A little over a month ago, I did a post on an Ugly Betty episode where she snags the excessively expensive Gucci 85th Anniversary Hobo Revisit that post by clicking here.

Anyways, I asked people to send me pics of them with their favorite purse and/or bag, but unfortunately no one responded…until now…Dressed reader Emily Jerez sent a pic of her with the exact Gucci bag that Betty had on the show! Well, it wasn’t the EXACT purse, but it’s the same. Take a look:

And for all you other handbag hounds, feel free to send in more! It’s never too late!

Thanks Emily!

Isaac Mizrahi’s garments for Target evoke a modernized “Donna Reed” feeling – very clean, fresh and pure. It’s well-suited for the modern woman and the shirt dresses are feminine, but not to the point of girly overload. My favorite item has to be the eyelet trench. Very inventive!

Available at Target stores and their website.

The other day Kari and I were gushing about how good the clothing selection has gotten at Target. Kari went on to say how they have even surpassed the Gap in terms of style. OUCH!

Well, it is true. Look at the position that Gap is in right now - they are trying to hard to cater to trends and they’re closing that concept store that hardly ever took off.

All in all, shopping for clothes at Target has become more enjoyable than shopping at Gap. Sure, the quality of the clothing may be questionable, but it’s not like it’s any different from G-A-P. In fact, your paying a MUCH lower price at Target for clothing that is at the Gap level – and in all honesty, much more stylish. Why would you pay $60 for a pair of khakis when you can buy a similar pair if the same quality at Target for ½ the price – plus you can buy some toiletries, housewares, DVDs, CDs, groceries while you’re at it.

I can only speak for the Target clothing quality from a men’s perspective. Now, for the women, it’s a different story. I don’t know how it fairs. I am not saying the quality is hellacious, but I am saying you get what you pay for.

All that aside, I am going to showcase their spring collections in a series of 4 posts. Their quality may not be on the level of haute couture, but, much like Gap, they know how to present their products – but the thing is, more people would actually pay these prices.

First off, here are some of their spring accessories and some swanky Mossimo footwear. While looking, take note of the use of patent leather, nautical themes and shades of cobalt and citrine – a very nice commercial use of in-vogue trends.

Available at Target stores or on their website.

Since our sister paper’s (Contra Costa Times) fashion maven Jessica Yadegaran did a fabulous job with her Oscar red carpet commentary, she will be a frequent guest correspondent on Dressed. She recently served as a judge for an FIDM fashion show and she came back to dish about the fancy accessories, talented local designers and very confused models walking the runway to watered down techno music…

Last weekend, I was asked to judge an FIDM student fashion show taking place at the San Francisco International Gift Fair, a five-day press and trade extravaganza at the Moscone Center. Don’t worry -”Gift” doesn’t mean doilies and cheap candles, though they were present. No, in this instance, ‘gift’ means almost everything WE love: fabulous pashminas, gorgeous spring jewelry and home decor items you simply can’t live without (i.e. plastic chandeliers that could pass for crystal any day).

Dino is kind enough to let me contribute to his fab blog, so here goes.

First, the show. It belonged to designer Molly Morgan, an alumni of FIDM. Think lots of unassuming neutrals - navy, gray, brown, beige - bubble skirts galore, daring hemlines and a mix of mood, sex and sass. Among the other judges: Audrey Mansfield of “Absolutely Audrey” and Claudia Castillo Ross, a West Coast rep from Marie Claire. It was the first time FIDM had done a show in conjunction with the Gift Fair, so there were some glitches - too short a runway, not enough emphasis on the accessories and music that didn’t vibe with the models (one particularly tripped out model tried to walk as slowly as the Moby-like music). Not necessary. But all in all, Morgan was communicating a feminine at times mystical and moody collection. I got it.

A model shows off Molly Morgan designs to the SFIGF audience and to the panel of selected judges. Photo credit: The Photo Group

FIDM students recognize FIDM alumni, Molly Morgan, for her hard work and creativity. Photo credit: The Photo Group

On to the fair. The biggest trends I saw in jewelry and accessories were the following.

Citrine. With yellow being a must-have color in clothes and shows, of course it would follow suit with gems and stones. I picked up a gorgeous long chain of pearls and citrine in the Cash & Carry section. Mix those two for an evening out.

Headbands. Stop by any H&M or Forever 21 and pick up 3 in primary colors for like $5. I also like leopard headbands. But stick to the skinny ones, unless you have a large head or a lot of hair. Lucky.

Lavender. Home yummies were awash in the herby scent. Soaps, lotions, you name it. The stuff never dies.

Pashminas. Ok, these don’t die either. But you need to get your hands on a bright-colored one. That old black standby won’t fly this spring or summer. I saw some blue, orange and again, yellow ones, that would rock any outfit.

