SHOPPING

Remember this post about spa showers without major renovations? Well, via design site Mocoloco, I have been introduced to my newest love. Meet the W.O.W. Totem for Teda (W.O.W.=Why Only White). I contacted the W.O.W. peeps and they sent me these images with the message below:

Thank you for your kind interest in our W.O.W. Totems, and we really mean BIG THANKS. We're a tiny artisan company operating out northern Italy (somewhere between Verona and Venice) that refuses to give in to the cruel logic of a globalized market without a fight. That's why me make every totem as if our livelihood depended on it. We put sooo much care into each piece we deliver and are very proud of the result: uncompromising quality and superb performance with a fresh new face. I have enclosed perhaps way more material than you want or need, just pick and choose as you wish. Feel free to contact us if you have questions.

Lastly, can we send a message through your blog? W.O.W. TOTEM is a blank canvas offered to creative people everywhere: if you're a designer looking to showcase some of your work, why not give us a call?

They have many more color combos, download their PDF brochure here and prepare to be wowed...or is that W.O.W.ed?

Ready, set, shop! And score!

Men's and women's - suits, accessories, shoes and more up to 75 percent off! Today until 7 pm. Fri. from 9 am to 7 pm, and Sat. from 10 am to 2 pm.

At the Billy Reid warehouse near downtown and Exposition Park on 3720 Canton Suite 104. Call 214-821-1010 for more info.

One word came to mind when these miniature spritzers paraded across our desk: KAWAII, the Japanese word for super-cute. The doll-faced bottle tops for Gwen Stefani's Harajuku Lovers fragrances are inspired by Ms. Stefani herself; her namesake figure is called G, and her four outrageously fashionable Japanese backup dancers are dubbed Love, Lil' Angel, Music and Baby. The fragrances smell like tween spirit mixed with scents of fresh coconut, magnolia and jasmine petals. Holla back: Gwen and her posse won't be complete until you collect all five.

Harajuku Lovers fragrances, $25 to $45, available at all Nordstrom locations

Southlake is BOOMING! If you haven't made the trek, trust us, it's becoming a huge shopping destination!

Our business writer Maria Halkias reports:

"Seattle-based Nordstrom Inc. said Thursday that it will open a 35,000-square-foot off-price store at Shops of Southlake in fall 2009.

It will be the retailer's third Nordstrom Rack in the Dallas area and its fourth in the state. Nordstrom currently operates a Rack store at Preston Shepard Place in Plano and a new Nordstrom Rack will open at Park Lane in Dallas in spring 2009.

Nordstrom Rack opens at The Rim in San Antonio on Nov. 13.

Developed by Cencor Realty Services and leased by the Weitzman Group, Shops of Southlake is on the corner of E. Southlake Blvd. and S. Carroll Ave., across from the Southlake Town Square.

The center is anchored by Central Market. Other stores include Bailey Banks & Biddle, Coal Vines, DSW, Pier One and Swoozie's."

The fashion blogs have been abuzz all day today about Debbie Phelps (that's Michael's mom) and her love of Chico's. Apparently she packed a suitcase full of Chico's when she was cheering him on the sidelines in Beijing.

Heck, even the company's WEBSITE, has launched an area online called "The Debbie Phelps Collection" with links to designs she wore during the Olympic games.

What's up with Jay Manuel's hair? What the heck is the glaminator going to do to the girls? And, SCORE, a ghetto Asian girl on the cast this new season. I'll be tuning in for SURE next week for the premiere.

There's no in between. You're either Abercrombie hot - or you're not.

This was after they'd rated her face.

Ouch. Check out DMN writer Jessica Meyers' front page story today on how Abercrombie & Fitch employees are alleging promotions based on looks.

Fashion Dallas' own David Ninh raised a question previously about A&F's image in this blog: "Does Abercrombie sell clothes anymore?"

Staffer Paige Phelps even posted this item about A&F back in July.

Shopsters, what do you think? Has A&F gone too far or are they just more overt about something much of the fashion industry does anyway? What message does this alleged practice send to young teens?

Photos: Shoppers walk in front of an Abercrombie & Fitch store in San Jose, Calif., (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

We're technically not supposed to get politically involved as reporters, but we watched the Democratic National Convention, you know, from a style standpoint. To give her rousing speech, Michelle Obama choose a dress by Chicago-based designer Maria Pinto, who's been dressing her on the campaign trail.

Laura Schwartz, a former adviser to the wife of former Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, had to weigh in on the choice: "The dress, Schwartz says, expressed confidence and a sense of humility: "She didn't want to look too blinged-up. She didn't want to be too bright. I thought she was very simple, very understated, which might be a good idea because, in this era of attack ads, the McCain people are saying, 'Hey, the Obamas are elitist. They're caught up in celebrity.' If she came out in a real fancy dress, that would just be more fodder for them." The dress was striking, Schwartz observed, but very calming in color -- a shade of blue-green, which evokes calm and trust."

The sunburst pendant was from her own jewelry box and was placed over her heart, "so it might have symbolized that her speech was coming straight from her heart," according to CBS News.

Click here to read more about her outfit!

We gasped. We cried. We rapturously applaued -- okay that was me. Newbie Olympic champ Nastia Liukin is vaulting over to JC Penney at Collin Creek Mall on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. for a quickie appearance.

Vanilla Sky jeans is sponsoring the event and JC Penney is donating $2 of each denim purchase to the JC Penney After School Fund, a charitable organization that provides children in need with access to life-enriching academic, athletic and social after-school programs.

One word of advice folks: Get there early!

