We've all seen the art inspired abstract prints that are a key trend this summer. What we bet you didn't know was that the look is also an easy DIY project. Instead of shelling out a cool thousand for a D & G dress, why not do one just as fabulous yourself?

Here's what to arm yourself with:

If you've ever thought to yourself "Man that Obama... he is one foxy guy," then you and Donatella Versace are on the same page.

It's Fashion Week in Australia (AFW) and there is a scandale brewing down under about underage models.

Billed as the next big thing, 14 year old Polish model, Monika Jagaciak, aka Jak, is walking in her first show at AFW. Like all school age models, Jak was required to get a note from her parents and her school principal that said she was allowed to miss school.

Even with this explicit permission, people are still up in arms that this type of "career" exploits and overly sexualizes very young girls.

Well, duh.

This season, Sean "Diddy" Combs made his triumphant return back to New York Fashion Week.

And last night, MTV aired a 90 minute documentary entitled "If I Were King" that chronicles the rise of the Sean John label over the past ten years as well as the Harlem inspired menswear collection that showed under the tents this past February.

Fashion around the globe absolutely fascinates me. I know these Fashion Weeks in Asia aren't nearly as big of a deal for the fashion world as Milan or Paris, but to me, they're just as interesting. Style gives us a unique glimpse into another culture.

In the past week I've been able to write about Tunis Handicraft Week and China Fashion Week. Now we're about to take a glance at Fashion Week in India.

I know it's hard to believe, but starting in 2010, NY Fashion Week will have to find a new home away from Bryant Park, where it's been since 1993. IMG World, the organizers of Fashion Week, are in a kind of standoff with Bryant Park officials who say the event has come to monopolize the park. Where the tents will end up, nobody knows for sure. There was talk of the festivities moving over to the soon-to-be developed 10th Avenue Rail yards, but it looks like that idea is getting scratched in favor of the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

No -- I'm not making this up. The foremost event in US fashion might one day end up on the roof of a smelly old bus terminal, but there are some upsides -- like having access to the terminal's sweet vending machines. The New York Times office is right across the street too, so I'm sure they'll like that. Right now, the heads of the Port Authority are trying to sell the idea to IMG, the only major problem is that there aren't adequate elevators to get people up to the roof.

On the runway these skirts look adorable, after all you have stick thin models wearing them. For us real girls out there you have to be careful with a cut like this. I mean who wants to make their hips look bigger than they actually are. To wear this look without looking like a marshmallow, make sure you wear something fitted on top. It also helps to wear dark hosiery to streamline the look.

I for one won't be sporting this look and I am sick to death of seeing "volume" being in vogue. What do you think about tulips skirts ... style 'do' or style 'don't'?

L.A. Fashion Week kicked off at 4pm on Sunday with a show by Kelly Nishimoto. Who? Yeah, that's what I said. A no-name opening up Fashion Week was a bad sign but I tried to remain positive. My positive spirit started to diminish after waiting for 45 minutes for the show to start. Listen Kelly, you ain't no Marc Jacobs sweetie! Let's start the show on time.

Once the show got underway I couldn't wait for it to end. It was dreadful. If I were to give the show a name it would be 'The joker and the thief and Kelly Nishimoto' because it looked like a medieval nightmare. There was crazy ribbon work, hoods, ruffles in all the wrong places, tassels, bows -- she basically took every Fall 2008 trend and piled them into one hellish collection.

The end of the show when Kelly came out to take her bow was the real kicker though. Most designers step out a few feet, bow, and turn around to get the hell off the stage. Kelly, her model, and a man dressed up in a Pink Panther costume (I can't make this stuff up people) took a good 5 minutes to get down the runway. Once the clan got to the end Kelly wouldn't leave the end of the runway. She stayed down there posing like a dope for so long that her model left the runway and the photographers actually stopped snapping photos. I was mortified for her.

If LA Fashion Week keeps at this pace it's going to be a long week.

Ike Turner may have taken his last breath in December, but the permed chili bowl hair cut that he rocked in the 60s -- when he could still call Tina "Annie Mae Bullock" -- is still very alive and well.

British rocker Rhys 'Spider' Webb of The Horrors was the first to don the "righteous" do followed by Saleisha from America's Next Top Model, Jennifer Hudson, and most recently, the models at Stefano Pilati's Fall/Winter show for Yves Saint Laurent.

The black-bowl wigs, black sunglasses, and black lips the models wore complimented the austerity of the YSL collection nicely. In fact, the models looked like robots while marching down the catwalk in Stefano's immaculately tailored tweed coats and MC Hammer pants.

Oh, yes. Ike would have been so proud.

[via Style]

It's almost that time again, Fashion Week -- this time in L.A. Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Smashbox Studios in Culver City, CA will run March 9-13th showcasing L.A. designer's Fall/Winter collections for 2008. The preliminary list of designers has been officially announced to include the following designers:

• Kelly Nishimoto
• Orthodox Clothing
• Julia Clancey
• Whitley Kros
• Octavio Carlin
• Joseph Domingo
• Suh-Tahn
• Falguni Creations
• Bow & Arrow by Alan Del Rosario
• Lauren Conrad Collection
• Maggie Barry for Xubaz
• Nicholai
• The Gallery
• Jenny Han
• Kevan Hall
• Samora
• Monarchy Collection
• Ashley Paige
• Pussycat Dolls

As you look at the line up there is probably a bunch of "who the hell's" floating out there but that is normal seeing as many of these designers are debuting their collections for the first time.

