Yes, times are tight this holiday season. But that's even more reason to treat your  loved ones to a few good old-fashioned status symbols. While some of our picks are understated in an is-that-really-a-Burberry-plaid-necklace way, others are off-the-charts kitschy and adorable. The best part? Most of these goodies clock in at under $500, and some are even downright affordable.

Go big or go home is the message behind the perky bugle-beaded ponies on these Ralph Lauren Blue Label stretch cotton, slim-fit polo shirts, $198 each, ralphlauren.com. Right: What a doll! Lanvin's porcelain charmer is the perfect dresser-top accoutrement. $438, at Susan of Burlingame, San Francisco, 415.922.3685.

With these Louis Vuitton lookers bundling up just got a lot more beautiful. Wool knit hat, $240, and wool knit scarf, $645, at louisvuitton.com. Right: It's plaid tidings for the lucky recipient of Burberry's nickel with gold overlay necklace, $395, at Burberry stores and burberry.com.

Bow wow wow: It doesn't get any cuter than these Gucci leather trim canvas keychains. From left, $190 and $150, at gucci.com. Right: Dangling from a strap, these cuddly Prada bear and monkey keychains add a little punch to your favorite purse. $180 each, at select Prada boutiques, 888.977.1900.

Texting is a snap with Hermes's lambskin fingerless gloves, $330, at hermes.com. Right: Leave it to Tom Ford to emblazon his name on, yes, soap on a rope. Scented with a lighter version of the patchouli-spiked Tom Ford for Men. $18, tomford.com

Check the Editors' Blog every day in the month of December for new gift ideas.

And it has been for a while, at least here in our offices. For months, telltale little green coolers have been making appearances in the fridges at W and WWD. Their contents: the Blueprint Cleanse, which, for those unfamiliar, is a ready-made juice cleanse -- six drinks a day for one, three, five, or, for the incredibly masochistic, seven days. More than ten of us, including Roxanne Robinson-Escriout, Priya Rao, Garrett Munce, Beitressa Mandelbaum, Nick Axelrod and Julee Kaplan, have now tried the cleanse and the response has been mostly positive. Or at least, our participants were willing to take the good with the bad. As Garrett, a fashion assistant at W put it, "Toward the end of day three I just really wanted to chew something. But once it was over, people told me my skin looked amazing and radiant -- something I'd never heard before." (Lest anyone dismiss us as a pack of cliched fashion editors in search of a pre-packaged eating disorder, it should be noted that we're not alone in our purist pursuits: the company's sales have more than doubled in the past year.)

I cleansed out of curiosity for the first time in June, at which point the idea of avoiding salt, caffeine, alcohol and solid food seemed exotic and experimental. Driven by visions of vibrant skin and detoxed organs, I forked over $195 for the three-day option and led the monastic life Monday through Wednesday -- a time that included watching friends consume spicy pina coladas at the Rusty Knot while I solemnly sipped a concoction of kale, spinach, green apple, celery and cucumber juice ("It goes down easier with a straw," noted Nick, a WWD fashion assistant). By Thursday, the results were in: I didn't lose any real weight, but I felt lighter. No magic there; I hadn't eaten for three days. And as a person prone to puff, the dramatic de-bloating effect was priceless. On the downside, the cleanse killed my social life -- so on Thursday I broke the post-cleanse rules and had two glasses of champagne at a Jil Sander party. Friday morning found me prostrate on my bathroom floor after paying homage to the porcelain god (Roxanne, WWD's accessories director, reports she had a similar post-cleanse experience when she had a peppered-tuna steak). Still, I was satisfied enough to sign up for a sequel with Sarah Taylor, W senior fashion features editor, earlier this month.  

The results the second time around proved less thrilling than the first, although Taylor says her skinny jeans felt a little less skinny afterwards. Maybe I'm just not in the same shape I was during the summer, but this time, I felt less dramatically detoxed post-cleanse. Of course, I don't have any scientific evidence to prove a difference and it could have been all mental. After all, my cheekbones hadn't looked that chiseled since June.

A bevy of ladies sporting "No Fur!" heart-shaped pins greeted guests at the "Cool vs. Cruel" party last night at the Bowery Hotel. Organized by The Humane Society of the United States, the event drew a solid fashion crowd, among them Agyness Deyn (who was billed as the night's DJ), Tallulah Harlech (below right,daughter of Lady Amanda Harlech) and downtown auteur-ette Arden Wohl (below, left). Not everyone heeded the anti-fur message to the T, however. Wohl, for one, showed up in leggings, a teal cableknit turtleneck ... and, slung across her arm, a tan vintage shearling coat. "That's okay, if it's vintage," a companion quickly reassured her.

