoing search for killer tees I've done dorky, slack and DIY and found that in these post-Dov Charney times the seller is almost as interesting as the T-shirt. Tasty Tees is an artist-driven line of hand-painted, limited-edition tees run by a couple of high-minded hotties intent on taking silk-screening out of the garage and on the road in the service of principled profit. Partners Toby Crabtree and Chris Murray propose to devote much of the coming year sizing-up talent explaining, "How else are we going to find those hard to get, one-of-a-kind artists?"

Related Links: Start by sending the right signals.

We all know fashion can be cruel, but between flea-catching fur wraps, codpieces and foot binding, we modern-day folks have it pretty good. History's Greatest Fashion Fouls, from good ol' Radar magazine, doesn't include anything cruel from the past decade, such as Gareth Pugh's face-eclipsing catsuits and Balenciaga's towering heels. Call me incurious, but I never knew the ol' Prince Albert was invented to keep one's trousers perfectly straight.

Talk about turning lemons into lemonade. Word has it that Naomi Campbell has turned her daily perp walk to the sanitation department into a high fashion photo op for W magazine, shot by Steve Klein. Her finishing touch was in a Dolce & Gabbana gown, pictured, from their fall 2007 collection. Her designer sunglasses, Alaia coat and Louboutin stilettos be damned -- I'm holding out for shots of live action mopping. [editor's note: Laura, you almost got your wish -- the NYT reports someone took a digital snapshot of Naomi on her hands and knees, but they were forced to delete it.]

Related Links: Isn't the color of community service orange?

I'm not much of a fancy handbag person, but when I saw this crocheted Chanel bag in Craft magazine, I almost became a logo whore. They also feature patterns for Dior, D&G and even a Murakami Louis Vuitton handbags. If crocheting seems a little daunting, you can always make a quilted Chanel cake. Yum.

Related Links: If you like the real thing, by all means...

Also known as "eye candy for the style hungry," the Face Hunter blog tracks and photographs some of the hippest street fashion in Paris. We love Yvan, whose golden eye never quits. He tracks everyone from club kids to the high fashion set, turning his blog into a catalog of original, and inspirational, fashion ideas.

What are you wearing today?
shoes: vintage from Stockholm, I bought them last November; it was the first time I could find secondhand shoes.
trousers: vintage from Paris, I bought them with my ex-girlfriend.
cardigan: Henrik Vibskov, I got it when I walked for him last summer at Paris Fashion Week.
scarf: Pucci, I got it at a Pucci store opening in Paris.
XXXL bow-tie: some friends found it on the street in Berlin.

Describe your best fashion find ever.
A man in NYC wearing a special piece on his shirt that was hiding his tie.
Are you looking forward to any particular spring trends?
Not really, I don't think too much about trends, I'm looking forward to see personal inventions more than the trends you see on Style.com.
What disgusting trend do you secretly love?
Over the top nu-rave.
If you could describe your style as a fashion mashup, who would you be?
Mick Jagger meets Yves Saint-Laurent
Why do you love style? Because fashion is one of the most beautiful expressions of what people are.

Related Links: A little bit Yves, a little bit Mick.

Finally, someone said it. All that fur on last season's runway was just kinda overkill, and of all people Miuccia Prada declared herself "bored with fur." Coming from the high priestess of fashion-forward, this might actually mean fewer creatures on the runway next season. Of course she already made her buck off those gorilla arms.

Related Links: She's a genius with any material.

After spending nearly $200,000 on a recent trip to Barneys, Katie Holmes has reportedly been banned from excessive shopping by her husband, Tom Cruise. That tidbit leads us to wonder, just how much shopping is excessive shopping? What dollar point makes you realize you've gone completely off the deep end? Is it $100 or is it $5,000? We're not sure, but we do know if you're shopping during rehab, you've got a problem. [illustration courtesy Junior League of Raleigh]

Related Links: Spend a little or a lot, just keep your head on straight.

The JC Report has a major shoe fetish and we love them for it. Their 4th Shoe Report gives us the best from the runways and the indie brands, our favorite of which is Loeffler Randall, who makes shoes for the "lady-who-lunches in-training." Even better, they're getting into handbags. Go on, ask me how badly I want any of those shoes. And I know skulls are so over, but I want those, too.

