If you’re the lucky winner, your new toy will come with:

–A lace up safari dress with a looped gold belt.
–Four pairs of red-soled Louboutins, including the hot pink, thigh high fringed beauties you’ve dreamt of since childhood.
–Hot pink sunglasses.
–Red shoe bags. You know, in case ginger Barbie takes a trip.

In the comments, tell us which designer/Barbie collaboration would fulfill your Mattel dreams. Why would they be a perfect pair? And what would your designer dream Barbie come with? (Like our Vivienne Westwood dream Barbie would come with a Sex Pistols album, pirate boots, Naomi’s blue platforms, and a gown or two.)

Our favorite gets the Barbie above.

Explain to me why I need this item in my closet.

My design is ageless. It’s not specifically designed for an age group. It’s about the clothes for a confident women who knows who she is. She is sophisticated, well informed just about everything and she is never showy. The blouse showing here is an item that you can wear for day to night. It’s office-appropriate and it’s also fun with interesting yet subtle details. From one look, it’s just another silk blouse, but when you look again, the armhole is dropped. There’s gathering details at sleeves. The collar is double layered with stitch and gathered details, it frames the face and draws attention to the wear’s face. It’s made of silk. So it’s soft, and comfortable to wear. You can move, run around all day work, play. You don’t have to feel restricted or uncomfortable in your clothes to look good.

It looks a lot like another blouse which I already have. Why is yours so much better?

Just as I said, on the 1^st look, it’s just a blouse. However, it takes a 2^nd and 3^rd look to see the details. I like clothes like that. It takes time and thinking to create it and it takes the same to understand. The more you look at it, the more details you can find. Fashion shouldn’t just be the surface. It should have some thought process put into it. What you wear speaks for who you are without a word. The woman wears my clothes appreciate the details and discreet luxury that is put into it.

Perhaps you are a charlatan. What are your background and qualifications?

Perhaps I am. LOL. I was a calligrapher by training. I went into fashion only because I was fascinated by it. Fashion does influence so much every day life. A head scarf can be a religious debate for thousands. What the 1^st lady wears can influence the whole country’s opinion on the president…people spends hours and hours to dress themselves.

Oscar Wilde said “Illusion is the first of all pleasures”. Fashion is all about creating illusions. It’s a form of pleasure. I am as qualified as anyone else and as NOT qualified as anyone else. The truth is that, I got so fascinated with fashion; I spend over 15 years working in the industry and learned all the tedious little details on how to turn and idea into a sketch, then turn the sketch into a real piece of well functioning garment that makes sense in a whole collection.

Will it look as good if I’m a size 14 as it will if I’m a size 2? Be honest.
The truth is that women who take good care of their bodies usually look better than the woman who let themselves go.  Some women are naturally bigger, some are naturally smaller. Most women are never happy with their sizes or weight. However, when I look at a woman, I see if she is taking good care of her body, her spirit. If something is not well (it doesn’t matter if it’s the  mind or the body), it usually shows. Make-up cannot cover it, clothes cannot cover it.  In most of the cases, women who maintain their body size take good care of themselves. In a general statement, being less than size 14 is healthier, thus clothes look better.

Will I have to live off Ramen noodles for a month to afford it?

The answer is NOT AT ALL! The blouse is merely $250 retail. Fancy ramen noodle can be costly nowadays too. My Momofuku bill for 4 adds up to that just in 1 meal.

Will my relatives in rural Iowa think I’m a freak if I show up to our family reunion in this?:

Not at all. There’s no shock value in my clothes at all. You are not dressed like a 1980s Madonna to shock your relatives for the sake of rebellion. You are way over that! You wear your clothes to be you. It’s all very personal, very subtle. Your relatives from rural Iowa will look at it once and think it’s a normal blouse.  Only people who look at it again will discover some new details, then they will look again, find something different again…this is the fun part.

Post from: TheGloss

What would you wear to address the Grocery Manufacturers Association Science Forum? Michelle Obama chose a blouse and skirt by L'Wren Scott. It looks great, but did she intend for the top to remind us of a popcorn box, this being the Grocery Manufacturers Association and all? See the full look in the Michelle Obama Look Book.

