Donatella Versace is auctioning off a coveted semester-long internship at Versace, where some of the hottest careers and connections are made. For the next week, aspiring-fashionistas can bid on this once-in-a lifetime opportunity to truly learn fashion from the best at charitybuzz.com.

What’s the occasion? Versace and Chairtybuzz are raising money for The South Florida Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, whose mission is to save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all, and energizing science to find the cures.

To enter, click here.

Eyes To The Sky: Trend Spotting. Trade Show Round-Up.

Our time in Las Vegas was brief but busy!! In two days we covered Pool, S.L.A.T.E. at Magic, Capsule and Project. We saw many brands and took note of tons of trends both current and future.

The Crop is HOT: The crop top and jacket has been showing off the past few seasons but was in FULL FORCE this time around. Many brands offered there basic “t-shirts” or tanks on cropped versions and with t-shirt hems rising so are jackets. With the hi-waist trend we’ve been working with in recent years it only makes sense that our tops would get shorter. *please note I was properly displaying this trend with my Cheap Monday t-shirt worn with hi-waist vintage Z.Cavaricci’s on day one of trade show madness

Eyes To The Sky: The Crop is HOT, cropped sleeves hoody and hi-waisted harem pants from Rojas for SS10.

Rojas

Eyes To The Sky: The Crop is HOT, cropped tees and tanks from Dusen Dusen SS10.

Dusen Dusen

Eyes To The Sky: The Crop is HOT, Modern Lovers offers (to the right) an asymmetrical cropped tank top, also available as a blank for SS10.

Modern Lovers

Eyes To The Sky: The Crop Is HOT, JOYRICH offers the cropped denim jacket for SS10.

JOYRICH

Floral Fantasy: Floral prints are still going strong from tops to bottoms to kicks to sh!t kickers. Don’t think that flowers are just for girly girls and don’t get it twisted, these prints are powerful but not all “flower power”. Get into it and make Blossom proud.

Eyes To The Sky: Floral Fantasy, UNIF marries the crop and the floral print, two trends for the price of one.

UNIF

Eyes To The Sky: Floral Fantasy, 80%20 decorates a favorite with a bouquet or blossoms.

80%20

Eyes To The Sky: Floral Fantasy, Bensimon picks petal patterns.

Bensimon

Eyes To The Sky: Floral Fantasy: Boos & Besito shoe blossoms.

Boos & Besito

Eyes To The Sky: Floral Fantasy, Dr. Martens gets into the bloom boom.

Dr. Martens

Eyes To The Sky: Floral Fantasy, JOYRICH gets fancy with floral.

JOYRICH

Eyes To The Sky: Floral Fantasy, Keep shoes keeps it pretty for the ladies.

Keep

Fringe Benefits: We chatted last week about fringe and it’s continued usage in clothing and accessories. We spied a few items in Vegas.

Eyes To The Sky, Fringe Benefits from Rojas.

Rojas

Eyes To The Sky, Fringe Benefits from Steel Coutore.

Steel Couture

Eyes To The Sky, Fringe Benefits from UNIF.

UNIF

Designer Impostors: An all time favorite of M.I.S.S. The continued play on high end designers, love it!

Eyes To The Sky: Designer Impostors, Blood Is The New Black shouts out the big'ns.

Blood Is The New Black

Eyes To The Sky: Designer Impostors, If you love Chanel then you'll love Free Gold Watch.

Free Gold Watch

Eyes To The Sky: Designer Imposters, If you like Versace then you'll love JOYRICH.

JOYRICH

Eyes To The Sky: Designer Impostors, If you have a sense of humor then you'll love Brian Litchtenberg for UNIF.

UNIF

Heritage Brands: Brands with a long history, the brands our mom and dad used to wear, the brands you wore as a kid, show they have staying power in the world of fashion.

Eyes To The Sky: Heritage Brands, Keds is still killing it and this time with Opening Ceremony.

Keds

Eyes To The Sky: Heritage Brands, Red Wing Shoes proves that fashion needs function.

