I was recently in Los Angeles enjoying 70-degree weather, the newly reopened Griffith Observatory and the fantastic Takashi Murakami retrospective at the MOCA in Little Tokyo.

The Japanese artist is best known for creating the Superflat style of art, which finds influences in otaku (the "stay-at-home" culture of manga, anime and sci-fi), and kawaii, the Japanese culture of cute.

Aside from the stunning collection of more than 90 works from throughout Murakami's career, there is also a small Louis Vuitton pop-up shop filled with the label's Murakami handbag collaborations. For handbag junkies, this is really a unique opportunity: A limited-edition collaboration between Marc Jacobs and Takashi Murakami, sold only at the LA pop-up shop. Most bags sell between $800-900, and orders can't be shipped.

So if sunshine and intriguing art exhibits aren't enough to get you across the country, surely these bags will do the trick. You better buy your plane ticket soon though, because the retrospective closes its doors on February 11th.

Below: MJ talks up Murakami.

Yep, we're cutting out early and will be back after the holidays. Citysearch has about a million and one gift guides to keep the desperate slackers occupied who have yet to actually shop for Christmas (like a certain someone we know over at Imbible).

People Pleasing Gift Guide
Gifts for Him
Gifts for Her
Gifts for the Kids
Gifts for the Pets

Not to mention, a whole slew of new Best of Citysearch shopping Top 10s: From naughty to nice.

Is it surprising that a museum such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art has caught on to the trend of fashion blogging? The latest exhibition by the Costume Institute, blog.mode: addressing fashion opens today, providing for the first time in the MET's history an open discourse between fashion, museum curators and the public.

The exhibit features recent acquisitions from the department since 2000, supplying the usual dosage of Worth, Schiaparelli, Chanel, YSL, Westwood, Dior, McQueen and Yamamoto but also presenting new designers, such as Rodarte and Olivier Theyskens. At the center of the exhibit is a blog bar of eight computers, encouraging gallery viewers and fashion bloggers from home to input their two cents on fashion, design, trends and museology.

The blog will focus on a new ensemble or object from the exhibition a day and bloggers from yesterday's press previews are already discussing the exhibition's highlights and down falls.

One viewer writes, "it's entirely validating to see a world that has long been accused of elitism and antiquity wholeheartedly embrace the democracy of the blog. Fashion is in fact a truly subjective art, and regardless of a designer’s intended message, each wearer (or in this case, viewer) forms their own intimate connection with a garment. What a brilliant way to open a discourse and allow the public's opinion to be heard …"

Get to blogging and check out the show on view today till April 13!

Last night on Project Runway, Jack had to leave because of a medical emergency, paving the way for everyone's favorite portly designer Chris to return. Once again the show teaches a valuable lesson: Every cloud has a silver lining (probably purchased at Mood Fabrics). Anyway, Jack wasn't my favorite designer, but he was talented and his attitude about his HIV won me over.

Well, according to an email I just received, it turns out he has his own men's and women's lines. The official email read as such:

Michael Rogers Public Relations

Is pleased to announce our representation of the utterly fabulous, terribly charming, devastatingly handsome …

JACK MACKENROTH

(insert cheers and accolades here!)

The enclosed picture looked like he was trying to ward off Nina Garcia.

P.S. Did anyone notice Tim Gunn's scandalous "I've made bad decisions at 3am" comment? Oh do tell, Mr. Gunn. Did you "make it work?"

Eco-friendly is the trendy word in fashion today. Designers are using organic cotton, hemp and soy to market to the Al Gore set, and it's working. The truth is, the best way to help the environment is to buy no new clothes (go vintage!), but obviously this isn't going to happen.

I obviously support the new eco-friendly trend, but I'm afraid designers will dilute the meaning of the word until consumers have no idea whether their purchase is actually helping the earth. Just like the word organic has supermarket shoppers scratching their heads, it's hard to tell just how eco-friendly those new organic cotton jeans really are.

A new article in the NY Times explores this dilemma. A few valid points it brings up:

Fabrics made from bamboo or hemp, for example, are promoted as having been raised without pesticides and also for growing much faster than cotton. But the downside is that bamboo or hemp fibers are naturally tough and are typically softened before being woven into fabric by using chemical treatments, which cause more pollution.

and

... organic cotton is not always used in its pure state. The Department of Agriculture's standards do not regulate textile production once cotton has been harvested, so as a fabric it may be chemically treated, or printed with toxic dyes, and still be labeled as organic.

