Whatever you celebrate, we wish you a very happy holiday season, and lots of good gifts both given and received. Please drop by and tell us about your favorite present, and we’ll compare notes on the loot!

1ST WINNER: CHRISTINE LAMB aka Stylefeeder’s mandiwylde2012

What was I wearing?
“I was wearing a dark purple bow hair band, silver personalized name necklace, purple bubble hem tube dress (my favorite!), and purple ribbon flats( sry…can’t see it in the picture!)

Technology device I was using?
“ I was using my Sony Ericsson W380i purple cell phone that matches my outfit!”

2ND WINNER: SHON ADAMS aka Stylefeeder’s tukute

What was I wearing?
“I was wearing a burnt orange square cut top from A’Gaci, a brown crochet material scarf purchased from forever 21, and my earrings are vintage gold tear drops.”

Technology device I was using?
“The LG Voyager- Touch screen, flips open with a keyboard which makes texting easier, mp3 player and you can watch television on it…I love it!”

Special thanks to chicBuds and Stylefeeder for partnering with me this holiday season!

Happy Holidays!

Two Stylefeeder users will receive 6, that’s right SIX, chicBuds to give to your family and friends this holiday season. That’s six gifts you won’t have to buy!

chicBuds…

• Were voted TOP 10 unique earphones by PC Magazine
• Are worn by celebrities such as Cindy Crawford.
• Incorporate Swarovski crystals and artwork by high-end designers.
• Have quality sound compatible with iPods, iPhones, airplane connectors, CD players, work-out machines, DVD players, computers, MP3 players… basically any listening device!

So how do you enter? It’s super easy!

Step One:
Smile! Email a picture (.jpg) of you in a super cute outfit using your favorite technology device to chictechstarlet@gmail.com. It can be a ipod, your mobile phone or a laptop!

Make sure you let me know what you are wearing down to the accessories and what device you are using because I’ll be posting your pictures here and at my blog.

Step Two:
If you don’t have one, sign up for a Stylefeeder account and Add Me To Your Watchlist.

Step Three:
Comment on this post with a link to your Stylefeeder Profile.

So what are you waiting for, smile and pose for your chance to win The Technology Starlet chicBuds Holiday Gift Giveaway. You have until 12:00 am MST December 12th to enter your comments here! Winners will be chosen randomly on December 13th and products will be shipped on the 14th. Only available to USA entries.

Help us cross that millionth user threshold by telling all your shopping-obsessed friends why they should join StyleFeeder (it’s a great way to track and share your finds and get inspired by other fashionistas, natch). Even your peeps who hate to shop will love the site…because StyleFeeder gets to know your tastes, we can make recommendations that make shopping faster, easier and more fun. Even search results are returned in your predicted order of preference!

So take a minute, send an invite to your friends, and if you’re the lucky winner who refers our millionth user, your toughest decision will be what designer dress and shoes you’re going to spend 500 clams on! Click here for official rules.

The current giveaway has two fabulous clutches up for grabs: a bronze Harley clutch from Botkier, valued at $465, and a mirrored silver version from Jalda, with a retail price of $470.

All you have to do to enter the giveaway is become a member of ideeli (there’s no fee to join), the members-only shopping community offering privileged access to luxury lifestyle brands (the latest and the hottest handbags, jewelry and more) with prices up to 90% off! Join now for a chance to win one of these beauties, as well as a chance to win one of 20 1st Row Memberships (which gives you a better shot at scoring the best loot during sales!)

Then, as if they’d never been here, they left for Fashion Week. The show at Bryant Park was incredible. Victoria Beckham sat front and center with Heidi, Michael and Nina wearing divalicious oversized shades while the finalists’ models stomped down the runway, and of course, by now you know Christian Siriano took the top prize. Tonight, the madness starts all over again! Check our Project Runway page every Thursday to shop the winning look, score Bluefly loot and much more… and of course, I’ll have fun fashion recaps for you right here.

Do you love reworking your old pieces to make something hot for the club or office? Do you have piles of shirts in your closet begging for a purpose? Give those ill fitting t-shirts from days gone by a serious revamp and enter ReShirt today!

