I read an article in The New York Times the other day about New York shoppers spending three or four hundred bucks on a pair of sunglasses at stores like Ilori in SoHo. According to the article, market research firm The NPD Group has tracked purchases of luxury goods and, even in this constantly drooping economy, the amount spent on designer sunglasses has gone up while the amount spent on designer purses has gone down.

I’m not at all surprised.

Even more so than a purse or shoes, sunglasses are the first thing people notice about your outfit. You wear them all day and some people, like myself, wear them everyday. So why not drop as much on a pair of Gucci shades as you do on a pair of Manolo’s if you’ve got the spare change?

In recent years sunglasses have become the new It accessory. Pictures of Nicole Richie in oversize glasses that engulfed her tiny head became as ubiquitous in tabloids as pictures of Britney Spear’s cellulite, and the Olsen twins are now more famous for their Ray-Ban Wayfarers than their Balenciaga Motorcycle bags. Even wearing sunglasses at night has become popular with hundreds of pictures of drunk hipsters wearing the Kanye West designed shutter shades in dark clubs on websites like lastnightsparty.com. Read More »

I’m not always a huge fan of Ashley Olsen’s fashion sense, but I can’t help but love the look she rocked at a recent N.Y.C. screening of Everything at Once.

Ditching the vaguely homeless look, she went for a loose knit top over a mini skirt. Not sure you can pull it off? Making a tight leather mini look classy is not easy, so take a tip from Ashley and pair it with a looser top and sandals–not pumps. And if you’re busty, choose a top that doesn’t put your cleavage on display. A small skirt paired with a tight shirt will you have you looking more like Ashley Dupre than Ashley Olsen.

Here’s how to get the look for less: Read More »

I think I’ve found myself a new celeb girl-crush.

I’ve been a fan of the Olsen twins since Full House, and a closeted fan ever since their enrollment to my school, New York University, was met with open hostility and disdain. I couldn’t get enough of it—their grandma-chic outfits that look like they were put together by a casual stroll through a high-end Salvation Army, their oversized sunglasses that look like they weigh more than the both of the them combined, even their movies that I watched like I watched Lifetime movies, with secret delight.

But after reading Ashley Olsen’s interview in the September issue of Marie Claire, I think I may finally be ready to come out of the closet with my Olsen love. Because, well, it turns out Ashley is kind of…cool. Quirky, a bit strange, and maybe not exactly “the coolest girl in the world,” as Marie Claire dubs her in the title of the article, but surprisingly self-aware and likable.

My only brush with Ashley took place in an NYU bathroom, after which I promptly texted my friend, “Oh my god, I just peed next to Ashley Olsen.” But save for that, and scattered incidents of getting peeks of her crazy outfits on campus, she has remained an enigma to me. Until now. Some juicy facts that I learned about my favorite Hollywood waif: Read More »

There is something about Mary Kate Olsen that sets her aside from Ashley. It could be the Boho wardrobe, the sad Cupie eyes, or the protruding collar bone. Whatever it may be, Mary Kate is becoming an individual. MK’s recent departure from her identical (yet, fraternal) twin included a small part in last year’s Factory Girl that wound up on the cutting room floor but that doesn’t seem to be discouraging Olsen from venturing off onto her own.

This season Mary Kate will make her television return, sans sister Ashley, on the hit Showtime series Weeds. Olsen will be playing Tara a Christian girl from a church community called “Majestic”. It is reported that Tara will become the love interest of Nancy Botwin‘s (Mary Louise Parker) son Silas.

Set to appear in 10 out of 15 episodes, it leaves us wondering if audiences are ready for Mary Kate’s solo debut or if the CEOs of Dual Star Entertainment have become a package deal. Read More »

Day after day, we see paparazzi shots of celebrities walking their dogs or heading into dance rehearsal. It’s been engrained in our minds, for some twisted reason, to care…whether it be what they’re wearing, who they’re with, or maybe they’re pregnant!?!?!

In these snapshots, the paparazzi is unintentionally creating free publicity for the brands these celebrities are wearing, the shopping bags they’re toting, or the food or drink they’re carrying. Starbucks has been basking in the glory of this free publicity for years now, so much so in fact, that I’m starting to think Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have actually super-glued Starbucks venti cups to their bony well-manicured hands.

It would only take someone with an amazing head of hair…cue my reference to Jennifer Aniston, to think of actually embracing and taking advantage of the paparazzi hordes that harass her on a daily basis. And she’s doing just that. Yup, our very own beloved Rachel Greene has teamed up with SmartWater and agreed to carry their water bottle around Hollywood, allowing the tabloids to print pictures of her with it. SmartWater, or smart girl? Read More »

Face it, there’s nothing worse than going out with a large group of girls. It’s social death — you inevitably get swallowed by or end up chained to your posse, most of whom probably look and dress similar to you. This summer, I suggest slimming down. Cut the fat and drop the entourage. They’re only stifling your potential.

I know it’s scary to tread social waters sans the company of twenty of your best best friends, but take a second to consider some people of the moment and their preferred going-out decorum. Lindsay: always with an entourage. Result? Rehab. Britney: entourage. Result: rehab. Paris: entourage. Result: jail. Read More »

Last weekend, my friend and I were perusing Facebook together via gmail (you do what you gotta do! She lives in NY), sending each other links to profiles worth checking out — you know, hot guys, mismatched couples, and the odd professor who is trying to be cool by being on Facebook.

Anyway, after one link she sent to me, she wrote, “you are not going to believe this.” Try me! I’m not easily thrown. I clicked.

And then I almost threw up. It was me. The picture was me. The hair, the sunglasses, the discerning gaze. I scanned the profile nervously, reading for clues to see who had hacked my picture. But wait… my birthday wasn’t June 10. I don’t like Blues Traveler. I’m not from Oregon. The profile wasn’t of me. It was of someone who looked exactly like me. Read More »

Dear Ms. Olsen,

I don’t know which of you I’m looking at right now, and frankly, I don’t care. You both need to hear this.

Stop dressing like a blind whore.

Honestly, babe, how much money is in your bank account? I hear there’s almost a billion in there. A billion. Do you know what a billion is, MaryAsh? Do you know how normal, poor graduate students such as myself view a billion dollars? We almost can’t, seeing as how we’ve been counting in debt dollars (which is actually negative numbers, MaryAsh. Just clarifying.) for about five years. But we do know that a billion dollars suddenly allows one to buy designer clothes. Clothes that fit. And hell, even when they don’t fit, an expensive tailor can make them fit! Read More »