Related Links: So many shoes, so much love.

When acclaimed line Cloak folded late last year, more than a few tears were shed over the loss of one of menswear's great minds. But creator Alexandre Plokhov was not left on the dance floor alone long -- he's been snapped up as a consultant for Versace menswear. It's a weird alliance -- Plokhov's dark, brooding, tailored vision couldn't be more different than Versace's slouchy, technicolor Miami Vice style. Opposites attract, I guess.

Related Links: Can't wait to see what Alexandre does to these suits.

Seems that the tailored dress short with high socks and a dress shoe is all the rage for spring, but will men actually take to the look? The look, equal parts childhood throwback and Bermuda homage, is getting props from the New York Times' recent men's fashion mag to the Thom Browne runway, but only time will tell whether men will be rushing out to look like Little Lord Fauntleroy. And if we're operating under the assumption that men dress to attract women, I'm guessing that showing off their "hosiery" ain't exactly the move.

Related Links: Guys, if you do opt for this look, go for cropped shorts like these.

Finally the "Top Model" contestants excelled at the same challenge: playing dead! The ladies all rocked the corpse look, with Renee (pictured) winning the most praise for her take on posthumous beauty. Mini-Tyra Felicia couldn't rein in her vibrancy and was booted for "not looking dead" enough. Watch next week when someone is eliminated for breathing!

Related Links: Live it up in pleated teal chiffon.

A rumored collaboration between Comme des Garçons and Topshop had a number of fashion geeks wondering what such a collection might look like, with visions of low-priced distressed jackets and cheap combat boots. In the end, the capsule collection ended up being none other than Comme graphics on Speedo swimsuits, sold on Topshop. A bit of a letdown, to say the least. [via The Fashion Spot]

Related Links: Other fish in the sea.

We always knew Gisele had a fraternal twin sister, but we'd never seen a photo of them together until now. Apparently Patricia was the first to have a boyfriend, at age 14, right around when her twin sis started modeling. [Star magazine via Into Gossip]

Related Links: All the best things come in twos.

Less about fashion than the Texan socialites who wore it, the "Balenciaga and His Legacy" exhibition at the Meadows Museum in Dallas has its ups and downs. On the up side, the clothes are gorgeous and some of them so well-loved they were worn out. On the down side, some of the dresses included were not designed by Balenciaga -- this is the "legacy" part, I guess -- such as the beaded Oscar de la Renta gown Laura Bush wore to her husband's second inauguration.

Related Links: The legacy continues.

Perhaps as if to reassure us that she has worn more than H&M tracksuits over her lifetime, Madonna is plotting a retrospective of her costumes and getups from over 25 years in the public eye. Perhaps this way we can also discover the true source of some of her M by Madonna clothes, particularly her white jersey dress (pictured) and pencil skirt, both of which were "inspired from a find in her closet." Gee, I wonder who the original designer was? [via the International Herald Tribune]

Related Links: Oh, what the hell, fashion is just one big recycling machine anyway.

Now we understand why IMG fashion week in Los Angeles was so short on designers this year -- several indie fashion shows (Kitten Fashion Week, BOXeight and GenArt) have popped up to help smaller designers break into fashion without breaking the bank. And a few who showed at IMG fashion week last year -- Kushcush, Eduardo Lucero and Yana K -- have moved on to the independent showcases. [via Hollywood Today]

It's not just an "It" -- it's also eco-chic. The new I'm Not a Plastic Bag bag by Anya Hindmarch announces it's best to bring your own instead of piling up all those dreadfully ugly plastic bags that just get tossed anyway. Said to be the cheapest "it bag" ever sold, at about $10, that may quickly change now that it's been seen on the arms of Keira Knightley and Lily Cole, right. A few are up on eBay for nearly $400. [via My Fashion Life]

Rumors of a June Harper's Bazaar cover featuring the newly made-up Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie may anger die-hard fashion lovers who hate endless celebrity covers on style mags, but never fear, oh fashionable ones. A certain Brazilian supermodel will grace the cover the following month. [via WWD and Fashion Week Daily]

Looking très death rock, models walked in black lipstick on a runway littered with bones at the Imitation of Christ show in Los Angeles. Tara Subkoff's bicoastalism meant sophisticated looks going beyond the T-shirt and jeans offerings of some local designers. We especially loved her vented coatdress, left, her Madame-X-esque gown, next, and her flapper look, far right. [photos courtesy Getty Images]

So you're a fresh young female who needs something sick done for the senior ball, but can't find anybody good to do work where you live? No sweat, there's an army of sneaker pimps in cyberspace ready to zap your Air Jordans with superlove. When you're moonwalking past school safety patrol in your custom French kicks, remember: being super post-ghetto-fabulous means never having to say excuse me.