Check out these prizes…

* Winner: $300 Greenloop Gift Certificate and a 30 minute FREE style consultation with celebrity stylist Barbra Horowitz
* 1st runner up: Copy of Closet Control by Barbra Horowitz and $50 Greenloop Gift Certificate
* 2nd runner up: Copy of Closet Control by Barbra Horowitz and $25 Greenloop Gift Certificate
* All 3 winners will be reviewed and posted on Greenloop’s In The Loop…fame and fortune could be yours all with just the snip of your scissors!

Contest Rules:

1. You must reuse a t-shirt you already own, nothing new please.

2. The redesign process should only include cutting and tying techniques. For our inaugural ReShirt contest, there will be no dyeing, silkscreening, or sewing.

3. All participants must be US residents over the age 18.

4. The contest runs from today, Friday, April 25th, through Friday, May 23rd. All submissions must be received no later than 12:00 midnight on Friday, May 16th,2008

5. Design submissions are to photographed and submitted via email to aysia[at]thegreenloop.com. Please submit 4 photos: front and back shots of the t-shirt both on a person and lying flat on a surface. Biography about the designer must be submitted with the entries, limited to 500 words, and must contain email, address and telephone contact information.

The catch? Sales and giveaways last only a few hours, quantities are limited and membership is by invitation only.

Consider yourself invited by Stylefeeder! Click here to join, or go to ideeli.com and enter “stylefeeder22″ as your invite code. After you join, you will be notified by email each time a sale starts. You’ll save enough cash on those oversized Michael Kors shades to book that holiday in Anguilla.

Check out a selection of the type of merchandise available on ideeli in what amounts to a daily designer sample sale, with names ranging from upstarts like Olivia Gryson to stalwarts like Balenciaga:

The Tastemaker Diaries is thrilled to be featured on Alltop, a new site that serves as a dashboard for headlines from popular blogs in categories ranging from fashion to design to parenting to sports to movies. It’s a fun place to explore online destinations you might not be aware of…and an efficient way to get a quick overview of what’s going on across the web.

We’re listed in the Fashion section, along with some of our favorite sites, like Go Fug Yourself, The Sartorialist, and The Budget Fashionista and StyleBakery. Check it out, and tell ‘em we sent ya!

She’s known for bags that are roomy, durable and cruelty-free, and her new designs are no exception. In celebration of her new “Tumbled Steer” and “Patent Croc” collections, Lori is offering a 20% discount on all of her styles, just for StyleFeeders and the Tastemaker community. Just enter code “sfwwd20″ upon checkout to take advantage of the special savings.

Here are some of my faves from her new work. I love the Addison in red:

And I’m totally coveting the Small Tote in teal green patent croc:

Thanks, Lori, for making your work accessible to other Tastemakers!

My style can safely be called eclectic. The kinds of things that catch my attention are interesting and pleasing to the eye, make me smile, and have that unexpected extra dimension that gives them character. This includes modern furniture, ethnic antiques, artsy wall decor, silly gadgets, stylish recycling, and ingenious designs. I blame traveling and having lived in a handful of different countries, picking up aspects of various cultures and making them part of who I am.

Almost everything you’ll find in my Stylefeed are things I would love to own if I only had enough money to buy them and enough space to put them in. But who needs 27 beds, 54 lamps, and 32 couches! In future posts, I will share some of my favorites with you, and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!

(Barney’s Madison Avenue Store Window)

(Image from Inhabitat)

Finally, a New York Fashion Week that brought sustainable design to the foreground. The FutureFashion show has come and gone, much buzz has been created and many have something to say about, skeptics and supporters alike. An article by Lauren David Peden for Vogue shared some inspiring comments from participants, including Barney’s New York fashion director Julie Gilhart, who was instrumental in bringing together the 28 participating designers. Apparently, Julie grimaces at the phrase “eco-chic”, stating, “I hope we don’t use that word anymore. It’s just the way it should be….It’s more luxurious to really think about where your fabric comes from, about the impact of it on the environment, and about fair trade and labor issues.” Adding to the idea of this is ‘just the way it should be done’ was Rogan Gregory, the man behind Loomstate and EDUN, who pointed out that compared to even 5 or 6 years ago, finding high-quality, sustainable fabric is much easier. He tells Vogue, “Now, the demand is greater, so there are all these great fabrics available, which makes designing a lot easier. People understand that this is the way of the future….Why wouldn’t you do this?”

