the ebay

>> Hair hair...a toast to the ridiculously-easy-to-mimic Spring/Summer 2005 runway 'dos.  Tiny braids paired with bed-head hair were all over the models for the Jean Galliano collection (left).  I cannot stress the greatness of this runway trend -- we all learned to braid when we were like two (it's not like you're trying to put a chandelier in your hair or anything...cough...Dior), and little braids are cute no matter where you're going...even if it's just to the grocery store.  For a more sophisticated look, go for the Heidi-esque style seen on the Moschino models (right).  Take advantage, people... just make two pigtails and then bobby pin them so that they criss-cross over the top of your head.  Or, if you're still after that boho look, just braid your hair into a couple of loose pigtails and let them hang. 

Braids even showed up the the runways of lesser-knowns: Chado Ralph Rucci (left), for example.  But don't worry, ladies, this trend has showed up again on Fall 2005 runways -- Tess Giberson's models had double braids extending down their backs, and Louis Verdad's Frida Kahlo-inspired collection involved intricate braided updo's.  So rest assured, by the time you perfect your preferred braided look, it won't already be out of vogue again. 

If you are severely lacking in the braiding department, don't fret, dreamweaver braiding will help remedy that, easy.  So no excuses -- if you don't try this out, I might have to severely upbraid you.

>> "Hi! I was wondering if you knew what brand where the boots the MK was wearing in the #2 outfit (the one with the blue scarf and coffee thermos)? Thanks!" - Chi

Using some mad detective skills and the use of Exhibit A and Exhibit B (right), in which MK is wearing the same exact cowboy boots, I was able to deduce that the boots she is wearing are the Black T Bird Boots from R. Soles, a brand also favored by the likes of Sienna Miller, Kate Moss, et al.  They run for ₤295.  Hope that helps! 

  **sources:  olsen-twins-news.com

>> Bermuda shorts are literally everywhere these days -- you can even get them from your local Abercrombie or American Eagle.  Who wants to look exactly like everyone else they pass on the street?  Not me, for one.  It's like sailing into the Bermuda triangle -- guaranteed death. 

To avoid such a frightful doom, I suggest taking the lead from a look seen on the Spring/Summer 2005 Chloe  runway.  Just take those shorts and roll them up a bit.  Its seriously the easiest diy project you've ever undertaken.  Effortless perfection, if you will.  These exact Chloe cotton shorts with cummerbund are available at net-a-porter.com for $650, but are selling out quick.  Satine boutique is preselling another option:  Rebecca Taylor's roll up long shorts for $202.  I personally am using the cropped wide-legged pants shown at the top of this post, available from anthropologie for $58.  Trust me, they look just as cute.

**sources: style.com

>> Wow.  I came across another pair of drool-worthy shoes...my shoe fairy godmother must be watching after me today or something.  If you're looking to channel some serious Edie Sedgwick, these boots are the place to start.  They're go-go boots sans heels, giving them a slightly edgier and modern look.  I personally suggest you go-go get some before they sell out -- $79 at yoox.com. 

>> Behold the gorgeousness that is Jocasi's Parax Moon Bag.  I was looking for a bag to travel with at the end of next month, and this one is just exceeds all my expectations.  It has a zipper closure to discourage those with sticky fingers, and it's a great size.  Did I mention the supple leather? I just want to stroke that thing.  Pardon us for a private moment or two...

Brown: backordered until June at blaec -- $140

Black: available at luvcharlie.com -- $160

P.S.  If you're going to check out Jocasi...take a look at their belts too -- they're all to die for. 

>> Oh my goodness.  I'm still out of breath.  I was just going through the list of the normal sites I hit up on a daily basis:  La Coquette, Style Diary, The Fashion Spot... when I got to Lucky.  SHABAM!!  The most adorable little ballet shoes smacked me right upside the head...like I was a rat king or something.  And they're $14.  And they come in scrumptious colors.  Breathe...  Unfortunately, they're backordered until July 6th.  Damn those bajillions of Lucky readers.  But I may have to fall into the trap anyway...that apricot color is calling my name.    

>> Before the time of Paris Hilton, another Manhattan  heiress was stealing the limelight - back in the 60's, that is.  Edie Sedgwick, best known as artist Andy Warhol's muse, had style and persona that no heirhead these days can even begin to compete with. 

Edie was never a fashion victim -- she was  fashion forward. She went to society parties barefoot, or in a black leotard accessorized with oodles of bangles, necklaces, her trademark chandelier earrings, and her signature black tights.  Her hair was pixie-ish, dyed to match Warhol's.  She spent hours on her makeup, rimming her eyes in kohl, adding false eyelashes, filling in her eyebrows to Elizabeth Taylor-style, darkening her beauty mark, playing down her mouth in pearlized lipsticks. 

Although her influence has always been around -- think Kate Moss' blonde bob a few years back (left), or Samaire Armstrong's look on The OC (right), it seems that Edie is back on the fashion radar, full speed ahead.  Katie Holmes has been tapped to play Edie in the biopic Factory Girl (named for Warhol's studio The Factory), set to come out later this year. 

