From: Jen Ford, fashion news director
To: Jean Godfrey-June, Cristina Mueller, beauty department
Subject: HAIR SCARF

This might seem a little bananas, but this trend for scarves-as-headbands is rampant over here in London—and Topshop just showed it on the runway for spring 09. X

I'm thrilled that Australian label Mink Pink is finally available to buy online (I first spotted it at the sadly-not-yet-e-commerce Lady in Los Angeles). It's a prime example of how style, affordability, and quality never have to be mutually exclusive. I love this simple white blouse—it's girlier than something I would normally choose, but the bow is so outlandish I think it works. I would go for a full-on black-tie effect (I know! I know! But I can't help myself!) by wearing it with a tailored black blazer and my favorite J Brand jeans, though it would arguably look slightly less uniform-like with a pencil skirt and a cardigan.

It's hard to imagine this now, but once upon a time—before it became the purveyor of prettily sleek, on-trend clothes it is today—Banana Republic was a store that sold clothes for world travelers, specifically people who were going on safari. It competed with the J. Peterman catalog and its retail locations were filled with Jeeps covered in branches and tons of "exotic" items like mosquito nets. The Gap bought Banana Republic in 1983 and changed its vision, but even when I was kid I can remember BR feeling outdoorsy and super-preppy, like what a good-looking early-'80s anthropologist would wear when traveling. I found a handful of vintage BR pieces on eBay today—like this woven belt, tie-waist jacket, and long khaki skirt (perfect with a tucked-in white button-down and tie-up boots!)—and they all have a certain sexy professorial allure. Check it out.

At dinner this past Saturday night at Bacaro, a cave-like, candlelit Italian restaurant buried deep in the Lower East Side, I noticed a wedding party sitting near our table. It took me a while to register what it was, since the bride had bucked tradition and was wearing a floor-length A-line gunmetal gray dress and clutching a little bouquet of blood red lilies. She looked absolutely stunning—equal parts romantic, glamorous, and goth—very befitting the medieval vibe of the space. The finishing touch was the elaborate feather headband in her long dark hair, which made her look that much more over-the-top chic. It's not something I would have ever thought to attempt myself, but seeing how beautifully she pulled it off makes me more game to try. Here's the one I found that looks closest to what she was wearing—I think it's best to follow her lead and pair it with something simply cut and evening-y.

Who knew they all love opera? The ratio of famous to normal was about three to one at the opening of the Metropolitan Opera a few nights ago, and the variety in TYPE of famous person was astounding. (I tend to think of "celebs" as a single tanned, bleached, closely fit, cut-on-the-bias, bright-eyed entity.) Taylor Momsen sidled past James Taylor. Yo-Yo Ma and Martha Stewart. Jane Fonda and Julianna Margulies and Ann Patchett. Rufus Wainwright and Lucky cover girl Parker Posey. Just think of the potential hybrid vigor!

But Faye Dunaway in wild, wild long gray hair took the full-on fantastic celebrity cake: She is sexy because her whole being radiates: "I am FAYE DUNAWAY. Go ahead and try to top that!" Having borne witness to several horrifyingly rearranged faces of the formerly gorgeous in recent weeks, I can tell you this is no small beauty secret. It might take some work to achieve, but you know, so does the alternative.

—Jean Godfrey-June, beauty director

I've been really digging Forever 21's riff on all things tribal this season (unsurprisingly), but I've been holding myself back since I own way more boldly patterned tops than I need. Yet I feel compelled to buy this tunic—which looks straight out of Santa Fe—since its length makes it an automatic multitasker. I'll wear it belted and paired with leggings and boots or layered over jeans with a long, bulky cardigan on top.

Even though I've never wanted to shell out $500 for a bag, for the past couple of years I have been completely obsessed with Foley + Corinna's City Tote. It's gotten to the point that when I see someone who has it, I say passive-aggressive things like "Oh, you have *that* bag. I know *that* bag." I love everything about it—the soft leather, the slouchy shape, the pockets, the convertibleness—and this season, in order to stop torturing myself and others, I'm going to buy one for myself. On eBay. (Why didn't I think of this before?) Now I just have to figure out the color: Should I go for one in soft gray? Goes-with-everything black? A warm amber brown? Or, wait, how sexy is this high-gloss burgundy?

Though I'd been in denial for the last couple of weeks, I went to put on tights for the first time a few days ago and it hit home that it's really fall. I'm doing my best to try and embrace it, and I got to thinking that this is the year I'm finally going to pony up for wool stockings. I just placed an order for two pairs by Hansel From Basel (who also makes some really great over-the-knee socks—layering them under jeans is one of my favorite stay-warm tricks): one in charcoal and another in black. They're ribbed, which adds a nice bit of texture and will be a welcome break on days when I'm sick of my usual plain dark opaques. And at $36 apiece, they're about half the price of all the other identical-looking versions I've seen by ritzy European labels.

I have no idea what compelled me to fish around on Delia's website just now, but it turns out they have some stuff that's totally applicable even for those of us who left behind their teenage years a long, long time ago. My favorite pieces are the ones that have a sort of bookish, preppy vibe, including this cozy shrunken sailor sweater ($59.50). This would look so cute on the weekends with jeans and this classic navy blue toggle coat ($89.50), or else during the workweek with ankle-length black pants and leopard flats. And to finish it all off, I'm tempted to add my prescription lenses to these bargain-priced Poindexter glasses ($9.50).

The thing that has been most interesting to me while planning this mini-wedding has been finding out the preconceived notions my boyfriend and I have about how something like this is supposed to go down. My soon-to-be husband has been surprisingly traditional about some elements. For example: As much as I'm dying to show him, he doesn't want to see my wedding dress for fear of the bad luck curse. Then last night he asked me: "So what are you doing about the old, new, borrowed, blue thing?" "Hmmm. I don't know. The shoes are new, I thought maybe I'd get some kind of glamorous blue clutch or maybe I'll carry a really pretty vintage blue hankie. And maybe I'll borrow a piece of jewelry from a friend." "What about the old? Will that be underwear?" "NO." This whole thing is insane.