Coachella '08!

So, yeah, Coachella was this weekend! I didn't go (although I think I'm going to Pitchfork this year), but since being into the whole idea of summer music festivals is part of our stance on life, I thought it would have been fun to peep some of the pictures of famous and semi-famous people at the fest, if only to catch a glimpse at what everyone wore. But, um, there aren't that many pictures! At least not of people we are interested in. But here is Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, who I always love:

And here is M.I.A., looking kind of Blade Runner-y. I heard she had a stand-off with the show security after inviting people to join her onstage. I'm sure she was thinking "Bring the noise!" when the organizers were like "Insurance liability!" I got a text from a friend during her set that said "MIA'S STARTING A RIOT!!!!!" and I got really excited for some reason.

And this is Sienna Miller. I don't know why I'm posting this since she borderline-annoys me, but it's a cool little dress she's wearing.

Who ever thought that Dita Von Teese would be at Coachella? Not I! I kind of love her; if this photo isn't proof of how utterly committed she is to her aesthetic, I don't know what is.

Oh, and here is Prince doing a cover of Radiohead's "Creep." It's kind of awesome even though watching this makes me seasick:

Devendra Banhart is going out with Natalie Portman and they wear matching peacoats

Or maybe they're just good pals who walk snuggly down the street and collaborate on benefit albums together. Who could know? Natalie Portman bores the pants off of me these days, but I guess I approve? Or at least I dig the Devendrameister's shades. Anyway - photo ganked from Jezebel, who i.d. my favorite skate hippie as "Charles Manson Meets Sienna Miller." Apparently most Jezebel readers aren't so schooled in the way of Devendra, which is mind-bottling to me, if only because it begs the question: "If no one knows who Devendra Banhart is, why can't I get my hands on a pair of tickets to see him at the The Hollywood Bowl???" Good grief.

But wait - a second look at the comments reveals that one Jezebel reader (with a cute little Teenage Fanclub avatar, no less) has posted a link to this superfun fashion game on Devendra's website. It's basically Devendra-as-paper-doll, and you can dress him up in all kinds of hippie garb. I put him in caftan and tie-dyed socks first; now I've got my eye on the shredded jeans, purple poncho, and yellow kicks.

Edie Rose for DKNY: Rachel Bilson Designing Her Own Line

The fun never stops when you're a celebrity: According to WWD, Rachel Bilson, she of Jumper and, of course, "The O.C.", is designing a line for DKNY. It's a junior sportswear line that will be called Edie Rose, and it should launch in September, with Bilson as the face for the advertising. (I guess that's a given.) Apparently and a little unusually, she's going to be putting her acting on hold a bit to focus on the line, even learning to sew to learn more about the process of designing and making clothes. Items should retail from about $19.50 to $49.50 at stores like Macys, Nordstroms and other department stores, which makes the line accessible and affordable.

At this point, these sort of things are a dime a dozen and create a lot of eye-rolling, but in my mind, Bilson's one of the few young Hollywooders who has real personal style and great taste. (She rocks Rick Owens jackets with cheery yellow scarves and looks adorable doing it.) I was never much of an "O.C." watcher (I'm really allergic to Mischa Barton) but every time I caught it I always liked "that Summer girl." She's got a good eye, so who knows -- Edie Rose might be clothes that are as easygoing and fun-loving as Bilson herself.

Some pics of Edie Rose (call me crazy, but it's pretty cute):

Avril Lavigne To Design a Line for Kohl's: Like, OMG.

Yes, people, c'est vrai: Avril Lavigne is designing a label for Kohl's. We are opposed to this, but kind of not because even though I find Avril to be obnoxious and kind of wrong, I'm still oddly fond of her. But let's leave that between my hypothetical therapist and myself. Some details: launches in July just in time for back-to-school (OMG!) and it will be called Abbey Dawn (like, dude!) It's all kind of a sign of the upcoming apocalypse, no?