The bottom line is don't always trust the label. Do some research on the brand if you really want to know if it lives up to your standards. Buy vintage, mend those old clothes, read Treehugger and look for products made from recycled materials like the Urban Renewal line at Urban Outfitters.

More:
A World Consumed by Guilt [NYT]
Eco-Chic [Citysearch]
Vintage Clothing [Citysearch]

Every once in awhile, I get a PR email that forces a dilemma. Do I write about their horrible product, mocking it but at the same time giving it publicity? Or do I let it die in the depths of my inbox?

I decided to blog about it, but instead of providing a link to their website, I'll link to Hot Chicks with Douchebags. Take that, lame LA T-shirt company!

First up is the "F**ck Me, I'm a Hedge Fund Manager" T-shirt. Give it to your favorite finance professional, and he won't have to keep giving obvious hints as to his profession or "accidentally" drop his work ID out of his wallet when hitting on a girl at Dorrian's. I believe that's called efficiency.

Next is the "My Other Jet is a Bigger Jet" shirt. I think it's safe to say anyone who actually owned a jet would be wearing something other than a novelty T-shirt they bought over the internet.

Finally, there is the "Don't Front, You're From the Suburbs" shirt. What better way to show your disdain for tacky suburbanites than wearing a tacky T-shirt bearing that very sentiment? There's a reason why the Red States hate us, and this is it.

Bravo, unnamed T-shirt company. Bravo.

At it again: Naomi Campbell accuses Dave Grohl of stealing her Blackberry. [My Fashion Life]

Fashion Weakley says it's hard to pay rent and look fashionable in NYC. We feel her pain. [Fashion Weakley]

The top six fashionable films you've never heard of. [No Good For Me]

Who doesn't have bangs these days? [WhoWhatWearDaily]

Most of us love fashion yet hate the trampede of shopping bags and credit cards during the holiday season. Aside from dropping your dough on incorrect sizes, fits and colors at online retail shops, may I suggest fashion books as a safe and educational alternative? Thanks to the internet gods, it's easier and sometimes cheaper to buy books online than face the threat of elbows and "sold-out" signs. Here is a list of my favorite fashion books this season:

For the trendy, wardrobe-flipping best friend who seems to always be on top of the fashion world, get her a subscription to Fashion Trends - The Forecast Book, $385.

For the wanna-be do-it-yourself co-worker who needs a lesson in sewing, pick up Built by Wendy's Sew U, $17.15.

For the Facehunter and the Sartorialist stalker who longs to emulate  street fashion, pick up The New York Look Book: A Gallery of Street Fashion, $16.47.

For the arty, avant-garde fashionista who has it all, an issue of Visionaire, which is more like an art object, may be a wonderful treat.

For the budding fashion historian and collector of encyclopedias, pick up The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Costume and Fashion History: From 1066 to Present Day, $16.47.

Some people are brave enough to wrestle alligators, skydive, or wait in line during the opening of a new Apple Store. I am not one of those people. Shortly after leaving my office Friday evening, I snapped some pictures of the madness outside of the nearby opening.

Why the absurd lines, where some people had been waiting since 10am? Well, maybe people just loooove Steve Jobs, although my bet is on the iPods they were giving away.

Anyway, I visited after the madness had died down, and I have to say it isn't too exciting. I mean, if you've been in any of the other Apple Stores you know what to expect. The coolest thing about the Meatpacking District location is that it offers free classes on programs like FinalCut Pro. Also, it has three stories, which is, like, one more than I've ever seen in an Apple Store.   

This is the biggest week for holiday parties, both at work and with friends, and ladies across the city are all wondering "What the heck am I going to wear?" With New York's diverse retail shops, you would think that dress shopping would be easy, but I'm sure wading through racks of ugly sequinned numbers or animal prints can be a bit overwhelming. My suggestion: Stay simple, pick something you can wear again, and accessorize your outfit with shimmery tights, belts and vintage jewelry.

This American Apparel Pencil Dress can be styled to your liking, and for a mere $34 it leaves you with enough money for some sexy shoes. Urban Outfitters has some great party dresses this season, but this $54 Lux Baby Doll Dress can be worn casual without the belt or with jeans, or more formal with a belt and tights.

I can't say more about how essential the little black dress is. This sequined number from Bebe will cost you $98 but you won't need much else besides some simple jewelry. Happy shopping and good luck out there!