Recently in Man Snob Category

There's just no stopping Betty White. Having already hosted "Saturday Night Live," the 88 year-old actress has turned her attention to, what else, the world of fashion. Introducing the Betty White Collection, a new unisex clothing line. Amazing! Apparel company Jerry Leigh partnered with the octogenarian to produce the $28 T-shirts and $48 hoodies--the latter with built-in iPod convenience compartments--featuring the surviving Golden Girl's image. A portion of proceeds will benefit one of White's favorite causes, the Morris Animal Foundation (in case you needed another excuse to buy one). Nevermind that these garments are just freakin' awesome; they're also fashion-forward as well. No embroidered sweaters from St. Olaf here! I don't know about you, but I've already ordered the white Propaganda Betty hoodie.

Available at www.hoodiebuddie.com

It's finally here! After much rallying from the label's faithful legion of big spenders, Alber Elbaz this week opened the doors to the Northeast's first Lanvin store--a 3,550-square-foot store on Manhattan's Upper East Side that, many years ago, housed a Versace flagship. This, the third Lanvin U.S. boutique following Miami and Las Vegas, spans three elegant floors in a landmark townhouse.

The store will carry the entire women's ready-to-wear and accessory collections (Bags! Shoes! Jewelry!) while also showcasing its Blanche, 22 Faubourg, Tailoring and Denim capsules. Highlighted amongst all the stunning garments will be whimsical Lanvin tchotchkes, including gift items like umbrellas, stationary, playing cards, music boxes and hand painted porcelain dolls. Elbaz designed the store to reference the elegance of a women's club while simultaneously maintaining the ambience of intimacy and comfort felt in one's home. Love the antique chandeliers!

Looking for a way to inject some pop into your summer wardrobe but don't want to spend a fortune on a one-season dress? I have a solution for you: snag one of Stephen Burrows' new knit dresses made exclusively to celebrate the opening of Target's first-ever Manhattan store in East Harlem. The colorful dresses come from Burrows' signature palette; as one of the first African-American names in the industry, Burrows is known for his sexy chiffon dresses, bright colors and exaggerated stitching. The best part of his collection? There's a shape and cut to suit any body size! I love the boatneck colorblock dress and the yellow scoop-neck dress with the leopard print sleeves and blue flare. And for the icing on the cake, Target will be donating 5% of each ofBurrows' piece purchased to a local Harlem charity: The Fund for Public Schools in support of the library at The Young Women's Leadership School.

$34.99 each, available at Target East Harlem July 25 and at select Target stores nationwide and www.target.com beginning August 1

How great was Elisabeth Moss as Peggy Olson on last night's season premiere of "Mad Men?" While I can't get enough of her acting chops, something I wish would be spruced up a bit is her on-show wardrobe. Clearly Moss has some great taste--evident by the beautiful Oscar de la Renta cocktail dress she donned for the show's premiere party in L.A. last week (hosted by Banana Republic). Her taffeta one-shoulder dress was fashioned in an eye-popping emerald hue (although I would've recommended a slightly more nude shoe). I love a well-placed cascading ruffle anytime, and this one, cast from the shoulder down the front of the dress, creates a streamlined effect that is figure flattering.

Seriously, how cute does Rihanna look? All it took was one smile to seal the deal for me on this one-shoulder D&G jumper. Yes, it's definitely not a look the majority of women can pull off (chiffon ruffles? multi color polka dots?) but Rihanna does it beautifully--and with such a youthful zest--while attending a party hosted by Asics and Drai's Hollywood earlier this week. This piece is from the D&G pre-fall collection (in stores now) and should you dare to wear it, I recommend cinching it with a belt just like how Rihanna did. As for shoes, keep them simple--the same goes for jewelry. Remember: you're already going to be a sight for sore eyes. Don't overdo it.

$895, available at D&G boutiques

Gorgeous color + stunning silhouette = one fantastic red carpet outing. As much as I love seeing Marion Cotillard in her failsafe Dior numbers, it's always nice to branch out --even sweeter when that means being able to shimmy into something by L'Wren Scott. Take this blue silk jacquard shift from L'Wren's Fall 2010 collection, for example, that Marion wore to the L.A. premiere of "Inception" on Tuesday. While it looks amazingly well-fitted to her frame and on the conservative side, there's an innate sex appeal about this dress that whispers, not screams, volumes. The dark blue hue complements her dark tresses elegantly while at the same time is fresh and vibrant. And when she turns around in her Dior heels, the strategically cut lower slit is spot on and falls beautifully right below the knee. How terribly ladylike! It's no wonder, really, given that L'Wren's fall collection was called "Tuxedo Terrace" and was built on the principles of exploring various incarnations of formality. Bravo!

$2,180, available at Barneys New York, Net-a-porter.com, Jeffrey and Kirna Zabete

Continuing their forged streak of targeting a younger customer, Valentino designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli have subconsciously sought out to distance their designs from those of the living legend whose brand they took over--even if that icon's presence continues to live on with much regard and relevance.

Tapping a pre-Mod Sixties motif that, at same points, had a nod toward the man himself, the collection went ultrashort (forget the midcalf here) with the high-waisted baby-doll shapes that they've made quite popular--and successful--at the house. The bows and tiers of lush fabric continued on unabated (note the introduction of a lone dainty slide), although a handful of looks verged on trippy. A sheer, short black cocktail dress, however, was gorgeous with a large white rosette placed delicately across the front. This is a collection made for the beautiful. Just be beautiful and young.

In what was one of his very best couture collections--and the first since announcing his stepping down as creative director at Hermès--Jean Paul Gaultier channeled his home turf of Paris for inspiration, capturing the essence of French tradition and couture style (note the Eiffel Tower outlined on the back of fishnet stockings on one model).

Karl Lagerfeld triumphed once again, staging a sunset Chanel couture show that roared--pun intended--with power, energy and some fabulous clothes. The proof was in the pudding, you could say, considering that a stunning 8-ton, 40-foot-tall golden lion, its paw perched on an enormous pearl, stood gallantly beneath the Grand Palais glass dome. Turns out Coco was a Leo. Go figure.

The most obvious missing entity from the show? Long evening gowns. But that was done on purpose. "In the Twenties they wore short for evening," Lagerfeld offered. Out came a spiffy collection of tweeds redone in new proportions (think shrunken, short, short sleeve jackets with an overwhelming amount of chains, pearls and stones piled on). But it was at night where Lagerfeld, once again, succeeded. The romantic trapeze cocktail numbers were an utter delight and even a it of a throwback to his earlier design days. The last few looks, paired with individual pairs of exquisitely embellished boots to match each outfit, were a testament to the house's masterful couture skills: the Indian- and baroque-accents stunned, even more so an incredible dress handmade entirely of pearls.

In one word: amber. That was Armani's color du jour for his haute couture collection. A bit mundane perhaps, but the overall feeling was one of power, elegance and sheer gorgeousness. In a bit of a surprising move, Carmen Kass opened the show in a softly cut crepe suit (matching coat open, natch).
It was very symbolic of this power woman Armani channeled. Yes, there was a pronounced emphasis on daywear, but I felt he triumphed with eveningwear. Again, it was like Armani asked himself, "how many different ways can I show beige?" Collectively, it was a bit repetitive, but when one of these beauties saunters down a red carpet, it's sure to turn heads. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words.