Don’t I know it! When I launched Greenloop in 2004, it was like pulling teeth trying to find even a barely sufficient variety of apparel and accessories to offer that met the ethical and aesthetic criteria I was striving toward. Loomstate was one of the first lines we carried and I was ecstatic to find them. Now, I am happy to say, I can hardly keep up with the new lines being submitted to us on a daily basis. I love it. It is proof positive to me that this was the right thing to do, that the market is growing, and in time, we won’t even need phrases like “eco-fashion” anymore because that is just the way fashion will be.

Of course, the clothes themselves must stand alone in terms of design and quality, in addition to their eco-merits, and from what I have seen and read, they certainly made the grade. Marisa Belger, writing for Todayshow.com, did a really nice review of the event, coupled with an interview with Leslie Hoffman, the executive director of Earth Pledge. Here, Leslie discusses how FutureFashion was born, the impact of the fashion industry on the environment, current trends in eco-fashion, and fibers she is particularly excited about (think fish skin leather and pineapple fiber). Vogue also sets forth a descriptive narrative on many of the pieces, as does Abigail Doan at Inhabitat, reporting that, “Despite the diversity in all of these offerings, it was evident that designers still play it somewhat safe when they are considering an organic palette.”

This is not terribly surprising given the goal here: turning heads toward sustainable fashion to illustrate its potential for becoming mainstream. Abigail at Inhabitat tells us to “drop any ideas that this was a fringe event – early verdicts from around the fashion globe called the designs presented gorgeous and ‘to die for’. If there’s one thing eco-friendly collections are proving, it’s that sexy and stunning can come from materials that are also earth-friendly.”

Well said. Presenting designs that are a little easier to swallow that some of the more cutting edge pieces seen on many conventional fashion show runways helps sway a larger group of people than “fashion for fashion’s sake” concoctions. I mean c’mon now….just how sustainable is a 4 foot wide bubble dress that only covers one breast? (Just making a point here….I hope no one has actually made this, but someone probably has). ‘Sustainable’ fashion of course requires good design and innovation, and nobody says it has to be hum-drum, but it’s also about making clothing that people can actually wear every day. At this stage in the game, being too bold on the design front will keep “eco-fashion” in the novelty realm.

Orli Sharaby, writing for PSFK, applauded Earth Share’s FutureFashion initiative as “genuine, thought-provoking, and world-changing” while also pointing out the lack of sustainable consistency in the other “green” initiatives currently on display at NY Fashion Week. Apparently, “no less than three designers gave out canvas totes as swag at their shows”, an “eco” gesture pretty much wiped out by the same designers’ use of decidedly unsustainable textiles coupled with the staging an energy-sucking runway show. You can read the piece here, which also drags DKNY’s orange bike ‘eco’ stunt through the mud.

I have to say I agree with the sentiments here, yet on the other hand, being a “carrot” (rather than a stick) type person, I applaud any effort at increasing awareness and making change, as inconsistent and seemingly in-genuine as it might be. Let me do one more about face here to say that despite my fondness for carrots, green-washing is a real issue and should be addressed. Progress is small increments is one thing, but “green” initiatives with no substance, that are not followed-up with continuous improvements will only serve to confuse consumers, create confusion and mistrust and move us backwards. I could go on here…and I will, in another story.

The one-of-a-kind pieces that make up the FutureFashion collection are not for sale, but they will be on display in the windows of Barneys New York flagship store at Madison Avenue and 61st Street from February 1st – 21st. I love Leslie Hoffman’s statement here, which really sums it up for me: “Enjoy the show, and consider it the beginning of something that will evolve over time. It is not about this season. It is about every season.”

We’ll see you again in the New Year to dish about the best in fashion and design and talk about trends for the year to come. Whatever you happen to celebrate, we hope you enjoy the holidays and just as importantly, the after-Christmas sales.

Happy Shopping!

Shoes make or break an outfit and can make you feel more confident — as cheesy as it sounds, there’s just something about finding the right pair of shoes to go with an outfit that instantly lifts your mood. (Am I right, or am I right?)

I love shoes just as much as the next girl, and I blame part of this obsession on my heritage. I’m Filipino-American, and Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos was reported by Time magazine to have owned 1,060 pairs of shoes — one of which was battery-powered and sparkled in the dark!

