Le Bron James' Vogue cover criticized!

Will this issue of racism in America or perhaps the world ever die? I truly hope so.NEW YORK - When Vogue announced its April cover starring LeBron James and Gisele Bundchen, the magazine noted with some fanfare that James was the first black man to grace its cover. But the image is stirring up controversy, with some commentators decrying the photo as perpetuating racial stereotypes. James strikes what some see as a gorilla-like pose, baring his teeth, with one hand dribbling a ball and the other around Bundchen's tiny waist. Read more

Got handbag envy? Rent one!

Green with envy over Hermes "new" Kelly bag? At $129,000 US, I am assuming this is not the most pressing "must get" item on your shopping list.

If you must however, really really have one, dont fret, help is at hand. There are so many handbag rental places online and I never figured out how they actually work except that I know you pay a monthly fee which is a fraction of your retail price and then you return the handbag.

Thanks to strong word-of-mouth and a healthy internet buzz, there are now a number of US websites offering thousands of handbags from brands such as Yves Saint-Laurent, Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and Chanel, each for rent by the week or the month, with an option to buy.

Looking to make a more glamorous statement? A crocodile skin "Kelly" bag - named after the legendary actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly - by fashion pioneer Hermes will set non-members back a whopping $US500 per week.

The online boutiques operate much like other shopping sites, with a search function, scores of product photographs, rental prices, and a purchase basket that helps whisk you through the digital checkout line, of course with your credit card at the ready.

On the aptly named "Bag Borrow or Steal" website, a Bottega Veneta number in woven leather costs $US90 per week or $US229 per month for non-members - members receive a 30 per cent discount.

The core customer demographic, he says, are women aged 20 to 55: "Single women with income of $US60,000 per annum, married women with household income of $US125,000 per annum and college students."

He admits certain celebrities use the site but won't provide names, undoubtedly to protect starlets whose reputations would plummet if fans discovered they were accessorizing on the cheap.

The most coveted bags this year? A padded Chanel ($US299 per month), a Louis Vuitton carry-all ($US139) and an evening handbag by Gucci ($US85).

Upon return of the bag, experts undertake three separate screenings to make sure it has not been replaced with a fake.

Counterfeiting has crippled the luxury consumer goods industry, but Mangiere "guarantees" his bags are the real deal.

An email reminder is sent a few days before the bags are due to be sent back, and clients risk another charge to their credit cards if they don't return the loaned items on time.

But women have been known to develop an affection for their handbags, and could find it near-on impossible to be separated from the "Kelly" of their dreams once the rental period comes to an end.

For more info, visit Bag Borrow or Steal or visit our website to drool over other handbags.

If you ever wanted to know why a handbag should cost $129,000, read this and if you are still not convinced, check out other handbags under $129,000.

Now you can know exactly how the process works!

Lipstick Jungle- Fashion Inspiration if not the storyline..

Dori Csengeri necklace $1,550.00 - featured on Lipstick Jungle


Okay, I admit it, I have waited quite happily for new episodes of Lipstick Jungle these past few weeks. Not for the plot which is beyond weak - yeah, she truly did not know who her benefactor was! Please don't give fashion designers a bad name.Nor is it the dialogue which sounds like something out of a Jackie Collins novel. (And Jackie was happening back in the day -trust me, she would not do well now.)

I am watching Lipstick Jungle for the clothes, for the fashion. I have been watching "Sex and the city" reruns and the fashion is beginning to just look dumb, (the premise is till great!) so yaay, another show where the fashion rocks.

Take the necklace (above) featured in the last show, I could not take my eyes off it. I also loved Victory's closet and hope to see more scenes shot in there.



Jessica Simpson - Brenda (Dark Cream/Tan Leopard Patent) - Women's
It was also nice to see a lot of the items (aside from the obvious) are also affordable like the Jessica Simpson Brenda pumps featured.

By the way, what happened to Cashmere Mafia?