Arden Wohl sans shearling; Tallulah Harlech strikes a pose

Meanwhile, the young Harlech--dressed in a black vintage Ossie Clark dress borrowed from her mom and Prada heels--discussed her acting aspirations. Having recently appeared in a silent film directed by Karl Lagerfeld (granted, the man is practically her uncle), she is now hoping to find a new project. "Point me to any directors!" she quipped as she eyed the room. Deyn (below), who was accompanied by fiance Albert Hammond Jr., was operating on a slightly lower voltage. At one point she took a break from her post at the turntables (it should be noted, most of the music seemed to be coming straight from her ipod) to make a rather pained photo-op on the red carpet. When asked to pose with fashion designer Charlotte Ronson she declined, saying she had to get back to her DJ post.

Agyness Deyn and Albert Hammond Jr., djaying

Other party attendees included Paul Marlow and Alex Galan (below) from men's line Loden Dager as well as Project Runway's first-ever winner Jay McCarroll, who was wearing a Mardi Gras-esque cacophony of necklaces, including a pendant of a scorpion suspended in resin. "I shouldn't be wearing it because it's a bug!" he shouted, basking in the flashbulbs' glow. Midway through the soiree, fashion photog Nigel Barker (best known as a judge on America's Next Top Model), spokesperson for the Protect Seals campaign for The Humane Society of the
United States, gave a speech about the cruelty of fur. Although most of the guests seemed more tuned in to the open bar, he did elicit some sympathetic nods. "It's not chic," sniffed a coiffed guest. It's just not chic."

Loden Dager designers Paul Marlow and Alex Galan

All photos Donald Bowers/WIREIMAGE.

It's been a little over a month since the guys behind the menswear line Bonobos started promoting two new styles of cotton twill pants, one called the "Obama," the other one the "McCain." While they look, admittedly, very similar, the Obama features cross-stitched belt loops and a Hawaiian print lining (which also peeks through its back pockets), while the McCain is lined in a "conservative" blue-and-white pinstripe.

According to Bonobos's Dave Eisenberg (full disclosure, he's a friend of mine), sales for both trousers have been about even. Earlier in October, apparently, the Obamas had pulled ahead, until the company sold out and had to reorder, during which time the McCains gained an advantage. Now the trousers are neck and neck, with about 150 pairs of each sold. "The race has tightened dramatically," says Eisenberg, who explains that their ultimate goal is to get the Democratic nominee to actually wear the $120 trousers. "Obama's bodyman is a guy named Reggie Love, who went to Duke with one of the guys at our company, so we're hoping to get them to Obama via him."

 

Above McCains (left) and Obamas (right).

Consumer confidence may be low, but a motley crew of actresses and junior fashionistas did their part for the economy last week, scarfing wagyu beef carpaccio and sipping Moet at the new Hugo Boss store in the Meatpacking District. Julia Restoin-Roitfield made an appearance, as did recent London transplant Peaches Geldof (flitting about in a very abbreviated jumpsuit), while sisters Theodora and Alexandra Richards manned the DJ booth.  

At the back of the store, Brooke Shields, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Mena Suvari formed a celebrity huddle. Suvari, clad in a jewel-toned blue Hugo Boss dress and elbow length fingerless gloves by designer Lauren Urstadt ("I'm like, from L.A., dude. I'm not used to the weather,") had her fiance, Simon Sestito, in tow. She said that they were leaving for Italy the next day to promote Suvari's latest flick, The Garden of Eden, which is based on a Hemingway novel. In the film, Suvari's character, Catherine, draws her husband into a destructive menage a trois on their honeymoon. "It's a very racy, sexual film," she intoned.

As Shields helped herself to the mini desserts she happily talked Halloween. Her husband, she explained, will be taking the kids trick-or-treating while she's on set. The Lipstick Jungle star was eager to promote her home ec-skills. "One costume I made, the other costume I didn't," she said, pouting a bit. She said that she personally sewed the costume for her older daughter, Rowan (who's going as a dalmation), but that her younger daughter, Grier, insisted on a store-bought pink poodle ensemble. "I told her, 'I can make it, I can make it!' And she goes, 'No, no, I want that!' I got totally shafted."

