'He brings the drama, 6 baby mamas'

Long ago Mariah Carey had a divorce from that enormous Sony exec (see "side effects"), and now we can thank Thalia for stealing his whitewashing powers. Mariah, we all knew you were black at heart, therefore the severance was the greatest tragedy to befall American pop music (that and the destiny's child split). The ritual of closing her albums with sad, helpless love songs died out and birthed odes to freedom. Homegirl ditched Walter Afanasieff, who brought out the overemotionally indulgent ballady Mariah.

Innocence lost, "touch my body" is another fearless induction into a sexually charged album filled with that Mariahtale of internalizing rejection and releasing butterflies only to find rainbows. She found her friends in Jermaine Dupri (who did minimal work for her before) and Swizz Beats, who at hip hop and electronics's ripening merge tamed her undulating, and ultra dynamic vocal range. Also au courant with hip hop and Internet culture is her butchering and abbreviating of words. I.e. Swizz made "O.O.C"; 'i get so O.O.C., out of control baby,' which will be the club's new jam.

Cruise control is a summer anthem, a light-hearted love extravaganza where Mariah's soulful strings go reggae, an attempt no pop queen has ever flirted with before. Fans don't fret, she shouts you out in "Bye Bye" and is on the verge of alchemizing your losses into her 19th #1 hit. "Wish you well," reminisces heavy baggage with her siblings once vocalized in her Rainbow ballad "petals"; a relationship of mistaken inequality that converts unhinged jealousy into pitiful manipulation. Mariah's successes are irradicable because she has fans that perpetually relate to her, as she continues to reproduce recycled stories under newly schemed hooks. Her songs are like candy (don't steal that for an album title, Mariah) which is why it's hard to tell if she could make an earnest effort to outdo herself. Regardless, she is two #1 hits behind the Beatles, and could well become the #1 selling artist of all time-for the record.

Starvation Love: Isabeli Fontana

They're just normal girls turned perfect that's all. Everybody who loves fashion can undoubtedly appreciate the flawless way a model struts her sass and exhibits a Galliano gown or Cavalli corset for its public inauguration. They're half the reason Anna Wintour is secretly drooling all over her Prada smock, even though she fakes that after eyeballing hundreds of shows she's so over it. Ladies don't have to be lezbos to love their perfectly chizzled jaws and want to dress them in all the pretty clothes at Bendel's. I also love them because watching skinny bitches brawl for the supermodel crown on all those fierce reality shows is so enjoyable with a large cheese pizza. And I love picking favorites, Like right now Isabeli Fontani is super sleek and versatile and hot, cause burnettes are totally making their comback. Girl's been around for awhile, but so has Cindy Crawford. Bring on the burnettes!

Japanese Fashion Week: Motonari Ono

Givenchy's Black Roses

Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy conceived my absolute favorite collection for the fall 08 season. And it's easy to see, since I've been madly in love with Spanish culture since birth. Carrying the bloodline of Givenchy's Parisian Goth aesthetic, Riccardo Tisci has also adapted Latin American Influence of romantic and dark Catholic girls. For another, he uses matador-inspired cropped torreador jackets. Fitted over ruffles, blouses, and trousers, the jackets make an elegant woman look sharp and powerful. The woman is humorless. Black lace dresses flirt with seduction, yet hardly reveal innocent, church-going girls. An ex-collector of crosses and an avid one of gold chains, I love love the masses of gold crosses, they're so political-like when jesus was first sold out to become a fashion statement. Like when Lady Madonna suddenly became Madonna's "Like a Prayer" video. Very rarely would I ever say there is a deeper story behind a whimsical fashion collection, but there is some frustrated rebelliousness that Tisci picked up while abroad. I mean, look at the models, the majority has her hands in her pockets, and under several dark layers of eyeliner, they all look determined and pissed off.

adidasXdiesel

My favorite classic jeans have always been Replay and Diesel denim (both italian, i also love pasta and prada). Now, Diesels, the logical blues aimed at successful living, are catering to successful moving. "83 ways to do nothing" whilst being comfy and super stylish of course. Sold at Adidas. Some key liberties:

#7-take a road trip
#10-pimp your car
#40-send a message in a bottle

*if i had a pair, i would do downhill cartwheels

Ludivine Sagnier: French Intervention

"Every time they ask me too much about nudity or being a sex bomb, I say something about Tinkerbell, in order to wash my sins away."

She's so damn innocently sexy and effervescent in her films, who knew she was almost 30 and with child? Rolling Stone likens her to a young Bardot. She's shed feathers for several films as well as French Playboy. Her perfect blonde locks once had an affair with the color red. In her American langauge debut Swimming Pool, she smokes like a chimney and chain-bangs random men with a pioneering passion, as all the French do. She plays a carefree blonde haunted by heavy familial baggage, a vulnerable role an American actress-say Scarlett Johansson-could never indulge in with such painlessness. But the images of her face splattered over the internet include a preppy ad campaign with her boyfriend for Miu Miu (below) and super adorable pics of her at Paris Fashion Week sitting next to Lilly Allen. If that's not cute, one of Pan's many Tinkerbells admits that her first celebrity crush was Stevie Wonder. Isn't she just lovely?

Gucci Fall 2008

During her past few years at Gucci, I imagine Frida Giannini in the studio starting with basic black, brown, or gray looks, then adding neon, design, bold, or gold here (sometimes everywhere). Last season she splashed yellow on black-and-white, this season, she accessorized and patterned the hell out of very basic, pants with blouses, mini skirts, and long slim-cut dresses. The first two looks have a powerful and masculine presence, especially taking into consideration the gauntness of the models. Something an 18th century prince might wear? Or maybe the red and gold fabrics remind me of curtains from Versaille? The fringe boots, beach hair, minx coats, and overall relaxedness are oh so boho. Unfortunately, once Sienna Miller gets here paws on the collection it will officially become hippie chic. The gold is fantastic, reminiscing Gucci's early days and keeping the hippie for the rich.

Vivienne Westwood Red Lebel

Only Vivienne Westwood could harmonize an entire collection with athletic socks, plaid, and black lace-much of it built around her signature draped and pinned skirt. The new VW Red Label figure is an elegant tomboy; a bit slouch in fabrics that work around her body, or very lovely in lax trousers and heavy trenches, however you want to see it. Her work revives the 14-year-old spirit in ever woman that wants to play dress up. I love how she pairs fancy neck scarves with masculine blazers and uniform sweaters. She's polished much of the heap of fabric that hogpiled her models she presented for fall 07.