Oscars 2008 Post-Mortem

I'm a film person, so watching the Oscars is practically a job requirement for me. But I'm telling you, even being in the industry and being able to shout "That's my screenwriting professor!" or "I interned for that dude!" at the monitor doesn't make watching the long, long telecast any less grueling. You need nice, sparkly dresses to practically wake you up from the occasional stupor, and sadly, any fashion sparkliness seemed to be lacking last night. I'm not normally a hater by temperament and I'm a big fan of subtlety over mega-glitz anytime. And for the most part, many, many people looked incredibly lovely and tasteful, and there were some genuinely amazing moments in the show itself. But perhaps this was the issue: Oscar fashion has become such a dog-and-pony show and such a speculative-spectator sport open to everyone that perhaps too many people play it safe now. Even red-carpet risk-takers like Tilda Swinton (who wore Lanvin) and Cate Blanchett (who wore Dries Van Noten) seemed relatively subdued. (Although, let's be clear, I thought they looked quite nice, I was just hoping for something more-more.) There were just so many 'appropriately colored' strapless column dresses of red, black, or beige-pink-grey that I can't even remember who wore what! I guess I miss the swan dress factor, the yellow dress factor and just a general sense of personal individuality. Which actually made Diablo Cody (who wore Christian Dior) my favorite look at the Oscars -- not because I'm such a huge fan of leopard print, but because she looked the most like herself but still glamorous. (And go writers! Whoo hoo!)

Still, it can't be easy to have to dress for the Oscars. Think of all the levels of subjectivity you have to dress for: yourself, of course. And there's also your peers. Then the press cameras, the television camera, the actual room. And then for history, knowing you may end up over and over again on some tiresome Oscar montage reel twenty years later, making people scream, "Get on with it already!" while throwing popcorn at the plasma screen.

Courtney Love, Givenchy "Muse"

Courtney Love articles are usually all chaos and motormouth, but I personally would like to have heard more on the Givenchy stuff and the new record. But doesn't she look good in the picture below?

Pete Doherty + Irina Lazareanu, Sitting In a Tree

These pics of Pete Doherty and Irina Lazareanu makes us feel a little squicky, but somehow we cannot resist posting them. Irina looks really wraithlike, and Pete...well, he looks like himself, for better or worse. If we avoid thinking about what we know, we have to admit that the photos look kind of cute. But once we remember what we've repressed, ach, here comes the squicky...

Sienna Miller & Rhys Ifans:

I definitely approve.

Random Picture Entry: Jenny Lewis

Jenny Lewis and Becky Stark are playing tonight at Spaceland. I don’t have tickets, and it’s soooooo sold out. By way of moping, I spent the morning looking at pictures of Jenny and listening to her solo record, which is probably my favorite album of 2006 so far.

Earlier this year Chuck Klosterman wrote in Spin (which I’m never buying again, now that Chuck Klosterman and all my other favorite writers there are gone): “It is strange that she has become an indie-rock sex icon, because she’s not glamorous or provocative; she’s just cute and friendly and devoid of pretension, and fashionable in the way that women tend to appreciate more than men.”

I guess that’s true, although part of me still thinks it’s kinda impossible to deny the universal hotness/fashionableness of Jenny. Usually she makes me think of dresses, vaguely milk-maid-ish dresses, the kind of dresses I wanted to wear when I was six-years-old and now want to wear again (and I’d pair them with knee socks, as Jenny so often does). But then I found this non-dress photo and couldn’t not share. This just might be one of the three or four instances in the history of the universe in which it’s actually okay to speak the words “hubba hubba.”

When Kate Moss Attacks

We're usually not one for the celeb gossip, but we can't resist this: the latest in the Kate Moss Chronicles has our heroine losing her shee-it with a few intrusive paparazzi. Say what you will about Kate, spoiled supermodels, rapid paparazzi, cocaine or her questionable taste in beaux (except for Johnny and Jefferson), but can you get over how chic she looks? Her outfit has a sort of slouchy, insouciant, early 90s grunge vibe - the era that made Kate famous, of course -- with those baggy men's trousers, waistcoat and too-long sleeves. Everyone should look so cool after they've finished stomping all over a camera.

Random Picture Entry: Elizabeth Hart of Psychic Ills

Over the weekend we caught Psychic Ills at a very late show at the Knitting Factory (along with Electroputas, Telepathe, and Vizusa) and the show only confirmed our love of their latest record, Dins, out on the Social Registry. Their mix of shoegazer psychedelia, Suicide-inspired spooky post-punk and noise theatrics reminiscent of early Sonic Youth is perfect for the witchy punk in all of us. And speaking of witchy punks, their bass player, Elizabeth Hart, is not only top-notch as a musician, but is incredibly stylish as well - a sort of Stevie Nicks thing going on with plenty of elegant reserve to spare.

