costume awards

on this halloween eve, we couldn't resist handing out awards to some of the cutest and most creative costumes we've seen. chelsea handler tweeted this hilarious picture of chuy and chums dressed up like oompa loompas: best group costume award!

best family costume: tori, dean and liam...even the dog is buzzing.

best impersonation of over-plasticised italian designer donatella versace: wait...lindsay's not in costume. oops!

best pet costume: we don't know who these pugs belong to, but they're just cute.

playing dress-up

it must be difficult being a celebrity these days. in addition to the incessant flash of the paparazzi invading your personal space, there's a whole generation of bloggers out there ready to criticize your every move. but we feel that while you're on camera, you should dress your best (especially if you're afforded the luxury of a stylist). below we've outlined some misses from television's most popular hosts, and offered our advice on how to turn them into hits.

1. catt sadler, host of e!'s "daily 10" has a flirty style that suits her personality, but sometimes her fashion sense steers a little too far in the direction of "floozy." a general rule of thumb is if you're fitted on top, have some volume on bottom. to re-interpret catt's style, we've put together a gold see by chloe top and leather phillip lim "ra-ra" skirt that creates a fun, flirty look without being too sexy for prime time television.

2. rachel ray is a fan of patterns, but sometimes the look is overwhelming on her frame: lame-o! to keep it simple and more flattering, a bold stripe print, like the sea dress pictured above, creates drama and interest while a tailored corduroy blazer from wren keeps the dress from overpowering her.

3. on the biggest loser, alison sweeny's look seems dated. while she's careful to accentuate the positive by belting her slim waist, she's also prone to wearing pieces that look like they've been hanging in her closet for years (especially the satin frocks she wears at the weigh ins). to bring her up to date, we suggest a chic asymmetrical-hem dress from clu that can easily be dressed up or down. the shoulder pad detail on the dress also works to draw the eye toward the waist when belted.

4. samantha harris has quite a burden on her shoulders to keep up with the glitz on dancing with the stars, but we think this is a case where "less is more" should come into play. the black A.L.C. dress pictured above has a simple silhouette that flows beautifully while on the body. paired with a dramatic necklace, it's all the glam a girl needs to set herself apart from the competition.

edie rocks

have you met edie? we first blogged about it months ago, and it looks like the celebrity set has finally caught on to the inherent coolness of phillip lim's latest bag. rachel bilson has been photographed toting hers all around town, and alexa chung even tweeted about hers! no wonder the bags are selling out in NYC and LA. the good news is that we know a place where you can still find the edie: poole shop (at least for now). we love its vintage meets rocker meets holiday sweater vibe...you just can't go wrong with this one.

fashionable bookworms

while reading the new york times style section this sunday, we came across an idea that left us wondering: why didn't we think of that? as lovers of both books and fashion, the connection between the two should have been obvious. but, alas, parisian "it-girl" olympia le-tan beat us to it with her debut handbag collection inspired by first-edition covers of her favorite classics. the 21-piece collection, aptly named you can't judge a book by its cover, is hand-embroidered and lined in vintage liberty prints. so now we're totally hooked and are dying to carry one of these classicly chic clutches to our upcoming holiday gatherings, but...we can't track one down! available at colette in paris, they haven't yet appeared on the boutique's website. if you find one, please send it our way...

a little bit frilly; a little bit silly

answer: bohemian cupcake
question: two words to describe french label manoush

on your next trip to paris, be sure to stop in manoush for your fix of quirky, vintage-inspired, sophisticated kitsch. we realize "sophisticated kitsch" is somewhat of an oxymoron, but there's something about the line that brings the two together. from the french word for gypsy, manoush is like no other label with patterns and styles more reminiscent of a dream sequence than a runway show. frilly bows juxtaposed with tapestry fabrics make even the most conservative of us love its wackiness.

of course, if you're immediate travel plans don't include paris, stop by poole shop to see the fall collection from manoush, including this sequin stunner for $700:

you say po-tay-toe

becoming a scholar in the art of fashion designer pronunciation should require a four-year degree. for all you students out there who insist on pronouncing ralph lauren's last name in the same articulation as the actress sophia loren (it is, in fact, lauren: like the girl's name), we've put together a little cheat sheet of common pronunciation blunders. and remember, when dealing with haute couture, be sure to say "oat ku tour."

- andrew gn: andrew jen (rhymes with "ten")

- badgley mishka: badge-lee meesh-ka

- balenciaga: bah-len-see-AH-gah (not BAL-en-see-ah-gah)

- burberry: bur-bur-ree (not bur-BERRY)

- chanel: shuh-nel

- christian louboutin: christian loo-boo-tin

- dries van noten: drees van know-ten

- givenchy: jhee-von-shee

- giambattista valli: gee-ahm-battista valley

- gucci: goo-chee

- hermes: air-mez (please, please, no her-mees!)

- herve leger: air-vay lay-jay

- lanvin: lon-vin

- louis vuitton: loo-ee voo-ee-ton

- marchesa: mar-kay-sa

- monique lhullier: mo-neek loo-lee-ay

- nicolas ghesquiere: ni-co-la guess-key-air

- proenza schouler: pro-enza skool-er (commonly mispronounced schoo-ler)

- ralph lauren: ralph lauren (as in lauren, the girl's name)

- rodarte: ro-dart-tay

- swarovski: swore-off-ski

- versace: ver-saw-chee (not vur-sace)

- yves saint laurent: eve-san-laur-ahnt

poole shop book club

alarm clocks, car pools, text messages, lunches, laundry, emails: at the end of the day sometimes we all need a little escape from the mundane. so poole shop has put together a list of some of our favorite books. from a wall street serial killer to a rock and roll biography, we hope you find something here to spark your interest. if not, check out library.org where you can enter the name of a book that you like and they'll give you suggestions for further reading.


set in new england at an elite vermont college, the secret history by donna tartt chronicles the enter twined lives of six classics students in a novel that new york times critic a.o. scott labeled "a murder mystery in reverse." mirroring the greek tragedies that the main characters study, fate plays a significant role in the novel where melodramatic and bizarre events keep the pages turning.




in 1991 bret easton ellis introduced us to patrick bateman, a manhanttan businessman by day and psychotic serial killer by night. the thrilling (and disturbing) tale that unwinds through the first person narrative of american psycho leaves us wondering if the crimes depicted in the novel actually occurred or were simply delusional fantasies. warning: this book is not for the faint at heart, but the ambiguity and mistaken identity that runs throughout the book will keep you intrigued...


author aldous huxley described his 1932 classic brave new world as a "negative utopia" where developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning have altered the society of london AD 2540. written during a time when there was a fear of the americanization of europe, reading the novel more than 75 years after it was written will definitely have you thinking.

in wonderful tonight pattie boyd shares her real-life story as a muse during rock 'n' roll's heyday. married to not one but two members of rock 'n' roll royalty (george harrison and eric clapton), the book shares her side of the story, which is worth hearing. as she concludes in the book, "our generation really did have a revolution...i have known some amazing people and had some unforgettable experiences."