Red is the signature color of each December catalog. It's used playfully here, showing up in little bursts so that finding the red element is almost a game.

J. Crew

"There's this idea of a holiday picture that has to be perfect," said Lyons, but J. Crew shrugs off that formality for a lived-in look. Some of these gnome statuettes were painted Rudolf-red outside a Crewcuts store in New York and immediately drew a crowd. "People were offering to buy them right of the street," remembers Lyons.

J. Crew

Some of the women's pages lighten up with pastels instead of the usual holiday jewel tones. Lyons was keen to tweak the red/green standard and decided to make these settings "pale and soft, like you added eggnog."

J. Crew

The success of the Shoe of the Month Club sparked a few sequels, including a Jewelry of the Month Club. Lyons champions gifts that extend beyond December. "When I was first starting out, I gave magazine subscriptions since it was so nice to have something arrive every month," she recalled.

J. Crew

These colorful packs have a wonderfully tongue-twisting name: Fjällräven Kanken. They're a standby for Swedish schoolkids and are now carried in the Crewcuts line. Lyons can vouch for their appeal; her little boy loves his backpack so much he sometimes carries it to bed.

J. Crew

The holiday catalog also introduces an exclusive range of Want Organic computer cases and weekend bags, perfect for travelers and anyone latched to a laptop. The bags won Lyons over with a luxuriously sleek profile and eco-friendly credibility. Look for thoughtful details like the two-toned zipper. The designers developed the travel bags with a timeframe in mind; the one offered here holds 72 hours' worth of gear.

J. Crew

In one of the catalog's captions, Spencer Lyons jokingly (or not so?) makes a public plea for this Baracuta G9 wax jacket. "Not yet, Christmas is coming!" Jenna teased back. If the jacket looks a bit familiar, picture it in red on a certain 1950s heartthrob---then wrap it up with a DVD of "Rebel Without a Cause."

J. Crew

Sarah Palin's red hot heels made waves on the campaign trail. Now they're fetching big money on eBay. Check out the governor's style evolution -- from t-shirt-clad college student to fashion-forward VP candidate.

Getty Images

When she was a flat-broke (but "not flat busted") student at the University of Idaho in the 1980s, Sarah Palin dressed in the frumpy-freshman's uniform of tee shirts and shorts. But by the time she took the national stage this summer, she had a chic RNC-financed wardrobe that could have paid for the $125,000 dump truck penciled into the Wasilla City budget -- with enough left over for a family shopping spree at Alaska's first Target. To see how Palin morphed from dorm-dull to camera-worthy, click on.

Heath Family, AP

Sarah Palin -- then Sarah Louise Heath -- walked off with the Miss Wasilla crown in 1984 wearing a red and white strapless confection.

Heath Family / AP

Even by 1984 standards, Palin's swimsuit for the Miss Alaska pageant was a bit modest . Here, she models a red one-piece, which she later swapped for a "Dynasty"-worthy navy sequined gown. Though Palin snagged Miss Congeniality honors in the race, she lost the title to Maryline Blackburn, the first African-American to represent Alaska in the Miss American contest.

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In 1992 -- the year Donna Karan ran an ad showing a glamorous woman being sworn in as President -- 28-year-old Sarah Palin was all bold shoulders and bright earrings as she ran for the Wasilla City Council.

Bob Hallinen, Anchorage Daily / MCT

Dressed for success: Palin, as a member of the Wasilla City Council, wears the crisp blazer-and-white-shirt uniform favored by of legions of working women. Must have worked. Within 14 years, she was elected mayor of Wasilla and governor of Alaska.

Heath Family / AP

Standing along the Parks Highway in Wasilla, then-Mayor Palin was the embodiment of North Face chic as she shows how to work a basic red-and-back windbreaker.

Lulu Larsen, Alaska Stock Images / ZUMA Press

Forget how cold it gets in Alaska. In 2005, Gov. Palin's look in a pink Lilly Pulitzer sweater can be summed up in two words: Palm Beach.

Lulu Larsen, Alaska Stock Images / ZUMA Press

For her gubernatorial inauguration ball in 2007, Palin traded the librarian's up-do and black skirt and jacket that she wore to the swearing-in ceremonies for loose curls and a raspberry portrait-collar gown.

Christopher S. Miller, Alaska Stock Images / ZUMA Press

When you're heading into the sub-zero temperatures of the Tesoro Iron Dog competition, you don't even think about wearing peep-toe pumps. Here, Palin bundles up in heavy padding, fur and lace-up boots to cheer on her husband, Todd, who has won the snow machine race across Alaska four times.

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