Red Wing Shoes

Eyes To The Sky: Heritage Brands, Trethorn was once mentioned in the Preppy Handbook...need we saw more?

Tretorn

We also noticed some of the usual suspects: more pyramid studs, more motorcycle jackets, more exposed zippers, chiffon fabrics and sheer fabrications are showing up and as to be expected black is still holding reign supreme.

A most refreshing trends was back to basics in the footwear world. Thanks to the likes of companies like Nike, who have helped to kill the sneaker game by over saturating the market, we can rest easy in simple canvas sneakers. Brands like 80%20, Keds, Bensimon, Tretorn and Keep offer up budget friendly and style savvy offerings that are a breath of fresh air in the frooty loopy sneaker market these days. Keeping it real simple is a key trend that we’re happy to see!

Joyrich at Project Las Vegas!

What do you get when you mix high-end inspiration with ’90s trends? No, the answer is not Naomi Campbell circa the supermodel era of yesteryear. You might be surprised to learn that the answer to this question is, in fact, Joyrich’s Spring 2010 collection, which M.I.S.S. had a chance to preview in Las Vegas recently. We’ve got the scoop, and we wanted to let you peep the goods that Melrose Avenue-based Joyrich will be offering to keep you on top of your fashion game.

Classic designs never go out of style, and for Spring 2010 Joyrich has capitalized on those fab designs that have become iconic in our society, and given them a funky twist to make it all their own. You’ll find certain pieces with detailing mimicking Chanel’s “No. 5″ logo (only the Joyrich versions feature numbers 3, 6, and 7).

Chanel's No. 5 design makes an appearance!

Joyrich’s high-waisted floral shorts and acid-washed jackets will have you digging through your closet for your Blossom-era digs – who thought these pieces would come back into style? (Certainly not us – but hey, we’re open-minded.) For nights out, trade the flowers for Joyrich’s high-waisted leather shorts: we’d love them over a pair of crazy colorful tights. Or, rock them over black nylons and pair with Joyrich’s leopard-printed oversized cardigan, which will also match perfectly over a pair of leggings when you’re hitting brunch with your girlfriends.

90s-inspired garments are an important part of Joyrich's collection

The ’90s are also in full-force when it comes to Joyrich’s accessory collection: you’ll be able to find a pastel pink (yes, we said that) fanny pack with a Guess-inspired triangular nameplate. Normally, you might think a piece like this tacky, but next to the rest of the collection it looks super-stylish and, dare we say, glam? If you’re not feeling daring enough to rock a fanny pack quite yet, you’ll be more open to Joyrich’s Chanel-inspired chain-strap backpack, a black leather piece that makes a subtle statement.

Joyrich's play on Guess' signature triangular logo

With all the stud and chain detailing that’s abounding today, it’s a breath of fresh air to see some florals and animal print designs taking the spotlight. And as much as we loved bringing out our inner bad girls, we’re siked for the return of ’90s-inspired (yet, not too grungy!) pieces. For more information, check out Joyrich’s official Web site.

Lippmann Collection nail polish

Deborah Lippmann was destined to be a singer. With a degree in Music from Arizona State University she had her sights set on being a professional Jazz singer, but like most artists needed a day job to pay the bills. Instead of taking the usual road of waitressing Deborah’s manicurist suggested she get into the nail game – “It’s a great day job, you can file nails by day and still sing at night!”  Despite protests from her mother (“Over my dead body! Not after I got you through four years of college!”) she headed to Cosmetology school, and began her dual career of manicurist by day, sultry Jazz singer by night.

After a move to New York, Deborah found herself with a steadily growing clientèle (including Cher and Martha Stewart)  till one day she unknowingly painted the nails of an Editor from Allure Magazine who went on to dub Deborah as “one of the best manicurists in the country.”  This saw her become one the most highly sought after editorial manicurists and led to shoots for the likes of Vogue, Vanity Fair, and V Magazine, and to creating looks for Versace, Valentino, Zac Posen, and many more.

