SHOPPING

We LOVE beauty pageants! Miss Oak Cliff and Miss Oaklawn prelims for Miss Texas were recently held at gay hot spot Rose Room at Station 4. Popular drag queen Cassie Nova (left) was co-host.

DMN reporter Scott Farwell reports about it HERE and the comments for his controversial article are piling up!

He writes, "On one side, the local competition's director and others say beauty pageants have long been the dominion of gay men. They supervise wardrobes, style hair and for whatever reason, seem to have a knack for coquettish walks down the runway. On the other, some contestants and their mothers say nowhere are gender roles more defined than at a beauty pageant -- an on-stage display of poise, grace and conventional femininity."

What do we have to say? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO!

Weigh in folks...

(Photo: Jenn Ackerman/Staff)

Okay, here's our obligatory Twilight blog. Stars Robert Pattinson (SWOON!) and Kristen Stewart hit the red carpet premiere in CA on Nov. 17. He's reportedly wearing all-black Marc Jacobs. Love the brooding! Her colorblocked Balenciaga dress drew raves and jeers all over the blogosphere.

Yahoo's Buzz: "[Her] unruly updo and asymmetric color block dress, courtesy of Balenciaga, bombed."

InStyle named it the "Look of the Day": "Stewart was a standout in a Balenciaga dress at the L.A. premiere of Twilight. The young star added understated but luxe accessories to complement the tri-colored dress: Christian Louboutin pumps and diamonds and a clutch from Chanel."

Readers, what do you think? Have fun fighting the crowds of squealing girls/women this weekend for tickets!

So we never got to go party at Studio 54. You can turn your bathroom into the hottest hot spot ever with this photo shower curtain! It's a retro Patrick McMullan photograph. No velvet ropes here.

Get it at Urbanoutfitters.com for $32.

Reminder that contemporary furniture showroom Scott + Cooner opens its warehouse today at 2150 Irving Blvd. to the public until 4 p.m.

They are cleaning house, so get ready to score up to 75% off sleek chairs, tables and lighting from names such as Moroso, Cassina and Kartell.

Get a preview of what's on hand at the store's eBay auction site right now. Call 214-748-9838 for more info.

Photo: Moroso's "Supernatural" stack chairs

Madonna was F-L-A-W-L-E-S-S at her Houston concert on Sun. night. But some think maybe not so much on Wed. night when she attended a Gucci UNICEF dinner in New York sporting fishnets and this green feathered frock, rumored to be Louis Vuitton -- figures since she's also rumored to have shot a recent campaign for the label.

The UK's Sun proclaimed, "It's obvious what MADONNA'S been up to since her split from GUY RITCHIE - gardening"

Marie Claire's website chimed in, " Her style, however, divided opinions, with some arguing that her green-feathered dress was more akin to Astroturf, while others commended the star for her brave fashion choice."

Fox News' website commented, "Parakeet chic anyone?".

READERS, click comments and tell us what you think!

(Photo: AP)

LUNCH BREAK!!!

Sadly, LFT is closing. Everything in the store is 25% off. A source tells me another mark down will happen in a few weeks to go to 35 to 45% off.

The store will close by Dec. 31.

SALES ALERT: Want to be the first in line to find out about sales like this? We send out regular text message alerts on the hottest deals and steals. CLICK HERE to sign up. Click the box SHOPPING BUZZ and you're all set!

Citing the nation's economic state and slow-to-grow Victory Park, Lifestyle Fashion Terminal owner Ort Verona sent out a press release last night announcing the closure of his store:

"As of Friday, November 21, LFT will begin the liquidation process of the store in Victory Park. Due primarily to the current state of the economy and a yet to mature trade area, we have reluctantly decided to close our doors."

"LFT, as it is now known, cannot sustain the high level quality product we provide along with the personalized customer service that our loyal patrons have come to know. We are deeply saddened to see the doors close after a successful 20 month run. We would like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you who made this store a great success."

"We are fortunate to have had the opportunity to serve Dallas and will continue to support any effort to create a better community."

Starting Friday, expect amazing deals on labels such as Ever, Helmut Lang, Preen, Vince and Diane Von Furstenberg.
LFT
2350 Victory Park Lane
214-635-2150
Monday-Saturday: 11-8pm
Sunday: 1-6pm

Photo: Sam Granado

Multiple sources (including a store employee) have called to tell me that LFT closed this afternoon.

The mega store carried a diverse range of labels for men and women -- Rag & Bone, Zegna, Helmut Lang, Ports 1961 and had recently added Calvin Klein.

More details to come...

Times are tough and not many of us could imagine setting foot in a high end boutique like Oscar de la Renta. In the recent NYT's "Critical Shopper," reporter Cintra Wilson explores what it's like to shop at the designer's New York boutique.

This piece had me in stitches LAUGHING out loud!!!

Describing a similar dress to this one, Wilson comments, "It fit in a zero-gravity, birthday-princess way you dream of when you are a girl-child of about 8. The skirt flared perfectly around the waist atop a weightless infrastructure of silk petticoats. It was like stepping in and out of a giant peony. Even more beguiling was its versatility -- it was a dress you could wear to an illegal drag race, dinner with Henry Kissinger and a gay cruise-ship wedding, all in the same night."

Click here to read the article!

