grey and red all over

those dudes at fred flare sure know their cute. nice face is one of this year's 'next big thing' winners with the lovely grey striped jersey dress pictured above. as chris and keith would say, it's a-doorbell. but before you add this sweetie to your ff shopping cart, check out the nice face etsy shop. whitney g. from portland, maine has a bunch of other frocks and tops to choose from. you pick the color and size, and she'll make it! it's all reasonably priced and (i can say from experience) super cozy. these are clothes to wear when you want to feel super special.

the new sincerity

we saw a special preview of nancy drew yesterday -- it comes out in theatres everywhere friday -- and caught emma roberts red-handed being super-sweet as the fearless girl sleuth. nancy and her dashing dad (played by tate donovan) make a temporary move from river heights to hollywood, california, where they rent a house that once belonged to a beautiful movie star who died mysteriously in 1981. nancy is a little out of place at her new school, but it's obvious that her "old-fashioned" look is way classier than anything her trendy classmates wear. her outfits and manners are both impeccable, plus ned is way better than we pictured him from the books. and the soundtrack, with songs by matthew sweet, liz phair, and the donnas, is cool, too. our favorite song is joanna's 'pretty much amazing.' very apropos.

me-owww

Sanrio continues its world takeover with Momoberry, the new sophisticated brand of Hello Kitty products anchored by a flagship store at the Beverly Center Mall in L.A. Items include a line of perfumes and bath products and jewelry by Kimora Lee Simmons. You can get some of the stuff online, too, but a trip to the City of Angels couldn't hurt!

yes to smoochie

i love my light blue fiorucci zip-up hoodie with the angels on the back -- it's the same one alex mack wears in a scene from "ten things i hate about you!" now fiorucci is the latest brand to team up with target. to mark the occasion, you can send a fiorucci smoochie to the boy or girl of your dreams. i picked "2 shy 2 say hi" for my sweetheart. what about you?

harajuku lovers

help a girl out -- i'm still puzzled over this ad in the june/july issue of nylon! it's for a company called laundry/sunny girl california, and their clothes feature a really cute heart logo with the word "love" inside. but when i go to their website, it's a japanese company with no info on how to get the clothes unless you're on meiji street in the harajuku!

look what they say: "we offer to create 'cheap and rough california style.' " i want it.

to have and to hold

one of my dear friends from high school is due to become a new mommy at the end of the month -- baby gift time! i was browsing the infantwear at nordstrom and came across the coolest little onesies from a label called monsters with sideburns. trompe l'oeil headphones and pacifiers hang around the kid's neck on a couple. but my favorite is the one that says "pick me up" and shows thumbs where you hands should go. don't know if the mom-to-be would like them, or baby-on-the-way for that matter. maybe it'd be better to start off with the classics and let him develop his own sense of style. still, monsters with sideburns: they clothe hip children.

black sheep

the new flock of L.A.M.B. is out like a lion, and gwen wants everyone to look inside her pants. read the AP article here.

that mrs. rossdale is such a doll. she knows her fame from no doubt is what brought her instant fashion success, and politely apologizes for "cutting in line."

lucky frock

i thought i was getting a good deal when i ordered a blue butterfly print soundgirl blouse from fredflare.com on sale for $4.99. the box was delivered by ups today, and imagine my surprise -- inside was a sundress in the same print (the flutter dress) that they're selling for $54. no $5 shirt. oopsy! lucky for me, they got the right size. unlucky for you, you can't order the blouse from fredflare anymore, so you'll have to play full price for the sweet little dress. a shame. i would have liked having a little western-style blouse, though.