It was only natural that Lippman created her own line of nail polish, and today she is the Creator/CEO of Lippmann Collection, her signature line of fashion-setting nail lacquers and treatments for the hands and feet. Doubling as a professional singer, she mixes her love of music and nail colour by naming all shades of Lippmann Collection after songs.

To celebrate ten years in the business Lippmann Collection has released an exclusive 10^th Anniversary Set featuring Showstopper – a show-stopping copper-flecked fudge, Funky Chunky – a sequined sheer black, and Ruby Red Slippers – the colour of Dorothy’s shimmering ruby shoes.

Lippmann Collection nail polish

In a further homage to her craft Lippmann has worked with a number of artists to produce shades including Hit Me With Your Best Shot – a glistening gun metal created with Pat Benatar, and No More Drama – a golden caramel with a pearly sheen created with Mary J. Blige. She also collaborated with Zac Posen to create the shade Purple Rain – a frosty, shimmering lilac.

Other MISS picks include Call Me Irresponsible (a straight-up vivacious violet), Maneater (bittersweet chocolate), Nefertiti (metallic gold with micro-frost shimmer), and Stardust (platinum with metallic frost).

Check out more shades at the Lippmann Collection website.

The motorcyle jacket has become a true fashion staple in recent years. Sure some have been hip to this since Marlon Brando wore the Schott Perfecto in the movie The Wild Ones and of course true school Rock ‘n Rollers and Punk Rockers alike are no strangers to this garment. In the “trickle up” theory of fashion inspiration, you can say that designers took the motorcycle jacket from bikers and rockers…a place of function and a more street fashion and borrowed the look to incorporate into high fashion and high price tags. So ladies, if you have one, hang on to it…if you have been thinking about it, go forth and make the purchase. This is a garment that has become a go-to piece and is a fashion investment. The runway shows for Resort 2010 are offering different variations and versions. From leather classics to different colors and patterns, non-leather and shoulder details. A leather version gets better with time and wear.  So make a wise choice in your purchase and know you’ve have a timeless classic. No motorcycle necessary.

Eyes to the Sky: Color Theory...Fall is Green with Envy

Kelly, Forest, Mint…This Fall Green means GO! From top to bottom, green was a predominant color on the catwalks for Fall fashions. Shown in big doses or small hints, shock the masses with Marc Jacobs Kelly Green outerwear or perhaps add a touch with accessories from Balenciaga or Louis Vuitton. With so many shades to choose from, you are certain to find a hue perfect for you.

One of the most highly-regarded collections of American and European costume is to be transferred from the financially-struggling Brooklyn Museum to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The move will allow for garments to be properly cared for and exhibited after a lengthy period out of public view, as due to the cost of exhibiting such pieces the collection has been in storage for more than a decade.

Two pieces from Charles James.

The 23,500 piece collection is to be integrated into the Met’s Costume Institute. Amassing over more than a century of collecting, it includes a definitive collection of Charles James material, as well as signature pieces by both American and international designers including Elsa Schiaparelli.  It’s big win for both the museums and fashion enthusiasts – by combining the Brooklyn collection with the Met’s current pieces we’re given an extensive timeline of fashion history.

Largely assembled from the closets of grand ladies of Brooklyn and Manhattan, the newly-named Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection will be a definite must-see for anyone interested in how fashion has progressed over the years.  Click here for an in-depth read about the collection and acquisition.

Above Top: Pieces from the Met’s Costume Institute collection include from top left: Yves Saint Laurent, two dresses from Courreges, two outfits from Rudi Gernreich, platforms from Ferragamo.

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Marion Cotillard in Dior Haute Couture

The 81st Oscars took place tonight and one word that summed up the night – from the set design, to the fashion – is CLASSY.  It seems like the actors took heed of all the previous award show fashion critiques because most of the dresses were gorgeous and there weren’t many mishaps.  The set design of the show was gorgeous – the curtain was made from 100,000 Swarovski crystals lit from behind.  The band was brought on stage to evoke the big band era of the 1940’s and the way the Best Actor categories were announced brought a few tears to the eyes.  That said, let’s get to the fashion!  There were definitely some trends – the main one being light, neutral colors like white and beige.  One of my favorite dresses of the evening was Nicole Kidman’s but sadly I don’t have a photo.

