We got to snap some pics of two items from Simply Vera, designer Vera Wang's soon-to-launch affordable clothing line for Kohl's: A black patent purse and a gold chain bracelet w/heart charm...click the photos and check 'em out!




Update 9/8/07: Simply Vera is in stores now, and we got prices: the purse is $69 and the bracelet is $175 (sterling silver w/18k gold plating)
Related link: Get Pumped: Vera Wang for Kohl's Print Campaign Pics

Bureaucrats have banned everything from foie gras to trans fats, and now they're putting their nose in another place it doesn't belong:

From The Wall Street Journal: "School districts in Rhode Island, Minnesota and Massachusetts have recently launched public-service campaigns that target fragrances as potential allergens.

The proponents of curbing or banning fragrances in schools—mostly school officials and legislators in different states—argue that excessive use of scents can trigger asthma attacks and cause headaches. Some workplaces and schools have scent bans in Canada, where strong odors have long been viewed as an air-quality issue."

These proposed fragrance bans come at a time when perfume makers are marketing more and more scents towards teens.

Gotta say, as much as we loathe the smell of high school guys masking body odor with Axe or teen girls bathing in dizzying dollar-store perfumes, an outright ban seems like an infringement on people's rights.

We don't mean to put our noses up to the potential health risks of fragrances (yeah, we've heard of those phthalates in fragrances that have been shown to lower testosterone levels in males), but we think more research is needed to prove whether perfumes are a nuisance or indeed a real threat to public health.

What do you think: Do bans on scents make sense to you?

The Bagsnob recently alerted us to a bit of fashion insanity: Coach has put a $10,000 pricetag on its Legacy collection Alligator bag.

Those who commented on the post were justifiably shocked and befuddled, and demanded to know if the execs at Coach had lost their minds.

We, too, wondered if they'd gone off the deep end, but were determined to uncover the method behind their madness—and we found at least one good explanation on WSJ.com (Ok, maybe not good but certainly apt): Luxury brands apparently need to create high-priced anchor items in order to fool consumers into purchasing their lower-end, and hence "affordable luxury" items instead.

In other words, the lovely people at Coach would like you to covet the 10k gator bag, then satisfy your needs by purchasing a $200 Coach hobo bag instead as a sort of consolation prize.

This reasoning makes sense to us, because we've succumbed to this sort of thinking ourselves. We've certainly bought designer sunglasses or t-shirts or keychains just to get a piece of the action. And apparently, that's exactly what designers want us to do. According to the WSJ article, "accessories like sunglasses, fragrances, and logoed belts drive the sales of companies like Gucci and Louis Vuitton."

We've also been tempted to buy Marc by Marc Jacobs because it's cheap compared to Louis Vuitton, or Miu Miu compared to Prada, and well, the list goes on.

Our advice for outmaneuvering marketers is to simply know your budget, know your values and then stick to them. It's hard not to draw comparisons, but if your budget for a winter coat is $200, then don't buy a $300 designer coat just because it's on clearance at a sample sale.

But what about you? Are you swayed by the astronomical pricetags of certain designer goods? Is your frame of reference a blur because of them?

It's Clinique Bonus time at Bon-Ton, Bergner's, Boston Store, Carson Pirie Scott, Elder Beerman, Herberger's, and Younkers now through Saturday, September 8th.

The bonus includes some cool goodies for fall as well as great basics...

1. Long Last Lipstick in Sugared Maple
2. High Impact Mascara in Black
3. All About Eyes Rich
4. Blushing Blush Powder Blush in Smoldering Plum
5. Clinique Blush Brush
6. Moisture Surge Extra Thirsty Skin Relief

Shopping for the Clinique Bonus is a family tradition of sorts among the women in our family, and while we have waaay too many of those cute, small makeup pouches, the makeup is always worth it!

P.S. Clinique Bonus is only available at your favorite Clinique counter and not available online. Yours free* with any Clinique purchase of $21.50 or more. Value $50.00.

Last night we managed to get through most of the September 07 issue of W while getting our hair 'did' at the salon. No small feat, considering this hefty issue is about 6 inches thick (but then again, two-tone highlights on long-length hair seem to take a good two months to complete, so we had plenty of time.)

At any rate, one particular fashion shoot really stood out: the photographs of Laura Dern taken by Juergen Teller titled "Fashion Party". In fact, all the other photos in the magazine seemed rather boring by comparison.






We didn't recognize the actress at first, but fell in love with the model's mischievous smile in the first shot (red heels, heading into the wine cellar). We recognized the photographer right away, unmistakably Juergen Teller. Most people either love him or hate him. Generally speaking, we get a big kick out of his work.

Yeah, he does the unretouched, washed out snapshots that appear to have been taken without him so much as looking through the viewfinder...but it's a great idea, and somebody's gotta do it. That's how we often regard art: We're glad somebody out there is doing it. Manifesting that idea for all of us. And so it is with Juergen. His recent Marc Jacobs campaign shots of the teeny-tiny people on a vast, white page made us literally laugh out loud they were so clever, so pointed!

Back to Laura: She's held a special place in our hearts ever since we ran into her and Jeff Goldblum in the city after a performance of Rent (with the original cast, we might add), during the summer of '96. She graciously posed as we, starstruck high schooler that we were, snapped her portrait with our film-loading Canon. Ah, the memories.

It's hard to believe that was 10 years ago. Jurassic Park was back in '93 (where does the time go?). And sure enough, she looks older in these photographs, but in case you haven't heard, people age. That's right, they actually get wrinkles over time. Shocking, but true.

At the same time, some people gain wisdom earned by experience. Laura certainly has. These shots are raw and real and engaging. For some unknown reason, they kind of reminded us of what we always thought or dreamt we might look like in the future...psychoanalysis please?

See the rest of the "Fashion Party" photos here. >>