L.A. and O.C. spend the most money on their looks. Shocking!

Beauty addicts, myself included, always see the jar of moisturizer as half-full. They truly hope that peptides will boost collagen. They pray that an oxygen facial could reverse the effects of two decades of sun worship and a few too many one-night stands with margaritas.

A recent study by the NPD Group revealed that Los Angeles, just behind Orange County, leads in sales volume of spending on beauty products. (The Pacific region -- including L.A., San Diego, and Orange County -- spent $1.9 billion on personal grooming products in 2006.) How much do ladies in Laguna spend per year on their beauty needs? About $473.30. Meanwhile, Angelenos cough up $464.94.

Emmys fashion: What did we learn, kids?

My expectations of award-show fashion are always oversized and unrealistic. Reminds me a bit of my hopes for New Year's Eve parties, in fact. I long for the days when Cher showed up to the Academy Awards in a 50-pound Bob Mackie feathered headdress or Julie Christie wore a gold lamé pantsuit and looked ready to mate with an Oscar.

These days, the talent play it as safe as pediatricians. They have turned fashion into a precise science and clearly, the HMO model applies. Most actresses wore red, like Ali Larter, Sally Field, Kate Walsh, Felicity Huffman, and Mary Louise-Parker. Others opted for some variation on silver. (The few who deviated -- like Minnie Driver in butter yellow and America Ferrera in royal blue --deserve awards for straying from the crowd.)

What I wonder is how all of these stylists know that every other actress is wearing a certain shade? Do they call each other to compare notes before the show? I am going to find out and report  back. In the meantime, here's my take on the trends that worked:

Updos add years: Ironically, it was the more mature actresses who opted for hair right out of the Age of Aquarius. Marcia Cross, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Kyra Sedgwick were just a few of the women who wore their manes loose and long. The effect was sexy and youthful. Meanwhile, young guns like Hayden Panettiere, Katherine Heigl and Jenna Fischer chose to wrestle their locks into submission and the effect was rather dowdy.

Cuffs slim wrists: Necklaces were a no-no last night. Most actresses instead wore cuffs. The massive bracelets do shave a few pounds off the arm, as they create a Gulliver-like illusion. How about someone invents a thigh cuff?

Color steals glances: There is really no call for black on the red carpet. It's safe, staid and doesn't compliment the complexion. A few actresses opted for black, like Tina Fey. I adore Fey almost as much as Pinot Noir and would have loved to have seen her in a deep shade like moss. Black may be slimming, as they say. Maybe it's because people slide their attention to the next woman, who's wearing blue.

   

Help fight breast cancer with this Ralph Lauren polo

Next month is devoted to breast cancer awareness, but these new polos by Ralph Lauren (in support of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer) will hopefully sell out by then. The fitted, cotton shirts -- in the most optimistic of shades -- just landed on Net-a-porter.com at $75. Best of all, 100% of the proceeds benefit breast cancer research. Now that's one way to smartly wear your heart on your sleeve.

FYI: about 1.5 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year and over 4 million women are currently surviving the disease. Clearly, beating the odds just ain't good enough. We need to better the odds by finding a cure. I plan to send one of these polos to my sister, mom, step-moms, and all of my girlfriends. I may even buy a few for my enemies too. Lucky them!

Marc Jacobs: 'I stank like a raccoon!'

Recently, the fashion world had a collective hissy fit when designer Marc Jacobs closed Fashion Week with a show that started two hours later than scheduled. (If I had a box of Junior Mints for every Hollywood movie premiere that began more than an hour late, I would be toothless.) From what I understand, some editors and buyers were particularly miffed because rumor had it the maestro was swilling Shirley Temples (Jacobs was just in rehab) at a hotel bar in New York while they awaited his show.

On WWD.com, you can read Jacobs' heated defense. In it, he explains that he returned to the Mercer Hotel (where he lives) to shower because: "I stank like a raccoon!" I adore Marc Jacobs because he is a visionary and his show reflected his thoughtful and mirthful musings on the current state of fashion. I love him even more for likening his redolence to that of a rodent who appears to be perpetually wearing a sleep mask. Check out L.A. Times fashion critic Booth Moore's excellent take on that show and others in this past Sunday's Image.

Photo credit: Getty Images

40 is damn sexy! Take 'The Graduate' look

Aging is a bitch? Not when you happen to be a movie like "The Graduate," which debuted 40 years ago in 1967 and quite frankly, looks even better and resonates even louder today.

Take the famous line from Benjamin Braddock's neighbor, who may have been as much of a visionary as Frank Lloyd Wright. He says, "I just want to say one word to you -- one word: Plastics." Plastics, indeed. Who would have dreamed that Americans would spend $8.4 billion on synthetic fillers for furrows, collagen, liposuction and other cosmetic surgery four decades later?

  Mrs. Robinson's style -- leopard coat, black, seamed stockings, and a head scarf -- holds up too. Clearly, she dressed like the predator she played. Feeling hungry? I wouldn't suggest that you molest the paperboy, but a stitch or two of animal print is always sexy. This season, designers are crazy for exotic prints and the stampede of fabrics and leathers include big cat, zebra, giraffe and a preponderance of ostrich.

Personally, I like these simple low-heeled pumps by Christian Louboutin ($770, Saks.com) because they show some toe decollete and look comfortable. (Cats should never stumble because their stilettos hurt.) Pricey? Yes, but these shoes -- much like the film -- are a bona fide classic. You could even slip them on in 40 years and take long, languorous strides.

Photo credit: Top shot, Bob Willouby

The word chic wants to go to rehab

  This just in: the word "chic" is one weary mot. These days, you can't read a sentence without running into it. Along with being the au courant adjective for all things fashionable, "chic" has become the unwitting and undignified alternative to S*#@, as in "Chic happens" or "What a pile of chic!"

