Did your purse cost more than your wedding dress?

In this picture, Brigitte Bardot looks pensive and melancholy -- like she just broke up with a beau or forgot to call her Mom on her birthday. Perhaps she's pondering the inflation rate of purses and wondering how a clutch like the Fendi box clutch can cost $1,490 this season? Or how the Bottega Veneta Karung fan clutch (see right) can fetch $1,980? Are you outraged by the current price of handbags? Does the idea of spending $3,000 on a purse that Vogue will hautily deem "passe!" in three months make you seethe? Post your thoughts on the current state of fashion--damn it or defend it!

Bardot photo credit: Leo Fuchs

Marcel Marceau's makeup remover

When Marcel Marceau -- beloved French mime --died last week, I started thinking about how he must have hated removing his makeup every night. Imagine the scrubbing and sloughing it took to erase that saucy Pierrot look he perfected. Holy merde! I can barely bring myself to brush my teeth some nights.

Sadly, dermatologists warn that going to bed without first washing your makeup off is almost as bad for your skin as sunbathing naked in India.  Does that stop me from hitting the pillow with mascara and tinted moisturizer intact? Sadly, no. But my recent discovery of Boots No. 7 Quick Thinking 4 in 1 Wipes has made me change my ugly ways. These cotton makeup remover sheets come in a handy plastic pouch with a flip top and are perfect for traveling. (It's such a pain to figure out which cleansers are less than 3 oz. to meet TSA restrictions.) Best of all, they have absolutely no scent and contain witch hazel and fennel. Get them here for $6.99.

Must Have: The yellow bathrobe

Clearly, the yellow bathrobe is having a moment. Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman both wear a monogrammed saffron wrap during different scenes in Wes Anderson's new 13-minute short, "Hotel Chevalier." You can download it and watch it here. Note that Portman's sleek gray coat was designed by Marc Jacobs for the film.

On an equally, if not even more sexy, front: Sean Connery prefers to mimic a melting pat of margarine in this portrait painted by his wife, Micheline. You could knit a scarf with his prodigious chest hair.

Want in? Check out this velvet and terry blend from Acqua di Parma that you can buy here for $235. Alas, that nifty "Hotel Chevalier" monogram doesn't come with the robe. I suggest you come up with your own hotel name like "Villa Erotica" or "Chateaux Minx." FYI: I just returned from interviewing Wes Anderson in N.Y. for a cover story for next week's paper. You can read all about it Oct. 7. I talked to Marc Jacobs too and he's an inspiring interview.

Photo credits: "Hotel Chevalier," Fox Searchlight; Sean Connery, BBC

Having a bridal meltdown?

Getting married? Feeling stressed? Almost wish that you had joined a convent and said "I do" to Jesus? Calm down, wife-to-be. The Wedding Salon -- this Wednesday, Sept. 26th, from 4:00 to 9 p.m. at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills -- could make pre-married life and planning a bit easier. This bridal extravaganza will feature experts like Eric Buterbaugh (florist to Demi and Ashton), a beauty suite, and exquisite jewels by Martin Katz. No doubt, you'll glean tips from the myriad resources and best of all, there are Champagne and martini bars. The event costs $75 for two, which means bring a bridesmaid and a designated driver. 

photo credit: AP

Once upon a time, you looked so fine: Bob Dylan's style

When a man writes a sardonic ode to a leopard-skin pillbox hat, you know he understands how our style can define us. Bob Dylan didn't just rely on his lyrics to express himself. He cultivated an early look -- the thoughtful, scrawny hobo whom you yearned to serve your biggest slice of peach pie to -- and then reinvented himself as he became more familiar with fashion.

Director Todd Haynes' new movie "I'm Not There" showcases the many visages of Dylan, with actors like Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger and Christian Bale embodying the maestro. Let's take a peek at a few of his iconic styles.

In the beginning, he favored an engineer's cap, flannel plaid shirts, and motorcycle boots. Easy enough to emulate with these ruched boots from Miu Miu with a flat stacked heel ($995; neimanmarcus.com) and this modern version of the infantry cap by Quicksilver, ($22; backcountry.com). Dylan's iconic checked scarf, worn on the cover of 1966's  "Blonde on Blonde" is another easy get that works for anyone. (Interestingly, this one on the right from Urban Outfitters is not so different from the high-priced Balenciaga version for fall. Oh, except that it costs $18 or a few mortgage payments less.)

In 1968, Bob Dylan discovered that he had a thing for polka dots, stovepipe pants and Cuban heels. When he played the Newport Folk Festival, he shocked audiences in a get-up that was more rocker than railroad worker.