Pale Perfection

Pale colors were very popular on the red carpet from Marisa Tomei’s white Versace gown to Sarah Jessica Parker’s “barely mint,” pastels were the color of the evening.

Tarji P. Henson in Roberto Cavalli; Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab

Ms. Henson’s flower petal dress is gorgeous and she carries it so well. Ms. Wood’s dress is very sophisticated, and together with her retro hair, her look hearkened back to old school Hollywood glamour.  The dangling earrings and black nail polish were a nice touch.

Anne Hathaway in Giorgio Armani Prive; Jessica Biel in Prada

Both dresses are lovely – my only comment about Ms. Biel’s dress is that no matter how great your figure, no one really needs that much extra fabric in front.

Read the full story to see more photos and comments.

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I was one of the many, many people glued to their TVs to see what the celebrities (and their stylists) decided they should wear to the Golden Globe Awards.  There were gorgeous gowns, dazzling jewels and coiffed coifs.  Dior seemed to score big with many leading ladies wearing gowns by John Galliano for Dior.  But the biggest trend of the night was in the hair category – so many bangs in face!  I didn’t mind it, more annoying was the constant moving of the hair from the face.  As usual, there were the people that looked great, and people who I just looked at and wondered:  “Really, you have THAT much money and THAT much access to couture and diamonds and THAT’S the best you could do?”  One of my favorite looks of the night was Susan Sarandan in a black tux paired with a corset and long diamond necklaces.  Here’s a brief breakdown of my favorites, trends, and WTFs?

2 Favorite Dresses (minus the silly expressions):

Evan Rachel Wood in Elie Saab & Kate Beckinsdale in J. Mendel

It comes as no surprise that 2 of my favorite dresses would be black and white.  Wood’s dress is evocative of Chanel to me and is glamorous and age appropriate and a good choice for an award’s show.  Beckinsdale’s dress was my favorite of the night for pure dramatic effect.  The neckline was gorgeous and she carried it beautifully.  I didn’t love her earrings but she was smart in skipping the necklace and going with big earrings.  I hate when people feel like they need to junk up their decolletage in a strapless dress with a necklace.

3 more favorites:

Kate Winslet in YSL, Eva Mendes in Dior, Maggie Gyllenhaal in Lanvin

I love Kate Winslet – she’s smart, funny, strong and a “Dame” in the making.  Her choice in dress reflected her personality – it was sleek, sophisticated and strong.  Eva Mendes was beautiful in Dior (though I was surprised she wasn’t in Calvin Klein – you know, the perfume deal . . .) and her necklace was pretty though I don’t know if I loved them together.  And Maggie Gyllenhaal looked fresh, young and independent in her Lanvin gown.  I thought all 3 ladies had nice hairstyles – I’m a big fan of up-dos for fancy occasions and their coiffs were modern and not stuffy at all.
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Donatella Versace is taking the luxury beauty sector to new heights with the introduction of a new fragrance, called simply, Gianni Versace Couture. The eau de parfum comes in a bottle encased in white hand-stitched leather and the bottle comes in a white leather hand-stitched train case. Both the bottle and the train case have a gold plate with “Gianni Versace Couture” engraved in it. The new fragrance will release in November in Europe and in the U.S. in December. Distribution of Gianni Versace Couture wiill be limited to the 84 Versace boutiques worldwide, with only 100 sets have been produced. Gianni Versace Couture will retail for $2,100, and at that price, I hope it smells like money. I’m wondering if in this economic climate, the people who don’t usually worry about money, are worrying about money? Is it in bad taste to issue products like this when most people are suffering economically? Granted, this product has been in development for 3 years, but does anyone else think this may not be the best time for this?  Am I sounding like a communist?  Don’t get me wrong the packaging is beautiful and I guess since you can reuse the case the price seems a bit more justifiable.  What do you think??

Info & Image of Case