In case you didn’t know, Diane Von Furstenberg, she-of-the-wrap-dress and globetrotting-style bar-raiser (hel-loo?! Have you seen those H.Stern knuckle-dusters?) is certifiably awesome, in pretty much every way that counts. And in just the past ten days she’s given us 3 more demonstrations of her awesomeness:

1) She unveiled her Wonder Woman-inspired collection for holiday ’08. The freshy, sporty line features bold hues and patterns that recall my grade-school sticker collection, and is sure to fly right off shelves come November. (Get it? Fly?)

2) Last Monday she held court at the star-studded Costume Institute Ball. With the Olsen twins as one of her 6 dates. And she brought a camera.

3) She recently posted her VIP candids for all to see on her online “magazine.”

Love.

Check. It. Out. Now.

Snaps from DVF.com

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Banana Republic Fall 2008 

It’s a dreary day today, here in New York City. The inclement weather poses not one, not two, but three major problems for me:

1)    What to wear?
2)    Where to find a cab?
3)    Why does Fall ’08 seem o’ so far away?

That spring showers prompt the last concern—the yearning for darker, damper temperatures—may of be some surprise to you. But if you’ve been paying close attention to the recent runway shows, chances are you’re itching for fall fashion to hit stores too. The somber, sexy palette! The restrained elegance! The over-size jewels!

I had almost forgotten all about autumn’s sartorial goodies until I saw the Banana Republic fall runway show a few weeks back. Filled with svelte skirts, lean knits, sculptural exterior layers, and a few French trenches the next collection is a cosmopolitan dream. And each, I’m sure, would make a rainy day so much more romantic.  See what I mean?

Banana Republic Fall 2008 

Snaps courtesy BR 

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Good-bye neo-Goth, hello old-school graphics. For our second installment of Casual Observations, I’d like to turn your attention to the recent resurgence of TV test patterns and Trapper Keeper-style graphics. Both feature bold colors, distinctive patterns, and conjure up bygone eras which many of us associate with a sense of joyous naïveté. (Remember when you actually wrote on paper and had to turn the non-cable TV on by manually turning a dial?) And as a quick glance at a few of today’s pop-culture artifacts and sartorial backdrops will demonstrate, these iconic graphics are current favorites of today’s taste-makers:

First, take a look at Apple’s latest Ipod commercial:

Then compare it with the intro credits to everyone’s favorite ’80s guilty-pleasure, Saved by the Bell:

Both recall your ’80s school supplies, no? Surely you remember Trapper Keepers and their distinctive geo-patterns…

Meanwhile, back in Manhattan, savvy window-dressers are zooming in on the same ’80s graphics as well as TV test graphics, as they make a perfect back-drop for the season’s vivid, New Wave-inspired pieces…

Bergdorf Goodman, Fifth Avenue:

Diesel, 14th Street @ Union Square:

Note the color palette and gradient pattern in the backdrop of the store’s “Diesel TV” window, and how similar it is to the Ipod commercial. Nice how it all comes full-circle isn’t it? (That’s what the fashion demi-monde likes to call A Moment.) Considering the ’80s TV inspiration behind this nascent trend, it seems fitting to now say, “Stay tuned for more…”

Snaps= TV Test pattern, iStock; Folders, Flickr; store photos Kate Terranova and Erin Dustin

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If you’re anything like me, you had a hard time getting dressed on this dreary morning. For inspiration on how to fight the Rainy Day/Monday/Break-Up Day/I Hate My Wardrobe Day blues, check this out:

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This is usually GlamBlush’s territory, but I couldn’t help pointing out this fantastic, tres fashionable perfume case from Estée Lauder. Not only is Aerin Lauder’s ‘Tuberose Gardenia’ scent wholly intoxicating, but the case that holds the solid perfume (the most purse-friendly way to carry any eau b.t.w.) comes festooned with citrine, yellow and green jade. Who needs jewelry when your make-up bag has so much bling? Estée Lauder ‘Tuberose Gardenia’ Solid Perfume, $175 at Nordstrom.

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Today, on Vogue.co.uk there was a quote from Cindy Crawford about how she wished she had lived it up more in her early modeling days. This struck me as a bit odd, as I find it hard to believe that the bombshell was, as she says “sitting in the corner with a book,” during all of the ’80s and ’90s. Regardless, her hotness resurfacing in today’s fashion news prompted me to take a glance back at her modeling highlights. Here, a sampling of Crawford’s finest covershots–photographed in between chapters of Atlas Shrugged no doubt:

Snaps from a variety of sources including one particularly genius site that I can’t reveal just yet. More on that later…

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Ralph Rucci, Amy Fine Collins, Linda Fargo, & Elle Decor’s Margaret Russell

If you have time today, go flip through the past 2 dozen issues of your favorite fashion tome. If you happen to come across Chado Ralph Rucci in the credits, let me know. While not the kind of editorial heartthrob Nicholas Ghesquire, MJ, and Alexander McQueen all can be, Ralph Rucci—known for his intricate craftsmanship and subtle aesthetic—has long won points in discriminating design circles. And now, there’s one more laurel to add to the mix: The Cooper-Hewitt just announced that the American is the winner of their 2008 Fashion Design Award. Rucci—who was famously the first American to be accepted into Paris’s Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture—beat out the ’00s suit silhouette mastermind, Thom Browne and pleats charming himself, Zac Posen. Perhaps it was Rucci’s alma mater that helped seal the deal? Both he and Francisco Costa, a judge for this year’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design awards, attended New York’s FIT. Send out the alumni email blast, stat!

Snap= Elle.com 

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There was a lot of sartorial splendor to be found at last night’s Costume Institute gala, most of it the kind of stuff only seen at the Oscars, society weddings, and other fantastical events. (Fitting reference eh? The A-list festivities were in honor of the new Costume Institute exhibition: Superheroes: Fiction & Fantasy, but more on that later.)  Highlights of the evening–including Hilary Duff posing as Fergie’s arm-candy and Victoria Beckham looking skinnier, scowl-ier, and more fabulous than ever–can be found on the Glam mothership but I thought I’d take a moment to point out this lovely little style snapshot:

Besties Sofia Coppola & Marc Jacobs wearing matching his-and-her evening clutches! Perf! Could Marc’s refined leather accessory mean manbags =out, gentclutch=in? 

To see the gals behind these Gala gowns, click here. 

Snaps= Wireimage

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*Word is Bulgari for jewels…

Snaps = Wireimage 

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