But really, who can blame her? There are flats, boots, sneakers, pumps, heels, sandals — and then there are the more specific categories: ballet flats, oxford pumps, this past summer’s gladiator sandals, peep-toe heels, etc. Of course, one of each type of shoe is never enough — and this can lead to a huge collection if you’re not careful!

Fortunately, shoes don’t have to be expensive in order to be stylish. As a financially challenged college student, I buy the majority of my shoes at Payless, Target, DSW, and the sale section of Nine West (which I highly recommend!). I love it when people on the street ask me where I got my shoes — and I can tell them I got them on sale at Target for under $20!

I’ll be blogging here on the Tastemaker Diaries as your resident Shoe Addict, bringing to you my favorites, both dressy and casual, from the ever-so-covetable high-end brands to the affordable and more attainable low-end brands. Just so you know: I don’t proclaim to be an uberfashionista. I’m just into having a collection of good quality, practical shoes that I can use year after year, as opposed to simply having a huge collection of shoes. I’ll be bringing that element into my blogs, as well as my love-them-at-the-moment obsessions.

I can’t wait to meet all of you and learn about your tastes in shoes! Until next time…what shoes are you obsessed with this holiday season?

I am a food stylist and photographer. This simply implies that I am addicted to collecting bowls, plates, spoons, forks, glasses, tablecloth, table mats of all kinds. I have tons of each, in all shapes and colors. My husband begs me to stop buying more, but how could I, really? My answer to him is that I need every single one of these accessories. Because I really do.

But perhaps I should be fair. Even before becoming a food stylist, I already had a weakness for tableware. I love to decorate dinner tables to make them look pretty. When you like to cook and hosts dinners as I do, it’s really fun to be able to have different tableware styles to choose from. Online shopping made a huge difference, helping me to find items that I would never have found otherwise. When Stylefeeder was created, I was finally able to organize my resources, get inspired by other members, and share with others. I fell in love with the idea right away. And I know that I am not alone.

Because I typically find good stuff, I do not think you will mind if I share my findings with you. I think that I will be able to introduce you to designers that, like me, you will enjoy. You do not need to be a food stylist to enjoy an amazing porcelain bowl, or a set of new glasses.

Not yet convinced? Then perhaps you can visit my food blog, La Tartine Gourmande, to get an idea of what I’m talking about, and how I make good use of every one of my purchases.

Get the Shorty handbag for just $60 (normally priced at $90):

Or, choose the Shopper style for just $65 (normally priced at $95):

Hurry…Lori’s generous discount is only good through November 30th! To order, just visit Hardware Handbags and enter code HH3 at checkout.

It was only after the birth of our second baby that I was truly inspired to design the first HARDWARE bag. This bag had to feel hip, and fit my new lifestyle with two toddlers in tow. Add to the mix my textile background coupled with my love of industrial and post-modern design and the first HARDWARE handbag was born. I’m now focused on slowly building our brand, while still maintaining our ‘indie’ roots.

So, because I’m so busy juggling my family and business I do virtually all of my shopping online. I’m inspired to buy most all of my personal and home accessories from indie designers that I admire for their original point of view. My goal is to introduce you to some of these designers that I’ve known for awhile as well as those I’ve just discovered.

Because we live amongst a sea of knock-off designers and logo crazy fashionistas, I want to bring to you fresh, independent design that inspires you to buck the latest trend and find your own personal ‘indie’ style. And I’m sure you’ll be able to direct me to new designers as well!

Are you feeling my rut, people? Like many women in New York, I’ve been dressing like I’m going to a funeral everyday for years. You know you’re in a fashion rut when your color decisions come down to whether or not your blacks match.

So this – coupled with the frumpy feeling that I had an insane amount of clothes and yet no wardrobe – led me to embark on a style overhaul. I’ve got some folks in my corner, of course, helping me make it happen – including the secret weapon every girl should have – a Gay Work Husband (GWH) who has a great eye and ability to tell it just like it is.

And “how it is” according to GWH is this: “You need more color, a good tailor, a fierce bag, and a goddamn haircut. Your clothes need to tell a story, and your accessories need to make people want to read it.”

So what’s the story I want to tell? The one about a 34-year-old, successful woman who takes her work, but not herself, seriously. My story is about someone who is creative, vibrant, funny and social… someone who takes pride in herself. Someone who carries a laptop for work but might be using it to type the Great American Novel (or a style blog) in her spare time… and someone who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to put herself out there to get it.