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: mobama watch, designers, lwren scott, michelle obama

After having worked with Kaws previously, Kiehl’s has worked for Earth Day 2010 with Jeff Koons, Pharrell Williams, Julianne Moore and surfer Malia Jones on the Acai Damage-Protecting Mist in the form of collectors bottles, for which they each contributed the bottle label design. Kiehl’s plans to donate 200′000 USD of the proceeds of the sales to the Rainforest Alliance. Via Essence.

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Post tags: cosmetics, jeff koons, julianne moore, kiehls, malia jones, pharrell williams

Image via WENN

Post from: TheGloss

Fashion blogger Tommy Ton tweeted a few days ago that he knew something "CRAZY!!!!" that would "SHAKE the fashion world." Those tweets prompted Australian Grazia to speculate that the secret was Karl Lagerfeld leaving Chanel! OMFG #$(*&#@(*% But Chanel denied that today. So what was Tommy Ton's huge secret? "Guessing game is over. My source and I are the victim of a good prank played by Mr. Tisci himself. He got us good :(," he just tweeted, probably referring to Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci. [JakandJilBlog/Twitter]

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: everybody stop freaking out, chanel, givenchy, karl lagerfeld, riccardo tisci, tommy ton, tweet this

Tomorrow is St. Patrick’s Day… legend has it it that St. Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland. Who knows? The fact is, I’ve never been much into the holiday, even though I love Ireland,  I’m not much for beer drinking and, well, green? I need more green in my wardrobe. The other day, on the bus I heard this guy planning on helping the snakes reclaim the holiday, which could be a nice idea, if the snakes actually cared that much about people getting sloshed wearing plastic green top hats.

Where are you when it comes to animal prints? Leopard made it’s way back, zebra too… I’ve always admired them from afar, but chicken out at the last second. Well, except that one jumpsuit with 4 different animal prints. That was awesome beyond all awesome, therefore an exception. Tasteful animal prints, I’m not sure if it really exists, and who cares about tastefulness anyway? Longing for something animal inspired, I snagged this lovley Ella Moss snake print dress on sale at Shopbop a while back and had to get it. It’s taken some time to wear it properly, as it was intended for NYFW, but it never happened. So here it is… a dress can’t stay in my closet for long without getting dragged out!

The other day my husband asked why I wear so much brown and blue lately… and I can’t seem to get enough.

Dress: Ella Moss • Linen Motorcycle Jacket : Charlote Russe • Glasses: Cynthia Rowley • Clutch: Vintage Etienne Ainger

Photos courtesy of Target

Back in January some of you may have gotten the first look at the Zac Posen for Target lookbook but soon after it launched I was requested by Target to remove the images. Today reader lucy92 tipped me that Yahoo! has a sneak peek at some of the pieces. For the Target collection he revisited some of his own iconic pieces such as the trumpet dress he made for Naomi Campbell in 2001. “That was the dress that started my business,” he says. “It’s flirtatious and fun, but it has a punk, tough quality too.” Another blast from the past, his snap dress, allows the wearer to “self-drape and self-create.”

“We made the ruffles detachable, like a Judy Garland apron,” says Zac Posen. “You can wear it as a skirt over the dress; undo it and drape it over your shoulders à la Cristóbal Balenciaga; or if you don’t want any frou, take it off and you have a sexy date dress.”

The Zac Posen for Target Go International collection will be available at Target stores and at Target.com from April 25 through May 30. Stay tuned for more info forthcoming…Are you excited? More pics after the jump…

Read the rest of Zac Posen for Target [Sneak Peek]

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The Nike SFB Boot has been well received when it launched late last year, fusing battle boot looks with tech materials and functionality. In time for the warmer season Nike presents the SFB Mid Boot in a great light beige colorway. The boot is now available here.

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Post tags: nike, nike sfb mid boot, Sneakers

In a much promising collaboration Quoddy has gotten together with one of our favorite brands from the North – Wings+Horns. As part of the collaboration they present a mid deck shoe and a low deck shoe, each coming in two colorways. So far it is not clear when these will release, but you can expect a drop pretty soon.

More looks of the other styles of the collaboration follow here.

