When it comes to bathroom sinks, porcelain is passé. Get in the design flow with a stunning sculptural vessel sink. Inspired by the china basins of old, these sinks are finished on all sides and mount on top of the countertop.

But it’s not just the unusual shapes that turn these into design statements; many are crafted from surprising materials like glass, stone or even bamboo. Be warned: Once you turn on this particular faucet, you’ll want to redesign the whole bathroom around your new basin.

Perhaps the most gloriously whimisical is this lollipop of a freestanding basin, the Crosswater Watercolour (right), with its candy-striped glass bowl suspended from a stainless-steel stand with integrated faucet. Sweet! The downside? It seems to be available only in the United Kingdom ($2,625 for the double-armed stand; $1,567 for the basin) but you could try to convince them to ship across the pond.

Go bold with a fire-red Galaxy rectangular glass sink from KRAUS with a coordinating waterfall faucet ($270; below). It’s the perfect antidote to boring white porcelain. And just think of the color combinations!

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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…)

Even before the 2009 spring ready-to-wear shows in Europe have ended, a few trends are popping up: layered colors, sumptuous prints, gorgeous whites and short-to-long hemlines. Add a shoulder pad here and draped fabric there, and you’ve got the look. It seems like nearly every designer has at least one teeny tiny dress on the runway. Oh-so-short and wildly sexy, they dare your legs to look longer:

Stella McCartney, Paris. A little bit of a black dress with a big silhouette.

Balmain, Paris: A mermaid without her tail, with shimmer and shine for miles.

Peter Jensen, London: Check the blazer and portfolio; are we to interview in this?

Dolce & Gabbana, Milan: Be your own botanical garden!

Christian Lacroix, Paris: The man does know how to create a party dress (picture, right, New York Magazine).

Jean Paul Gaultier, Paris: A pretty thing, but a bit too dependent on the illusion.

Jenny Packham, London: Spring brings ruffles, color and a bright orange belt.

Missoni, Milan: A breath of fresh air in teal and gold.

Dior, Paris: If you’re brave enough, it’s certainly an attention getter!

Each week, let us call your attention to some of our favorite, fun, entertaining and amazing shopping blogs. They elevate shopping to an art. Or an obsession.

1. Ambika B. of (Into) The Fray shops thrift stores, eBay and designer shops, takes pictures of herself trying on clothes in Anthropologie dressing rooms, and regularly dishes about the boyfriend. September, her blog’s second anniversary, found her rhapsodizing about art, dolman sleeves, crescent necklaces (left), water bottles, Ecoist bags and wildly cool coasters.

2. Slave to Target is a hilarous romp through the aisles of your favorite discount mega-retailer, with a witty person by your side. Blogger Jill waxes poetic about a paprika-colored handbag for $25 (especially wonderful after she compared it to pricey satchels at Bluefly.com).

3. Tara at She Finds must have watched the Emmy Awards, because she’s been trolling through a pretty selection of crystal drop earrings (right). Browse Swarovski at $12 to Calypso for $90, and practice that saucy head turn that makes them twinkle in the light.

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Tonight’s presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama will be heavy on serious, significant topics. A very small, quite insignificant piece of the patriotic puzzle is the ongoing squabble over flag lapel pins.

Much has been made about the little bits of jacket jewelry - an old-school political tradition - during the campaigns. Obama wore a flag pin, then stopped, saying it was a hollow political statement. Then a veteran gave him a pin and he started wearing them again and was accused of flip-flopping. McCain has gotten attention also for not wearing a pin and the blog-o-sphere has railed against him. (Hillary Clinton sometimes skips the pin, Joe Biden usually has one on, and Rudy Guiliani never goes out without one.)

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You’re in the mall. You’re on the Web. You’re attempting to decipher the completely mixed fashion messages in the fall collections: Clothes are black and white, unless they’re grey; trends are sleek and minimalist, except when layered and chunky; silhouettes are classic, except when ragged and asymmetrical.

We hear, we know, we understand. We can make sense of it. Breathe, order a latte and get comfortable as we list scene-stealers for your closet this fall. Want all the details? Read our whole story.

Here’s a quick summary:

1. On the A-List: the waist: Start those sit-ups. Cinched waists are back, accentuated with wide belts.

2. Outrageous lengths: from very short to very long, but don’t stay in between.

3. Mixed messages: Don’t be shy with this trend, mix plaids with florals, fur with feathers, slick with bulky.

4. Over our heads: The season’s most forgiving style - big, bulky, oversized sweaters.

5. Open up the vault: OK, perhaps you don’t have lots of jewels, but jewel-toned evening dresses are in and shining.

6. Plaiditudes: Anything, everything is plaid. Scarves, dresses, coats, sweaters, skirts, anything!

7. Going long: Of course long, leggy models look good in body skimming long pants and dresses, but opt for a monochromatic look and you can be Giselle Bundchen of your neighborhood.

8. Showing our bias: This may be a one-season wonder, but skirts and dresses are showing a lot of angled attitude in their hemlines.

9: Gam chic: Show off those legs with over the knee boots in varied fabrics and hues.

10: Coats to cuddle in: Look like you stole your husband’s, boyfriend’s or dad’s big wool overcoat and you’ll be right in style.

Want all the details. Read our whole story.

There comes a point in every presidential campaign when the candidates are closely scrutinized by a curious country with a single question: What does your necktie say about you?

Barack Obama has said he doesn’t like neckties and is frequently seen without them, even when wearing a suit. When he does wear a tie it’s usually muted, a solid pale gray or blue, or one with slim stripes. John McCain is more necktie-friendly. He wears all manner of striped ties (albeit subdued) and sometimes opts for bright colors such as yellow or orange. Since we’re going to be seeing a lot of them, we’ve rounded up some nice ties that might give the candidates a few style points:

• Starting at the higher end, Armani Collezioni’s navy tie with thin light blue stripes is natty for $140
• A more conventional striped tie from Charvet can be had in red and white stripes on a blue background ($185)
• Salvatore Ferragamo’s red, white and blue striped necktie is a little more striking
• If you’re rich, snap up the Stefani Ricci silk striped tie with a dominant red tone for $210 (pictured, right)
• A pair of ties that don’t scream American but would work for either candidate are the Armani delicate striped red tie, or Ermenegildo Zegna’s lovely Italian silk blue tie with tiny white dots
• A little more down-to-earth, pricewise, is the Calvin Klein deep red “digi square” tie for $69.50 at Dillard’s, or the blue “microbead” striped tie, also $69.50
• Also very striking and a lot less costly is Target’s Merona houndstooth blue tie for $20

Some serious but excessively patriotic ties include:

• Krisar’s American flag tie for $10
• A stars and stripes look from Sterling Apparel for $18
• Jos. A. Bank’s boldly striped tie on sale for $30

A tad wackier:

• The waving American flag tie at Wild Ties for $15 and their tie festooned with presidential portraits for $35
• Zazzle’s ties dotted with the presidential seal

We even found an Obama tie for $17 on Wild Ties, but try as we might, we could not find a John McCain tie, although there are lots of nice apparel options from his website (like a snappy navy windbreaker). We did stumble upon a tie that might tickle a gung-ho GOPer (pictured, above), and for the racier Republican, there’s one decorated with a picture of a young Sarah Palin for $30.