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Thakoon Shares His Inspiration for Spring 2008 and Lancôme's Custom Pixel Pink Shade

Spinning a fantasy about an elusive girl who one day quits her day job, moves permanently to Hawaii, learns to surf and remains tantalizingly nonchalant and mysterious, the completely charming Thakoon shares some of the behind-the-scenes glamour and how Pixel Pink - the fourth and final lipstick in the Pout-à-Porter series of shades created exclusively by Lancôme for the runway - will perfectly complement your Hawaii beach bum tan. Shot by Grant Greenberg, the NYC-based filmmaker who directed last season's charming Peter Som lipstick video for Lancôme, the video features the artwork of painter and experimental filmmaker Jeff Scher. (And no, it's not 9 minutes long, but only 3...a YouTube doh!)

The Art of Fashion Showcases Spring Styles that are Ready for their Close-up

Photographing amazing outfits, theatrically-posed & lit, in a Hollywood rose garden overlooking Sunset Boulevard, photographer Camilla Akrans - who has shot campaigns for Hermes, Missoni & Eres - elevated the parade of spring must-haves into the Neiman Marcus Art of Fashion.

Even if you're just window shopping, this stunning shoot showcases the myriad interesting influences of the season, ranging from tribal to safari, flapper ruffles, romantic florals and classic art.

Norma Kamali to Design Wal-Mart Wear

Joining the ranks of Isaac Mizrahi and other designers dipping their high-end design toes in the mass market maelstrom, Norma Kamali will be designing an exclusive collection for Wal-Mart which will include women's and kids' clothing, accessories, shoes & home items. "Through the Wal-Mart stores and Web site I can reach more people and affect more lives than in any other venue," she told WWD. "My life dream has been to promote self-esteem for women and wellness for the entire family. Now I have the opportunity with Wal-Mart to create products that combine my design experiences with great value and innovative ideas to fulfill this dream. Through the Wal-Mart stores and Web site I can reach more people and affect more lives than in any other venue."

- via WWD

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Point Out Your Impeccable Taste with a Yazbukey Brooch

Created by Yaz and Emel, sisters, ottoman princesses and granddaughters of Mohamed ali Pasha. Available at Kabiri.co.uk.

- Lesley Scott

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Groovy Glasses Are a Fun Accessory to Add to your Arsenal

Smart is the new black, and to look the part, glasses are key.  The eyewear experts at LensCrafters have identified these three trends to try out this spring & summer:

1. Acid Brights look for colorful, bold frames from Prada and D&G

Let Art on the Runway Inspire Your Spring Makeup Look

In response to all the artistic inspiration stalking the Spring 2008 runways, Sephora has come up with a number of fun, catwalk-chic makeup looks to make a proper painterly splash this spring:

Meet The King of Fashion in the Re-Released Christian Dior Biography

When he reintroduced the pinched waist, flowing ankle-length skirt in 1947, Christian Dior did more than create a New Look - he helped give women recovering from the devastations of wartime occupation back their long-lost sense of freedom, femininity, and joie de vivre.

Immediately crowned The King of Fashion, he helped reestablish Paris as the center of the fashion world, and the House of Dior its pearl grey (carpeting and velvet covered walls) court, hosting aristocrats, stars of stage and film, and global glitterati such as the Duchess of Windsor, Olivia de Havilland, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Ingrid Bergman. The high profile designer also found daily inspiration in the intellectual and artistic circles he moved in, which included Erik Satie, Francis Poulenc, Henry Suguet, Jean Cocteau, and Raoul Dufy.

Wanna Break Into the Fashion Biz? Meet Buyers, Editors, Stylists & Other Insiders at The Fashion Bomb

Ever wondered what a fashion publicist does, how to become a successful stylist, how a fashion editor spends her day, or what it takes to be a buyer?

The Fashion Bomb periodically chats with fashion movers & shakers to find out how they got their start, what they did to succeed, and their tips & strategies on getting in the door. Why not meet Krista Land, an Associate Buyer at Macy's who landed her coveted spot the old fashioned way...an internship!

Fashion by the Numbers: Shop Spring Based on Your Fave Decade of Yore

Given how strong the retro trend is in fashion, Saks Fifth Avenue has cleverly organized and edited their spring shopping by Decades of Style. Simply pick your time period of choice, and enjoy shopping your vintage vibe at Saks.com.

