The work of Augusta Jones bridal collection can be traced back to the Danish and British roots of Charlotte Leung. Additional inspiration came from her stepmother June Leung who brought in her talent and influence in the form of art deco. Art deco is a purely decorative style traced back to mid-1920s. June Leung also had a fascination with period piece jewelry. The Augusta Jones family prides itself with the use of just the right amount of decoration centered around their dresses. This keeps the dresses elegant and modern, the right detailing of jewels, lace, pearls, and other decoration. Too much detailing and the dress would look messier than a heated accusation in the boardroom of The Apprentice.

Head pieces have become an interesting way to make a statement. People don peacock feathers, bows, and flowers to flaunt their style. But this season, designers took headwear to the next level of eccentric.

During the winter, you need a hat to keep your head warm because most of your body heat leaves through your head. Thus, many designers showcase hats on the runway for the fall season. But some of these hats, or headwear you could call them, don't really function as hats but are just there for dramatic effect. I wonder if most of them are even for sale. So, do designers expect people to buy these head pieces or are they just for the runway?

With an iPhone being a predominant player in the mobile entertainment world, fashion brands are publicizing their collections on the small iPhone platform in many different ways. Some have paid top dollar making full-feature applications for their PR, marketing and reporting abilities.

When Chuck Taylor released his first pair of classic sneakers, I’m sure he doubted that the craze would last this long. The Converse brand has managed to reinvent its styles and remain trendy and fresh each season. With John Varvatos for Converse, the brand has managed to create a new look and feel for the classic sneaker, coming in pre-distressed and lace-less styles. The website also offers buyers the option to design their own sneakers (taking a cue from competitor Nike), creating a move hands-on, personal approach to shoe shopping.

Alexander McQueen went dramatic last week at Paris Fashion Week. McQueen spiced up the runway with his aggressive energy that produced a freakishly artistic collection that has caused some buzz among critics. The makeup and the clothing itself were so outrageous that you couldn’t look away.

Despite Paris’s fashion week trends of mostly blacks and grays with a more classic look such as Dior, McQueen modernized this recession with his fashion forward red outburst. Even though the makeup was a little scary, it really made you focus on the clothes. The clothes are incredible, and despite the presentation, many of the pieces are wearable. McQueen uses a lot of houndstooth and rusty red, both of which you can expect to be major trends in the coming year. Models swayed down the runway in intricate gowns, which consisted of vibrant colors, snake patterns and platform heels, and let’s not forget about the gown made entirely of swan feathers.

As the height of heels continues to escalate, the actual heel of the shoe is becoming longer and, often, thicker. This makes the heel stand out more. Therefore, the increasing height of shoes has allowed designers to be more inventive in their designs. They're creating shoes with heels that make a statement.

Typically, the front of the shoe holds the decorative aspect of the shoe because it's the part you see first, but how often is someone walking right toward you other than on a runway? Most of the time you see the heel of the shoe from the side or the back. Designers are taking advantage of this fact and decking out the heels in gemstones, pearls and flowers. Quite often, a design is cut into or embossed on the heel (think Dior Spring 2009). Unfortunately, the top is where it stops. It's difficult to find shoes with decorative heels that don't cost thousands of dollars. I wonder, will we have to devote three months rent to own a pair or will this trend find its way into the mass market?

Not all dry cleaners are created equal and chances are, if you are wearing designer clothes or any garment that you put your hard earned money into purchasing, you want to make sure it comes back from the dry cleaner without issue.

Here are some garment care and dry cleaner tips from Jerry Pozniak, owner of well-respected (and well known) Jeeves, Cameo Cleaners and Arthur Copeland Cleaners (I personally had an a-ha moment with # 2!)

If you want to be friends with two-time Grammy winner Pink, then you have give up the fur.