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Post tags: quoddy, Shoes, wings and horns

Much like his more personal work, Selby’s images for Cole Haan focus on influential urbanites, including Harley Viera Newton, Magda Wosinska and Johnny Knapp. They just happened to be toting the brand’s soft leather bags, lace-up brogues and Nike Air-cushioned heels.

While we loved Todd’s images peppering the room, the other highlight was the crowd–fun fashion types like Lynn Yaeger, Mickey Boardman and Bryan Boy–and the catering. 10 Downing served up yummy terrine, burgers and tuna tartar. After a couple of cocktails and a cupcake, we felt like we’d done our job. And had fun in the meantime.

If the Situation's theory that his shirtlessness causes mass gawking is correct, Purple would be "the Situation" of magazines. (Snooki would be Cosmo: You love it but sometimes you just want it to shut up and go away.) Each issue, replete with nudity and provocative imagery, oftentimes sexual in nature, somehow manages to top the last. The magazine seems to be having a moment after editor Olivier Zahm, who works closely with Terry Richardson, spoke to Style.com at length last week about his philosophies of women and shooting them naked.

To me love and sex is the most beautiful thing on earth, you know. It’s more beautiful than a landscape, so I love to keep pictures of the girls in these private moments because they are giving you the most beautiful side of themselves. It’s like a gift from God. It’s beautiful. I’m not New Age, I’m not mystical, I just really love it, and it’s so beautiful to capture with a camera that I really want to share that, you know…And also, Purple is a lifestyle. With my magazine, what I want to do is personally to be more free, and I want people to be more free, to open their possibility of contact, of sex, of love. I want that. This is important to me. I consider that Purple is a free lifestyle. Not in a stupid way, not in a childish or immature way, in a mature way now because I’m 45, 46.

With that in mind we looked at the most recent issue, bearing Lindsay Lohan on the cover, with a more discerning eye. Too much stood out to simply mix in with our other favorite fashion images in our monthly fashion image awards. So we've compiled the most noteworthy pages in this slideshow. (Warning: images NSFW, obviously.)

Read more posts by Amy Odell

Filed Under: tear sheets, daphne guinness, designers, freja beha, lauren santo domingo, lindsay lohan, lydia hearst, mary kate olsen, models, olivier zahm, purple, slideshow, stella schnabel, terry richardson, zac posen

But medical experts have warned that the trend for cheap Ugg boots is a price too high to pay.

They have said that knock-off versions of the designer boots are crippling a generation of young women, ‘literally breaking’ their feet.

With just six months of wear women could saddle themselves with a lifetime of foot deformities, backache and pain in their feet.

And a phrase has even been coined for the gait of devoted wearers – the Ugg ’shuffle’ – which describes the lopsided, pigeon-toed way in which cheap versions of the boots force women to walk.
[...]

But low-cost imitations often provide inadequate foot support.

With each step the wearer’s feet slide around. This can cause the feet to splay which flattens the foot arch and leads to wear and tear on the joints in the feet, knees, hips and back.

As a result leading podiatrist and chiropodists have seen a stark rise in the number of women suffering toe deformities, backache and pain in their feet.

It is so true!

One minute you are shambling along in your fake Uggs…

And the next…

You are horribly crippled!

Last night's Gossip Girl was back to its old shenanigans. I was ecstatic for Chuck's reunion with his mom, while Vanessa and Dan's South Beach makeout scene left me wondering if the GG crew needs to expand its cast. And, was I not the only one surprised Jenny reverted back to her bad-girl ways? Let's see if you were taking fashion notes in between the drama . . .

When you're done here, take Geek's tech quiz!
Photos courtesy of the CW

Age
Female Age
23 and under (10 pts); 23-25 (8 pts); 25-27 (6 pts); 28-29 (4pts); 29-32 (1 pt); 32 and above (0 pts)
Male Age
26-32 (10 pts); 32-36 (8 pts); 23-26 (6 pts); 36-40 (4 pts); 20-23 (1 pt), the rest 0 pts

Place of Origin
Female Place of Origin
Prefecture level city (10 pts); average provincial capital city (8 pts); first-line cities (6 pts); county seat (4 pts); small town (1 pt); rural 0 pts
Male Place of Origin
Europe or America (10 pts); Singapore, Hong Kong (8 pts); Korea (6 pts); China city (4 pts); other (1 pt); rural 0 pts