My story is about comfort in myself, enjoying my life, and having my priorities straight… about appreciating nice things, but loving a good bargain… acknowledging the trends but knowing what works for me. My story is about a woman who wants to feel beautiful, sophisticated, sexy and stylish – but isn’t a size 10 (or even a 12, usually!) My story is about a woman who has her act together – work-wise and life-wise – and wants it to show in her outward appearance.

My story may sound a lot like the story you want to tell for yourself – or maybe your story is totally different, and you just came upon this when you Googled the term “Gay Work Husband.” Either way, I’m glad you’re here. Tell me what you think of my choices along the way – make some suggestions, talk me out of things, offer some encouragement, give me some advice. Don’t hold back, people! I can take it!

As an interior designer, every job is a different collaboration with the client. I am always scouting in different genres depending on the client, which means I find very cool pieces I wouldn’t usually stumble upon if I was only keeping within my own personal style. To me, there is nothing more exciting than when you find that perfect piece which pulls a room together! I am constantly scouting for that WOW piece either for myself or a client. How can this room be different than any other? As Coco Chanel once said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must be different!”

Where do I scout for pieces? The answer is anywhere! Depending on the budget I am working with, it could be a great find from eBay, an independent designer on Etsy, an online specialty shop, or mainstream stores like Crate and Barrel, Target and Pottery Barn. Mixing pieces and pricepoints from different stores creates a look that is unique to the homeowner. I hope to introduce you to pieces you might have zipped by in the store and also bring to light vendors you might not have looked at previously.

Given my background in fashion, each season I look to the runway to see what will be coming down the pipeline for the following season. It is so exciting to see a color or pattern translate into fabrics and accents.

I am not a trendy designer, though – I believe if you design with “trends” top of mind, there will come a point where your look is outdated. I do believe you can have fun when using trendy pieces, but they’re better for accents which can be easily swapped out. What home décor trend are you totally over at the moment?

Suddenly, once you head off to college, you’re plopped in the middle of one of the most powerful cities in the world. Filled with places to shop, from high-end boutiques to shopping malls.

Welcome to my life. Once I hit college, all of the fashion knowledge I’d like to think I acquired from religiously hoarding Vogue, Teen Vogue, Lucky, etc. suddenly came to light. I actually could wear dresses to school…and cute flats…and trench coats in the fall…and carry nice handbags…and oh, gosh, running out of money! I wasn’t exactly living off, oh, Ashley Olsen’s bank account so I needed to stop shopping like I was.

Fast forward to two years later. Between juggling two internships, planning multiple social events, heading up the school newspaper, holding down a 30-hour-a-week on-campus job, getting good grades, practicing the flute for the two musical organizations…well, let’s just say that shopping kinda took a back seat. I guess I shouldn’t say back seat per se…but I didn’t have the leisure time I used to have.

So my shopping has become streamlined, easy…and much less expensive. H&M, Forever21, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters and (gasp) Target have become my mainstays. If I need to grab milk from Target, a capsule collection from Hollywould is just steps away. If I need a pretty cocktail dress for a date with my fiancé (yes, I’m engaged!) on the double, well, I can get one from Forever21 for less than $25.

Until I’m making my millions in the world of PR (one can only hope!), I’ll keep shopping where I know I can find things that look great and don’t break the bank. While still keeping an eye on the pages of Vogue, of course.

Oh, and here’s a secret: most people think my clothes cost three times what they do. It’s not what you wear, but how you wear it.

I can’t wait to meet you and discuss shopping, clothes, college, jobs and life in general! Until next time…where do you find the best clothing bargains?

We’ve decided to buck the trend. StyleFeeder is powered by our users – why wouldn’t we want our blog to be powered by StyleFeeders, too? So we decided to reach out to some of our most active StyleFeeders (the ones who have us obsessively checking our Watchlists like a kid on Christmas morning), who not only consistently find great stuff, but tell you why they like it. We’re turning our blog over to them so you can get the full story behind their StyleFeeds.

Some are verifiable experts who make a living from their impeccable sense of style. Others are professional power shoppers who’ve got one hell of a hobby. We’ll be introducing you to these mavens over the coming days, and soon, they’ll be sharing favorite items from their StyleFeeds. They might not all be your cup of tea, but we’re sure you’ll find a favorite or two.

