First Lady of Fashion: Get the Mrs. O Look for Less

With such a fashionable, model-tall First Lady newly in the White House, the buzz surrounding her sartorial sensibilities is proof that fashion and the national mood go hand in hand.  To get Michelle Obama's effortless American-chic look, go for clean, classic cuts, bold colors and patterns, and opt for minimal jewelry - a few smaller pieces speak volumes.  Also, like the First Lady, pay attention to the details: the color of a coat's lining (think the Narciso Rodriguez pre-inauguration camel coat); a belt cinched over an unbuttoned cardigan; a brooch pinned dead-center on the collar of the dress instead of near the shoulder. All add stylish flair and a touch of individuality to whatever you're wearing, and yet you will still appear appropriate, ladylike and polished. 

Here are our Top 5 well-priced (ie. under $100) picks for staples seen on Mrs. O, plus a fun splurge:

Painter Alex Katz Elevates Fashion to an Art

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac in Paris is currently hosting Fashion, an exhibit (through Feb. 14th) of work by American figurative painter Alex Katz. Throughout his almost 50-year career, the octogenarian's work has appeared in fashion magazines like W and Harper's Bazaar, and he has painted models including Christy Turlington & Kate Moss. He recently gave an interview to WWD, discussing Norma Kamali, what a dapper dresser dad was, and the lack of "narrative content" in fashion (that's one way of putting it):

Fancy Paper Hats at Chanel Couture

For the Chanel Couture Spring 2009 show, veteran hair guru Katsuya Kamo magically transformed 2 packs of plain white 11x17 copier paper into elaborate head pieces. Inspired by white porcelain figures from the opulent 18th century, the Japanese hairdresser and his small team worked out of a backroom at Chanel for three weeks, scoring and cutting out the more than 65 different headdresses that graced the runway. "I like this kind of hairdressing," he recently told WWD, which isn't a surprise given he has already created a small line of hats that sold out at Corso Como in Tokyo.

- Lesley Scott

Stay Warm, Chic, and Cheap!

Looking cute on the cheap is all about layers & accessories, plus a yummy dose of color to add some dash for what you didn't drop in the way of cash. Here, some snazzy trouser jeans add an upscale touch, while cute fringed boots and dangly earrings keep things fun.

Here's where to get the look:

Meet Paloma Picasso at her new Tiffany e-Boutique

In February 2009, Tiffany will officially launch an online Paloma Picasso boutique, which covers (& sells) her iconic collections of signature bold pieces & colorful gems, explores her designs and inspiration, and features a number of really engaging video mini-interviews with the designer about her French childhood & growing up the daughter of Pablo, what inspires her, and her glamorous career in jewelry.

- Lesley Scott

A Few Fabulous Links

Nina Garcia already onto Book #3 - FabSugar

learn how to mix your makeup...literally - Stylelist

Zoe Kravitz in Preen magazine - FashionIndie

update your look with flapper fringe - Refinery 29 Pipeline

fun makeup looks by the decade - College Candy

cute ballet flats for any budget - Omiru

win a pair of fancy pants by Dismero - Factio Magazine

a Whitney-inspired headband - Fashion Fille

a look of the day from Jason Wu - Fashion Pulse Daily

the Web 3.0 way to organize your closet - Fashiontribes

copy a Michelle Obama inauguration day look - Hip Candy

meet Michelle O's style weapon: Ikram Goldman - Runway to Retail

the best 3 moisturizers to heal winter skin - The Fashionable Housewife

Wear Calvin Klein Jeans, Get Laid

Not since Brooke Shields announced in the 80s that nothing came between her & her Calvins has denim been able to get tongues wagging for something other than outrageous prices (Tom Ford's new line of $990 jeans, anyone?).  While sex obviously sells, a new TV ad for Calvin Klein Jeans has recently been banned from even late-night cable TV for being too overtly X-rated for primetime.  Shot by Steven Meisel to look like illicit footage from an old basement, models Anna Selezneva, Natasha Poly, Anna Jagodzinska, and some hunky half-nude males writhe around, under, and on top of each other, all making out and wearing pretty much only their Calvins.  The spot will start running on CalvinKleinJeans.com on January 30th, but you can check out by CLICKING HERE. (via WWD) 

- Lesley Scott

Putting Some Serious Sex back into Shoes

For the Roger Vivier Spring 2009 collection, designer Bruno Frisoni brought to life the One is Two theme in the form of a double-decker sandal...fabulous, flower-festooned, and unabashedly festishistic. A two-toned towering wonder, it is crafted from colorful exotic skins, wrapped in bejeweled buckles, and covered in colorful silk blooms, perfect - as the designer recently explained to WWD - for the journey "from the sofa to the bedroom."

Hey, Fancy Pants! A Fun Military-Chic Ensemble.

There is a trick to rocking skinny leather leggings and not looking like an 80s Hair Band groupie: forgo anything too sexy on top. Instead, opt for something with a rougher (yet still polished) military menswear edge; the tension of the boy/girl balance is the key to making the look work. Toss in some femme fatale sexy lipstick-red touches, as well as booties in brown (instead of expected black), and rather than just walking the line...you'll own it.

Here's where to get the look:

Sassy Spring Sandals in Princess Pink

"I'm a girl, and by me that's only great...That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait."  Rodgers and Hammerstein may not have had exactly this particular precious pink sandal in mind when they penned I Enjoy Being a Girl for their musical Flower Drum Song, but there's no denying they certainly fit the girlish bill, not to mention create the requisite gait.  Kate Spade Loupe sandals in fuschia satin available at Zappos.com.

- Lesley Scott