Looks like things aren’t getting any better for our favorite struggling retailer, GAP. Take a look at this release I received:

GAP INC. ANNOUNCES IT WILL CLOSE FORTH & TOWNE STORE CONCEPT

SAN FRANCISCO – February 26, 2007 – Gap Inc. (NYSE:GPS) today announced that following a thorough assessment of its store concept, Forth & Towne, it has decided it will not move forward with a full roll-out. As a result, the company will close its Forth & Towne store concept after an 18-month pilot that began August 2005.

While the company was encouraged by the initial performance of Forth & Towne, a thorough analysis revealed the concept was not demonstrating enough potential to deliver an acceptable long-term return on investment. Instead, the company believes that future investments should be focused on turning around its Gap and Old Navy brands as well as supporting other growth initiatives that have greater potential of creating shareholder value.

“Forth & Towne was a great test of a promising concept and an illustration of the innovative risks you need to take in our business,” said Bob Fisher, Gap Inc.’s chairman of the board and interim president and CEO. “We made the tough decision to close the brand and focus our efforts on stabilizing the existing businesses.”

“I want to thank the talented Forth & Towne team for their hard work in bringing this brand to life,” said Gary Muto, President of Forth & Towne.

The company plans to close its 19 Forth & Towne stores located in 10 U.S. markets. Closures are expected to occur by the end of June 2007. The company anticipates the pre-tax expenses associated with the closure of Forth & Towne to be approximately $40 million which will be recognized primarily over the first and second quarters of fiscal year 2007.

The closure will impact about 550 employees. Gap Inc. is looking at ways to redeploy employees to positions in its Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy brands, where feasible.

Well, Kari was extremely pleased with this. I wasn’t surprised. Everytime I walked past this store of “mature women’s clothing” in the SF Centre, it was devoid of customers. They should’ve used some big name celebrities in their ad campaigns - oh wait - that’s not really working for their sister store, Gap.

Will this be the end of the whole GAP brand? Who will lose? Who will triumph? Will there be a birth of another sure-to-fail concept store?

Tune in next week for another episode of GAP OF OUR LIVES to find out!

Oh dear me..the Fort Mason center in San Francisco will be busting at the seams come March 15. Fashion Week Live! announced even more designers and models that will make an appearance on the runway in addition the the ones posted here.

Models:

Alek Wek
Hilary Rhoda
Jessica Gomes
Jessica Stam
Nicole Trunfio
Trish Goff

Designers:

Adam + Eve
Alexandre Herchcovitch
Anne Klein
Badgley Mischka
David Chu
Heatherette
John Bartlett
John Varvatos
Jovovich Hawk
Naeem Khan
Nicole Miller
Tracy Reese
Tuleh

For more info visit www.FashionWeekLive.com.

I’ll see ya there!

Ok, I admit it - I left my computer for an hour and put a pause on my live blogging to have a birthday dinner with the family. I see that as a valid excuse.

Again, I THANK THE FASHION GODS for fellow fashionista from our sister paper, the Contra Costa Times, Jessica Yadegaran for being on top of things! She also gave her two cents on some of tonight’s looks.

…back to what I missed. I nearly jumped up and down with glee as I found out that Jennifer Hudson won for best supporting actress in Dreamgirls. I got chills - yes that’s so cliche - but I really did get chills. Hudson is, without a doubt, an American Idol - and she didn’t have to have a million of call-in votes to do so. And on a side note - doesn’t the dress look WAY better without that cropped jacket made of aluminum foil?

Jessica: Jennifer Hudson! Dang, girl’s got it going on! She’s glowing and lost weight from intense workouts, two a day, she says, starting with a 4 a.m. run. Even Simon Cowell is rooting for her, via video message. It’s perhaps the most heartfelt thing he’s ever said: “Jennifer, we are rooting for you and I have a feeling you’re going to win tonight.” n Big no-no: Hudson’s wearing a metallic caplet that looks harkens to a sci-fi film. Or a space age era in the future.

I see we are in agreeance. Let’s put that thing in the recycling bin. Al Gore and his environmentally-friendly Ralph Lauren suit will enjoy that.

EXTRA! EXTRA! EXTRA! THIS JUST IN! HELEN MIRREN WINS FOR “THE QUEEN”

Me: She looked so humble and dignified on the red carpet - even if she did steal a union jack from a random sap in the pit of paparazzi and fans. Her gown was fabulous - age-appropriate, fair-colored, ethereal and it had exquisite detailing. The neckline wasn’t revealing and it wasn’t prude either. Although this may not be appropriate - I thought she was, well, kind of sexy. All hail the queen!

Jessica: Easily one of the sexiest women in Hollywood. Her wavy bob, nude-colored gowns — this time, Christian Lacroix — and that decolletage. Flawless.

I like that word, “Decolletage.”

Ok…let me go back to Dreamgirls. That performance was mind-blowing - and I LOVED how all of them wore red - and they weren’t designed by Beyonce’s mother (thank God). The music nearly bought tears to my eyes. I love all three of these women - and yes, as much schmack I talk about Beyonce - my conformist side says to love her too. She’s bootylicious like the rest of them.

