Chilax at Home in the Right Jewelry

This fab Queen of Spades necklace gracing designer Tina Tang's neck is made from brass with a blackened silver necklace "and lots of love." Even better, thanks to her partnership with American Forests -  a conservation organization dedicated to restoring and enhancing the natural capital of trees and forests - every purchase plants a new tree!  Available at TinaTang.com.

- Lesley Scott

That Gray SATC Bag & Other Israeli-Designed Goodies

Made from Italian leather, this Kisim Cube bag (measures 13.4"x 13.4"x 11") will have you schlepping all your worldlies in style.  Available at Coolil.com, which specializes in chic and high-end Israeli-designed accessories.

- Lesley Scott

Naturally Nourished Winter Skincare

"Heat loss from cold conditions restricts circulation in the surface of skin, which is essential to skin’s health, vitality, and youthful appearance. Internal hydration is an important part of keeping the skin moist and warm. Easting foods that are high in essential fatty acids like extra oils from olive, almonds, borage, wheat germ and flax are necessary for keeping skin supple from the inside," explains celeb aesthetician Tammy Fender, who combines an extensive knowledge of botany, aromatherapy, medical science and chemistry along with a personal commitment to a healthy, balanced holistic lifestyle. "Pure essential oils penetrate deep into the skin to warm, feed and nourish the skin’s delicate tissues, promoting circulation and providing the ultimate moisture barrier to prevent natural moisture from escaping the skin." 

Five Fabulous New Year's Fashion Resolutions

by Carly J. Cais, Fashion Designer & ChicSteals blog

As a designer, I've developed an eye for style over the years along with an appreciation for the fact that sometimes, designer pricetags can be downright scary. While life necessitates a splurge once in a while on that can't-live-without-it fabulous item, much of the fun of fashion is mixing high with low to create outfits that are creative, and also budget-friendly. Each week, I showcase five hot designer-style steals (each for $100 or, in most cases, for much, much less)...along with one must-splurge item.

Now that it's a new year, it's time to put those Resolutions to the test & improve physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually...and, while you're at it, fashionably.  Here are our 5 Fashion Resolutions for 2009:

1 Little Black Dress; 9 Different Looks

The LBD is truly a heroic multi-tasker with at least 9 fashion lives.  This version from Bottega Veneta may initially seem pricey at $2100, but factor in the timelessly flattering A-line silhouette, classy fabric (silk), and mindboggling number of different ways you can wear it...and thanks to Fashion Math, suddenly its cost-per-wear magically plummets to pennies.  Whether you're headed for cocktails, the office, art galleries, shopping, or lounging glamorously at a resort, this dress is a fabulous neutral foundation that takes its style cues from whever you pair it with.  Here are 9 completely different ways to rock the exact same dress:

Eat, Drink & Be Chic in 2009!

Still stumped about what to wear for New Year's Eve?  Time to reach for the trusty LBD, and gussy it up a bit. Try a bold clutch and shoes that, while not matchy-matchy, are complementary in some way, such as being in the same color fam or with touches of similar hues (and fortunately, there's still time to run to the store for a bag or shoe intervention if you're really desperate).  Since this dress is strapless, we chose eyecatching earrings, hands-down the best way to show off a sexy neck.  Instead of the usual necklace, try a cooler, more unexpected touch like this gauzy scarf.  Finish off with bold bangles and a tough black motorcycle jacket give the entire look a bit of edge...just the right balance of sweet & sour to usher in a fashionable new year.   Here's where to get the goods:

The Skinny on Getting Skinny in 2009

According to ABC News, almost 5 out of every 10 Americans resolves to lose weight in the New Year. And the reason that half (!) the population is having to revisit this goal annually?  The abysmal success rate of diets: almost 95% of dieters put the all weight back on within 3 years. So why not try a different approach this year?  Celeb nutritionist Tanya Zuckerbrot of Skinny and the City offers up these road-tested tips on losing weight and keeping it off:

Worst Fashion Trends of 2008

Uggs....ugh. Fanny packs...please.  Celeb perfumes...do you really wanna smell like Paris Hilton?  While the year was fashionable in so many ways (glamorous shine, fabulous florals, ladylike loveliness), here is Lemondrop's fun list of the Top 10 most cringeworthy, tickety tackity trends of 2008 that really must die:

Play Ping Pong with Stuart Weitzman

You already knew Stuart Weitzman knows for shoes, but did you know he's also an ace Ping Pong player?  If you think you have what it takes to beat him, first check out the video of him in action against Team Zappos, and then make your own 3 minute (or less) video in response, explaining why you think you can beat him at Ping Pong. The most creative video wins a trip to NYC February 6-8 to go one-on-one!  Contest ends January 9, 2009 at midnight Pacific Time & the winner will be announced the next day. The video & rules are at Zappos.com.

