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The City premiered on MTV last night and if you missed it, you HAVE to catch up during the no-doubt tons of replays on MTV sometime this week!  They played two whole half-hour episodes and after seeing what The City has to offer, there's no doubt in the TalkingShopping girls' minds that Whitney Port is about to bump Lauren Conrad off of her reality queen throne and take over as the next TV "It" girl.

The two premiere episodes were jam packed with gorgeous shots of the fabulous NYC lifestyle, socialite Oilvia Palermo doing what she does best (throwing dinner parties), the DVF Fashion Week show and of course, boys and drama galore.  For the record, we're already obsessed with Whit's Australian love interest Jay, want to be Olivia, think Jay's roommate Adam is a good-looking loser, clearly need to re-vamp our wardrobe and need to move to the city ASAP, provided we can live in any one of the unbelievably lavish apartments that the cast members live in. 

Did anyone else notice that Whitney's annoyingly over-emphasized "inG" (as in "annoyinG", emphasis on the G) isn't showing up in her convos?!  Thank goodness!

In honor of the the start of The City, we hopped over to Whit's website to check out her clothing line, Whitney Eve and featured were pics of her new Whitney Eve Spring '09 collection!  Yay!  Some looks are good, some are questionable, but all are definitely reminiscent of Whitney's downtown style.  Here are two of the looks from the collection.  What do you think?!

Check out all the cast pics from The City and watch the first two full episodes on MTV.com!

The TalkingShopping gals don't spend a lot of time talking about cars.  We'd much rather dish about shoes, handbags, jewelry, apparel, you name it.  However, when a heartthrob like Leo DiCaprio gets a new sports car that's electric... we take notice.  So what did he buy?  A Tesla Roadster... the first high-performance electric car.

According to the article we saw on the HuffPost about Leo's new car, it can go up to 244 miles on just one charge and does not burn any oil. 

It also has some serious get-up-and-go.  According to Left Lane News, the Tesla can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just four seconds and has a top speed of 130 mph.

So it's fast and better for the environment than our current gas guzzelers?!  Yey!  While we won't be trading in our cars for a Tesla any time soon thanks to the $85,000+ price tag, we think it's great that Leo has taken his passion for all things enviro-friendly to the next level.  It's also a sexy looking car for a sexy looking movie star.  That part doesn't hurt either.

TS Update: If you were a faithful fan of good-girl-turned-wild-child Marissa Cooper and all that was The O.C., you'll love this!  Ms. Mischa Barton, one of young hot Hollywood's pioneers of boho-chic has finally launched her long-awaited debut collabo. collection with accessories designer Stacey Lapidus and ladies, it's headband-tastic!

As is typical of all Stacey Lapidus creations, Mischa's Holiday collection is perfect for the all those fashionistas out there who aren't afraid break break down the barriers of traditional headwear.  According to Women's Wear Daily, "The headband venture came about when, earlier this year, Lapidus spotted photographs of Barton wearing one across her forehead à la Axl Rose."  The collection includes six pieces for holiday adorned with pearls, beads, crystals, sequins and flowers.  The collection's price points are pretty typical of any Stacey Lapidus line, with prices ranging from $80 to $200.

As of right now, you can snag Mischa's designs for the label at Staceylapidus.com, and apparently, Lapidus plans to expand distribution for Mischa's collection to boutiques that carry her namesake line.

Above: Mischa Barton for Stacey Lapidus Pearl & Crystal Cluster Beaded Headband; $130 at Stacey Lapidus.

Left: Mischa Barton for Stacey Lapidus  Large Sequin Flower  on Silk Head Wrap; $90 at Stacey Lapidus.
Read the Full Story

Since then vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin named-dropped the store at a Florida rally and catapulted it into the international spotlight, Anchorage, AK consignment store Out of the Closet has experienced its fair share of backlash from all that was the Palin
"Wardrobe-Gate."  And now, the owner tells TalkingShopping that Sarah's apologized for any grief she caused.

An LA-based retailer that already owned the trademark to the name Out of the Closet slapped the store with a cease and desist order, and calls from news outlets the world over flooded the store's phone line--two burdens the store was, to say the least, unprepared to bear.

