I hope that everyone has enjoyed these weekly rundowns and that having a seriously up to date staff will make the UDress Fall Issue even better! It's been a lot of fun writing these and I look forward to keeping you all informed in the coming semester. Thank you UDressers!

Battle Of The September Issues

Don’t get overwhelmed by the plethora of options on the newsstand. Here’s the must-see covergirls, editors’ notes and exemplary spreads.

Fall's 7 Best Denim Trends

While skinny still reigns as a wardrobe staple, there are a few refreshing variations this season.

Lincoln Center Plans to Give Fashion Year-Round Attention

Prepare your Metro card and head to NYC for these year-round fashion functions.

On Trend: Tabitha Simmons

Why envy the models of Fashion’s Night Out when you can look like them instead? Here, the runway show stylist shares her secrets.

Gucci's Comic Turn

Taking an action-packed approach, Gucci’s new fragrance film enlists the director of Sin City.

The LBD Gets Official

This essential lingo has just been added to the Oxford English Dictionary (so feel free to use it in essays this semester). Take that professor.

Video: Clips From CBS's Fashion's Night Out Documentary Special!

We just can’t get enough of being intimidated by Anna. In this special feature, she’s taking on the biggest night in fashion. We’re shivering in our Choos just thinking about it.

The New Adventures of Old Elaine

Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes has a quick wit that any girl would envy, but her wardrobe...not so much. Until now! With floor-length florals and boxy denim jackets, her garb defines the 90’s revival that is in full force.

Park Avenue Jesus!

Michael Kors is not sad or tortured about his mission on earth. He thinks fashion- particularly American fashion- should be fun. And thanks to him, it often is.

Everyone’s favorite Project Runway judge talks about his company, customers and comfort.

in the mood for: collegiate cool

Ever since Clueless and Britney Spears’ debut, every girl has had the secret desire to don knee-highs and pleats. Embrace it and be a cool school girl from head to toe.

Most of us are familiar with Taylor Momsen as Jenny from Gossip Girl, but now we are starting to know Momsen as a modeling phenomenon rather than an actress. In fact, her modeling resume is quite impressive.

This past spring alone, Momsen was spokes model for New Look’s 2010 Spring/Summer Collection. In July 2010, she was selected to be the face of Madonna’s premiere fashion line, Material Girl. She will also model for British designer John Galliano’s new fragrance.

“I started modeling when I was two. And I started doing commercials when I was 3, so I’ve been doing it for a while.” Momsen said in an interview on the This Morning Show.

According to experts in the fashion world, Galliano’s campaign is prestigious, so it’s a big deal. So the question is, what does this mean for Momsen’s modeling career? Only time will tell, but landing this job could be a catalyst to later promote her to supermodel status.

But why has Momsen become a new modeling obsession? It seems that just yesterday she was a fairly well-known actress, yet now her face shines on glossy posters in stores across the nation.  Perhaps designers are enamored by confidence and carefree attitude. “I wear things that I like. I usually gravitate toward darker colors. I love to play up my height because I love being tall. I love to play up my eyes with black,” Momsen said in a New Look interview.

When asked who she draws her personal style from Momsen responds, “I don’t really have a style icon. I’m definitely influenced by certain eras, but less from the clothing and more from the attitude.”

Well, there is no doubt we will be seeing a lot more “attitude” from Taylor Momsen this Fall and in the future. Whether shes’s sweet or making a scene, one thing is for sure: Momsen is in the eye of the fashion storm.

Sources: Taylor Momsen on "This Morning Show," New Look TV interview, Taylor Momsen to Model for New Look (article), Taylor Momsen to Model for Galliano (article).
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As the September Issues hit newsstands and summer comes to a close, no need to feel blue. Baseball jackets will have you back to school ready and developing designer news is here to distract.

Do You Dress to Frill?

If you can’t wear lace without feeling the Miss Havisham association, take a peek at the new provocative forms of the fabric.

Look Back: Ten Years of September Covers

Anna Wintour made news when she selected the first black woman to be on the cover of the September issue of Vogue in 1989, and this fall Halle Berry will be the second on front of the landmark issue. Take a look back at Wintour’s last 10 flawless selections and get giddy for when yours comes in the mail.

The Verdict's In: The Baseball Jacket Renewed

Be a part of the team by joining in the latest varsity jacket trend. Minus the embroidered names and obnoxious color combos, these stylish versions toughen up dresses and will have you ruling the school.

Styling Tricks: 3 Ways Opposites Attract

This fall is your chance to rebel and dare to pair what you never thought you could. Even the seasons mix and match when you pair a frilly floral tank with a knit striped cardigan.

Fall Must-Have: The Jersey Maxi Dress

No need to lose the easy breezy feel of getting dressed in summer once the leaves start to change. A long sleeved maxi dress will go from flip flop to boot season and class to dinner.

Journalist Dares to Call Chanel a 'Dusty' Brand

What happened to truth in journalism? Although the numbers may not add up to show that Chanel is a force to be reckoned with, their recent Resort collection proves that there’s more genius to come.

Fashion Tries on Zero Waste Design

Once a Project Runway challenge, now the idea of using every inch of fabric purchased is becoming mainstream amongst designers. While certainly no easy task, we love the green initiative.

Tamara Mellon Eyeing Jimmy Choo Sale?

Say it ain’t so! There have been whispers of the founder of Jimmy Choo, Tamara Mellon, selling her share of the brand. We shudder to think of bankers calling the shots on strappy sandals.

The Beckham Bag Lady

Victoria Beckham is soon to launch a line of posh purses with the assistance of Katie Hillier. Now, if we could only get our hands on her husband…

Fifties, Fifties

Crimson lips, corsets and calf-grazing skirts channel the 1950’s

Perfect your pin-up girl glam with this slideshow of girls that have already got the look.