FENDI - Create your own baguette

Okay,sometimes we run out of ideas, but this one actually went to market. Now why on earth would I pay $1,300 for a bag and then in all my artistic genius paint it! Hmm! Well it sounds like fun for all the adventurous fashionistas out there.

It comes with, get this- ( I am assuming this is for originality)

Ten Pantone Universe markers included to create your own design on the bag but caveat - Bag must be returned in original condition but for all you confident Picassos out there, the bag is available at eLUXURY

Have fun!

Nicky Hilton and Lauren Conrad debut

View Nicholai by Nicky Hilton

I knew you could not sleep waiting for this bit of news:) yeah!, but Nicky Hiltons' line Nicholai ( Paris' sister) and Lauren Conrad (who are these people??) debuted at LA Fashion week.

Who knew Nicky had that dominatrix thing or is it equestrian thing going on? Very edgy and most of the pieces are not "pour moi".

View Lauren Conrad Collection

Lauren Conrad was safe, predictable,boring and wearable. I loved it and would buy it. I am not much of an experimenter with fashion. I loves what I loves!! Lots of jerseys and fluidity.

LA Fashion Week continues...

No fashion week is complete without its drama and such was the case of Veronika Jeanvie, the first Ukranian designer to show a collection in the US. Where was Paco Rabanne her mentor when she needed him at her U.S. debut? Mr Rabanne whom she refers to as her spiritual father cited a family emergency as the excuse.

Veronica Jeanvie

That unfortunately left the event, billed as "Veronika Jeanvie consulted by Mr. Paco Rabanne," without its iconic Spanish-French anchor, and cast the spotlight squarely on 28-year-old Jeanvie and her bright, bling-heavy designs. Vogue editor-at-large Andre Leon Talley, designer Eduardo Lucero and musician Kelis all sat in the audience.

With rock tunes blaring overhead, models strutted down the runway in towering heels and clad in an array of shiny fabrics, from silver and gold hot pants to a skintight gold bodysuit paired with a sort of chain-mail poncho.

Her inspiration was the ocean, sky and green plants she saw while on vacation in England and France, she said. You be the judge!

Joseph Domingo

Aside from Joseph Domingo taping his models eyes shut! Yes, you heard me - SHUT! with nude mask, his collection was very lovely. Strong and gorgeous!

Julia Clancey

I seem to favor a lot of the European designers. A lot of our North American designers don't beleive in reinventing the wheel and as a result you get a "been there done that" feel for most of their collections. Julia Clancey is an English designer that works primarily out of London. Her clothing sells very well in Europe, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Australia,Lebanon and Russia.

Just some of my favorites!

Anya Hindmarch - How to organize your handbag

Anya Hindmarch Cholet bag - $1,250.00 Available atshopbop.com

No more fluff-encrusted lip-salves and lost pen lids - with tips from the designer Anya Hindmarch, your bag can be clutter-free for ever

Don't Overload Apart from anything else, a heavy bag is bad for your back, but being overloaded also ruins the line of a bag and stretches the leather. I carry a tote as well as my handbag to work, which acts like a mobile in-tray. Choose one without built-in dividers as these can be really annoying when you're trying to squeeze in something big like a file

Have a clear-out If I have a messy handbag, it feels like I've got messy hair - like I'm not quite on top of things. Don't use your bag as a dumping ground. Every few weeks empty it on to a table and sort through the four lip-salves, three chequebooks and 15 receipts you've been carting around. We all carry far more than we need every day

Divide and Conquer I sort everything in my handbag into little loose pouches, each a different colour - one for receipts, one for money, one for things such as paracetamol and lip-salve. It's like an internal filing system and makes it so much easier when transferring things from bag to bag. We've designed some beautiful leather ones - a step up from the plastic foreign-currency wallets that gave me the idea in the first place.

Read more from handbag queen Anya Hindmarch

Louis Vuitton - Monogram meets camouflage!