And us? We plan on getting out of the way. We’ll check in every so often to share a product that has entranced the StyleFeeder community at large. Otherwise, it’s up to you. Think you’d make a great blogger? Drop me an email and we’ll see what we can do!

We were joined by a handful of local StyleFeeders, including lovein20oz, one of the most active shoppers on our site, as well as nadinebl, who wanted to attend one last party before heading back to her native Switzerland. Thanks for making it out, guys!

Just to prove we really do exist…here’s me, your very own VP of Marketing, otherwise known as sweeps, and Phil, our founder, CTO and the lifeblood of Stylefeeder.

StyleFeeder has been called a “social shopping” site, but the term has always bothered us. Yes, we enable users to share links and help each other find new things, in the same way that social bookmarking sites like de.li.cious allow users to share links to new content. But what if we could actually make online shopping truly social? What if we could actually replicate the best parts of shopping in the offline world? What if StyleFeeder was the friend you take into the dressing room with you, the one who will tell you that those jeans aren’t so flattering, and that you’ll regret buying that zebra rug later because it’s not really you?

That’s when it hit us. We can. So we strove to create a Personal Shopper…one that’s accessible to anybody, no matter their budget. An online shopping companion who will go with you wherever you shop, who knows your tastes inside and out and can make suggestions for things you might like WHILE you’re shopping.

Not only that, this Personal Shopper is powered by actual people, connecting you to your real-life friends, as well as others who share your taste and style. (Not to mention our powerful recommendation engine, always working in the background).

In a nutshell, Personal Shopper is an application that sits in your browser (Firefox or IE) and goes with you while you shop, allowing you to:

o Shop in real-time with your friends
o Meet your StyleTwins
o Get product recommendations specific to your tastes
o Keep track of your faves from around the web
o Send a Shopping S.O.S. and get advice from others

Let StyleFeeder’s Personal Shopper be your trusted shopping companion — the friend with great taste who always hears about the next big thing before anyone else, suggests under-the-radar specialty stores and knows just where to find what you’re looking for. We can be that friend because our aggregate knowledge of the many is always better than that of the individual.

We’ve created a short, fun animation that explains the concept in about a minute. We hope you’ll check it out and give Personal Shopper a try!

On 07/07/07, concerts featuring major music artists will be taking place around the world, from Giants Stadium, to Germany, to Australia. If you can’t catch the concert live, considering checking out Stage Z, an event taking place in virtual world Zwinky. Some of our celeb StyleFeeders are taking place as VJs on Stage Z, presenting music videos and tips on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle…these artists include R&B singer Kelly Rowland, metalheads Scott Ian of Anthrax and Austin Hinder of Hinder, and teen sensations Lil Mama, Teddy Geiger and Jordan McCoy. Check out their StyleFeeds for their favorite green products…and don’t forget to add your own faves with the tag “liveearth” to help perpetuate the use of recycled, organic and low-carbon products.

Of course, there’s always been a strong eco-minded community on StyleFeeder, and there will be long after the Live Earth stage has been packed up. Check out the StyleFeed of environmental activist greenloop, or get out in the garden and grow your own hyper-local product with tips from gardener greenthumb. Even better, join our Green Products group and let other users know what you’re finding…you can even add the groups widget to your blog to show off your commitment to responsible consumption.

We know Paris is richer than God and can afford just about anything she needs. But, as she is quick to remind us, she’s human too. Which is why we know a package full of love and good wishes from her fellow shoppers is sure to warm her heart. Today, we shipped off a basket full of goodies selected by StyleFeeders just for Paris.

Some user selections were extremely sensible. For example, an anonymous user picked out Law for Dummies…Paris might want to actually read this herself, rather than regifting to her publicist. Futurereeck and caligirl78 selected a pair of practical ballet flats that are comfortable – and safe – for driving.

StyleFeeder akpemberton wanted something “comfy and sexy yet discreet…I think we could all agree that Paris needs a few things to just keep to herself.” Hence, days of the week undies to go under Paris’ newly demure outfits. Eunice suggested that Paris wear this handcuff lariat necklace as a ever-present reminder of her growth experience in the slammer. Stay strong, P, stay strong.

