Listen, I love Mario Batali. He's a good-natured, talented chef and I wish him nothing but luck. But that doesn't change the fact that Crocs are ugly and unacceptable.

Still, it has been rainy lately and you don't want to get your nice shoes (and feet) soaking wet. May I present an alternative? They're called SWIMS, and they're from that magical land of innovative design and tall blond people known as Scandinavia (Norway, specifically). What's so genius about them? These sleek galoshes fit over your own shoes so you can just take them off when you get to your destination. Basically, you don't look ridiculous while out and about in wet weather, and once you get inside you can just slip them off. Thank you, Norway, thank you so much.

You can find SWIMS for men and women at Saks Fifth Avenue and Bloomingdales.

Rugby is Ralph Lauren's attempt to appeal to the youth market. At first I thought it was just going to be Abercrombie & Fitch 2.0, but the brand has proven to be more sophisticated than that. I just got these pictures of the spring 2008 collection. I love the vintage style of the seersucker jacket and shorts (top left) and the high-waisted chino trousers (top right). They're modern and sexy with a nod to the past, like something a girl would wear to a risqué 1940s picnic. The blue wool suit (below) has a slim, sharp cut, making it charmingly retro preppy, not gag-reflex popped-collar modern preppy.

Check out the entire spring collection at Rugby's NYU-adjacent store.    

Name: Kathrin
Lives: Williamsburg (originally from Munich)
Occupation: Journalist, designer

Where are you working right now?
As a correspondent for German magazines. I'm also working on my own label, Kyline.

What kind of magazines do you work for?
Art, science, fashion, design, culture.

What cool fashion-related stuff have you worked on lately?
I interviewed Cory Kennedy, but I'm more interested in art than in fashion.

What did you think of her?
She was more mature than I expected. And a funny girl. But she is 17 years old.

Tell me about your outfit.
The pullover is from a designer friend from Paris, Ben Sherman. The shoes are from a fairytale. (FG: Where are they really from?) Shoe Market in Williamsburg. I was looking all spring for green pants, and I found them in the fall, on Spring Street. The label has a horrible name, it's called Rich and Skinny or something. The scarf is from Urban Outfitters.

Where do you like to shop?
I like to wear my friend's designs; Hui Hui, from Berlin. In summer, there's a great outdoor market on Berry Street. I love Urban Outfitters, the only problem is then everyone wears the same thing you do.

The Oscar nominees were announced this morning! Most people are abuzz over the Best Picture category, but we know what you want know about: Best Costume Design.

And the nominees are ...

"La Vie En Rose," Marit Allen (Photo courtesy of Picturehouse)
"Atonement," Jacqueline Durran (Focus Features)
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," Alexandra Byrne  (Universal Pictures)
"Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street," Colleen Atwood (Dreamworks)
"Across the Universe," Albert Wolsky (Sony Pictures)

Did you know you can check out movie times, reader reviews and buy tickets on Citysearch's movie page? Yes, I know, the site even surprises me sometimes. Also, if you happen to be near Film Forum in the West Village this week, check out Alain Resnais's "Last Year at Marienbad," the confounding 1961 French classic that inspired Marc Jacobs and features gowns by Coco Chanel.

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!

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.

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!

Name: Spencer
Spotted: St. Marks and 3rd Ave.
Lives: Kew Gardens, Queens

Hey! Where are you off to? A holiday work meeting.

Hopefully there'll be an open bar of some sort. Where do you work? Ahh, no open bar but free pizza from Viva Cafe, which is just as good! I work at Mavi Jeans but really want to do fashion journalism.

Awesome. Do you have any particular magazines in mind? I love Paper, Nylon and Vogue, but it would be great to start my own zine.

Tell me about your outfit? I got the jeans at Mavi, the shoes at David Z or some shop off of Broadway, the sweater from Urban Outfitters and the bag from H&M.

Where are you hanging out these days? House parties, bars and clubs. The High Voltage party at Annex is always a good time.

Name: Ajiri
Lives: Brooklyn Heights (Soon leaving for Paris)
Occupation: Freelance fashion editor/Grad student

What fashion magazines have you written for? I just wrote a piece on skirts for New York Look magazine.

Only a few people can pull off shorts in the winter. Tell me about your outfit? The shorts are Alberta Ferritti, the sweater is from Givenchy, the tights are from American Apparel, and the shoes are Dolce Vita.

What are some of your favorite shops? Anywhere that carries Thakoon, Dries Van Noten, Balenciaga and Lanvin, but for vintage jewerly j'adore the vintage shop Legacy in Soho.

Do you have any favorite NYC restaurants? The French restaurant, Le Bilboquet, is wonderful!

When you think about booties it may conjure up the little knitted numbers Aunt Suzy made for you before you could spit out the words "fashion faux pas" or maybe those old house slippers gathering dustballs underneath your bed. Withhold the "fashion don't" for just a sec, because I'm talking about the booties with the dreamy heel and leather detailing minus the Minnetonka fringe (no offense to our hippie contingent) and Ugg label. You've probably heard them called ankle boots, but isn't bootie a better word? Check out my favorite booties for the season and be sure to pick up those cutesy lace Shirley Temple ankle socks to go with them. (BCB Girls $133.95, Frye Boots $251.95, Miss Sixty $253.95 and Lumiani $219.95)

(Photos Courtesy Zappos Shoes)