We caught up with Out of the Closet owner, former stock broker and financial planner Ellen Arvold, to talk developments on the name-change front, if she's seen the Gov lately and how business has really been since their sudden rise to fame.

Above: Out of the Closet owner Ellen Arvold. Photo via Outoftheclosetalaska.com.

On how business has been since Sarah Palin mentioned them at the rally:
Arvold told TS that "Things went a little crazy there [at the store] for a while.  For about a month, we couldn't answer the phone because it was just ringing off the hook."  She also noted that directly following the mention, they had a few really big months for foot traffic in the store and that traveling business people would stop in and ask about Palin, but that, "we're still in Alaska and we still have the same clientele because of our location."

On whether she's seen Palin in the store since the campaign ended:
"She's been shopping here for about three years," Arvold said.  "Her office is only a block away so sometimes she'd come shop during lunch, or she'd stop in with her daughter on the weekend.  But no, we haven't seen her since she's been back, but she's a really busy person."  However, she did tell TS that she got a note from Gov. Palin just last week with a picture inside it of her wearing a pink Dolce & Gabbana jacket that she bought at the store.  She thanked Arvold for her store and also apologized for causing the store any "grief", which Arvold mentioned, "it did."  "Our store was on Polish TV and a huge Swedish newspaper had our picture in it."  The amount of attention the store got because of the mention shocked Arvold to say the least.

On the name-change legal issue:
"The store in L.A. sent us a cease and desist order which said that we had to change our name, so that's what we're in the process of doing right now."  As of now, they still answer to "Out of the Closet," but, "we are keeping the new name a secret to everyone right now, and we're planning to reveal the new name at our grand re-opening for our five-year anniversary on February 14th."  The TS team did a little digging on the Alaska Dept. of Commerce website and found that Ellen M. Arvold registered a new business name on November 6, 2008 called, "The Closet".  The expiration date on the license is 2010 and the address on the license is the same as the address of Out of the Closet's current location, however we do not have confirmation that "The Closet" is indeed the new name Ellen has chosen for the store.  To view the license, go here.

Right: Ellen modeling one of the store's "Current Picks," a David Green Furs Mink Swing Jacket; $1500 at Out of the Closet. Photo via Outoftheclosetalaska.com

Check out the video below... could this be the very pink Dolce & Gabbana jacket Gov. Palin purchased at Arvold's store?! Read the Full Story

If you were born after 1985 you've likely heard of the Jonas Brothers.  The music making boy band of brothers is responsible for causing mass hysteria among young girls across the country.  Now one of the brothers, Nick (pictured left) has introduced (along with Bayer) a special dog tag featuring the lyric "A Little Bit Longer" and a portion of the proceeds of the sales of the tag will go to the Jonas Brothers' Change for the Children Foundation. 

"A Little Bit Longer" is a song that Nick wrote about his battle with diabetes.  Now he hopes the dog tag will raise further awareness about the disease and raise money for the foundation supported by he and his brothers. 

The "A Little Bit Longer" dog tag is available in two different versions.  One has the word "diabetes" on the back and the other is blank.




If you'd like to support the Jones Brothers' Change for the Children Foundation you can snag a tag for a donation of just $5 online at NicksSimpleWins.com.  The TalkingShopping gals think it would make a great stocking stuffer this Christmas!

In the same way they did for the future First Lady, Michelle Obama, Women's Wear Daily asked a group of oh-so-fabulous high-style designers to create and sketch a look fitting for President-elect Barack Obama on the night of the famed Inaugural Ball in January.  WWD does note that although the world already knows that Mr. O has chosen to wear a Hart Schaffner Marx single-button, notch-lapel tuxedo for that evening's festivities, that doesn't seem to be stopping designers from offering up their opinion!  All of the usual suspects of menswear participated, including  Tommy Hilfiger, Brooks Brothers, Brioni, Paul Smith, Kenneth Cole, Rag & Bone, Dsquared and more.  The overall theme seemed to be a Kennedy-esque suit, tailored to perfection for his slim, athletic frame - "practical but carefully considered; modern but accessible."  Of course, decidedly dapper enough for an up-and-coming political style icon.