I am looking forward to seeing Ashley Paige, Jenny Han, Monarchy, and Orthodox. I also am excited to see two train wrecks unfold on the runway with the Lauren Conrad Collection and (vomit) the Pussycat Dolls -- why again are they showing at Fashion Week?!

Stay tuned because StyleDash will be there through the good, the bad, and the ugly.

There aren't too many things in life that I am actually afraid of facing head on. In fact, student loans, my math professor, and Sherri Shepard are the only terrors that tend to get me a tad bit flustered on occasion.

But that was all before my big brown eyes witnessed -- via YouTube, of course -- model Karlie Kloss' bizarre death stare at Bryant Park a few of weeks ago.

I'm not sure if she was taught to saunter down the catwalk this way or maybe it's just because her tiny 5'11 frame can't hold up her head for extended periods of time, but either way Karlie's haunting zombie-esque trot is downright terrifying.

So, you can imagine my surprise when a rather charming, polite, and innocent-looking Karlie came forth to chat with TheDaily. She looks more like the fresh-faced beauty who graced the cover of the February issue Teen Vogue than a extra in MJ's thriller video.

[PS: The agents in this video no longer represent the Missouri native. She left Elite for Next a couple weeks before the show season began for a rumored $200,000. Can anyone say bitter?]

For those of you who watch the designers at Fashion Week and say: "I could do that" -- this is your chance to put your money where your mouth is. Until now, when you paid $100 for a pair of shoes, you were usually paying for the designer's unique fashion sensibilities, originality, and color choices. You were buying their genius -- at least that's what makes sense to me.

Right now at SteveMadden.com, you can design and purchase you own pair for $100. Just choose the style, heel (for women's shoes), and color and viola -- you can be a fashion designer too!

Personally, I think it's gimmicky and it kinda defeats the purpose of designer shoes -- but hey, that's probably because the pair I designed turned out ugly. See for yourself.

DYO shoes
[via SeeJackShop]

It's been a really long time since Gap was anything to write home about. After achieving phenomenal success back when Hootie and the Blowfish had fans, the company lost its way -- limping along as a watered-down, cheaper (but not cheap enough) version of JCrew, too expensive to be Target, yet too bland to be worth the money.

But things are looking up. Gap recently hired Patrick Robinson, a new creative director who they hoped would return the brand back to its glory days. And while sales still suck, the clothes are at least looking halfway decent.

Gap's showing at New York Fashion Week (the first new line under Robinson's guidance) revealed a new direction -- capitalizing on the 90s resurgence, and combining grunge aesthetic (read: flannel shirts) with more modern looking pants and boots. In traditional Gap style, it's all a little safe (fashionable, but not so fashionable that you'd get beat up for it at your suburban high school), but I bet even the discerning fashionista will be able to find an item or two that they'd be willing to include in their regular wardrobe.

Ah, Tim. If it wasn't for you, Project Runway would be a boring reality show about self-obsessed pseudo-designers who get more attention for being bitchy than for their occasionally half-decent creations. Fortunately, you are awesome, and keep me wanting more.

Yes, Tim Gunn, the man himself, recently appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart to talk about the show, and about the importance of New York Fashion Week (which, if you haven't noticed, we've been covering extensively). However, the best part of the interview isn't what Tim says, but rather that Jon is apparently an enormous fan.

At one point he reveals to the fashion icon: "I think what's remarkable [about Project Runway] is that I don't know anything about fashion ... yet I'm beginning to understand it and appreciate it."

Well done, Tim! I wonder how many other people have been turned on to the fashion industry thanks to Project Runway. Anyone out there a Tim-Gunn convert?

Just when I thought Fashion Week couldn't get anymore spectacular out comes a show that was really worth standing in line for -- Rock and Republic. I knew I was in for something special when the line to get in wrapped around Bryant Park. It looked more like people lined up for rock concert than a fashion show and in the end; it was really a bit of both.

After being herded from line to line we were brought into the main tent which had been transformed from what I saw it to be the night before, to an all out event. The main tent looked like a full out concert arena, crazy lights and all. There were streaming spotlights panning across the crowd, a gigantic double runway, and a full musical ensemble in the middle of it all. I knew I was in for something bigger a fashion show, much bigger.

The celebrities really came out for this one too. Tyson Beckford was there, so was Nigel Barker, Lydia Hearst, Joss Stone, and Vivica A. Fox. And those were just the ones who walked past me!

The band was playing The Beatles, which to me was totally unexpected but totally cool at the same time. Exactly 65 looks stomped down the runway in a palette of blacks and purples. The collection was sleek, sexy, and screamed 70's glam. Tied in with the whole musical experience the show was pretty much flawless.

Takeaway trends:

- Asymmetrical silhouettes
- Plunging necklines
- Menswear inspired pieces
- Huge collars and enormously cozy turtlenecks

Oh and one more takeaway was sexy models, my goodness those boys looked good!