- Lesley Scott

 

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Hello, Lover! Sassy Hot Pink Suede Sandals by Nicholas Kirkwood

This is the year to tackle that all-black addiction by the horns...or in this case, the accessories. As always, shoes are the best place to start your journey, especially if they contain a touch of exotic skin (lizard), have a platform, and the de rigeur peeptoe. Available at BrownsFashion.com.

- Lesley Scott

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Stylish Alexis Hudson Handbags to Launch at Saks Fifth Avenue this Spring

Named for founders' Rachelle Copeland and Emily Ironi's 5-year old daughter, Alexis, and German Wirehaired Pointer, Hudson - respectively - Alexis Hudson bags are designed as "absolute therapy for handbag addicts." 

Thoughtful design touches including penholders, adjustable straps, key chain clasps, and oddles of room for all the important stuff a girl has to schlep around, the label has been seen on the arms of Katherine Heigl, Heather Graham, Kate Hudson, Keira Knightley, Cindy Crawford, and Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen. Purchasing info at AlexisHudsonInc.com.

- Lesley Scott

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A Ruffled Flapper Frock is a Girlie Girl's Best Fashion Friend this Spring

from left: Valentino, Valentino, Lanvin, Luella, Tuleh

Dancin', drinkin' and a cropped new 'do - they knew how to have fun in the Jazz Age, and most importantly, how to dress the part. Why not channel the vibe this spring and summer in a chic ruffled frock?  This five-ruffle-layer Clara Bow Shift dress from Effie's Heart is made from 100% cotton and promises 100% flirty fun in the sun:

Fall 2008 Fashion Week: Top 10 Most Interesting Trends from Milan

1. DIVINELY DEMURE

top: Prada, Moschino Cheap & Chic, 6267, DSquared2
bottom: Versace, Daks by Giles Deacon, Etro

Ever since Olivier Theyskens began sending Gibson era girls down the runway in floor-length, ruffled skirt suits, chanelling a Victorian vibe at Rochas in Fall 2005 and again in Spring 2006, an aggressively demure vibe has been slowly creeping up on the collections. In her review of the Alessandro Dell'Acqua Fall 2008 show, fashion writer Sarah Mower even remarked on it, identifying "a tide of sinister eroticism seeping into things this season." The mega-influential Prada show was dominated - of all things - by hand-tatted Swiss guipure lace (granny-approved, yet somehow lustworthy), and typically va-voom pro-skin Italian designers Versace and Roberto Cavalli both showed a number of cleavage-free dresses (!) in positively chaste hemlines ranging from just below the knee to dragging on the floor; and a particular Versace standout was a vibrant cherry/coral hued frock which highlighted the face with a gathered, standup collar...revealing its sex appeal only from behind with a swathe of exposed back.

From the visually awkward mid-calf length to ankle- and floor-grazing for daytime, for Fall 2008,  Milan was awash in high necklines, dominant shoulders, the voluminous cello silhouette that dominated the London shows, and miles of skin-covering fabric - ruched, fur-trimmed, fringe adorned, arranged into oversize face-framing ruffles and dramatic shoulders. Instead of being about "it" bags and red carpet frocks, the sporty dressed-down vibe of the (unfortunately uninspired) Marc Jacobs show dominated, fortunately taking more inspired shape here in a wonderful array of fabulous trousers, color-drenched prints, scarves jauntily tied around the neck as an ascot or adorning a purse, stylish day dresses, tough-chic leather, and the highlight of the Marc Jacobs show: oodles of heavy-duty accessories, including bodacious bangles, bib necklaces, buckles & studded trim.

Here are the Top 10 Most Interesting Trends from the Fall 2008 Milan Fashion Week:

1. Divinely Demure
2. Cello Silhouette
3. Old Lady Lace
4. Layer Up!
5. Tie One On
6. Fun Color & Prominent Prints
7. Pants, Pants & More Pants
8. Heavy Duty Hardware
9. Leather
10. Dandy Day Dresses

Weekly Web Snob Roundup: The Best Posts of the Week from Our Fave Online Fashion & Lifestyle Publishers

