With their signature lightweight, luxury non-leather handbags, LeSportsac seems the obvious choice for a collaboration with PETA-friendly designer Stella McCartney. And in Spring 2008, consumers will be able to purchase just such a compilation, as McCartney and LeSportsac recently announced plans to produce an entire line of handbags, luggage, and baby accessories.

LeSportsac is well-known and loved for their fun and whimsical tote bags, and McCartney has made a name for herself by combining high-end fashion with globally conscious materials and production standards. Famous for her rigid anti-animal products stance, McCartney's design empire boasts a luxurious range of women's ready-to-wear garments, accessories, eyewear, fragrances, and a collaboration with more moderately priced H&M retailers.

The Stella McCartney for LeSportsac collection will be available for purchase at all LeSportsac stores, high-end department and specialty stores nationwide, the Stella McCartney boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, and London, and (of course) online. Bags will average in price from $200 to $250.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm an all-year-round t-shirt loving kind of girl. And with this week's "Fashion Gives Back", a design/charity movement spearheaded by Glamour magazine and six young, all-female design houses, I have more reason than ever to add to my ever-expanding collection of cute tees.

Jenni Kayne, Rachel Roy, Rodarte, Sari Gueron, Thread Social, and Vena Cava will each produce a special, limited edition design to be screened onto a $68 Splendid tee, with each design signed personally by the designer. The shirts will be sold exclusively at Shopbop.com, and 30% of all proceeds will go to the designers' respective charities.

The short descriptive previews of the tees sound super cute, from Sari Gueron's watercolor owl to Jenni Kayne's rough sketch of a Grecian-gowned woman surrounded by poppies. At the very least, you can be sure your top is one of a very few: each designer will only produce 250 tees.

"I want jeans that are cute and stylish, but don't make me look like I'm trying to be sixteen years old."

"I don't want 'Mom Jeans', you know? But I don't want them super low-rise, either."

"It's impossible for me to find jeans. They're either really tight and low or they look like something I wore in the 80's. I give up."

Women come into my store nearly every day voicing some variation of these three phrases. The common theme, I believe, is that there aren't nearly enough brands of jeans out there that are good for real-life gals (read: women with actual womanly curves). Nothing pains me more, though, than hearing that women are giving up on their search for stylish yet wearable denim, because ladies, I promise, there is a brand out there for you!

One such brand is David Kahn Jeanswear. Unlike most of the premium denim available right now, David Kahn's Lauren jean uses a trouser silhouette. This body style allows for more room in the thighs, tapers slightly at the knees, and falls to the floor in a very slight boot-cut flare. The overall result is slimming, stylish, and very, very wearable.

David Kahn's full line can be found at Nordstrom, and at a ever-growing handful of ladies' boutiques around the country. The Lauren jean starts at $158.

A customer walked into my store last week holding the tiniest, fluffiest, cutest little dog I have ever seen in my entire life. The white Maltese puppy was named "Coach," had a tiny Coach collar and leash, and, to top it all off, was wearing a little sweater with the message "My owner is hotter than yours" embroidered in pastel pink script.

I know this isn't breaking news; fashionistas have been toting tiny canines around Hollywood for a while now, but I live in Texas. Most of the time, once a trend has made it all the way down to the Lone Star State, I can feel pretty confident that it's....well.....over.

I'm worried, though, that carrying pint-size pups doesn't fall into the "passing trend" category. According to a recent article in the New York Times fashion section, little canines, or "sleeve dogs," have been a status symbol for ages, keeping women such as Marie Antoinette and Elizabeth II company, among others. And registration of many of the most popular breeds of small dogs has grown exponentially - the Norwich Terrier has gone up 91% in the last 10 years.

"I think of them as a handbag with a heartbeat," said Robin Bowden, a Manhattan real-estate mogul. And Rebecca Rand, a spokeswoman for the W hotel chain, said guests traveling with small dogs have become such a significant trend that the hotels are now offering services such as pet pillows with special treats placed on them at turndown time.

I know, it's disturbing, right? Something needs to be done, but first I need to pick which dog I want more - the Yorkshire Terrier or the doll-sized Chihuahua. They both fit in my purse, but I can't decide which will match better with my shoes.

Here's the truth: Men look sexy in knitwear. Whether it's a paper-thin cashmere sweater or a textured wool pullover, there is something about seeing the masculine form swathed in cozy yarn that is irresistible. I even like the male turtleneck, although my husband insists there is nothing worse. It comes as no surprise, then, that I was thrilled to see scarves playing a central role in couture menswear collections for winter 2008.

The new way to wear your scarf (men, listen up -- you'll be ahead of the game!) is to "fling" it around your neck and shoulders haphazardly, rather than knotting or tying the scarf, as has been popular in the past. Knowing men, I would venture a guess that the fling has been popularized more out of function than fashion, but you never know. At any rate, scarves are being shown with everything, from the classic blazer/trousers combo to full three-piece suits. Always dangling loosely around the shoulders, the scarf looks like it will be making a play as the men's accessory for 2008.

So what do you think, men? Will you be stocking up on scarves for next winter, or is Belichick outerwear more your style?

As a store owner, I hear exclamations of both shock and adoration when customers are faced with a table full of $200 jeans -- shock that they are actually $200, and adoration that they are actually $200.

Most consumers are familiar enough with the premium denim craze to expect the high price associated with the jeans. I do, however, get a customer once in a while who (and I can hardly blame them) seem completely offended by the cost. "Who would spend this much on jeans?" they ask. "And what in the world makes them so expensive?"

