The little black dress is just a Pandora’s Box, isn’t it? We only need one, but there is no guarantee that one is actually the one. The next LBD we see looks even better. It could be the best ever. It could be the most Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the perfect Sex in the City. And we are looking for it all the time. Little-black-dress radar is never turned off.  Designers understand this, because they must constantly reinvent the little troublemaker. This fall, Abaete (Saks, $270, pictured) adds a sweetheart neckline and barely-there curves; Lanvin hits a bit of a harder edge with a sharp silhouette and a no-nonsense shoulder line. Michael Kors takes the hem up to here and the sleeves down to there, and ends up with a bit of a ’70s babydoll ($150). Fendi adds buckles, buttons and a skinny little ruffle around the hem; Vera Wang ends in ruffles as well, but goes sleek and sophisticated before she gets there. Thakoon adds short little sleeves and a square neckline to a dress with a lot of shape; Dries Van Noten adds colorful embellishment to his elbow-length bell sleeves, but otherwise comes up with a fairly shapeless dress. Baby Phat owns the literal interpretation of the word “little,” in a dress small enough that it could roll up and fit into a nice Marc Jacobs bag. We give Bottega Veneta’s simple black off-the-shoulder sheath this year’s Hepburn nod, for the dress most likely to get us down a Parisian street with confidence. Well, maybe except for Chanel, of course, and their hoodie-inspired leather dress. We’re just not sure we have the, uh, je ne sais quoi needed to pull it off.

All TV stations will broadcast only in digital starting Feb. 17, 2009. If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need an analog-to-digital converter box for your TV, but your parents or grandparents or elderly friends who still rely on rabbit ears or rooftop antennas do. And they may not even know it (a January report said 36 percent of all Americans - predominately Hispanics - didn’t know about this impending change). Another report earlier this year said there are a little more than 14 million households - 13 percent of all households with TVs - that will lose their signals if they don’t buy the boxes (which cost from $40 to $70). The government’s TV converter box coupon program Web site answers most all questions, but that doesn’t help if the person doesn’t have a computer. You can help them apply for two free coupons worth $40 each at the Web site, or they can call (888) 388-2009. or mail an application to P.O. Box 2000, Portland, Ore. 97208-2000 (download the application here.) The coupons must come from the government, not retailers. The coupons (which look like plastic gift cards) expire 90 days after they’re mailed. Don’t assume all retailers will accept the $40 cards, so check first. More information is available from the Federal Trade Commission. Some words of caution: retailers are not allowed to charge tax on the government-funded portion of the boxes (the $40 coupon). Also, do not toss the antennas: They can still augment the signal. A Washington Post story several months ago warns of the “digital cliff” - digital signals are more easily interrupted and lost because of hills, trees and weather. The government site lists all the retailers (big box, online and telephone) who sell the boxes, but we found some discrepancies. A visit to BestBuy.com offers information, but they don’t sell the boxes online: you have to go to a store. This page shows you the three kinds they sell, at $60 each. Sears.com has a box on their Web site about the change, but clicking it takes you to the FCC site, and it appears Sears doesn’t sell the boxes (despite the government site saying they do). Target.com has one type that must be purchased in stores for $50.

There has been a pitched battle for Olympic gold going on 1,222 miles from Beijing this week, but it’s likely only aficionados or little girls have watched. The equestrian competition ended in Hong Kong with Germany coming out on top with three gold medals (the U.S. won two, including a gold). Anyone who watched the events marveled at the sheer strength, skill and hutzpah of horse and rider, but in case Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin distracted you, there are lots of little girls who live and breathe horses. One person even attempts to decipher the riddle of why girls love horses on Yahoo!Answers. Now all these girls are going to need a horsey fix: If she’s around 6 to 8 years old, get her the “Fashion Angels” equestrian sketchbook ($15) from Toys’r'Us, or the Equestrian Challenge for PC for $20. If Barbie is her thing, the omnipresent doll has a complete equestrian outfit for $50 from etoys (if you want the horse and tack, that’s extra). There’s even a lovely book from the American Girls library, Girls and their Horses for $9. Mom, do you remember how much you loved horses? Maybe it was because of the classic movie National Velvet. Lest we forget that Jackie Kennedy made equestrian style chic, England’s Equestrianism.net maintains the standard. More recently, the O’Halloran Co. turned it into couture styling. (If you pay attention to fashion, you’ve noticed the riding boots that designers are churning out, such as Burberry’s $995 pair.) If the grown-ups have become enamored of dressage, this classy coffee table book shows you how to put the horsey into your home décor ($41). Finally, to make sure the holiday’s are just right, grab a Little Girl Riding Horse ornament from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland for $6.