Rufus Wainwright + Viktor & Rolf

It's music-related, so we couldn't resist: not only will Rufus Wainwright be wearing Viktor & Rolf when he performs at Carnegie Hall in June, but the stylishly theatrical musical performer is going to be "involved" with the men's fragrance from Viktor & Rolf coming out this fall. (Doesn't that sound mysterious?) It's not the first time that the Dutch design duo have been associated with a prominent musician: Tori Amos has performed at one of their shows in the past. We love the news not only because Wainwright is a classically talented musician with an uncanny knack for an arch yet lovelorn chanson, but we couldn't pass up the opportunity to put his lovely picture up:

You Want Sienna Miller, I Give You Sienna Miller

The #1 search term that I get at this blog is "Sienna Miller," which is really odd to me - I hardly write about her. So to Sienna seekers who have landed here, you may want to check out this site devoted to the theory and logistics of getting her style. These type of sites are slightly nuts and utterly fascinating, right down to the links where you can buy Sienna-inspired items. It's not as exhaustive as the one devoted to Carrie Bradshaw's style; that one is completely and totally epic.

(Those less starlet-centric yet just as crazed about finding out what designer made those shoes on that show, have a go at Reel Style.)

Our Favorite Oscars Dress

Michelle Williams wearing Vera Wang.
(Crash winning Best Picture? What?!)

Le Sportsac to Put Out "O.C." Inspired Accessories Line

This is for all the Marissa-hatin', Summer-lovin' or Seth-sweatin' obsessives out there: Le Sportsac is putting out a line of accessories inspired by the ever-popular teen drama. Working with the show's wardrobe supervisors and co-executive producer, LeSportsac's line groups bags into mini-collections named after each character and reflecting their fashion style. LeSportsac will be venturing into men's accessories for the first time with the O.C. line, featuring bags inspired by Seth and Ryan. The collection is set to bow in August, according to WWD. The best detail in my mind is inside the bags: each one is lined with a print fabric that references the character. A Marissa bag, for example, is lined with Mischa Barton's image along with the words "Free Marissa." Sweet.

Gwyneth Paltrow: Estee Lauder's New Face

You'll relaunch Pleasures.
Now beauty contracts are in:
You, Nicole, Halle.

Paris Hilton To Design Accessories, Become Cultural Icon of Lasting Importance

I read today in WWD that Paris Hilton has recently cut a deal to put out a line of handbags, making her Hilton #2 to design accessories. (Sister Nicky designs bags for Japanese company Samantha Thavasa.) There aren't a lot of specific details, other than the line will be manufactured by the same company that does Paris's fragrance, Parlux. But you have to love any article on Paris that has the following quote:

"She's a very important person in American culture, if not the most important," Ilia Lekach, Parlux chairman and chief executive officer, said on Friday without a hint of facetiousness.

This, my friends, is why WWD is required reading, right up there with The Economist and Fader.

Ready for the Oscars: Armani Haute Couture

Is it just me, or is Armani back on the radar? In a field where It things come and go, it's easy to take such a massive brand for granted, but the past few seasons there's been a bit more noise surrounding Giorgio Armani. At any rate, the eminent designer has just debuted his first haute couture collection, and it's definitely Hollywood-ready with gowns that are elegant and subtly dramatic. I'm guessing that style.com is right - we'll probably be seeing a lot of these dresses come Oscar time.

A Gwennie Postscript

Just a bit more here about Stefani's fashion obsessions making it into her music: her next single, "Rich Girl," namechecks John Galliano (who designed her wedding dress) and Vivienne Westwood. Apparently Gwen is such a fan of Westwood that she actually pays for her clothes at the boutique every now and then. See, she's just like you and me!

Harajuku Girls & Gwen Stefani

Speaking of Asian inspiration, Harajuku schoolgirls are all over Gwen Stefani's solo album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby. Stefani is my latest pop cultural fascination: She's new wave! No, hip hop! Insecure! And she wants a baby! Having listened to her record for about a week straight now, I can't decide if she's so wack she's genius, or just wack in general. The ever-perceptive Rob Sheffield at Rolling Stone nails it on the head for why the record fascinates: "And anyone who can get New Order on the same track as Wendy and Lisa is some kind of visionary." (And there are plenty of shades of Expose, Prince and pep rally-type sound on the record as well.) But then there is Stefani's ode to the cool stylee of Tokyo, "Harajuku Girls," which is just about the dumbest thing ever, namechecking A Bathing Ape, Hysteric Glamour and Yohji Yamamoto, going on and on about "the catwalk" and saying Harajuku girls have "wicked" style about a million times. I'm sorry, but most songs about fashion (unless they're by David Bowie) are just stupid in general, and "Harajuku Girls" is no different.