Virginia Postrel, an economics columnist for The New York Times, a columnist for Forbes and former editor of Reason magazine, has started a new blog, deepglamour.net Why? "DeepGlamour.net is a spinoff of my research for a book on glamour that I'm writing for The Free Press," she writes.

Here's an excerpt from the first chapter:

Glamour is...not a matter of style but of psychology. It is not a physical property but an imaginative quality that creates a specific, emotional response: a mixture of projection, longing, admiration, and aspiration. ... Just as different eras produce different forms of humor, what audiences find glamorous changes over time. The decline of one kind of glamour, whether of nineteenth-century Parisian grandes dames or of the mid-century Rat Pack, often presages the rise of another kind, representing different values or aspirations: the glamour of bohemian cafés or of rock stars. A geisha's glamour meant one thing in the nineteenth century, when geisha were chic style setters, and another after the 1920s, when they became custodians of tradition. The themes that unify the many forms of glamour are not formal elements but imaginative qualities--grace, mystery, and the promise of escape and transformation.

Find posts about everything from Hillary Swank and Barack Obama to midcentury-modern to car commercials. And for more Postrel, hit her personal website dynamist.com.

photo: Courtney Perry/DMN

If you're a rabid fashion follower who studies credits as closely as the designs that come down the runway, then you should know who Juergen Teller is.

The maverick lensman shoots Marc Jacobs ads (like the Victoria Beckham series here) and editorials for all the Vogues, Ws, etc. In an age where everyone and everything is photoshopped to the zillionth degree, Teller's gritty photos are - GASP - not retouched.

He says, "Most fashion photography is done by gay people finding women sexy, which is sort of not sexy at all, at least to a heterosexual man. She's so retouched, so airbrushed, without any human response at all.."

He's also picky about who he shoots, opting for experienced models like Angela Lindvall and Kristen McMenamy and actresses like Laura Dern and Charlotte Rampling. And of course Victoria Beckham. "It makes a hell of a lot more sense to make an ad which creates a fantasy about those women than about a bunch of young Russian models looking all doodly-doo," he says.

We love a rebel.

New York magazine explores the method to his madness in a new article here!

Axe's new men's body fragrance line Proximity contains three subtle spicy scents in sleek, new cans -- Vetyver, Bergamot and Amber. Fun fact: Notable fragrance expert Ann Gottlieb, who worked behind the scenes on Calvin Klein's top sellers such as CK One, Eternity and Obesession, helped produce the new sprays. Now that's sniff-worthy! Find them at drug stores for $4.99.

A good hair stylist is hard to find. Here's two locals who just got big, fat stamps of approval in Allure magazine.

Congrats to Jason Hull at Avalon Salon in Victory Park for being named one of the "star stylists" on the "cutting edge" in their Aug. issue. The editors say, "Most stylists force our riotous waves into submission with blowouts and flatirons. Not Hull, who wanted to enhance our natural texture. He sliced a few long layers to make our curls more springy and defined our waves with a curling iron. He told us that our new style could air-dry if we used a touch of shine serum to combat frizzz. When we tried it at home the next day, our tamed curls fell just right. $75."

Cameron Campbell at Avalon Salon in Snider Plaza is also listed as one of the country's top extension stylists, bonding hair "using precise, miniature tongs."

Jason Hull, Avalon, Victory Park, 214-623-6544
Cameron Campbell, Snider Plaza, 214-750-5667

Look what came into our office yesterday! We always anticipate the Sept. issue of Vogue to be a big one, usually heralding some kind of return to glamour with new hot, fall designs.

The 798-page issue this month -- with actress Kiera Knightley snagging the cover, sigh, AGAIN -- weighs as much as a newborn infant. And CUTENESS -- our copy came with its own plastic carrying case, ya know, to tote to Starbucks or whatevs.

Thank you Vogue for the cautionary stickers. I didn't want to put out my back!

I think it was Samantha (you know, from Sex in the City) who said something like "Democratic party, Republican party...I don't care as long as it's a party." But with the Democratic National Convention almost underway and political ads popping up on our TVs, national elections are on our minds and now, thanks to Urban Outfitters, our feet.

Tom's Political Slip-ons--available in Republican elephant and Democratic donkey-- are clever, cute and cruelty-free: "for every pair you buy, another pair will be donated to a child in need." Plus they're under $50. I can cast a vote for that!

FIG Finale is a huge sale during which the area's top stores come together and sell their women's, men's, kid's clothing, accessories and shoes to the public at a 75 percent discount. About 30 big name local retailers offer their high-end merchandise at unbeatable prices.

Elements, LFT, Billy Reid, V.O.D. and more!

Click here for complete details!

Fashion Industry Gallery, 1807 Ross Ave. 214-748-4344

I'm giving shout-outs to the advertising folks over at Kenneth Cole and American Apparel for their unconventional casting.

The Kenneth Cole online ad (above) highlights a transgender woman, Nina Poon, with hottie unnamed boyfriend and two males below are snuggling it up in the American Apparel casual basics.

It's nice to know certain retailers cater to ALL consumers.

Stop by after work!

A fabulous crowd came out last week! Click here to see!

That's right! Another musical artist has gotten bitten by the design bug. LL Cool J is launching a line at Sears! The street wear designs hit stores early next month and includes offerings for juniors, kids and young men, with future plans for expansion to include accessories.

"I entrusted Sears with my name and my clothing line because I wanted to keep it real," said LL Cool J in a press statement. "The world didn't need another $5,000 pair of jeans. I wanted to create an inspirational, authentic line that was also affordable."