Education
Female Education
Bachelor’s Degree in popular major (10 pts); 211 Bachelor’s Degree (8 pts); Associate’s Degree (6 pts); high school or vocational school (4 pts); Either third-rate Bachelor’s Degree or Doctorate and above 0 pts
Male Education
Famous university MBA (10 pts); “sea turtle” returnee (8 pts); Famous university Bachelor’s Degree (6 pts); 211 Master’s Degree (4 pts); 211 Bachelor’s Degree (1 pt); third-rate Bachelor’s Degree and under 0 pts

Looks
Female Features/Appearance
Fair skin, beautiful appearance (10 pts); fair skin, proper/correct features (8 pts); fair skin, features collectively are relatively harmonious (6 pts); beautiful appearance, poor skin (4 pts); proper/correct features, poor skin (1 pt); poor skin, features not harmonious (0 pts)
Female Weight
45-50kg (10 pts); 50-55kg (8 pts); 40-45kg (6 pts); height 165cm and above 55-60kg (4 pts); height 158cm and below 35-40kg (1 pt); the rest 0 pts
Female Body/Physique
Front protrudes, back perky, waist and legs distinct (10 pts); long legs, ample breasts (8 pts); fine and well proportioned (6 pts); airport + proportionate (4 pts); plump and smooth skinned + relatively poor proportions (1 pt); Either long waist and short legs, out of proportion, entire body dull, etc. 0 pts
Male Appearance
Relatively handsome (10 pts); proper/correct features (8 pts); average (6 pts); relatively ugly (4 pts); extremely ugly (1 pt); no such thing as zero points for men’s appearance

Height
Female Height
165-172 (10 pts); 158-164 (8 pts); 172-174 (6 pts); 155-158 (4 pts); 174-176 (1 pt); the rest 0 pts
Male Height
178-183 (10 pts); 183-186 (8 pts); 175-178 (6 pts); 170-174 (4 pts); 186-189 (1 pt); the rest 0 pts

Sex life
Female Chastity
CN (20 pts), Not-CN (-20 pts)
Male Sexual Ability
No ED (20 pts), ED (-20 pts) [ED = erectile dysfunction]

Resources
Female Background
Rich/powerful family (10 pts); high-ranking government child (8 pts); parents have high positions in companies (6 pts); civil servant household (4 pts); relatively well-off (1 pt); the others 0 pts
Male Occupation
Profitable entrepreneur (10 pts); small family business (8 pts); back office civil servant (6 pts); medium to high position in company (4 pts); low-level white-collar worker (1 pt), the rest 0 pts
Male Assets
10 million or above (10pts); 5-10 million (8 pts); 2-5 million (6 pts); 1-2 million (4 pts); 500k-1 million (1 pt); less than 500k 0 pts
Male House/Property
N [many/multiple] houses (10 pts); 2 or more hoouses (8 pts); 1 un-mortgaged fully owned house (6 pts); currently paying mortgage (4 pts); paying 3k or above rent (1 pt); the others 0 pts
Male Car
Audi A6 or better (10 pts); Passat-grade (8 pts); Elantra-grade (6 pts); Peugeot 307, Fit-grade (4 pts); Geely, Chery-grade (1 pt); other 0 pts

Female Only:
Female Personality
Gentle, considerate (10 pts); gentle, a little temper (4 pts), not gentle 0 pts

Post from: TheGloss

For Spring/Summer 2010 Reebok once again worked on a Basquiat Collection. This time they were inspired by works from 1981 by the artist. The collection includes the Pump Omni Lite, BB4600 Hi and the Pump Aerobic Trainer Mid. Further more the line features several t-shirts, also featuring the art by Basquiat.

A complete look at the Reebok x Basquiat Spring/Summer 2010 Collection follow after the jump.

(...)
Read the rest of Reebok x Basquiat Spring/Summer 2010 Collection – Footwear and Apparel

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Post tags: basquiat, reebok, Sneakers, t-shirts

Growing up in Sterling Heights, a suburb of Detriot, Paolo Nieddu only had a vague idea of working in fashion. After majoring in fashion design at Chicago’s IADT, where he realized that he hates to sew, Paolo moved to New York. One internship at Interview and countless brunch shifts at HK later, Paolo got a call from Pat Field, whom he knew from working shifts at her West Broadway boutique — would Paolo be available to work directly under Pat on the Sex and the City movie? Since that phone call less than three years ago, Paolo’s worked as Pat’s right-hand man on both SATC movies, Ugly Betty, and Confessions of a Shopaholic, not to mention some personal styling here and there for the likes of Kim Cattrall. We sat down with Paolo to discuss styling, the Motor City, and — what else? — SATC.

