Cold Hands, Warm Toesies

I think everything Rachel Bilson does when it comes to fashion is usually right. She's like my favorite child in the fashion world. Well, actually, she's among my favorite children...the list consists of Rachel Bilson, Nicole Richie, Eva Longoria, Anne Hathaway, and most of the other clients Rachel Zoe styles. Now, Britney Spears? She is my red-headed stepchild that I lock in the closet until she can figure out how the fuck to dress herself. (That shit? Still hasn't happened.)

So it's no surprise Rachel and I agreed on one thing: how incredibly to die for these platform booties from Opening Ceremony are. Paired with the right dress, or the right leggings or pair of skinny jeans, (I'm thinking paired with a flannel, but hey, get wild, go crazy, it's all you, girls) this pair of shoes ($430 at Saks Fifth Avenue or saks.com) is a great addition to your closet this Fall and Winter season.

I'll be on the hunt for more moderately priced versions, but for those of you who want to stimulate the economy and look adorable at the same time (nothin wrong with that, but your mortgage and rent come first ladies!) please rock these at will.

You will be among my favorite style children, as well.

Pick up Opening Ceremony at Saks Fifth Avenue. Also, Rachel Bilson writes a fantastic little column in InStyle Magazine. It is on LC's MUST READ list, and believe me, there are people who are leaning more towards Britney Spears in terms of fashion, and they really, really need to read her advice, pronto.

My Lawn Boy is Back!

Desperate Housewives is one of my favorites, it's not a big secret. The whole world (and my family and friends) stops on Sunday nights to watch the drama unfold on Wisteria Lane, and I can tell you what happened on just about every episode from every season. My family and friends and I talk about the stars of DH as though they are our friends or neighbors. (Not that the people we know don't have drama that parallels that of this TV show.)

As if I need another reason to tune in on Sundays, Jesse Metcalf (aka, John the gardener) is back in the act, and this time, he's preying on Gabrielle Solis' (Eva Longoria)young teenage niece, one of his employees. An attempt to make Gabi mad? Well, it's understandable, as I am certainly jealous of any other woman who's getting her lawn plowed by a guy as hot as Jesse Metcalf.

Welcome back. The cougar in us all missed you severely, Jesse. ;)

Tune in to Desperate Housewives on ABC Sunday nights. Check your local listings for times.

Young, Fabulous, & Purple

Purple is one of my favorite colors. I remember my Auntie Gloria, who always asks for my fashion advice and lets me help her shop, reciting a line from a poem to me along the lines of “When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple.” Since I always insist on reassuring my Mom and Aunts that they are not old (as this makes me feel much younger) I told her, “Don’t be ridiculous. Anyone can wear purple. I’ve been wearing purple since my Christening.” To which she responded, “Actually, my dear, you wore white to your Christening, sweetie.” Point taken.

Nevertheless, purple remains a fashion staple; it is a gorgeous color and comes in a variety of rich, regal, exotic shades for Fall. Women like the beautiful Ms. Longoria-Parker have been seen out and about wearing the color with confidence & flair.

Don’t wait until you’re an old lady to wear purple. Now is the time, take it out of your closet or off the hanger, and walk out of the house looking pretty & posh in purple. It’s your time, dolls.

Stopping Traffic

This dress from Harmony Lane boutique in Los Angeles actually caught the eye of my own mother before I even noticed it, and she immediately called it a "Lorraine" dress. Meaning, of course, that this is precisely the type of dress that I would not only wear, but run out and purchase probably before I'd put gas in a car that was running on E.

These days, what with my packed closet, a recession that is haunting all of our consciences, and gas prices that are still disconcerting, I would say that's a bit of an exaggeration, but I definitely know that red is my color, it looks great with my tanned skin, and it's a dress I'd love to wear...especially the next time I know I'll be running into a man who's caught my eye...because in this dress? You'll not only catch eyes, you'll stop traffic.

www.shopharmonylane.com to purchase your own dress, this was is Fighting Eel Iris Tube Dress, worn by stars like Kristin Cavallari and Eva Longoria Parker.

Not So Desperate

When I first started teaching 6 years ago, a girl who was in one of my English classes came in one Monday morning and loudly announced, "Ms. C, I was watching TV last night with my boyfriend, and we both looked at each other and said, wow, she reminds me of Ms. C!"

"Really?" I questioned. "And who was this character?"

"Well, she's on this show called 'Desperate Housewives,' and she's a high maintenance little Mexican woman. She has your same style and look, but the funny thing is that you kind of act like Gabrielle, too."

I spent the next several days contemplating my life choices and behavior, and whether or not I gave people the impression that I was anything like Gabi Solis on Desperate Housewives, cheating on her husband with an inappropriate younger stud muffin who plowed through a little more than her lawn.

Was I high strung? Self-absorbed? Always at the salon? Constantly shopping and worried about my figure?

Okay, well, maybe she wasn't completely off base.

I don't flatter myself to believe I am on par with Eva, especially considering that in real life, she wears a double zero and is built like a 6th grade girl, and I have plenty of junk in my trunk and I wear a size 4 or 6. Which, in Hollywood, is like a 20.

But I do love Eva's style, and most of the time, thanks in part to her stylist, Robert Verdi and her glam squad, including hairdresser Ken Paves, she generally looks striking, no matter where she is photographed.

This look? Casual for day, but the leggings? Oh, how much do I love leggings? They transition from day to night with a few changes in your outfit, and are comfortable and wearable. And right now, they're a fashion must-have.

I know that I can be a little spoiled at times, and I do love to shop and get beautified at the salon more than the average girl. But that's just part of the magic that is LC, and certainly, part of what makes Gabrielle Solis the TV star we all love, even when she says or does things we might hate.

And 'desperate' is the last word you'd ever be able to use to describe either of us.

For the best deals on leggings, check out your local Forever 21, where I found great leggings in various lengths, textures and fabrics this weekend, starting at $4.99. And check out Express, or www.expressfashion.com, where you can get amazing deals on quality leggings, like buy 1, get one half off.