Photos by Lauren Fleishman  

The launch party for Billy Reid's namesake store last week was a Bourbon-swilling trip down South, right here in New York. But as much as we enjoyed the libations, we were even more impressed with the space. Known for his tailored craftsmanship, love of tweeds, and gentle disposition, Reid showed off the store that he has been toiling over (literally chopping his own wood for the staircase and ceiling) ever since he spotted the location on Bond Street. Sticking to his Louisiana roots, Reid's first outpost north of the Mississippi features pre-Civil War flooring recovered from a cotton gin and an assortment of antiques. For sale, there's made-to-measure clothing, denim and knitwear.

Having left New York in 2002 to establish a base for his business in Alabama, Reid hopes to again find success in Manhattan. (He won CFDA Menswear Designer of the
Year in 2001.) It seems he already is—and with the ladies too. His smaller women's capsule collection is featured in the store, and a month after opening, Reid claims women's wear accounts for half of his total sales.

If you don't live in Gotham, don't fret; a Nashville store is set to open in two weeks (and there's plenty to buy on his website). But if you do, be sure to pop by for a bourbon or some sweet tea, which are provided well into the evening in the store's hospitality suite.

  

We spotted them on Diane Von Furstenberg's spring runway, and then again at Kenzo and Armani. Koi Suwannagate served them up in pretty appliques and dazzling neckwear. We're talking butterfly motifs here. But none of those chic lepidoptera can quite hold a candle to this, a gemstone creation dubbed "Aurora Butterfly of Peace" on view now at the Royal Ontario Museum.

The "Butterfly of Peace" is composed of a startling 240 natural colored diamonds in the shape of a butterfly, with a total weight of 167 carats. "No two are identical," says its creator, New York-based diamond dealer Alan Bronstein. And indeed, the array is stunning, cast as it is in cognac, pink, blue, green and deep crimson. But turn off the lights and there's another surprise. When held under an ultra-violet light--on the off chance you just happen to have one lying around--his diamonds wax fluorescent (see below).
 
More…

Despite the current retail doldrums, not to mention Burberry's competing event in Beverly Hills, Catherine Malandrino managed to pull off a decent showing at the opening of her new West Hollywood concept store, Maison Malandrino. The party officially started when the designer's longtime muse Mary J. Blige, a co-host of the party, made her entrance in a (surprisingly demure) black jersey dress with cascading paillettes.

Holding hands with Blige and an even more lacquered-looking-than-usual Dita von Teese, Malandrino blew out the candles on an elaborate chocolate cake. In one of the store's back rooms, In Treatment's Melissa George (wearing Balenciaga) and Entourage's Perrey Reeves (stylist in tow) sifted through the racks together. Von Teese eventually made her way to the store's garden area to take in the bongo drum circle (you heard that right), while Michelle Trachtenberg was seen slipping out early, gift bag in hand.

Photos by Jean-Paul Aussenard/Wireimage

Though her pals in Paris still aren't sipping the home-shopping Kool-Aid, designer Loulou de la Falaise (left) is more than happy to ply her trade on HSN. In fact, in a live segment airing on Monday, the fashion icon and former muse to Yves Saint Laurent will be unveiling more merch than ever. Having launched her line last spring with jewelry, she's since added bags, shoes and a smattering of clothing. "Now I've got the full head-to-toe look," she says, walking me through an assortment of wallet-friendly looks. (While there are a few stand-out pieces, especially some of the bijoux, let's just say we're not yet lusting after the clothes.) Pin-thin, wearing a number of her own HSN pieces (including cute purple suede peep-toe ankle boots), de la Falaise is pretty much textbook Intimidating French Woman. "I'm sure only about 1 percent of the HSN audience knows exactly who I am," she says, laughing. "I guess the rest just figure it out as I go along."

Below, a $150 necklace and $67 shoes (seriously, folks) from her line. See the full assortment here.




Loulou de la Falaise photo courtesy of HSN; archival photo of de la Falaise and Yves Saint Laurent, WWD Staff.

I recently escaped home to Bermuda to enjoy the pink sand beaches and catch Beyonce, Solange, Alicia Keys, UB40 and reggae superstar Collie Buddz at the Bermuda Music Festival. I wasn’t exactly in a fashion editor frame of mind, but as soon as Solange hit the stage I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her shiny black leather stilettos with hot pink platforms. (Much more experimental with her style than big sister Beyonce, Solange takes fashion risks that remind me of a young Diana Ross in Mahogany. )

The second I got back to New York, I was on the hunt to find out who made the fierce gladiator platforms, praying that they were not custom made for the star.  Lucky for me — and any other girl who loves a crazy shoe with an insanely high heel — they’ll be in Giuseppe Zanotti Design Boutiques this month. And for us non-celeb types who actually have to pay for our shoes, they’re $995.
Solange photo by Alex Masters