Related Links: Don't forget your wrap.

To keep from losing their shirts figuratively, Abercrombie & Fitch is determined to lose more shirts -- literally. A few sales assistants at the chain's new store in London will be dressed in skimpy swimwear while working the floor. This wouldn't seem so cruel in say, the Bahamas, but in foggy ol' London? Let's hope they get combat pay.

Our spies tell us a runway scene will be shot for the new show "Lipstick Jungle" this Wednesday in New York, where they have been filming the pilot over the past few weeks. The show, based on a novel by "Sex in the City" creator Candace Bushnell, chronicles a group of powerful New York women willing to do anything to stay on top.

Related Links: What would Candace wear?

“I'm going to do for catsuits what Calvin Klein did for pants.”

— over-the-top British designer Gareth Pugh. From Vogue.com.

Allowing a reporter into his home in Paris may not have been the best idea for Karl Lagerfeld. Even the Kaiser admitted, "Normal people think I'm insane." Every square inch is littered with books, magazines, DVDs, photos and iPods. He has several desks, all of which are buried under piles of stuff. He claims to throw away his own sketches and does not maintain archives, but he sure sounds like a packrat to us. [via the New Yorker]

Related Links: It's easy to forgive a genius.

A new web site, Top Tips for Girls, unleashes all kinds of advice for the ladies, including Donatella Versace's advice to never leave the house without wearing heels. Other tips range from the emotional -- how to be happy and how to stop calling him -- to the practical -- how to keep uncomfortable shoes from rubbing and how to get rid of tan streaks. If you've got a problem too large to solve by yourself, you may submit a question, and if you don't like what you see, you can submit advice of your own.

Related Links: Our advice? Shop on sale.

From the runways and magazines, one might think that sky-high platforms are the most popular shoes in America. Think again. I mean, let's be real -- who doesn't tire of tottering around so high in the sky. America's top-selling shoe is far more humble -- the Easy Spirit slip-on walking shoe Traveltime outsold all other women's shoes, according to department store data. Talk about what women really want.

Related Links: Top-selling on Bluefly? Heels and boots.

The good news: American Vogue's website, Style.com, is going to start blogging and get into more daily content. The better news: editrix in chief Anna Wintour hates the word "blog" and has ordered her staff to come up with a new word for online-posts-that-shall-not-be-named. Hey Anna, we have a few ideas! How about "flog," for fashion-blog? Or "byle" a combination of blog and style? Hmm, maybe it's harder than we thought... [via the New York Post]

All I thought I knew about the Lone Star State was wrong. In "Dressin' Texan," New Yorker reporter Patricia Marx lays out the rules of fashion in the Houston/Dallas area, perhaps the most important of which are "Lesson No. 1: When in Texas, do not dress down" and "Lesson No. 5: The best place to shop in Texas is the closet of someone who is planning to move from a 9,000 sq. ft. home to a 3,500 sq. ft. apartment." And as Dana Goodyear found out in her profile of Cameron Silver, vintage couture guru and founder of the L.A.-based vintage shop Decades, Texas is chock full of the best and most expensive vintage frocks money can buy. Who knew the true home of couture is not Paris or Milan, but Houston, baby? And don't you forget it.

Related Links: Stuart Weitzman does Texas.

Los Angeles fashion week has been losing its local designers to New York for a long time now, and this year the pickings are slim. Grey Ant, BCBG and Rock & Republic all do New York shows now, giving them a running start on the super-late L.A. shows. We have no clue what's ahppened to Louis Verdad, Chan Luu or Jennifer Nicholson, whose show got tons of attention last season. Indie designers Life & Death and Morphine Generation (off to NYC) have been replaced with mall staples such as Ed Hardy, Bebe and 2(x)ist. On the bright side, Imitation of Christ will be there, but they show everyplace now.