Since joining Stella McCartney as the voice on the latest animal rights ad launched worldwide by PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), Pink declared in Paris for Fashion Week that she would never befriend a fashion designer who used fur. She stated that she found the killing of animals for their skin disgusting, hence her inability to truly befriend designers who use them. 

To solidify her ill feelings towards fur-users, she participated in a controversial 20-second PETA ad that features a skinned bloodied alligator and a similarly horrendous blood-covered furless rabbit.  Pink is an alligator that claims a purse a woman is holding is made from her skin and actor-comedian Ricky Gervais plays a rabbit that snatches his fur coat back from a man. "That fur is mine," says the rabbit.  "What kind of person steals a guy’s coat?"

Yet not all designers share the same ideals as McCartney, who joined Pink for the PETA launch and never uses fur for her models. 

Mike Gonzalez and Christine Park-Gonzalez, the duo behind the fashion line Mike & Chris, have been best known for creating supple leather jackets that celebrities have donned since the line launched. Their collections are continuously laid-back, but with a cool edge, creating a full look. The brand first started as a line of hoodies, most popular being leathers, worn by the likes of Christina Aguilera and Vanessa Hudgens.

This spring-summer season, the popular design team is releasing edgy shoes for the girl on the go. The shoes might not be recession-friendly, but are crafted from fine leather and come in an array of chic, trendy designs for the upcoming season. The line includes thick platforms with cutouts to summer’s staple gladiator sandals combined with this seasons popular wedge. These shoes can be dressed up or down, going from running to the office during the day or on a date on a hot summer night.

In June, the Council of Fashion Designers of America will honor Mrs. Obama with a special tribute from the group's board of directors at its annual awards gala, thus crowning her the Queen of Fierce.

Her commitment to American fashion is what led to the CFDA's decison to not just praise Obama's killer style, but award it.  Additonally, a grant will be established in her name to assist a young fashion company.

Meanwhile, three designers that Mrs. Obama has been known to wear — Narciso Rodriguez, Jason Wu and Thakoon Panichgul — also received CFDA nominations. 

Rodriguez joins Thakoon Panichgul and sisters Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte as the nominees for womenswear designer of the year, and Wu, Panichgul and Alexander Wang are in the running for the Swarovski Award for emerging talent in women's fashion.

Jacobs, already an industry favorite, continued to reel in the nominations as he is again up for an award in accessory design and as the winner of the international designer award for his work at Louis Vuitton. Jacobs splits his time between the Vuitton label, headquartered in Paris, and his own signature collection, which is shown in New York.

Anna Sui is to receive the lifetime achievement award named for the late Geoffrey Beene.

Could it be the dress of her dreams? Or could this be the dress of her wildest fantasies?

 If your bride wants to come down the aisle in a dress reminiscent of the sexy black cocktail dress she met you in on your first date, she needs to take a look at the short dresses in 2009 bridal collection of couture designer Carol Peretz. What is stunning about Carol Peretz work is that she uses limited details and fabrics to bring about the same off-beatedness as British designer Edward Molyneux using ostrich feather in his 1930s evening gowns.

Perhaps bold is what we need? We need something to draw our attention away from the norm for a second...

Typically, designers work behind-the-scenes at award shows. They provide the apparel for the nominees to showcase on the runway, and you only hear their names when someone asks, "So, what are you wearing?" At the CFDA awards, the designers are the ones receiving awards, and of course, everyone wears their favorite nominee's pieces.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) has released its nominees and honorees for 2009. The CFDA is a non-profit, trade association with 340 members from America's fashion and accessory industry. Swarovski is the sponsor for the 8th year in a row. All nominees are worthy of such recognition and I'm not ruiting for anyone in particular. They're all so talented that it would difficult to pick between them. So, who will win at the 2009 CFDA awards?

Pink has been proclaimed as the hot new hue for spring for both men and women. Men and women alike can pull off this color, available in hues from magenta to barely pink tones. Women should try pink with florals on summer frocks and men should pair a classic pink checked shirt with a great tie for work.