What’s the first designer item you bought?
When I was a kid, I bought a black-to-brown reversible Gucci belt I was so proud of. But when I finished interning, I bought a big, gray, Bottega Veneta tote. I charged it with no money! I felt like I just really needed an "adult" bag.

Where do you like to shop in New York?
Barneys and Odin. I also do the occasional Bergdorf and Jeffrey.

How would you describe your style?
I'm essentially a luxury basics kind of guy — cardigan, jeans, sneakers, but more polished and without being conservative.

Do you have a fashion icon?
For women, Dietrich. Actually, I think she kind of covers both men and women.

What trends are you appreciating right now?
I feel like men's doesn't really have trends in the high-end market. When I think of "trendy men's" I just think of that cheap stuff.

What trends are you ready to see retired?
That Balmain shit.

What’s one item you’re saving up to buy?
The perfect leather jacket.

How do you think being from Detroit has affected your personal style/aesthetic?
I feel like it's made me aspirational. It's made me want more.

How would you describe style, including your own, in Detroit?
At night, it's like quasi–Jersey Shore. That look is still there. But when I lived there, I was very preppy. I wore Gap in grade school and Banana Republic in high school. I used to match my socks to my turtleneck! I was voted Best Dressed.

When did you know you wanted to work in fashion?
Probably around 12 years old, I started thinking about it, but not really with any conscious ideas of a career path. I just knew I wasn't going to fit in at Ford Motor.

Who would you love to style most?
I would love to make Lady Gaga under.

What's the biggest misconception people have about being a stylist?
That you just play around with pretty dresses and go out to lunch.

What's your advice to someone who wants to be a stylist?
Be prepared to get dirty — packing, schlepping, shipping, carrying tons of bags that are ripping and slipping around. But mostly, be ready to schlep.

Do you have a favorite outfit from either SATC movie?
I can't talk about the second one yet, so: that red-and-white floral dress Carrie wore to the jewelry auction. It just had that golden age of cinema feel. I pulled that with Pat from a vintage dealer. It was from the fifties without any kind of label, and Pat had to have the tailor re-stuff the peplum, pencil the skirt, and drop the neckline. SJP got to keep it.

Read more posts by Natalie Hormilla

Filed Under: tastemakers, movies, paolo nieddu, sex and the city

Instructors provide critiques about students’ dress, posture and even details such as how they cross their legs or get out of a car. Men and women are taught different skills, which range from how to set a table well to how to be more emotionally expressive.

Students also simulate dates, during which their instructors grade their performance and point out what they did wrong.

In addition to airfare and hotel, a full course load at the Infini school will cost about $2,217. I wonder how much it costs to be on The Bachelor.

Post from: TheGloss

Watching…

Reading…

Listening to…

It is nearly St. Patrick’s Day, with all that means for people who like to drink too much green beer, listen to diddly-diddly fiddle music, fist fight with the authorities, and pretend to weep about the “auld sod”. In short, it is time to drink and think romantically about the Irish.

And yet, strangely, attempts to anti-romanticize the Irish experience are even more compellingly romantic than the old-fashioned Emerald Isle blather. Shane MacGowan, Martin McDonagh, and even those insufferable frauds, the McCourt brothers, describe the Irish condition in horrific and unpleasant terms. And yet we lap it all up and continue to schedule our Dublin vacations. Very curious, no?

Of the course, the Manolo, although not the least bit Irish, is as guilty as the rest, and completely enjoys the Pogues and the McDonagh plays and all of that (although he would happily push the entire McCourt tribe into the ocean), even as he wonders about what it all means.

What is one to do when saddled with the contradictory desires for authenticity and entertainment?

P.S. If Darby O’Gill = Uncle Remus for Irish People, then the Pogues = N.W.A. for Irish People. Discuss amongst yourselves.