Gardens are magical places. Sit in one long enough and you’ll see nature at work, in the form of birds, bugs, reptiles and rodents, not to mention your pets and the neighbor’s pets. But there’s another kind of critter that enhances any garden, one that’s always there when you want it. Consider the life-size English hare ($40) from Plow & Hearth. Alert and ready to scamper away, this all-weather resin statue isn’t going anywhere. Its only job is to lend charm and beauty to your surroundings. Not to be outdone, the resin mossy frog ($33) has the added benefit of green coloring and spots. But there’s more to lifelike garden accents than cast resin. Cast Iron Cabin sells all manner of cast iron creatures, like this lovely turtle ($7) and adorable hedge hog ($12). The cottage meadow accent birds (three for $13) at Tender Heart are made of terra cotta and manage to capture the fragility and plumpness of actual chicks. The site also features luck-be-a-ladybug yard art that won’t be mistaken for the real thing. Made of ceramic and metal wire, a two-piece set is $21. Speaking of unreal, check out George Carruth’s Sid Fish ($35) and Splash Fish ($20) garden statues at Yardiac. They’ve got human faces and fish bodies. To further humanize your garden (and make the neighbors wonder about you), the site also sells “forest faces” that can be nailed into your trees to make them “come alive.” There’s a smiley face (pictured), kissy face, sheepish face and more ($14, small; $20, large). You can even hide a spare house key in this yellow finch ($8) or cat ($25). They’re not going to squeal.

Anyone who pretends not to look at tabloid magazine covers knows that America is very, very interested in babies of celebrities. To feed that insatiable hunger, most every celebrity of childbearing years has had a baby of late. People Magazine’s Web site has found the perfect mixture of star-obsession and shopping with their Celebrity Baby Blog. The Blog features a section on what gear celebs buy for their babies. Because we know there is an instinctive maternal urge to buy your baby something that Nicole Richie’s baby has, we’ve rounded up a few recent items. Laila Ali, of boxing and Dancing With the Stars fame, is expecting a son and has a Mutsy 4 Rider Light stroller ($699) waiting, as well as a Luca Glider for $895, baby shoes by Pediped and a $50 Jelly Baby changing mat by Kuster. Julianna Margulies wheels son Kieran Lindsay in a Bugaboo Cameleon ($900) and uses an $80 Skip Hop Via messenger diaper bag ($79). Actress Gretchen Mol has an 11-month-old son named Ptolemy and he sucks a Gerber soft center pacifier (2 for $3) and rides in a Bugaboo Frog ($759). Singer Sheryl Crow and son Wyatt Steven cruise in Kolcraft Countours Lite stroller ($70, pictured) and the baby wears an eco-T from Tiny Revolution, $25. Celeb-dad Matthew McConaughey strolls tiny Levi in an Orbit Baby’s Orbit infant system ($900) with bassinet ($240). In an amazing double-celebrity, double-baby sighting - Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, with Apple and David -  were seen walking both with Paltrow’s green Phil and Ted’s Sport double stroller, which costs $510. And, short of Brangelina’s twins, the most ogled child in America has to be Suri Cruise. On a recent outing, she carried Jellycat’s My Little Friend Bunny ($12). Must you have more? The Baby Chic 101 blog keeps tabs on every celeb and their baby buys. (Lisa Marie Presley, expecting twins, just spent more than $18,000 at chic Petit Tresor).

There’s a lot of grumbling out there about the Apple 3G iPhone that came out in July. It seems that calls are dropping, like rocks. They’re blaming it on a German-made chip in the phone, and Apple is promising a software fix will be on iTunes soon. On top of the irritation at lost connectivity, Apple has sold so many of them, they’re not so special any more. Everybody seems to have one. So now how do you elevate yourself above the masses? Pop a fascinating case or cover over it, of course. You can go the basic route with leather or silicone skins,  or get one in a snazzy color for $25. Since you were aiming for a high tech look, the Invisible Shield by Zagg ($25) is made of a thin polyurethane film created by the military for helicopter blades. Cases.com has lots to choose from, including a snappy red leather crocodile cover for $127 (pictured). Not content to wear your iPod on your arm, now you can slap your iPhone on as well, with a $30 sport armband from Belkin (or their Spiderman-ish micro-grip, which is coming soon). A Web site called iPhone3Gcases.net certainly has to have a lot to pick from, such as the colorful Golla Calla fabric cover for $20. Get snazzier with the iWood by Miniot, carved from a single piece of wood and monogrammed with your logo or a personal message, for about $125. And if you really want to flaunt your phone, get the monogrammed Louis Vuitton leather holder for $320 (but check back because they’re out of them online right now - we guess everybody wants one, just like you).