Okay who's been following the gazillionth "cycle" of America's Next Top Model? I know, neither have we. But last night I caught the last 10 minutes of the 11th season to see that it was between boring blond Samantha and sorta edgy McKey.

The former tomboy impressed judges early on in the competition when she started air boxing during a photo shoot. SO editorial.

And in the runway face off where both girls strutted for a designer we've never heard of on some insane looking barf pink runway, it was McKey who impressed judges, leading Tyra to exclaim, "She didn't just serve dress...she served face."

As winner, she gets a contract with Elite Model Management, a spread and cover for Seventeen magazine, and a $100,000 contract with Covergirl. Let's hope she has better success than the last 10 winners.

Stop by Neiman Marcus NorthPark from now through Saturday for the GLAM EVENT. What is it, you ask?
Spend $500 on regular or sale priced items from women's apparel, accessories, designer jewelry, handbags, ladies shoes or cosmetics, and you'll receive a set of three NM exclusive bangles by Roxanne Assoulin for Lee Angel. One per customer while supplies last!

Hallelujah! Target is finally showing the men's some designer love!

The company's partnering with Scott Mackinlay Hahn and CFDA award-winning designer Rogan Gregory to launch the Loomstate for Target collection. The collection features both men's and women's apparel and will launch on Target.com and at select Target stores nationwide April 19, 2009, timed perfectly to coincide with Earth Day. The well-priced fashion collection will be available through May 16, 2009.

All of the cotton used in this eco-friendly collection is 100% certified organic and gives Target a new, exciting way to deliver environmentally responsible fashion at a nice price for male and female guests.

Additional information, images and sample product will be available in March 2009.

That's right...no more Sarah Jessica Parker Bitten line...

Even the big budget retailers are struggling in this economy.

According to WWD: "Steve & Barry's has filed for bankruptcy a second time, less than five months after its initial filing, but this time its exit strategy is to liquidate. The 276-store retail chain is unable to get additional financing in the current economic environment. Less than three months ago, the Port Washington, N.Y.-based retailer, which featured collections from celebrities and athletes such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Venus Williams, was acquired out of bankruptcy for $168 million by Bay Harbour Management and York Capital Management."

A stroll through Stacy Hyde's (top right) Greenway Parks home is like a design Xanax for troubled times. Soft hues, loads of sunshine, a snuggle-friendly chaise topped by a purring kitty --- it is both family-friendly and impossibly chic. (No easy task.)

Credit interior designer Shannon Bowers (top left) who, among other things, had the vision to craft a dining room table from a pair of ornate pedestals found at The Mews, and Hyde's own eye for good finds, including the ones on display in her namesake Henderson Avenue furnishings boutique.

Intrigued? Check out the story here or just oogle the photos by Stephen Karlisch

It's not often that if you fall hard for one of our F!D luxe featured homes you can get the look so literally. Take advantage of it.

We found similar examples of the serene fabrics, furniture, linens and accessories in Stacy Hyde's home for sale in her Henderson Avenue showroom (above).

Makes sense, the Dallasite told us last year that her shop was a chance to "gather all of my favorite things in one spot."

2933 Henderson Ave., 214-370-4933

Photos by Courtney Perry

Here's some highlights from Lindsay's December cover interview with Harper's Bazaar, out now.
While she doesn't name who she's dating (scared it will 'jinx' it) she does say: "I think it's pretty obvious who I'm seeing...She's a wonderful person and I love her very much."
The magazine's writer asks if she's bisexual. "I don't know. Maybe," she says. A lesbian? "No. I don't want to classify myself..."
My favorite part: Ever the star, she arrived an hour late for the interview, saying she couldn't find her Escalade. Read the entire interview here.

Nearly three years after the Calvin Klein store closed in Highland Park Village, the understated underwear king is making a DFW comeback in Victory Park. LFT is now the exclusive Dallas retailer of Calvin Klein collection. Check out Klein's resort offerings now, which is what Damages star Rose Byrne (at left) is wearing.

LFT
2350 Victory Park Lane
(214) 635-2150

Alexander Wang won the big daddy of fashion awards for designers-on-the-rise...he was chosen as the fifth CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund recipient.

WWD reports: "At Monday night's CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund dinner gala, Wang took home the top honors, pocketing $200,000 and a year's worth of mentoring. Lisa Mayock and Sophie Buhai of Vena Cava and Albertus Q. Swanepoel of Albertus Quartus were this year's runners-up, and will each receive $50,000 and a business mentor.

Founded by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue, the fund is seen as an accelerator of fashion careers. Previous winners were Rogan in 2007, Doo-Ri Chung in 2006, Trovata in 2005 and Proenza Schouler in 2004."

You can find Alexander Wang designs locally at Barneys New York, Stanley Korshak and V.O.D. Boutique.

With layoffs mounting and foreclosures commonplace, a cancelled party is hardly important news. But for 18 years, Marc Jacobs' holiday party has been a New York fashion tradition, drawing a staggering array of movie stars, fashion stars, freak shows and, er, porn stars. Company president Robert Duffy sent out an email recently cancelling the annual event, hoping that next year the fashion fete can be "reinstated."

Above: designer Marc Jacobs at his 2007 Arabian Nights-themed holiday party Click here for more party pics from fabsugar.com