What irks most about the song (besides its weird overtones of fetishism and its general inanity) is that Stefani's version of the Harajuku girl is only about cartoonish, mad-colorful, jumbled-up and juvenile aesthetics. It's still going on that way, but according to people who actually live in Harajuku, street fashion is actually getting more subtle and down-to-earth. (This website is a great look at day-to-day Japanese street fashion, and pretty much the excuse for writing this entry.) But whatever. It's her song, and who am I to school a Vogue cover girl? I just wish she'd stop pretending the Harajuku girls she performs with are figments of her imagination and making them look at her adoringly on the floor as she gives interviews. It's kind of creepy.

Paris Vogue Shot Through the Sofiascope

Sofiaphiles, take note: Ms. Coppola will be guest-editing Paris Vogue for an issue, taking the reins for the December-January issue of the magazine from Carine Roitfeld. Will there be lots of Marc Jacobs and Juergen Teller, as fashion.net conjectures? At any rate, Coppola is putting in lots of time in France these days, as she's getting ready to shoot her film on Marie Antoinette any time soon.

Warning: This Entry May Be It-Girl Overload

Speaking of fashion It girls, how did Lou Doillon get to be everywhere? There was that fashion spread in Elle a few months ago, and now she's in the fall A.P.C. ads. The daughter of 60s It girl Jane Birkin, Doillon is very leggy, very horsey and very French, and getting famous for her style (although I hear she acts as well.) She's a good match for A.P.C., though, who have always been about insouciant, understated cool.

Speaking of A.P.C., they're selling a wool toggle coat they're calling "Charlotte's coat." It's clearly an homage to the female lead of Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, who wandered wan and lost around Tokyo. Coppola, after all, is a famous fan of the French brand.

The Kate Moss Watch

I swear, someone needs to create a website called "The Kate Moss Watch" and just publish regularly updated candid photos of the supermodel's famously celebrated style. (There could even be a feature called "The Revolving Door," chronicling her boyfriends, and an obsessive bulletin board where trendsters could dissect and track down her latest vintage finds.)

There are paeans to Moss' inimitable style in various magazines this month, including Vogue. And for the shoptastic, there's even a feature at style.com in which Moss picks out her favorite items for the season. Give in - even all you haters out there are dying to know what fashion's anointed one finds cool.

Odds and Ends

I read WWD so you don't have to:

+ Beyonce has signed her fashion deal at least...with a children's apparel company, Kids Headquarters, not Ecko Red, as previously rumored. (Kids Headquarters holds licenses for Kenneth Cole Reaction, Sketchers, and Timberland, to give you an idea of their range.) Don't worry, she's not doing kids stuff, she'll be working under A Touch of Couture label.

+ You, too, can smell like Paris Hilton: the newest Guess? girl is on the verge of signing a deal to produce a signature fragrance. No word on what it will smell like, but I'm sure some sharp wit out there has something to say on the matter.

The Beyonce Touch

Has she finally done it? According to WWD, after months of rumors and speculations, Beyonce Knowles is apparently this close to signing a deal with Ecko Red to produce a women's clothing line under the label A Touch of Couture. We say "apparently" because naysayers are whispering that Beyonce's creative partner in the venture - her stylist mother, Tina - has been demanding too much and that negotiations fell apart. I'm sure you all are on the edge of your seats.

Lopez Vs. Wintour No More!

An American Vogue has been eluding Jennifer Lopez forever, amidst rumors of the bad blood between the star and Vogue editor Anna Wintour. However, it seems like the feud is no more: Lopez will apparently be appearing on the December cover of the fashion monthly, according to imdb.com. Is this the beginning of the end? A harbinger of disaster? A victory for the little people? Are are we sick of celebrities being on magazine covers yet? You tell me.