Vogue Italia Runs A Controversial Oil Spill-Inspired Editorial

This haunting spread posed model Kristen McMenemy as an animal entrenched by the Gulf oil spill. We love when fashion takes cues from current events, but this one feels like too much too soon.

Schumer Bill Seeks To Protect Fashion Design

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...unless of course, your career rests on your individuality. A new bill seeks to guard unique designs from copycats, a huge benefit to the one-of-a-kind looks we love.

Prints, Charming?

Add some sass to your…ahem…and wear a pair of patterned pants. In an array of styles and prints, designers swear these can actually flatter your lower half.

in the mood for: Iridescents

From the tips of your fingers to the soles of your pointy toe flats, accessories with a mystical shimmer add intrigue to any outfit.

Shop Chic: July Top Picks

Shop the looks of the top 5 street style stars from July.

If the foreshadowing fall trends have your spark for summer fading, let these ladies reignite your flame.

This Bird Has Flown

A runway trend from Spring gets “swallowed” for Fall.

Miu Miu’s coveted swallow print is now flying into stores (such as Zara) at affordable prices. Should this trend head south for the winter, or will it survive the upcoming chill?

Tommy Hilfiger celebrates 25 years of style, five decades (plus) of life with coffee table tome

Hilfiger is releasing a coffee table book documenting the past 25 years of his fashion career. With a collection of his campaigns and fond memories from his fans, this book reminds us why Hilfiger’s classic designs will always be in style.

Where Have All The Bras Gone?

Should the baring-your-bosom trend be nipped in the bud?

In a revival of the 60’s, ladies are leaving their lingerie at home once again. We’re all about being au naturel, but perhaps this head-turning trend should be left on the runways.

Material Girl Fall Ad Campaign- Behind the Scenes With Madonna, Taylor Momsen, and Lourdes

Madonna has been shaping fashion for decades with every reinvention of her look, and now she’s passing on the torch to her 13 year-old daughter, Lourdes. The two serve as co-designers of the new line Material Girl, while Gossip Girl-gone bad Taylor Momsen gets the word out.

Well Rounded

With coats like these, you’ll be running circles around the chilly temperatures.

Leather detailing, military inspirations and a touch of menswear make these shells suave yet practical.

Russell Adams of The Wall Street Journal reports that Condé Nast International is expanding its vast array of magazine titles into the names of restaurants in Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Adams writes, “Mr. Newhouse [Chairman of Condé Nast International] said he hopes to open one or two restaurants in 2011 and as many as five per year after that. The company initially is targeting places like Dubai and Hong Kong and early efforts will focus on licensing Vogue and GQ, which have 17 and 15 international editions, respectively. Other cities being considered include Istanbul and Kiev.”

Vogue Café and GQ Bar are two of the more popular restaurants already established in Moscow. Unfortunately a Vanity FairGround Beef Burger* or a Glamourous Martini* won’t be available to us in the U.S, but if you’re ever travelling to India, China, or even the Ukraine perhaps you’ll be able to experience fashion in a whole new way: through your stomach.

*Not actual menu items

Image from http://www.styleite.com

She sports a new hairstyle that seems to be inspired by Twiggy and Mia Farrow from Rosmary’s Baby. Her dirty-blonde, shimmery curls are suddenly gone with the cut of a scissor (or perhaps the wave of a wand?), and her hair is left to a very short pixie cut.

Watson posted a photo on her Facebook page of her new hair and wrote to her fans: “Dear all. Cut my hair off a few days ago... Feels incredible. I love it. I've wanted to do this for years and years; it's the most liberating thing ever. Hope you like. Big love from Emma x.”

This is an unexpected edgy side to the reserved Brit who is currently attending Brown University. Nonetheless, change can be a good thing. Judge the striking photo for yourself:

Image from http://hollywoodcrush.mtv.com

On a recent trip to the Big Apple, I happened to stumble across the new Forever 21 store on Broadway. Actually, the store took up almost the half the block, and therefore it was hard to miss.  At almost 90,000 square feet, the new Forever 21 housed a huge lit sign out front and had an opulent ground floor area, putting all other retailers to shame. In fact it is the largest store in Manhattan, having four floors that go down below the store and over thousands of items in merchandise. And with F21’s vast catalog of clothing and accessories, it’s no wonder why they need so much space.

However amongst all the excitement I encountered while entering the huge double glass doors and looking at the floor to ceiling store map, I had a thought: Was this all really necessary? F21 already has eight stores in NYC and over 450 worldwide, so why go to these extreme measures? Even though the popular store is ideal for those who want fashion on budget, is this fashion good enough? When does fashion go too far?

Lately I have noticed the luster of good quality fashion start to fade as low priced retailers mimic high-priced fashion designers. They produce the designer’s coveted runway designs using cheaper materials, and then sell them at inexpensive costs. I understand that everyone deserves the chance to wear the latest trends, but is it worth it when the original designer’s name is lessened? Even so, with all of Forever 21’s glory in middle America, they essentially just copy and spin-out hundreds of garments each month that end up falling apart or shrinking to baby sizes in the wash. It’s not to say that F21 doesn’t create their own clothes, they just do so with an already established trend in mind. But what major retailer doesn’t nowadays?

So when I saw the humongous Forever 21 store in NYC, I was at first tempted to spend hours looking for the best deals and purchasing the most items I could. But when you think about it, UDressers, do you ever truly find a great item at F21 that is both good quality and trendy without being gaudy? For me it is not too often. Hence, we find ourselves at a standstill; should we support this huge retailer’s new NYC addition and succumb to the over-the-top fashion clones? Or do we stand our ground and save up for the real thing? I know my answer, but what’s yours?