I'm gonna have to borrow that

First, a photographic introduction to the influence(s) behind why my new favorite dressy topper is an LLJ, or "little leather jacket":

Ashley, Winter 2008
Ashley, November 2007

Together with Danny Tanner, January 2007
Mary-Kate, September 2007

Together, September 2006
Together, May 2006
Together, March 2006

For those who were hoping I'd fallen off the Prim Express altogether with an admission of affection for Mary-Kate's favored Balenciaga ankle-booties, Ashley's beloved Louboutin 'Pinhead' boots, or their mutual affection for all things big and furry, I do apologize. I'm not quite there yet.

Where I am, however, is madly in love with the idea of wearing a fitted, moto-style black leather jacket on the red carpet -- or in my case, to a formal or semi-formal DC event. For the past couple of months, ever since my lone formal coat was sucked into a black abyss in a club bathroom, I've had to choose among my work coat, my more casual weekend coat, my olive trench and a host of cute but seasonably impractical jackets to top my cocktail ensembles. I know it might seem excessive to some to care so much about an item that will spend the majority of the evening on a rented hanger, but hey, that's me, I kinda want it all.

So after a couple of years of observing the twins Tanner rock this look so successfully, I finally came to a point where (a) I needed a new going-out coat (b) I found a very reasonably priced version of my ideal going-out coat and (c) I had the chutzpah to finally face the fact that there may be a little more Olsen and a little less Audrey in me than I ever wanted to admit.

Also, on a more practical note, the benefits of owning an LLJ extend far beyond just that which you'd wear on the party circuit. They look smashing with skinny jeans and flats, super chic with a high-waisted pencil skirt and pumps and even have the ability to enhance that ruffled jumpsuit you know you -and your friend to whom you've outsourced its less-expensive equivalent's search and rescue- are constantly looking for on the Interwebs.

In closing, I'd like to thank you, Mary-Kate and Ashley, for your leather-jacket-cum-party-topper inspiration -- I hope y'all don't mind too much I'm gonna have to borrow that.

Just 'cause you like it duhn't mean you should wear it

Oh Linds, it's not even your Tang-glow I'm focused on here...
Different day, different shoes, same issue.

Different day, different beverage, still the same issue.

I know I'm not the only one who sees the silhouette of a paint-roller here...

I'm not sure which is more perplexing, that Rihanna chose it or that Zac Posen designed it.

Stretch velvet stretched across your mid-section -- not in theory and definitely not in practice.
My expectations for Beyoncé to wear anything figure-flattering are so low that I almost didn't include her in the bunch. This look is pretty much par for the course for her, after all. My only request is that she please give satin a rest -- it never has been and never will be a "zaftig girl" fabric.

* check back later to see these women on better days. Though I must warn you, I can't promise I'll be able to find one for the hot mess, er House of Dereon above

10 Best Dresses of Summer '07

This post may not on the outset look like it would have taken much time to piece together, but believe me, the 10 dresses you see here - the 10 I'm presenting to you as the 10 'best' of Summer '07 - represent only a very wee fraction of the near 800 celebrity photos I've right-clicked and saved over the past two and two-thirds months.

For every photo of Jessica Alba in a gorgeous metallic sheath, I had to skip over five of Fergie sans makeup in a fedora with high-waisted purple skinny jeans; for every photo of Jennifer Lopez looking stunning in a Lanvin mini, I had to suffer through dozens of Cameron Diaz in a pair of don't-pity-me-I'm-"gorgeous" short shorts and seafoam green wrap-up-the-leg gladiator sandals.

Point is, when I finally finished making my cuts, it was late, my eyes hurt and frankly, I was taxed from the two trips to the salon it took Sayed to get my hair as close to this* as my half-Asian locks would allow. If you feel strongly one or more of these dresses doesn't belong among the ranks of the rest, you're just gonna have to ask me (after you berate me) for an explanation in the comments section.

And no, I did not pick Eva Mendes three times just to pick Eva Mendes three times.

In no particular order, here are my favorite celebrity dresses for the season that was Summer 2007 (I declared it over after the fourth straight day of needing a sweatshirt to walk Monte in the morning):

L.C. in a knit bubble dress by Lauren Conrad Collection
Jessica Alba in a metallic column gown by John Galliano for DiorMary-Kate Olsen in a kimono style dress by Elizabeth & James

Eva Longoria in a bib-front belted mini by Monique Lhuillier
Julia Stiles in a ruffle-trim shirt dress by Zac Posen
Jessica Alba in a metallic sheath by Dolce & Gabbana

Jennifer Lopez in a lantern-neck mini by LanvinEva Mendes in a floor-length strapless gown by Valentino

Eva Mendes in a sleeveless metallic sheath by Dolce & Gabbana

Eva Mendes in a one-shouldered Grecian gown by Alberta Ferretti

*photo courtesy of The Sartorialist