Related Links: Yes, men need underwear, but do we need to see it on a runway?

I hate to quote Perez Hilton -- I'm going to front like I don't check it every few hours -- but as he's proclaimed, high-waisted wide-legged pants are back and could quite possibly be the next skinny jean. (Perez called them bell-bottoms, but we forgive him.) R&B singer Ciara worked a pair of Stella McCartneys in her "Promise" video, as did Kelis in "Bossy" last year. And of course Scarlett Johansson killed them for Imitation of Christ and Scissor Sisters frontman Jake Shears looks fond of high-waisted pants in general too. They're definitely cute, left, but do have the potential to creep into "Mom Jean" territory, center, or high-water hell, right.

Related Links: For now, you still can't go wrong with a good skinny jean and a killer heel.

If any television producers out there need an idea of a new reality show, I've got a great one for you. In its most recent style issue, the New Yorker tailed Harvey Lewin, a former lawyer for Ozzy Osbourne and Judas Preist who now makes his living tracking down counterfeit bag makers all over the world. "Counterfeiting is more profitable than narcotics," Lewin told reporter Larissa McFarquhar, "and your partners won't kill you." The stories of busting into knockoff Hermes bagmakers in the bowels of Chinatown will have you on the edge of your seat. It's like "Dog the Bounty Hunter" meets "Project Runway." [photo via Fashion Tribes]

Last night's "Top Model" makeovers were great fun. Making the already homely Sarah go dirty brown was genius! I could have done without the creepy soft-core-porn-candy-store shoot though. And what's up with the judges saying Cassandra "isn't model-pretty" enough? Oh that's right: they like their models a bit more tranny this season.

Related Links: What is pretty without a red dress for spring?

“I can no longer walk in the street.”

— Karl Lagerfeld on the burdens of fame. From the New Yorker.

Are they just photocopying the list from last year or are there really only a few designers worthy of the Council of Fashion Designers of America womenswear designer of the year award? Nominees this year include Oscar de la Renta (won in 2000), Proenza Schouler (nominated in 2006), and Marc Jacobs (won in 1997, nominated in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006...). By process of elimination, I guess that means Proenza Schouler (pictured) will win? In other news, we were excited to discover that the CFDA shares an acronym with the California Funeral Directors Association.

We love Susie of Style Bubble for her international perspective and original content. We also love her because she's planning on making her very own Balenciaga metallic robot leggings. A friend snapped this photo of her in Paris during fashion week, where she said she was sans cute clothes and "looking like a destitute hobo." We think not, of course.
What She's Wearing: I'm wearing a Ben Sherman checked wool jacket with a huge oversized collar. Ben Sherman is actually seen as a bit of a cruddy label in the UK but I just really liked the oversized checks. No label snobbery here! Then there's the Christopher Kane for Topshop dress which I bought on the first day it came out - about 10 people were milling outside the doors and they literally ran into the store as soon as the doors opened even though there was no need! Underneath the skirt, I'm wearing a Sophia Kokosalaki white pleated skirt which I got in the Browns sale store on South Molton Street in London for about 10 pounds - that was a perk-me-up buy that day when everything else was depressingly expensive. To pick out the neon zip, I wore green neon tights. The shoes are really scuffed up but they're perfect flats for walking around Paris - they're by Fiorucci and I got them in Times Square in Hong Kong. Fiorucci is not really 'in Vogue' anymore but, hey, I like the shoes!
Q: What is your favorite item of clothing?
A: I can't possibly play favourites with my clothes! I love everything I buy even the tatty less expensive stuff as they're all essential components.
Q: Are you looking forward to any particular spring trends?
A: Futurism. Nobody wants to wear it so I want to really go all out with it. I'm actually trying to construct my own version of the Balenciaga C-3P0 gold plated leggings, a slightly more wearable, and infinitely less expensive version! I have bought a cheap batch of lame, sequinned fabrics and foil fabric that will hopefully be transformed into something terrifyingly trashy/futuristic.
Q: If you could describe your style as a fashion mashup, what would it be?
A: Madame Pompadour meets Lou Lou de la Falaise