Paint makes a splash in fashion - Coquette
Designers & diamonds unite for the Oscars - FabSugar
Sign up for the fabulous Thomas Wylde Handbag Giveaway (a $2,350 value) - Bag Bliss
Spring fashion trend alert: brocade! The Fashionable Housewife
Fitting jeans into knee-high boots - Omiru
Loving the new Lesa Wallace "Kaila" handbag- Stiletto Jungle
Fresh from Milan: Bottega Beauties - Bag Snob!
Get Bronzed and Gorgeous - Beauty Snob!
 Boycott fashion brands that endorse Perez Hilton - Fashion Indie
The Top 10 trends from London Fashion Week for Fall 2008- Fashiontribes
Fishy Giuseppe Zanotti shoes - Kristopher Dukes
My Fashion Life can't wait for Jovovich-Hawk for Target!
Andre 3000's new Benjamin Bixby collection -  Papierblog
Spring Trend Alert! Love's first blush- Second City Style
Can Miuccia Prada bring lace back as a major fashion do? Shrimpton Couture
Is Lindsay Price the New Sarah Jessica Parker? StyleBakery
Najwa Moses chats with Erykah Badu about fame, fashion and fragrance.
Stylehive says the DuoMo Hotel is reason #4,327 to go to Italy this summer!
Top lip gloss picks for SPRING! WE LOVE BEAUTY
Elizabeth Arden's Intervene Makeup SPF 15 - eBeautyDaily

Diamonds & a Sparkling Ruby (Dee) to Dazzle the Oscars

Oprah is one of his best clients, and Rachel Weisz wore his earrings to accept her Oscar. The Donald had him design the platinum set, emerald-cut diamond engagement ring for his current wife Melania Knauss, and he was responsible for the teeny weeny diamond bikini with the hefty $30 million pricetag that Molly Sims "wore" in the 2006 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. For over 20 years, Jeffrey Rackover has been bringing on the bling since he first helped Diana Ross pick out two, D-flawless pear-shaped 5 carat diamond studs in 1983.

And this year, he will be dressing the legendary Ruby Dee in diamonds and her namesake gem in honor of the first time she is being recognized by the Academy; at 83, she is the oldest actress to be nominated.

- Lesley Scott

(photo: CaramelBella.com)

Win a John Galliano Couture Gown Straight Off the Oscars Red Carpet

Heart disease is a true heart breaker. The #1 killer of women, it claims more lives than all of the cancers combined.

To promote awareness of heart disease and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) The Heart Truth Campaign, Heidi Klum will be attending the 80th Annual Academy Awards on February 24th, 2008, and walking the red carpet in the national symbol of the campaign - a red dress. Designed by John Galliano and up for grabs through the Diet Coke Red Dress Sweepstakes at MyCokeRewards.com, for each sweepstake entry, Diet Coke will contribute $1, up to a total of $250,000, to the Foundation for NIH in support of women’s heart health research and awareness. (For more tips on lowering your risk of heart disease, visit DietCoke.com/RedDress)

This being the Oscars, however, shining brightly is just as importantly as shining charitably, and in addition to good intentions, Klum will also be sporting:

Scoop up Pre-Oscars Spring Style on HSN February 24, 2008

Get the Scoop at HSN.com.

- Lesley Scott

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Catch the Tribal Trend in Bright Prints & Ombre Dip Dyes

  Colorful prints from Dries Van Noten, Christian Dior Couture and Alexander McQueen for Spring 2008

The spring runways were awash in a riot of prints, from ombre to ethnic to tribal.  To get the look, here are some affordable versions from Rebecca & Drew, Splendid and Ella Moss:

 

Play Online Fashion Stylist with Our New Fashiontribes FT Matches Application

Many a fashionista's first fond fashion memory is cutting out an underwear-clad paper doll in a "fashion" pose along with accompanying tops, bottoms, shoes and accessories from a sheet of "mix n' match" outfits. Later in life, this tends to morph into shopping expeditions with fashion-minded girlfriends and/or stylish gay boyfriends, rifling through the racks and holding up a fabulous dress/skirt/blouse/pant and tossing suggestions back and forth as part of the "hmmm...you could wear it with this, or that, or even..." game. Which usually means you have to buy it, wear it, and hope your look lives up to promise.

For the same fun but without unstylish worries about credit card bills, fit, weather, or having the right footwear, try our new FT Matches application! Simply join the community (it's free & fabulous & filled with other likeminded types...we promise!) and then start building outfits. How? Scroll through the various categories of clothing, find a dress you like, a skirt that catches your eye, or perhaps some groovy pants - add accessories, give your match a worthy name & a quick description of where to wear it, and hit publish. Other members of the community will rate your looks (and you theirs) At the end of each month, we'll award a cool prize for the best prize, and automatically enter it into the running for most popular outfit of the year! Note: we collaborated with FashMatch on this application & want your feedback - good, bad, indifferent, helpful...send it all to Jon@FashMatch.com.

- Lesley Scott