Mary J. Blige: No More Drama, At Least For Your Clothes

This blog is turning into a musician-turned-designer chronicle. But seriously, every day there's like a new pop star on the block announcing their intent to design their own line, and it doesn't look like this "trend" is going away, what with the likes of Gwen Stefani prepping her second L.A.M.B. line for buyers soon. Mary J. Blige, the formidable queen of hip-hop soul, is up next on the designer lineup. Nothing official has been announced or set but the desire is there, according to WWD. Apparently she got the idea for her own line after her own (untelevised) wardrobe malfunction onstage. But the singer, who is fit out by Valentino these days, has definite ideas on what she'd have to offer (which is probably more than most contenders in this category.) She's looking to appeal to the 28-to-40-year-old woman with a real body who doesn't want to flash her capital for all the world to see: "I’m all about the belly button, but my butt crack doesn’t jump out and my shirt’s not too small. I’m going for the look that says I’m not trying too hard to do anything.”

Hurricane Kimora!

I'm not superinterested in fashion celebs, but I do know there are Kimora Lee Simmons watchers out there. Whether you think she's a Baby Phat bling goddess or a classless trainwreck is up to you, but her cash-money aesthetic definitely fascinates. Kimora folk will be amused and/or appalled at an item in WWD (which is apparently having a good day today.) Apparently, at a silent auction for the Martha Graham Dance Company on Wednesday, Simmons wanted something up on the block very badly: the honor of naming a pair of Manolo Blahniks from an upcoming collection. She wanted it so much that she asked the manager to keep the bidding sheet from her competitors in the final moments of the auction. Kimora won for $16,000, which is probably like minor ducats for the hip hop duchess.

Missy Elliott + Adidas

That Gap ad with Madonna was only the beginning: according to WWD.com, Missy Elliott, hip hop star extraordinaire, is set to announce a deal with Adidas to design her own line. The line will feature sportswear, accessories and footwear and is set to debut in September. She's obviously not the only one in the musician-turned-designer club, which is already crowded with the likes of Eve, Thalia, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell, 50 Cent and others. (Beyonce is set for her own line later this year, as is Ashanti.) In a field plagued with velour sweatsuit copies, let's hope her fashion shows the ingenuity and cleverness that her music is famed for!

Oscar Fashion on the Margins

By the way, my favorite dresses at the Oscars were found on the women outside of the nominated actress spotlight. For example, Vanessa Paradis, French pop star and Johnny Depp's ladylove, wore a lovely vintage Chanel gown that stayed fully in line with her French luxe hippie image. And Sienna Miller, Jude Law's girlfriend, wore a Matthew Williamson dress that played off a similar hue to Scarlett Johansson's dress but with a much lighter, less old-school touch.

Vanessa Paradis wearing vintage Chanel, accessorized by Johnny Depp:

Sienna Miller wearing Matthew Williamson, accessorized by Jude Law:

In other Oscar-related thoughts, maybe we need to add some B-listers to invigorate Oscar red carpet fashion? Or how about mixing in some loose cannons from the 1980s? (To quote Kirsten Dunst in Bring It On, how vintage.)

Pharrell's Own Phat Farm

If you're a pop star, it's not just enough to have the Hummer limo, the bodyguards, an army of assistants, the occasional "relative" hanger-on and the occasional legal battle - now you need a fashion line as well. Hot on the heels of Gwen Stefani, Eve, J.Lo, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, P. Diddy and god knows who else, the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams has announced he'll be designing a line of men's and women's footwear for Reebok called Ice Cream, not to mention a men's apparel line called Billionaire Boys Club, which he'll be doing with Nigo, the designer behind the cult Japanese label A Bathing Ape. More details of Beyonce's upcoming line, to be designed with her mother, have been released as well: she said in October that they'll be two collections, one junior, more hip hop-oriented line and another more "sophisticated" line of gowns and dresses. They should see the light in summer, apparently, just in time for prime skin season.

But the big news isn't just that more pop stars are entering the fashion fray - it's that they're garnering serious investment and backing, judging from the buzz that the upcoming Phat Fashions deal is getting. At a time when fashion awareness is high but most high fashion is still financially unattainable to the majority of America, these supposed arrivistes are coming up with a lucrative bridge strategy.