- Lesley Scott

Book a Room at L.A.'s New Fashion Hotel

The notorious Sunset Strip hotel formerly (and formally) known as Hyatt West Hollywood, aka The Riot House, was recently gussied up as the Andaz West Hollywood and a fashion stylist brought in to give employees a chic new look. "We wanted to make sure that our attire did not define specific roles at the hotel but rather it defined our employees’ personal taste in fashion," the hotel's manager told WWD about the new "uniforms": looks from the 2008 Velvet by Graham & Spencer Holiday Collection and Vince Spring 2009. "We want to be consistent in our service and attention yet varied in personal style. We’re delighted to be able to offer our staff some variety."  The Andaz West Hollywood opens January 8, 2009. (via WWD)

- Lesley Scott

Celeb-Inspired Holiday Fashion with Carly's Chic Steals

by Carly J. Cais, Fashion Designer & ChicSteals blog

As a designer I've developed an eye for style over the years, and an appreciation for the fact that sometimes, designer pricetags can be downright scary. While life necessitates a splurge once in a while on that can't-live-without-it fabulous item, much of the fun of fashion is mixing high with low to create outfits that are creative, and also budget-friendly. Each week, I showcase five hot designer-style steals (each for $100 or, in most cases, for much, much less)...along with one must-splurge item.

Since all year we focus on getting that look for less, at least once an annum we indulge in dreaming of getting that look...for, well - gasp! - retail.  And the holidays are the perfect time to indulge in sparkly dresses, sleek clutches, and feminine toppers.  Inspired by our fave celebs and fabulous fashionistas, here's our fantasy a-girl-can-dream wish list of five fashionable items for the perfect holiday look, plus a festive splurge:

Longchamp Goes High Fashion'y for Spring

Unlike previous print campaigns starring Kate Moss wearing little other than a large and strategically-placed Longchamp bag, for Spring 2009, Moss will be clothed (!) and featured alongside fellow (clothed) model Sasha Pivovarova. Wearing looks from the 12 piece ready-to-wear collection of mostly outerwear, this campaign will have a decidedly more fashion magazine feel. "Today, handbags have become so much a part of the fashion world," managing director Jean Cassegrain told WWD. "It's important we have a line of ready-to-wear to express our fashion personality."

- Lesley Scott

Bad Santa Wishes You Decidedly Drunken, Mostly Miserable Holidays

I've been to prison once.
I've been married twice.
I was once drafted by Lyndon Johnson and had to live in shit-ass Mexico for two and a half years for no reason.
I've had my eye socket punched in, a kidney taken out, and I got a bone chip in my ankle that's never gonna heal.
I've seen some pretty shitty situations in my life.
But nothing has ever sucked more ass than this.

This soliloquy by Billy Bob Thornton as Willie, the Bad Santa, is pretty much the best start to a completely child-unsuitable holiday movie...ever...which is why it continues to top the list of our favorite holiday traditions. (Even better, there's now an unrated version - Badder Santa - to add to your collection!) As a drunken miserable safecracker, Billy Bob Thornton and his diminutive partner in crime - the hilariously foul-mouthed Tony Cox - pose as a department store Santa and his elf for a heartwarming tale of what happens when the Holiday Spirit has a few too many.

The cast also includes:

A Heartwarming Tale of Xmas Terror

"Christmas crept into Pine Cove like a creeping Christ thing: dragging garland, ribbon, and sleigh bells oozing eggnog, reeking of pine, and threatening festive doom like a cold sore under the mistletoe."

So begins Christopher Moore's madcap tale of the possible death of a beloved holiday icon by shovel, and a Christmas "miracle" gone dreadfully awry - as the town's dead come back to life and feast on the living. As Publisher's Weekly put it, Moore's "little slice of perverse Christmas cheer is enough to make a cynical Scrooge guffaw."

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror is available at Amazon.com.

- Lesley Scott

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A Demented Clark Griswold Xmas to You

In honor of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, one of my fave heartwarming holiday movie traditions (Bad Santa being the other) & its 25,000 colored-light ode to ridiculous Christmas **B-L-I-N-G**, here are some of Chevy-Chase-as-Clark's best lines: