Be still our hearts. The Outnet is open.

The Outnet is the just-launched online outlet store of Net-a-Porter, arguably the Web’s dreamiest shopping site. Its combination of designer wear, shoes and handbags is unparalleled (and hey, if you know a site that beats it, please please let us know), but the prices tend to be designer as well.

Which means The Style Insider’s brain threw a little neuron party when we saw some of the numbers on Outnet — 50 percent off, 60 percent off, 70 percent off. We have died and gone to heaven.

The designers are there — McQueen, Sui, Chloe, Choo. There’s Marc (more…)

Did you hear the opening salvos?

Last week a WWD.com story (subscription only, sorry, you’ll only get a peek) with no small amount of slant held forth on the fact that Michelle Obama is championing the cause of little-known American designers and ignoring the big players: Oscar de la Renta, Vera Wang, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Marc Jacobs, Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, to name a bunch.

With the fashion industry in an economic crisis of its own, it’s not a surprise that the bastions of American style are wondering why the First Lady won’t deign to don some of their beautiful clothes. We can feel — and appreciate — their frustration. Still, most of the designers quoted — Wang, Hilfiger, Karan, Herrera – tempered their comments with support for a fashionable First Lady breaking boundaries.

Another story, in the New York Times, took issue with the fact that Mrs. Obama is relying apparently exclusively on the design choices of retailer Ikram Goldman, the owner of Michelle O’s favorite Chicago boutique for years (a picture from the store below).

Arnold Scassi (hmm, we remember that name from somewhere) chided her, (more…)

We’re tattling. We’re taking names. We’ve got ants in our pants and we need to get them out.

We’ve taken a long look at the spring collections, and there’s way too much designing going on without any fabric. There are far too many models who are barely wearing clothes. The Style Insider is not a prude, but honestly, we get more coverage at the Victoria’s Secret runway shows. Remember the Emperor’s New Clothes? Recast it as the Emperor’s Spring RTW Collection and you’ve got the idea.  

There are misdemeanors. Vera Wang covers her sheers with patterns that requires us to look sideways to make out the body beneath, but it’s all there. Zac Posen gives us a nearly there vest over his not-at-all-there bodice. Fendi and Thakoon manage to get the opaque fabric just long enough to prevent arrest, as long as there’s not a stiff breeze in the neighborhood. (more…)

We’re celebrating National Wear Red Day today (Feb. 6), surfing around for the prettiest dresses and accessories we can find, all helping mark awareness of women’s heart health. You’ll see women in the workplace in red, women in the stores in red, and women on television in red (we’re hoping for a clean sweep on The View!), so don’t hesitate to pull it out of your closet as well. And we probably don’t have to remind you, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Take a peek: 

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We love Vera Wang, she of the quiet, beautiful wedding dresses, the lavender ribbons, the chic clothes that are actually - OMG - wearable. She who knows that pretty is not a sin. She who peeks almost hesitantly from behind the scenes of yet another gorgeous runway show, and then designs an affordable line for Kohl’s that embodies the same philosophies.

We’re about to nominate her, however, for our 2009 Bigger Than Martha Award, given to a celebrity becoming ubiquitous enough to risk overexposure.

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The Style Insider could stand to gain from a few fashion resolutions. Despite our sage advice for you, we’re as bad as everyone about adding new wardrobe items, getting rid of things we’ll never wear, ‘fessing up to what fits and what doesn’t, what looks good and what doesn’t.  

Thus, our collective brain trust has come up with 10 resolutions for 2009. Perhaps some apply to you: 

1. Act as if we are French. The French have it nailed when it comes to wardrobe and style. So we will proceed with a red beret and perfectly tailored clothes. A

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Starting to sweat? You have a little more time before you must admit online defeat and head to the mall for those last gifts. We’ve found several that are cool and pretty cheap, too.

We’re swooning for these organic cotton knit throws, which are made in Portugal without dyes and would complement nearly any decor. Order them in sea spray, neutral or clay, and relax into a luxuriously pretty present. At West End ($49, above).

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