Every Seam Will Be Televised

You were riveted to "America's Next Top Model" and debated your friends over whether or not Adrienne Curry's stoner cadence was for real. You eat up every episode of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." Fashion reality TV addicts, your next fix is coming: "Project Runway" should be hitting the airwaves in Summer 2004 on Bravo. According to Trendcentral, ten episodes will follow ten designer wannabes as they tackle fashion challenges from glamming up city worker uniforms to tricking out award show ballgowns, narrowing down the three contenders who will present runway collections. But why stop at reality television? Why not revive that long-honored, much-revered genre, the made-for-tv movie? Some suggestions for titles and casting:

+ Some Like It Hot - The Tom Ford Story, starring Tom Ford
+ Pirates of the Caribbean - How Galliano Revived Dior, starring Chris Kattan
+ Attack of the 5 Ft. Queenie - The Donatella Versace Saga, starring Paris Hilton

Pass the Courvoisier Couture

Fashion comes from strange places, and everyone (and I mean everyone) wants in. A few days ago I read that Pirelli, Italian tire manufacturer and purveyor of the infamously steamy calendar, are getting into the fashion business, and WWD today reports that Courvoisier - yes, the cognac of Napoleon III and, um, Busta Rhymes - will be coming out with a line for Fall 2004. Called House of Courvoisier, the liquor brand's fashion offerings will roll out with mostly accessories first, along with a few evening gowns just in time for gala and awards season. Inspiration will supposedly be gleamed from the Napoleonic era, true to the brand's history of royalist luxury and elegance, but no word on whether hip hop's own Napoleons will be onboard.

C.Z. Guest

East Coast society stalwart, privileged "beautiful life" devotee and American style icon C.Z. Guest passed away last Saturday at her home in Old Westbury, N.Y. Sporty, casually elegant and always polished, the socialite's style still echoes today in the designs of Michael Kors and Ralph Lauren, and she was annointed an icon at the CFDA Awards in 2002. Her biography is a glimpse into a milieu of rarefied privilege, livened up with brief stints as a Ziegfeld Follies showgirl and Diego Rivera model. There will no doubt be tributes and features in Vogue, W and Harper's Bazaar. Guest's influence on the American sportswear tradition - her championing of American designers and her visual representation as quintessentially American sporty chic - was inestimable.

+ C.Z. Guest's website
+ News article

Uma and Her Scrunchie

As if Ethan cheatin' on her weren't bad enough, but Uma has been lightly taken to task for supposedly wearing a white scrunchie to the premiere of Kill Bill. Maybe she really should sharpen those samurai sword-wielding skills into something more than stunt-fighting - even though scrunchies have been slagged as strictly suburban-momville, let the poor woman have her consolations. Comfort scrunchie?

BEYONCE: THE FASHION TAKEOVER

Beyonce Knowles has been going a very subtle image makeover lately, seguing from the Bob Mackie-inspired va-va-voom of her Destiny's Child start to the more sophisticated, glamorous designer fare of her current solo career. It's been chronicled in style profiles in Vogue, but now she's embarked on what is turning out to be every celeb's next step in fashion prominence: designing her own fashion line, as this article reveals. There's no indication what the clothes will be like or whether her mom will have a hand in the look, but Beyonce's no doubt keeping herself an independent woman in the entire process, as one of her older singles says. I'm personally looking forward to seeing what she comes up with - I hope it won't be the Juicy Couture retreads that J.Lo and Eve are dealing out, and she's definitely been exposed to a very DIY-your-own-glam ethos in terms of fashion through her mother. Read all about it in the Tina Knowles book Destiny's Style - it's practically required reading. (Kidding. But it is an oddly riveting read.)

MOSS WATCH

Kate Moss's PR agency must be working overtime these days, judging from all the news tidbits floating around with her name in boldface. The latest is that she'll be doing some pole-dancing for the latest White Stripes' video, to be directed by Sofia Coppola (another woman celebrated for her personal style.) No news on what Moss will be wearing, however, but no doubt that the little she'll be sporting will be spot-on in terms of the latest in stripper fashion.

L.A.M.B. = B(L)AAAH?

By the way, LeSportsac.com has the new Gwen Stefani-designed L.A.M.B. bags online. Not as outrageous or rockish as expected, the line is vaguely Diorlike, as if John Galliano attacked a LeSportsac bag after a fit of Rastafarian fever (among other things.) I do like the touch of the vaguely old school Guccilike stripe in the very Bob Marley red, gold and green tricolor. The whole Gothic-lettered logo splattered all over the place, though: not a huge fan, especially since logos go in and out of style so quickly. Stefani's music collaborator Eve's new line, Fetish, is coming out soon as well, sans conspicuous label, which may give at least this celebrity-designed line a little more longevity than your typical chart-topping music act in the volatile, archaic record industry.