John Galliano attributed the inspiration for both his Fall/Winter 2005 haute couture and ready-to-wear collections for Christian Dior to Edie.  The chandelier earrings worn in the couture line were the spitting image of some that Edie used to wear, and the models' dark eyeliner, beauty spot, and pale lipstick are clearly a tribute as well (left).  The Breton stripes that Edie and Warhol were so fond of were ubiquitous in the ready-to-wear line (right), and Edie's leotards showed up in the couture line.  Her influence is even popping up in other F/W 2005 RTW collections - like the Emanuel Ungaro dress on the left, for instance. 

So prepare yourselves for a fall of black, black, black, girls -- whether it be eyeliner, boots, skirts, tights, or for the daring: leotards.  This is one heiress that you can channel and not be a fashion flop.  As for you, Paris Hilton -- watch out -- Edie's Ghost of Fashion Past might just be out to get you.

Besides her style, Edie was a very interesting person -- to find out more about her habit of sleeping with a lit ciggy, her untimely death, her 1960's plastic surgery, or her rejection by Warhol, I recommend Edie: American Girl by Jean Stein or the should-be documentary Ciao! Manhattan.

**sources: pdnonline, art-is-life, warholstars, billyname.com, the-oc.org, natfinkelstein.com, hairboutique.com, the guardian

>> Speak of the devil herself...  I just happened upon the good news that vintage Gucci suede boots exactly like those Miss Miller has been spotted wearing literally everywhere as of late are up for auction on ebay. The current bid is $510, the reserve is met, and the auction is ending in approximately 15 hours.  Yeah, I'm obsessed (more with the boots than the girl, cross my heart).  I figure somebody out there has got to be as equally infatuated, and they would appreciate this information just as much as I.  So good luck, whoever you are, and happy bidding!

>>  So you can find her name in a crayon box...  you can't find her style anywhere (except on Kate Moss, some would argue).  Honestly, I think she's great.  The thing that attracts me most to this so-called "It" girl is her ability to look fashionable and yet comfortable at the same time.  Now that's a feat, especially considering  that the cameras are always rolling on her.  Some would feel the pressure and just overdo the self-styling (cough Messica Simpson cough).  I'm not even just talking about the comfort of her clothing - while it is true that her clothes do tend to look genuinely comfortable (no stilettos for Sienna while walking her puppies...sad...), I also think she looks comfortable in her own personal style.  She's one of the few in the spotlight that consistently reuses accessories over and over.  Like her cowboy boots (above right), for example.  Of course she wears them all the time, you say, that's her trademark!  True, but she doesn't just do it with cowboy boots.  I've also seen her do it with Uggs, her Gucci thigh-high boots, black tights (left), her red Balenciaga bag (right), and even a slate blue tiered skirt.  I think that shows true fashion icon potential.  It means she actually has enough imagination to create new looks using the same pieces, rather than just creating a new look from all new pieces (imagine that!).  And that's something I can really respect.     

**sources: sienna-online.org

>> Dear Nicolas Ghesquiere,

Just because you run over a poor pigeon on the way to work doesn't mean it has to be the inspiration for an entire part of your Fall 2005 collection.  I mean, I know you saw it smushed up against the grating of your car, and it was somehow beautiful and tragic at the same time, but the rest of us just don't see it that way. Sometimes, it's okay to just let things go.  Let's look at it this way:  you put roadkill on your dresses.  Roadkill, man.  Next time, if you have to, go for the discarded snakeskins.  Much classier, trust me. 

Faithfowlly yours, 

fashionologie

Dear ladies,

Let's start with you, J. Conn.  Just because the dress is Balenciaga, doesn't necessarily mean it's looks good.  Use your beautiful mind, woman.  If it looks trippy when you're not wearing it, it probably won't magically look spectacular once you are (no offense, but you don't have a fairy godmother).  And I know you're not trying to cover up the fact that you don't have breasts - you have two kids - there's gotta be something under all those feathers.  We'll let it slide this time, since you were at the MET "Costume" Institute Gala honoring Chanel.  Really, if anything, you were doing Miss Coco a great dishonor.  She's probably turning in her grave - with time, and if you're fashionably blessed, she might be able to bring herself to forgive your trespasses. 

You next, Charlotte Gainsbourg.  Okay, you, dearheart, wore the same fucking dress at Cannes over a week after J. Conn.  This means you had over a week to read about everybody's reactions to the dress (and I'll give you a hint: they weren't good).  You also had a week to realize that you were going to wear a freakin' swan on your chest.  Yes, dear, they are pretty birds.  Just not plastered to your front - that's not what they were made for.  Remember the Bjork Swan Fiasco of '01?  Not an event you want to emulate.  Didn't your mother ever teach you to wear something that flattered your face, rather than take attention away from it?  It's called elegance...sophistication...  Go for it next time, sweetie.

And last but not least, you, Sharon Stone.  Doesn't your basic instinct tell you anything these days?  You know that old saying:  If at first you don't succeed, try, try, again.  It just doesn't work in this case.  What about that Mensa genius you're reputed to have?  Your IQ (or conscience...or something!) should have been screaming, "No, Sharon! Put the fuck-ugly feathers down!"  I appreciate that you like flaunting what you had for dinner the night before, but really, Sharon, do ya have to wear the plucked turkey feathers?  You looked great (especially considering you're 47) from the neck up, but then I looked down.  Try not to run afowl again.

Love and kisses, 

fashionologie        

**sources: gettyimages