If your were watching every second of Season 8 finale of Dancing With the Stars (and, really, who wasn’t?), you might have noticed a bracelet on the wrist of winners Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas. The former Olympic gold medalist and her partner were sporting Energy Muse Luck Bracelets, which are designed to boost luck and clarity. (Judge alert — does that constitute an unfair advantage??)

The couple wore the bracelets during the last two weeks of the competition.

In an unrelated act of deep mojo, Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson has been wearing the Energy Muse Luck Necklace. And his team? Well, they are playing in the National Basketball Association Western Conference finals. Coincidence?

The company says soccer star David Beckham, Olympic volleyball players Elaine Youngs and Nicole Branagh, hockey players Natalie Darwitz and Kelly Stephens, and professional golfer Annika Sorenstam are among the athletes who wear also Energy Muse.

The necklaces and bracelets are made from Black tourmalinated quartz, Heishe shells, and — don’t miss this — ancient Chinese coins that invite luck and opportunity. The company says all these ingredients “unlock energy blockages and create an overall balance for the wearer.”

Sounds perfect for those of us who are “blocked and unbalanced”!

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Photo: Mike Rosenthal
Jimmy Choo re-imagines Dorothy’s iconic ruby slippers for the 70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz.

As part of the ongoing celebration of the 70th Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz in 2009, Warner Bros. Consumer Products says it has partnered with FIDM Museum & Galleries to present The Ruby Slipper Collection and Inspirations of Oz Fine Art Exhibition at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising from June 10-21 in downtown Los Angeles.

The partnership includes a design contest now underway that challenges FIDM students to create the best modern interpretation of Dorothy’s iconic Ruby Slippers, as well as develop a jewelry collection inspired by the timeless film. Accessories designer Tarina Tarantino and FIDM alumnus Nick Verreos (Project Runway) will mentor the FIDM students during the design competition. The winning designs will be showcased at the FIDM Museum & Galleries during The Wizard of Oz Exhibition run.

The Ruby Slipper Collection consists of modern interpretations of the classic Ruby Slippers, as created by noted names in designer footwear and fashion. Debuted in September 2008 at Saks Fifth Avenue to kick off Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York City, designs from 19 of the fashion industry’s masterminds are featured in the Collection, including: A. Testoni, Abaete, Alberta Ferretti, Betsey Johnson, Botkier, Christian Louboutin, Diane von Furstenberg, Giuseppe Zanotti, Jimmy Choo, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani, Lisa Pliner, Manolo Blahnik, Moschino, Oscar de la Renta, Roger Vivier, Sergio Rossi, Stuart Weitzman, Tibi and Tuleh.

The Inspirations of Oz collection of fine art features one-of-a-kind interpretive works from an acclaimed array of artisans including Angelo Aversa, Romero Britto, Phillip Graffham, Gris Grimly, Marcus Antonius Jansen, Johnny Johns, William Joyce, Joel Nakamura, Nelson De La Nuez, Glen Orbik, Ragnar, Alex Ross, Todd White and Yakovetic.

The Ruby Slipper Collection and Inspirations of Oz Fine Art Exhibition at FIDM Museum & Galleries at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising will consist of 2000 square feet of gallery space, and is located at 919 S. Grand Avenue in downtown Los Angeles. The Exhibition is open to the general public and runs daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., June 10 - 21.

The Wizard of Oz merchandise and collectibles, including dolls, games, apparel, accessories, novelties and much more is available at specialty retailers. More info at  www.thewizardofoz.com.

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We had occasion to be in the water this past weekend, and we were reminded of a critically important element in any woman’s summer wardrobe:  The Cover-Up. It is a mitigator of bumps here and lumps there, an all-purpose weapon for beach, pool or hot tub. 

In short, the cover-up is our BFF.

Its entire job description is to make us look casually chic while wearing a swimsuit, which is challenging on multiple levels. It must be pretty wet or dry. It must rise to the complexities of beach breezes (more…)

After all the hand-wringing and carping and critiques and obsession with Michelle Obama’s wardrobe choices of  little-known American designers (and Azzedine Alaia) she showed up for two recent high-profile events in fab outfits by Michael Kors.

Early last week, she rocked the Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential people gala with a gorgeous black Kors gown, all sleek and flattering. She topped it with a mix of varied beaded strands around the neck , and her hair was sleek, pulled back and gorgeous. (Initial reports were that the black dress was by Alaia! Woops!)

Then, at the White House Correspondent’s event last night, she showed up in a bright pink Kors sheath dress, sleeveless and simple, but topped with a jumbo diamond-encrusted necklace. (By the way, if you want obsessive blanket-coverage of Mrs. O’s daily wardrobe picks, check out New York Magazine’s online “Mobama” blog posts).

Of note (and you can see this at the always-current Mrs-O.org) was a big, black pleated satin corset belt, above, complete with cinched ties in the back atop the black Kors gown. The corset was by one of her favored new designers, Peter Soronen, so she didn’t leave all the young designers in the closet.

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There are some trends better off left in the ’70s. We can think of several, but we’re not going to name them here for fear that someone will resurrect them and start mass-producing them again. Honestly, we can learn from history.

But we’ll participate gladly in the renewed zest for the peasant top, those gathered, often billowy blouses that flatter nearly anyone and cover a host of little sins. Worn over khakis or trousers, they take you to work (we like this Alberto Makali tunic at Nordstrom ($165, above), with

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We’ve been on a Michelle Obama fashion de-tox because we were just exhausted trying to figure out who made her every dress, skirt, shoes, belts, jewelry and on and on.

But we’re breaking the fast to mention that at a Food Bank event yesterday in D.C., Mrs. O. had on a very cool pair of sneakers, at right, that turned out to be by Lanvin and a similar style (which aren’t even as cool as hers) costs $540 at Barneys.

Uhhm, we’re good with Michelle’s mix-and-match philosophy most of the time, but sometimes pairing a cute little J.Crew cardigan (it’s on sale for $100) with wildly overpriced sneakers may not be exactly the fashion statement the First Lady wants to project.

Maybe we’re just jealous. But if we were going to spend $540 on a pair of shoes, we’d go for these blue suede Miu Miu platform sandals for $595 (below left), or these Brian Atwood starlette printed pumps (below right) for $600, or

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