Thankfully, WWD noted that none of the designers included the somewhat cheesy and overused American flag pin on the lapel.  Patriotic yes, but possibly a bit dated for the nation's new fashion-forward leading man!  The TalkingShopping girls are absolutely dying to know who will be the designer

Go here to see the entire WWD slideshow of the designer's sketches!

Above: A Hart Schaffner Marx Notch Lapel Tuxedo much like the one President-elect Obama will wear on Inauguration night, except his will be a one-button, not two; $695 at Hart Schaffner Marx.

Some of you might have to see it to believe it: Ellen DeGeneres as a CoverGirl!?  You know the TS gals have to tell you the truth... and honestly, we think she looks great!!  As the face of Simply Ageless Foundation, a new product from CoverGirl and Olay, Ellen (who turned fifty last January according to IMDB) looks stunning.  The CoverGirl ads that start running in January might just make you see this funny lady in a whole new light. 

While you'll have to wait to see Ellen's ads in print and on TV, you don't have to wait to snag Simply Ageless Foundation.  It's already available in the CoverGirl cosmetics section of your favorite drugstore.  So what makes this foundation different from any other?  It includes Olay Regenerist Serum and SPF 22, and it supposedly suspends itself over fine lines and wrinkles instead of doing what most other foundations do, settling down within those lines making making skin appear older.

Plus with 15 different shades to choose from you're sure to find one that works with your skin tone to create a smooth and flawless look... just in case your skin isn't as perfect as say, Sarah Palin's.

CoverGirl Simply Ageless Foundation
$13.99 online at Drugstore.com

Whether it's simply a plug for her new blog, "GOOP" or is truly newsworthy, the word on Epicurious is that Gwyneth Paltrow doesn't depend on personal chefs like so many other celebrities. Instead, Gwyneth insists on cooking for herself and her family. She says she has her own vegetable garden and invents new recipes, but some readers were upset that Epicurious endorsed such celebrity "news." One comment called it "syncopated celebrity worship" and expected more from the Epi-Log.

Hey, is TalkingShopping alone when we say we like to hear when celebrities are more down-to-earth than we'd imagine? We'd like to think Gwyneth and the TS girls would probably be really close friends in real life--wonder if she needs a personal shopping news expert?

Even if you are not a whiz in the kitchen like Gwyneth, the TS gang will try anything once, so we're thinking now is the time to pick up that forgotten apron and give that ol' spatula a whirl!

This year, for the culinary connoisseur (or hopeful!) on your list, nab something really unique, like the Set for the Holidays from TSP Spices, $42.00, featuring a variety of organic spices in convenient tsp serving size pouches or the Epicurean Salts of the World Sampler at Earthy Delights, $69.95, which comes with history on each of the 12 salts and individual cooking suggestions.

Variety, they say, is the spice of life. But what about actual spices? When did you last enjoy a variety of spices in your life?

A hearty dish of celebrity style steals is always best when served on a fabulous Friday afternoon and today's is particularly lust worthy.  There's a premium denim brand that's been making a name for itself all over Tinseltown and we must say, making the tushies of certain starlets look rather wonderful too!

The brand is LoFli Denim and although we've given them a few shout outs here and there in the past (Angelina Jolie loves them, too) the new stunning star pics make these jeans pretty hard to ignore!

Just this past week, tween star turned veritable fashionista, Hilary Duff was seen sporting a pair of Lofli's at the launch of Hollywood retailer Kitson's Stand Up 2 Cancer merchandise collection.  Naturally, she paired the skinny style with a pair of hot hot Dolce Vita boots and her Stand Up 2 Cancer tee.

Earlier this yeart, Jennifer Aniston helped LoFli get their big screen debut when she rocked a pair on the set of her upcoming romantic comedy, He's Just Not That Into You.  When it comes to denim designs, the TalkingShopping girls gotta say, there are few celebribeauties that know how to pick a flattering pair better than Jen Aniston.  She's a serious denim addict! 

Speaking to their particular personal tastes, Hilary chose LoFli's "Style 73066 Skinny Jean" (check back to Singer22 soon to snag this style!) and Aniston chose her usual go-to style, the "Streamline Straight Leg" in Potassium Wash; $185 at Singer22.

Jennifer Aniston pic courtesy of the Bauer Griffin Agency.
Hillary Duff pic courtesy of Splash Agency.