>> Although Rogan Gregory is one of the lesser-known designers Target has chosen to collaborate with, he has received accolades from the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund, and deserves even more accolades for putting together an entirely organic line on a Target budget.  There are some great basics to be had in here — just look at the tops in this lineup.  Don't forget to check out what else is up for grabs . . . it's all in stores May 15 . . . unless you're like Barneys and can't wait.
*images: target

>> As we anxiously await Topshop's stateside arrival date on October 10, thoughts turn to what the store might stock when it's finally up and running.  Luckily for us, Susie Bubble has got our back: She attended a preview showing of the Topshop Fall 2008 line yesterday.  From the pictures she brought back, the pieces on show look pretty hit or miss (Spring 2008 Miu Miu harlequin prints and cheap interpretation of YSL Spring 2008 star accessories: miss; chunky knit cardi and Fall  2008 YSL-inspired platforms booties: hit).  But you can't win 'em all, right?

>> The Nina Garcia-Elle saga ensues: New revelations have surfaced that even if Nina decides to accept the contributing editor role she's been offered , it will only be for six months, tops, and then she'll be entirely out of a job. 

But the Elle mess just gets messier.  The Tyra Banks-produced reality show, "Fashionista," which follows young contestants as they compete for an assistant position to Elle creative director Joe Zee, is grating on the nerves of staffers:

"It's a nightmare," one insider complained. "And his real assistant hates it. No one believes they're actually going to hire the person who wins the reality show."

I hope, for Elle's sake, that all of this is worth it — foraging into reality TV with Tyra, no less, and airing all the Nina laundry out in the open.  It will be interesting to see if their tactic of trading discretion for publicity fares well for the magazine, or just ends up backfiring.  Fashion is all about image, after all.

*image: getty

Even a drab Spring day can be revived by the brightest of colors. Learn more Spring wardrobe tricks and tips in posts from:

Shoewawa finds a classy and sassy pair of t-strap sandals.

15 Minute Beauty Fanatic falls in love with a perfectly coordinated palette.

The Glamorous Bee spotlights K Street's custom fit tees.

The fine craftsmanship of Chanel jewelry pulls M.I.S.S. Crew in.

SheFinds argues it's hard to be unhappy in bright colors, and we tend to agree.

Everyone is into one piece swimsuits it would seem. The bikini has been banished in favor of the newly trendy sleek one piece. But we want to bring back the bikini. In fact, the look we have in mind is almost universally flattering for any body type. We call it the Surfer Girl. Perhaps we have overly romanticized the legend of the surfer girl from Susan Orlean's Surfer Girls of Maui to The Beach Boys. But there is something about the combination of masculine board shorts and teeny tiny bikini tops that looks good on all bodies. Big breasted women get to show off their assets, big thighed women get to cover up, and the skinny minnies get a chance to look a little more athletic than their slim frame would suggest. But its not about the silhouette so much as the ethos of the Surfer Girl. Even if you don't have a perfect beach body the look still says I'm free from any societal projections or cultural ideals. You are simply on the beach to have a good time, play a game of volleyball, hit the waves with your board. And that very nonchalance is what makes the look so alluring. Just remember the words of Susan Orlean from Surfer Girls Of Maui.

I suppose, because when you are young and on top of the world you can love anything you want, and just the fact that you love it makes it cool and fabulous.

We say you don't need to be young, just ready to accept that you are at the top of the world and you love this look. That is why the Surfer Girl look is so cool and fabulous.

Despite our skepticism about wedding season here on Coutorture we do find it intriguing. It seems odd to us that the trappings of one's special day can send so many otherwise rational women into a fit of psychosis. But as we have heard remarked “When enough people share a delusion, it loses its status as a psychosis and gets a religious tax exemption instead.” Getting a tax rebate on your wedding aside, it does pay to remember that a wedding is the merging and blending of assets. And frankly ladies, marriage is a buyers market and its the fairer sex that is doing all the purchasing.

So if men propose and women dispose, we cannot fathom why there is a market for sub one hundred dollar wedding bands and engagement rings. How a $16.99 Stainless Steel Cubic Zirconia Classic Engagement Ring can even exist is beyond our powers of reasoning. While we appreciate that money isn't everything (not that you would get that from looking at the money women spend on wedding dresses) we have to wonder if one's budget is so frugal that maybe one should forgo the frippery of weddings entirely and invest it in something more worthwhile, like say your grocery bill. So if your Prince Charming goes the budget route we suggest thanking him and saying that his love is enough. Otherwise you might want to consider your options. Sometimes the material things in life indicate the success of the immaterial. Brides are only human after all.

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