Around this time, he also started wearing the traditional Ray-Ban Wayfarer sunglasses.  You can buy them here.  Those sunglasses always reminded me of a conservative Dad behind the wheel of a wood-paneled station wagon, but Dylan managed to make them look beatnik cool.  His woolly, ever rebellious hair contrasted with shirts buttoned at his throat and collegiate blazers. The effect was that of a college professor who sipped cheap red wine with his students and often slipped out into the night without saying goodbye.

In recent years, Dylan has adopted the look of an outlaw or a flamboyant cowboy sans horse. He rarely makes the scene without a dramatic hat. I prefer his earlier look simply because it was more simple. This picture of Dylan in Woodstock makes me lean in closer, but not to see what he's wearing. I just want to hear him sing.

Trend map: How to wear hot pink

 

The color pink -- and I'm not talking about dainty, pale cupcake frosting pink - -has been deemed a statement shade for fall. Milly, Christian Lacroix and Oscar de la Renta are all showing flouncy mini frocks in look-at-me-now shades of fuchsia.

But can you pull it off if you're not a 24-year-old party girl carrying a flute of Champers? Or Holly Golightly? Heck, yes. Fuchsia is actually an extremely flattering color and it warms pale skin tones and contrasts well with darker complexions. The key to making this vibrant color work for you is to pair a hot pink dress with decidedly adult shoes like sophisticated black pumps or strappy nude stilettos. A simple, black or metallic clutch works best too.

I love how Cate Blanchett electrified the stage at a screening recently in a classic fuchsia blouse. She paired the shirt with a black pencil skirt and so the pop on top didn't extend to her lower half. Blanchett also opted for muted lips and minimal eye make up.

If the idea of drawing a lot of attention to yourself makes you quiver, you can access the trend with an accessory. Right now, I love this studded, pink suede evening bag from Temperley London ($720 at netaporter.com). It comes with a detachable gold chain and can double as a shoulder bag or a clutch. Hey, clutches are hot for fall too. That's like killing two trends with one credit card statement.

Oh, and keep in mind that a woman in hot pink can't be a bore. You had better have some zingers if you plan to swan around in fuchsia. Crib from Ms. Golightly -- or rather, Truman Capote, who wrote Breakfast at Tiffany's:

Holly: "It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two."

Holly: "I'm not hotfooting it after Jose, if that's what you think. Oh no. As far as I'm concerned he's the future president of nowhere."

Holly: "Ah... Do I detect a look of disapproval in your eye?
Tough beans buddy, 'cause that's the way it's gonna be."

Photo credit, Blanchett: WireImage

Cat Fight Alert: Fred Segal sale next Friday

Sharpen your claw, kitties. And put off purchasing those Pradas for just one week. Next Friday -- the 28th --at 10:00 a.m., you'll need all your moxie for the Fred Segal sale in Santa Monica (500 Broadway; (310) 458-9940). Everything -- from Chloe to Lacoste --goes on sale at 50% off.  Get there at 9:45 --there is always a line -- and head directly for the footwear section. The best shoes go first.

First Fashion Look: 'Sex and the City' movie

What will Carrie Bradshaw wear in her upcoming leap to the big screen? This first image from the set reveals that the face that launched a thousand pairs of Manolos has opted for Dior sandals, a vintage dress -- I'm guessing circa late '50s, early '60s -- and gold bracelets from Verdu. Her bag, most interestingly, comes from designer Timmy Woods.

Timmy Woods? This Beverly Hills designer specializes in handcrafted wooden purses in shapes like horse heads, dice, and dachshunds. These are the types of bags that women like Liz Taylor or Nancy Reagan collect. The Eiffel Tower purse is available now on her website, ($338), and comes with a silk cord.

The designer carves her purses from fallen acacia trees and for each one that she uses, two more are planted. I prefer the equestrian-inspired "Horsy" bust ($320).

I like that Carrie has eschewed the $2,000 clutch that seems to be all the rage for fall. Burberry now offers a $3,000 "Knight" bag and I can only wonder when the purse market -- like our housing market here in Los Angeles -- will be due for a correction. That bubble needs to burst before we all go broke. 

Sean Penn smiles: Has hell frozen over?

To see Sean Penn smile is to witness a grand slam or a mauling by a polar bear. It so rarely happens. He has lovely teeth.

But Penn's mood can pirouette faster than Nureyev. Do not ask why.

Hot tub gets bad rub: Infertility

Are hot tubs the new condoms?

The NY Times reports today that a team of urologists at UC San Francisco found that regular exposure to "wet heat" impairs fertility and sperm production. (Um, the term "wet heat" is a major turnoff.)

The study also found that men could reverse the effects in three to six months if they quit hot tubbing.