If you’re so star-struck you would pay good money to wear a piece of celebrity clothing (or if you’re just a sucker for a good cause), look no farther than Clothes Off Our Backs. Husband-and-wife actors Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm in the Middle, Raising the Bar) and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), founded the nonprofit in 2002, and it hosts charity auctions of celebrity attire, raising nearly $3 million for children’s charities.

Current auctions for clothing, accessories, and memorabilia from the 60^th Primetime Emmy Awards runs through Oct. 21 and will benefit Feeding America, The Art of Elysium, H.E.L.P. Malawi and Hope North. Among the items on the block:

1. E!’s Kristin Dos Santos’ Hugo Boss Black Collection Gown (size 6; above left, $1,000 opening bid)

2. Dancing With the Stars’ Julianne Hough’s BCBG Max Azria Gown (size 0; above center, $1,000 opening bid)

3. How I Met Your Mother’s Neil Patrick Harris’ Paul Smith tie (left, $75 opening bid)

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If you’re sick of your summer surroundings, make a stylish seasonal shift by tossing on a new slipcover; one of heavy, rich fabric in deep, warm fall colors.

No, these are not your grandmother’s flowery slipcovers. Today’s stylish sheaths hug your furniture for a sleek custom-fit look.

For a solid, try the soft microfiber faux suede in deep reddish-brown cordovan ($99; $22 for box cushion cover) or the waffle-textured pique covers in garnet (on sale from $80 to $130). The Home Trends coffee satin striped cover (above) is elegant without breaking the bank: $50 for a loveseat; $60 for a sofa.

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When is a bottle of water not a bottle of water? When it’s a glittering, lacy, limited-edition Christian Lacroix Prêt-à-Porter Evian bottle of water.

Yes, the economy may be taking a nose-dive, but that likely meant little at New York’s recent Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, where excess will always spell success.

Evian, long the “official bottled water” for the Bryant Park runway shows, came out with the Lacroix collectible, part of their new line of designer-developed bottles. Decorated with glittering snowy crystals in a coppiced lace pattern, the bottle reminds us of the French Alps, the source of Evian springwater since 1826.

The Lacroix bottle will take its final bow this fall to make way for more high-end designer bottles. But you can still snag one for $14 or buy a case of 12 for $118.

Now that you’re drinking from that trendy bottle, how dare you freshen your face and set your makeup with that same old Evian Brumisateur (that’s French for “facial (more…)

With all of those much-too-cute dog togs out there, Fido may be even more fashionable than his (or her) owner this Halloween. According to the American Pet Products Association, Americans will spend $43.4 billion (yes, as in nine zeroes!) on their pets this year. Among the big trends is playing dress-up with our dogs. So it should come as no surprise that we’re about to unleash the hounds of Halloween with our hand-picked assortment of dynamic duo “dogstumes”: Dog With the Wind: Rhett Butler ($36) and Scarlett ($48) - above

The Dark K-9ght: The Batman ($19) and Joker ($13)

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No one can accuse would-be First Lady Cindy McCain of having a dull, predictable hairstyle. Over the course of the campaign, she has been photographed wearing her flaxen, shoulder-length hair up in a tight bun, up in a tight ponytail, up in a high bun, up in a soft-sided semi-ponytail (a bit like Sarah Palin), in a loose bun, down with waves, down without waves, down with a flip, with bangs and without.

Most of us couldn’t pull off that many looks in a lifetime, much less in the course of a campaign. She is always elegantly dressed, and we find ourselves wondering which hairstyle she’ll have in the next photo-op.

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Her hair was likely one of the first things you noticed about Michelle Obama’s presence when she strode onstage to greet her husband and presidential candidate, Barack Obama, after the momentous first debate at the University of Mississippi late last month.

She sported a layered pageboy, parted on the side, with soft bangs that looked a bit windblown, an elegant and modern look befitting a woman in such a bright spotlight. 

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Oh, we’ll chatter about who bested whom, Joe Biden or Sarah Palin, during tonight’s vice presidential debate. Let’s leave it to others to ponder the political ramifications.

Let’s talk about how she looked.

Flattering black semi-satin skirted suit, hem modestly to the knee, jacket tied at the waist and then flared. A touch of shoulder padding and relatively narrow lapels, with a solid black skimmed top underneath. Oh, and a very large sparkling American flag pin on the lapel, but we’ve already talked about that kind of thing.

Yea, a little heavy on the cheek color (Hey, you’re gonna be on TV!). And those much-discussed frameless glasses.  (more…)

We’re always keeping an eye out for stylish bargains and great sales. This week we’ve found a handful of handbags, all for less than $50:

1. Kohl’s has a faux snakeskin hobo bag by Relic that’s a bit shiny, with black patent trim, on sale for $33.60 (it was $48).

2. Botkier is that very pricy, hip designer line that has a Target line of bags that look a lot more expensive than they are. The roomy gray faux python satchel even has a cell phone pocket, for $28 (it was $40, pictured left).

3. If you want a splashy colorful statement bag, look no further than Betsey Johnson’s Betseyville canvas tote, complete with pink spotted straps, a wild girly graphic and her signature metal tag. It’s $43.50 at Macys (pictured, right), originally $58. 

4. Piperlime is a great site for bags and shoes, and they also have great sales. This Jessica Simpson Pacha tote was $99, and now it’s $50!

5. Another great site for accessories (and clothes, jewelry, etc.) is Amazon. They’ve got a lot more than books! We spotted a sporty RuthMichael blue Bali slouch purse for exactly $50.