As in most fashion-related questions, the answer is fit -- fit and fabric, specifically. Premium jeans are almost always created exclusively from Japanese or Italian denim (read: softer, hand-finished washes) and contain at least 2% stretch fibers. The stretch fibers are then specifically positioned in the thighs, hips, and seats of the jeans, allowing for the perfect amount of give where women typically need it most, but preventing unwanted bagginess overall.

It wouldn't be fair to completely ignore the celeb factor when discussing premium denim prices. The fact that Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan, Uma Thurman, and Jennifer Aniston publicly profess their favorite premium denim brands on a regular basis and prance around exhibiting just how cute the jeans can be certainly doesn't hurt the product. If you've seen the item in a magazine, on a celebrity, you can pretty much assume you'll be paying for the privilege to advertise the brand.

The final reason you're paying out the wazoo for your premium denim? In today's society, jeans can be worn anywhere. Going out for dinner and drinks? Pair a dark pair of skinny jeans with some killer heels and a silky little tunic and you're good to go. Grocery store shopping? Throw on your comfiest pair of broken in jeans, the ones that aren't too tight and still make you look like you made an effort. Quick business lunch? Jeans and a blazer look confident and put-together. Consumers are viewing a good pair of jeans as an investment on par with the classic little black dress and a good interview suit. Besides, when you divide the total cost of the jeans by the number of days in a month you're likely to wear them, it doesn't seem so expensive at all.

E. Vogel, the 127-year-old custom cobbler in Lower Manhattan, New York, has a distinct stance about shoes. According to their cobblers, you don't have to have a shoe fetish to need at least one pair of really, truly great shoes; the type of shoes you are proud to wear, the type of shoes you know will be appropriate for any special occasion, the type of shoes you feel taller and prouder just slipping your feet into.

So, when Maggie Barrett decided to spend over $1000 on a pair of custom made oxford dress shoes for her husband, Joel Meyerowitz, she knew that the purchase could either be a big hit, or a really expensive flop. Luckily, Mr. Meyerowitz, a self-proclaimed shoe dummy, loved the gift. "I wore them out of the store, right onto Broadway," said Meyerowitz. "I found myself looking down at my feet every so often to see how they looked."

E. Vogel specializes in custom made shoes for men and women. The cobblers employ a special measuring technique that involves making a cast of the customer's feet to be used for future pairs (nice to have confidence in your product!), use only top quality calfskin and other leather materials, and will design the shoe to your exact specifications.

When you learn everything that goes into the making of only one pair, maybe $1000 isn't so much to pay. Or maybe that's just my aching feet talking.

Living in a culture obsessed with thin, it can only be expected that hundreds - nay, thousands of weight loss products will be showcased by the media in a single calendar year. South Beach, Hydroxycut, Atkins, TRIMSPA, The Zone - we've heard them all, and while some of these programs stick around with some semblance of longevity, most are just a flash in the pan.

I think most of us know now that weight loss doesn't come in pill form. Exercise gurus and nutritionists have drilled the mantra "eat right, exercise at least 3 times per week, and you'll be fine" into our heads enough to know that we are going to have to work a little for the weight to drop off and stay off.

However, an old diet tactic is making new rounds. It cleverly combines work ethic with immediate gratification, appealing to just about any American consumer interested in dropping a couple of pounds. The diet is called the "Master Cleanse", and involves surviving for 10 days on a mixture of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, maple syrup, and water. And that's all.

Sound tough? It is. But it works, and the diet has many devotees, including celebrities such as Beyoncé Knowles and Denzel Washington. Joy Bauer, a New York City based nutritionist, estimates that if performed correctly, the cleanse will provide about 650 calories per day, 950 calories less than the minimum recommended for a woman trying to maintain her weight. "Of course you're going to lose weight," Bauer said. "You're starving yourself." Cleanse supporters quell their critics by citing the program's many benefits, including supposed help for ulcers and other internal ailments and the purging of impurities and toxins like pesticides and food additives.

So what do you think? Is the "Cleanse" just organized starvation, or is it the anecdote to our immediate gratification-style weight loss obsession?

While Naomi Campbell is consistently disgraced by her less than model behavior, Iman is being honored for her impressive dedication and contributions to the "I Am African" campaign.

The supermodel was recently honored for her work as world ambassador for "Keep a Child Alive", a program which combats AIDS in Africa. Capitol File Magazine presented Iman with the humanitarian award on November 30, alongside ambassadors from South Africa, Zambia, Lesotho, Equatorial Guinea, Angola, and Congo.

Iman also recently co-hosted the Condé Nast-sponsored Black Ball, held in order to benefit the "Keep a Child Alive" foundation. The leggy beauty's dedication to charity stands in stark contrast to many of our supermodels and celebrities in the news today: Iman is genuinely invested in a cause, instead of being invested in the media coverage she might receive by lending her status to a charity.

Aldo, the shoe and purse retailer best known for chic styles and inexpensive prices, is doing charity right. In honor of World AIDS Day (December 1, officially) Aldo unveiled a new tote bag, especially designed for the cause by a host of well-known celebrities and musicians.

However, instead of using celebrity power to raise the price of the tote through the roof, donating a paltry amount to the charity, and pocketing the rest, Aldo is selling the anti-AIDS tote for $5.00 and 100% of the proceeds go to YouthAIDS. Since the initial launch of the Aldo fights AIDS campaign a year ago, the company has raised over 2.8 million dollars for the cause.

Featuring photographs shot by Peter Lindbergh, the tote is covered in back and white photos of the participating celebrity supporters and designers, including Adrien Brody, Avril Lavigne, Brittany Murphy, Dave Navarro, Eva Mendes, John Mayer, Wynonna Judd, and Ziggy Marley.