I am saddened to report that the word wants out. Out of the dictionary, out of the argot of snippy home decorators and skinny magazine editors. Out of the Lucky magazine campaign that announces: "Chic meets Street." Even out of this blog, alas. In a prepared statement, the word passed along this message to its devout followers:

Dear people who use words,

If a language can die and a species can become extinct, I hope that I, a mere one-syllable expression with a French origin, can be allowed to rest a bit. The crazy parties, the tongue in cheek headlines, it's all too much. Whereas I was once the definitive utterance to convey something stylish and unique, I am now ubiquitous and bloated. I don't want to end up like "bling."

I ask that you respect my wishes for privacy during this troubled time.

Many thanks,

Chic

The leather jacket: A visual retrospective

  The leather jacket has always been the sartorial equivalent of a cool, older sibling. Wear it and suddenly, you embody that idealized version of yourself. You know the type: quick with a one-liner; equally nimble with a cold stare that could stifle any bully. This season, the leather jacket is being touted as the must-have wardrobe staple. Rick Owens, Chloe, and Proenza Schouler are all showing signature variations on the icon -- from bombers to fitted, classic motorcycle styles.

What you need to remember is that leather jackets, much like big brothers and sisters, vary in their cool factor. Don't be squeamish about the trend just because you envision yourself looking faux fierce. A bomber, like this one from Chloe ($1,155; Netaporter.com), adds a contrast in shape to the tapered point of a pencil skirt.

  On the other hand, the classic black-leather style -- perhaps best modeled by Olivia Newton John  in "Grease" or Marianne Faithful from her 1968 movie, "Girl on a Motorcycle" -- need not be so hard and masculine. Over at shopbop.com, there's a 1960s-inspired quilted version by Vince, priced at $595. Alexander McQueen also offers a quilted, fitted zip-up for $4,140 at Neimanmarcus.com.   

Be sure to pair your new leather with a feminine touch, which could be as subtle as a pink or floral pocket square. That way, you won't feel ridiculous when you round up the towheads and start up a minivan, rather than a Harley. 

   

America Ferrera: Really this thin?

Jezebel.com -- a must for anyone who questions the veracity of women's media -- broke the story on the subtle (and seemingly unnecessary) airbrushing of Faith Hill for Redbook a few months ago. Did you see the "before" and "after" pictures of the 39-year-old country singer posted on the smart and delicious site? Sadly, in my opinion, Redbook always felt less disingenuous than other magazines for women. (Full disclosure: I wrote two cover stories for the publication earlier this year and the editors didn't ask me to serve up the usual, requisite, inane interview questions like "How do you feel sexy first thing in the morning?" or "Which lip balm rocks your world?")

Nevertheless, on to the next offender. In this month's issue of Glamour, the stunning, zaftig America Ferrera looks as if her arms were put in a pencil sharpener. I stared at the cover in Ralph's yesterday in shock because her head practically exceeds her rib cage in width, thanks to a Photoshop scalpel. The effect? Weird, fake and infuriating. (Clearly, this make-believe photo didn't escape Jezebel either.)

In the issue, Glamour has the nerve to ask America how she feels about being curvy. Little does she know during this interview, she ain't curvy no more.

GLAMOUR: How do you feel about being the newest spokeswoman for curvy figures in Hollywood?

AF: I don’t hate it. I feel like I’m a regular-size person — I’m a size 6 or 8, which is totally normal. Sometimes I worry more about losing weight than gaining weight, because this is how people know and accept me. I do feel like if I wanted to get in better shape, there might be a backlash of, Why isn’t she comfortable with herself anymore? So I try to figure out what my own goals are.

This type of tomfoolery needs to stop. Shame on Glamour for whittling down this actress to a mere twig of her true self.

Photo credit: WireImage

White after Labor Day? Hell, yes!

It's hot and humid. Your crisp, white slacks beckon. "No, no, no," you scold. "It's after Labor Day and you must be shelved until next summer."

Listen up: that tired, old rule of retiring all things white is both dated and daft. Jackie O famously wore white whenever and whereever she damn well pleased. She often anchored the look with a slim, fitted black turtleneck.

Angelina Jolie and her daughter Zahara were spotted just yesterday carrying matching white leather Valentino bags. I can't possibly endorse that you buy your child a $1,500 white purse to bury in the sandbox. That is utterly insane. But you, too, should feel free to wear white.

In fact, now is the best time to buy white accessories and clothes, as most stores discount their merchandise. Case in point: this Missoni leather striped coat--deemed "Jackie"--is now marked down to $2,870 from $5,740 on Net-a-porter.com. It's beyond chic for the duration of September with its detachable collar, front pockets and multi-colored knit stripes. 

Jolie photo credit: inf                                                                                                      

Grace Kelly: Don't brand me

Unlike Fergie, Sarah Jessica Parker and other celebrities determined to "brand" their image and endorse galore, Grace Kelly abhorred the thought of bottling her signature look for the masses. In the new book, "Grace Kelly: A Life in Pictures," the elegant beauty is quoted as saying: "The publicity created around my brand image, made exemplary above others, sometimes annoyed me enormously. It's tiresome to be always cited as an example."

Clearly, the notion of cashing in on celebrity was not Kelly's aim. (Okay, she was a princess and didn't need to augment her bank account.) But still, she also -- perhaps unconsciously -- encouraged women to seek out their own style in her reluctance to be a sartorial role model.

This month, expect a spate of new books to commemorate the premature death of the icon on Sept. 13, 1982, including never-before-seen photos in "Remembering Grace," which is published by Life magazine and available on newsstands. The paper doll book isn't new, but I included it just because it's fun, darling.