NEW YORK) Louis Vuitton is preparing for a major launch of a new accessory line. Monoflage, as it is expected to be called, will combine the iconic French brand's monogram canvas with a new camouflage print. Vuitton brass will unveil the new collection on April 3, at an opening night gala of the upcoming Takashi Murakami retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. As a sponsor of the event (which will feature a performance by Jay-Z), Vuitton will open a second pop-up shop at the museum similar to the one at the MOCA in Los Angeles. The Murakami exhibit will be open to the public from April 5 to July 3. Will keep you posted.

Visit www.shoppinghaze.com

L.A. Fashion Week highlights tension between celeb-turned-designers and fashion mainstays

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Just as L.A. Fashion Week took a step forward, the celeb-as-designer trend seems to have sent it two steps back.

Though the presence of bigger and more legitimate designers has grown over the past few years, fashion regulars Sue Wong, Kevan Hall and Ed Hardy are not showing Fall 2008 collections at Culver City's Smashbox photo studios next week.

"I don't believe in reality TV stars turning into designers or a music mogul or a flash-in-the-pan turning into a designer," Wong said, acknowledging lines by Sean "Diddy" Combs and Jennifer Lopez. "It's all about merchandizing and them trying to capitalize on their 15 minutes of fame. I don't think those kind of houses can be taken seriously. What can be taken seriously is a real, bona fide talent."

Factor, though, gushed that he has always wanted to bring entertainment and music to L.A. Fashion Week, and emphasized that "the fashion we steer to our event is all very serious."

"A lot of what I see these celebrities doing, like Gwen Stefani with L.A.M.B., they're also passionate about designing. ... I would like to see more celebrities showing in Los Angeles," he said.
The season's designer-light schedule had other factors, according to Factor.
"The Hollywood writers strike affected the season 25 percent. More of the designers are watching their money. Sales are down. Fashion shows are expensive. And many designers don't have collections ready yet," Factor said.
But for Whitley Kros, named after a fictional jet-setting gal who is a "mixture of sophistication, rock 'and' roll and poetry," Los Angeles is still a glam destination for fashion designers, regardless of celebrity status, said the label's Coloma.
Her advice?
"Go for it. At the end of the day, there's room for everyone," she said.
———

Posh finally living up to her name.

Of all the many adjectives applied to Victoria Beckham, 'sophisticated' has been one of the least used.

Until now. Posh Spice is at last living up to her nickname with a glamorous yet refined photoshoot for Vogue, including her first cover.

Posing in a series of flowing outfits accessorised with diamonds, the 33-year-old singer and fashion designer evokes memories of the young Princess Margaret, photographed for her 19th birthday by Cecil Beaton.

Read the full story plus the comments.

Get Kate Bosworths look!

Get Kate Bosworths look in a bright blue tunic (reflecting the shades of spring and summer). Pair with a pair of neutral flats.
Tunic by Rory Beca available below (and we even found it on sale too). Undeniably glam and ultra wearable. 100% silk and made in the USA.

$334 and now $100.20

Available at shopbop.com


Look for more celebrity inspiration on our website

Donatella replaces Tom Ford...

NEW YORK) Donatella Versace has been named honorary chair of London's Fashion Fringe design talent competition. Following Tom Ford, who held the role for the last two years, and former Burberry chief executive Rosemary Bravo before him, Versace will help champion the careers of emerging designers following an annual presentation during London Fashion Week in September. Since Fashion Fringe's 2004 inception, it has launched the careers of six designers: Marcus Wilmont and Maki Aminaka (Löfvander) of Aminaka Wilmont, Gavin Douglas, Erdem Moralioglu, and Christopher Brooke, and Bruno Basso of Basso & Brooke. "London has an unbeatable reputation as the originator of unique fashion talent, and it is very exciting for me to be personally involved in discovering and supporting that talent through the Fashion Fringe initiative," Versace said in a statement. Read more

***On the the fabulous Tom Ford