The Republican National Committee appears to have spent more than $150,000 to clothe and accessorize vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and her family since her surprise pick by John McCain in late August.

According to financial disclosure records, the accessorizing began in early September and included bills from Saks Fifth Avenue in St. Louis and New York for a combined $49,425.74.

The records also document a couple of big-time shopping trips to Neiman Marcus in Minneapolis, including one $75,062.63 spree in early September.

Inspiring a movement and a movie wasn't enough for L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who supported the farm, has received a nice sum of money from the clothing company with a history of poor labor practices.

He has received nearly $1.3 million in contributions and commitments from Forever 21 and its executives over the past two years for initiatives ranging from tree plantings to his own reelection campaign

Via / Feministe and LA Times

“We Latinas love to look our best all the time,” said Arrarás. “The Color Me Gemz line is great fun — and more. Girls can combine creativity, imagination and self-expression to make jewelry works of art to dress up all their outfits, just like mom!”

The Color Me Gemz collection is a brand new line that allows girls to create their very own fashion-forward jewelry with the touch of a pen. Creating dazzling Color Me Gemz pieces is quick, easy and fun. Girls simply use the included jewel-toned marker pens to color specially designed facets that create the appearance of an actual gemstone so they can sparkle and shine wherever they go.

Girls can choose from four adorable Color Me Gemz sets, including a Necklace Set, Bracelet Set, Belt Set or Decorator Set. They can even create and decorate their own fashion accessories including a purse or hat. Girls can store their Color Me Gemz masterpieces in the new Color Me Gemz Jewelry Box, which can also be gem-ified inside and out.

“Color Me Gemz is more than just a toy. It’s an ideal contemporary activity set, combining two things girls love - arts and crafts and the magic of jewelry,” said Chris Byrne, The Toy Guy(R)(R). “It’s easy and rewarding for kids to use, while inspiring focused creativity and giving girls something they can proudly display as their own creation.”

Sweatshop workers stitch logos into caps for Major League Baseball, the NHL, the NBA and the NFL. Many college caps are made there, too. One company, BJ&B, for example, manufactures caps for the Universities of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Missouri, Connecticut, Arizona, Louisiana State, Cornell, Northwestern, Penn State, Tulane and Purdue...Here’s how it works: A university licenses its name and logo to American apparel distributors like Nike, Starter, Champion and Reebok, and earns about $1.50 per cap. BJ&B, for example, then pays the worker 8 cents per cap. At that pay rate, a worker takes home $40 for a typical 56-hour work week, as calculated by UNITE, an anti-sweatshop lobbying group. The total cost of making the cap comes out to about $6.08, but consumers pay about $19.95 for the cap.

The good news is that BJ&B workers, thanks in part to universities' pressuring, formed a union but they are only one sweatshop in a sea of free-trade areas that allow companies located there to be exempt from import fees and income taxes on the backs of workers.

Via / Republica Update

When a 25-year-old Manhattan graduate student who was assaulted Tuesday night got dressed that morning, she probably didn’t anticipate that her T-shirt would provoke four teens into shoving her, pulling out her earphones and spitting in her face.

Then again, with a shirt sporting the slogan, “Obama is my slave,” it may have been wise to consider the possibility.
Now she’s suing the $69 shirt’s designer, Apollo Braun, for “all he’s got,” the designer claims.
But the Israeli-born Braun — born Doron Braunshtein — says what allegedly happened to his now-disgruntled customer isn’t his fault — and that his outrageous design reflects not his views but those of “ordinary WASPs.”

From the YSL stable came clothes that we now accept as women's wear classics: the pantsuit, the peacoat, the blazer, the safari jacket and the tuxedo - as well as evening clothes that were as soft and gentle as the tailoring was sharp and linear.

Via / International Herald Tribune

looked too much like a keffiyeh, what Malkin describes as "the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.

There was music for the cocktail hour.

Designer Angel Sanchez stuck with the black and white theme.

More pictures after the jump.

As it is the Latin American tradition, El Museo Gala’s fifteenth birthday will be celebrated in the style of a quinceañero; this is a coming-of-age party for a daughter turning fifteen. For this gala, guests are invited to wear white or black (with long gloves and tiaras optional).
El Museo will honor Dr. Mario Vargas Llosa, Ambassador Paul L. Cejas and Mrs. Trudy Cejas, and Mr. Angel Collado-Schwarz of Fundación Voz del Centro. Special guests will include Miss Universe, Riyo Mori; Miss Teen USA, Hilary Cruz; and the newly crowned Miss USA, and they will be wearing their tiaras.

Designer Sandra Tanimura expressed to The Daily News,
“We specialize in making low-rise trousers and our customers wanted them to get even lower. I came up with the idea of using the bikini strings to let the trousers hang really low without falling.”

Your ass can hang out too for the low, low price of $90.

Via / Lossip

Is she or isn't she Latina, Jessica Alba who presented last night, and yes she is embarazada.

Via / NY Post

Image Via / A Socialite's Life

This time, and for the first time, a collection of clothing for women by renowned Mexican designer Héctor Terrones, inspired by the world's most famous doll. Additionally, Terrones created an exclusive collection of 10 dolls which project the essence and style of the famous creative mind.

“For me Barbie is the most important doll in the world and she's the dream of so many girls as well as designers. It's a pleasure for me to design for Barbie, since I specialize in dressing celebrities," said Terrones.

Interestingly enough, Barbie's relationship with Mexico isn't all glamor and love. Let me remind you that back in 2005 Mexican sweatshops were responsible the plastic diva's wardrobe.

Via / DFinitivo

Image: "Cinco de Mayo Barbie", via Mi Blog es tu Blog

Check it out.