Christmas presents for the REAL Fashionista...

I have a fashionista "friend" (you KNOW who you are!). Her family always dreads buying birthday and Christmas presents for her, because the majority of their tokens of affection cause her to immediately invoke that vendor's return policy. So much so that their knee-jerk reaction of late has been to either place a gift card in her stocking or to just fork over cold hard cash. Well, The REAL RE-Edit has some interesting holiday gift ideas for that label-whore relative who is so hard to shop for.

I came across the first gift idea as I was pumping it down 59th Street. In my periphery, I caught a glimpse of the iconic Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress on a mannequin in the Bloomingdales window with a bunch of Barbie dolls stacked behind it.
Upon further inspection, it all made sense. You guessed it...the Diane Von Furstenberg Barbie Doll! Fully accessorized with jewelry, sunglasses, newspaper, passport, and DVF designed luggage, this will surely put a smile on any devout Vogue reader's face and still show that you have some fashion flair- anyone from the 12-year old whose life was changed after reading Diana Vreeland's autobiography to the woman who lives and breathes Prada will appreciate this thoughtful gift. All of that for around $100.00...

While we're on the topics of books and fashion, "The Beautiful Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent, and Glorious Excess in 1970s Paris" by Alicia Drake would be a great gift for those fashionistas who would like to brush up on how the houses of Karl Lagerfeld and Yves St. Laurent came to be. The book chronicles the somewhat bizarre love-hate relationship the progenitors of two of the most powerful and creative fashion houses in the world shared- from their first interaction at the 1954 International Wool Secretariat Competition that launched both of their careers to the entourage antics of mythic creatures like Loulou de la Falaise, Betty Catroux, Pat Cleveland, Antonio Lopez, Paloma Picasso and the like that shaped their respective mystiques and creative output. Drake places you in this magical time in fashion and the mystical world that Lagerfeld and St. Laurent created with descriptive wit and historical context that keeps anyone remotely interested in fashion engaged until the very end. I gotta say, I was halfway through the book before it occurred to me that the sun had risen and that I need to get up and prepare breakfast. All of that for less than 25 bucks. Not bad...


Going a little upscale (for about $5,000), you can have the upgraded "fanny pack" from Louis Vuitton. This Marc Jacobs-designed multicolor-embossed mink fanny-errrr-"bum bag" has the stylemonster contingent up in arms; some like it, some HATE it. I think either way, it will definitely turn heads at Six Flags or during your morning jog through Central Park. That is, IF you can work it like Naomi in the new Vuitton campaign ads...

While we're on the subject of bags, here's a surprise: Any of the bags offered this season by Baby Phat. As you may remember from my Spring 2007 Fashion week review, I've not been a big fan of either Baby Phat's construction or necessarily Kimora Lee Simmons, but credit is definitely due. Yeah, its great to have your staple Vuitton or Bottega Veneta bag, but these bags were the surprise of the season. In addition, the price points aren't bad.







Smell up the place with "Angel" eau de parfum by Thierry Mugler...EVERY Fashionista has this fragrance in their collection- whether they wear it or not. Although the aroma is a bit "curiously strong"- requiring a light spritzing as opposed to the multiple-pulse-point application of most parfums- it is definitely unique and instantly recognizable. Sexy and intoxicating at the same time. Also available for men. Get some... $68.00 for 0.8 fl oz bottle...


For a little bit of fashion reference in DVD form, three movies immediately come to mind. Pick up a copy of "Unzipped", the Douglas Keeves-directed film documenting Isaac Mizrahi's agonizing and utterly fulfilling process of assembling his Spring 1993 collection. Will he get it done without going crazy? Will the fashion press like it? With cameo appearances by fashion stalwarts Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Kate Moss, Shalom Harlowe and EARTHA KITT (!!), does it matter? Go along for the ride and check it out. For those "Project Runway" junkies, Keeves also directs the 2005 documentary "Seamless" which follows the trials and tribulations of 3 designers vying for the top prize given by The Council of Fashion Designers of America. Although Heidi Klum does a great job as the host of the television show, NOBODY's opinion is more important in fashion than that of Vogue Editor Anna Wintour-not even Isaac Mizrahi (who appears in this film as well)...

Diana Ross flexes her sartorial muscle as the costume designer in "Mahogany", starring Ross as Tracy Chambers, an aspiring designer-cum fashion model, chronicling her journey from the ghettos of Chicago to the fashion establishment in Rome and back. If for no other reason than seeing the Kabuki-themed fashion show that opens the movie or the fashion montage that "inspired" the same sequence featuring Beyonce in "Dreamgirls", every fashion plate should have this movie at the ready. Yeah, its campy--but so is fashion sometimes. Besides, getting "The Complete Sex and The City" DVD is soooooo three years ago...

If none of these work for you, there is always cold hard cash...