We also got to see those $500,000 Stuart Weitzman diamond studded shoes (click here to remind yourself about those) in action on Anika Noni Rose’s red carpet stroll.

Hmmm…is there anyone I forgot? Actually there’s a lot of people I forgot. There’s too much fashion to count here. It’s oversaturated and I love it, Let’s finish this off with a couple of some other snap shots of celebs - can we can never get enough of that:

Jessica: Jennifer Lopez, who looks less harsh than she usually does at these shindigs. Instead of slicked-back hair, she’s sporting a throwback bob and a lavender empire waist vintage dress with a broad diamond necklace. Hello, gorgeous.

Me: Very Goddessy. I’m not too fond of the necklace thing - is it a part of the gown? The empire waist is very flattering on her. I sometimes see the empire waist as a daring look for some women. In other words, some women should sport it, others should stay away from it. But yes, J. Lo looked marvelous in Marchesa.

Jessica: Here comes best supporting actor nominee Djimon Hounsou, in a black suit and red sunglasses: everyone remember him as the hot mystery dude in Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” and Janet Jackson’s “Love Will Never Do Without You” videos? I’d almost forgotten.

Me: Oh my - why did Seacrest have to bring up the “Straight Up” video? That video reminds me of the days of doing the running man while wearing my MC Hammer pants and Hypercolor T-shirt. Nonetheless, Djimon’s suit was dapper and it was a great tangent from the black and white, but the detailing made me think of a valet parking attendant.

I bow to the queen - no, I am not talking about Helen Mirren, although I do loved her Christian Lacroix gown, but I am talking about the ravishing Queen Latifah. The strapped black gown with horizontal textures would normally make someone look - please forgive me - wider, but the black sleekness made the Queen sexy, voluptuous and alluring- I think I
have another crush.

It looks like Kirsten Dunst spent too much time adding more feathers onto this dress rather than fixing her hair. She looks like she’s going for the “natural” look - and by natural I mean busted.

Jessica: Rinko Kikuchi, the best supporting actress nominee has a translator, but what doesn’t need translating is her hotness. Her blonde hair is as risqué as her role in Babel, and both put her on the map. Oscar or not, watch out, Hollywood.

Me: This is another fashion redemption from the Golden Globes. Rinko Kikuchi flattered her petite figure with this strapless black number. The dark tones were severely glamorous but the light old Hollywood femininity was defined by detailing.

And then there are all those outfits at the parties - but that’s another story. I guess another Oscar’s bites the dust. No fashions were extremely outlandish, but they were great to look at.

Overall, I am satisfied - with both the style and the results. And one more thing - I LOVE YOU JENNIFER HUDSON!

OK, here are my random from-the-couch Oscar moments:

Hair tool the night: The flat iron, baby. We’re talking about locks that were flat, long, straight as a board and glossy. It looked as if Gwyneth and Nicole had the same stylist — a Oscar no-no, so we’ll give Reese props for looking original with that adorable fringe across her forehead. (But can she get any skinnier? Honey, you look great. Screw strong>Ryan
and eat something for heaven’s sake.)

Bad hair look of the night: We are NOT liking the short Farrah-wings-gone-bad/crimped, flapper wave thing. Cameron looked like she got a bad drug store perm. We want you blonde again, Cam. Make Justin pay!! Rachel Weiss looked a tad better, but still. Why do women with short hair think they’ve got to do something to their hair on Oscar night? Just let the strength of the short style stand for itself. Turn the curling iron to the off position.

Ellen, we didn’t really get the 70s white shoes with the rainbow parade of suits, but by the end of the night at least they blended in to your outfit. No worries. You’re still beautiful. We just wish you would bag the baggy clothing and show off your great figure a bit more.

We adore Kate, but did she really mouth,

“I have to go pee-pee,” at the start
of the ceremony?

We’re no lip-reading experts, but…ummmmm, we can’t really figure out what else she could have been saying. We did like her sea foam gown, but who did her makeup? Her cheeks looked garish. She doesn’t even need blush. Didn’t work.

Fave color of the night: Dark navy.

Abigail, adorable dress. What a sweetie.

YAY! Costume designer Milena Canonero won for best costume design for Marie Antoinette. I wanted to do a blog post on the movie when I saw it in the theaters - but I never did because…well…I was just lazy and I forgot.

The costuming for the movie was absolutely breathtaking and Juicy Couture clearly found inspiration (or shall I say a Xerox copy of?) from these rich, candyland, indulgent, youthful, romantic designs. I got a toothache from simply looking at the outfits:

Good ol’ Leonardo DiCaprio - I remember when girls hung posters of him from Tiger Beat magazine up on their walls while he was playing that scrappy lad, Luke Brower on Growing Pains - he has come a long way, he’s nominated for best actor on The Departed and he looks dashing in this peak lapel suit. It’s a basic black suit, but he exudes this aura of chivalrous confidence. What a man!