ZEN AND THE ART OF KATE MOSS

Gothamist had a funny bit yesterday re: the Kate Moss-as-art-muse article in the NYTimes publicizing the 40-odd page spread in the upcoming September issue of W featuring Moss modelling for well-known artists and photographers. Sometimes crazy fashion people take Kate Moss for granted - revered beyond her supermodel status by most fashionistas, it's easy to forget that most people who don't obsessively track style will wonder why she's such an icon. She did manage to out-super the supermodels of the 80s, being decidedly small and not an Amazon in the mold of Claudia, Cindy, Christy and whoever. Despite her relatively small stature and weirdly symmetrical face, she still managed to land a major commercial contract with Calvin Klein, not to mention scoring covers and editorial of major magazines both mainstream and slipstream that revealed her to be surprisingly versatile in her range as a model. And perhaps having great timing in becoming the visual symbol of a certain heroin-tinged streak of grunge style is no great shakes for iconhood, especially during a time when fashion photography hugely influenced aesthetics and design.

The real reason that fashion folks adore Kate Moss is that she herself is considered to have great style; she always manages to look more interesting and fresh than most "fashion" photographs taken of her, and whole articles are devoted to her particular talent at mixing just the right combination of elements that manages to revive the long-forgotten or makes people see the played-out in a new light. She forgoes pretty for interesting and chic for edgy, and does it all before anyone else: newsboy caps, Hermes bags for fresh young things, reviving Vivienne Westwood Pirate boots, chopped denim minis, mixing stilettos with jeans, the vintage craze in general. Personal style in itself may be a dubious distinction for the rampantly odd veneration of some girl with great cheekbones from Croydon, England. But that girl has the eyes and ears of a whole image-making industry that somehow gets people to buy lots of things they don't need but somehow want. So when you notice some strange little quirk lappearing on some offhandedly stylish girl on the street, chances are you can trace it back to Kate Moss and some weirdly hypnotic power she has over a whole platoon of stylists, editors and photographers that watch her every stylistic mood like some style prophet revealing the time and place of the second coming.

BECKHAM BEDLAM

The backlash has begun before the hype really started, at least here in the U.S.: Am quite amused by the "Bored of the Beckhams" t-shirt. Because, you know, outside of David Beckham's metrosexual poster boy status, I'm already dreading any upcoming Beckham media onslaught, if rumors are to be believed that Victoria Beckham is Anna Wintour's latest pop culture mascot. And that's not even ironic.

SISTER JENNY

What disturbs me lately are the new Louis Vuitton ads featuring your favorite upstart and mine, Jennifer Lopez. (I have figured out her split personalities: Jennifer Lopez is how we refer to her when she's about the movies and fashion, J-Lo is when she's all, you know, street and shit.) She's wearing what looks like a German schoolteacher outfit in black, complete with gloves, in some strange pose that makes her look like the mannequins at JC Penneys that used to freak me out when I was a kid. And have I even started on that weird stare? Now, I used to be down with Jenny all the way from her bootylicious "In Living Color" days through the jumpsuits and the top 40 singles and the insurance on her physical ass-ettes. But then she went all haute on us, demanding her own elevator in her apartment building and snagging Gwyneth castoff Ben Affleck. Upward mobility is hard to resist, but these ads are the proverbial last straw. Even with them, she's still having a hard time snagging a cover of Vogue.

ALL J LO, ALL THE TIME

As if Bennifer, dumping your long-time manager, dumb movies, Top 40 omnipresence and tabloid-wide domination weren't enough: the J Lo fashion empire is still going strong. According to fashion.net, she's due out with a line of cold-weather accessories this fall. Don't pooh-pooh her baby steps into fashiondom, however: her fashion company has just been hooked up with a major investor, so if it's been your dream to be swathed in head-to-toe J Lo, you're getting closer to your vision. I'm just waiting for Jennifer Lopez to create her own amusement park, just like Dolly Parton. She could call it Lopezland. There could be a rollercoaster called Marriages. Or a ride called Overexposure.

FAME RUNS IN THE FAMILY

Celebrity clans are "all the rage," what with Teen Vogue profiling the stylish offspring of stylish women and the Ronsons DIYing the adverts for C.Ronson's new venture with Damon Dash. But Fashion.net reports that the most of the Jaggers will be appearing in H&M's newest ad campaign. Mick's daughter Elizabeth already appears in the Lancome ads, but Jerry Hall and Jade will appear, along with Jade's daughters. I believe "nespotism" is the word, n'est-ce pas?