Our most bizarre inclusion is a Dogs Playing Poker Puzzle. “This puzzle is officially titled ‘A Friend in Need’. If anyone needs a friend right now, it’s Paris Hilton,” comments user galaxypuzzles. “Plus, there is no way to get into legal trouble while working on a jigsaw puzzle.” That probably depends on what one is imbibing while pursuing this most wholesome of pastimes, but we’ll let it slide.

Prettybeth16, who declares herself the biggest Paris fan ever, wants the wayward socialite to get back her trademark pout with Baby Phat’s Raspberry Schnapps Lip Plumper. Bonus points for the ironic, and most likely unintended, alcohol reference!

We’re not entirely heartless. Which is why we included Trish McEvoy Orange Ginger Candle, courtesy of curvyabby, because “Paris could use a few of these to burn during her first post-incarceration bubble bath.”

Finally, Paris can perform a ritual cleansing with “Wash Away Your Sins” soap, suggested by user erlack. Because her suggestions were consistently creative, with clever color commentary, erlack has been declared the winner of this little experiment, and will receive her choice of any one of the products included in the package. Congrats, erlack!

We’ll keep you posted as to whether these StyleFeeders receive a thank-you from the hotel heiress, who proclaims that she’s turned over a newly humble leaf. The proof is in the pudding, Miss P.

Paris Hilton is one of us…a seriously addicted shopper. Poor Paris must be going through withdrawal, locked away in county jail and physically separated from her favorite stores. At StyleFeeder, we want to make sure one of our own kind doesn’t feel out of touch with the fashion and shopping worlds. She’s missed a whole month of sales, not to mention a lot of Fafarazzi points.

That’s why we’re asking YOU to browse the web for items Paris might like upon her return to the Hilton manse. Just add the tag “parishilton” to any item the socialite sinner might like…bonus points for providing a short comment as to WHY you think the item will contribute to the star’s newly Simple Life.

Next Wednesday, June 27, we’ll choose a selection of items and send them to Paris on behalf of the StyleFeeder community…a welcome home care package of sorts. If one of your items makes the cut, we’ll spotlight you as a featured StyleFeeder on our home page. And one lucky winner will even snag one of the items for themselves. Shopping for Paris and yourself? What could be better than that? So have a little fun…may the cleverest gossip hound win! And, if you’re really lucky, maybe you ‘ll even get a thank you note from Ms. Hilton (but don’t hold your breath).

When your friends join up, they’ll notice our fancy new signup process, which guides new members through the process of adding the first few items to their StyleFeeds.

Secondly, we’ve got TRUSTe certification– that means we’ve gone through a vetting process that makes sure we disclose to you exactly what we’re doing with the personal information we collect on the site.

Neither the new alerts nor the certification change our basic principles: we don’t do spam or spyware, and we don’t sell your personally-identifiable information.

At the total opposite end of the spectrum is the lowest-scoring item on StyleFeeder: a vintage sweater with a Pillsbury Doughboy image knitted into it. 213 rated this one, and just over half of them gave it only 1 star.

We’ve got plenty more prizes to give in April! To win, just invite friends to join you on StyleFeeder. Don’t forget to have something in your StyleFeed so I can give you a prize. If you haven’t made a wish, I can’t grant it.

You’ll even find a few things your parents might be willing to pay for, like this cute dress from Miss Sixty: it costs less than $125, it’s the classic little black dress, and you could definitely wear it more than once. Sure, it’s not really a prom dress, but what’s wrong with… where are you going? Fine, wear whatever you want.

As long as it doesn’t involve those fetishy latex opera gloves. You’re not wearing those to the prom, young lady.

Today, I sent out prize-winner alerts, and within a couple minutes someone claimed the first prize– an incredibly cute t-shirt from Alloy. It’s going to Meghan in Wisconsin.

Also, the first Jonas Brothers CD is heading to San Jose, to the home of Joanne (spatalian on StyleFeeder). The youthful rockers are due out with a new CD in June, too– Top 10 Sources has a page on them with more info.

For two months now, we’ve had people enter the contest by posting the StyleFeeder widget on their websites. This month, we’re asking you to tell your friends about us a different way: invite them to use StyleFeeder. Whoever sends the most invitations each day will get a prize. Also, since this is a totally new contest, you can win, even if you’ve won a prize from our earlier contests.

More details will be posted here and on our front page on Sunday.

We’ve also got some lovely lipgloss from Sephora going out to Mickey Milan, who lives in New York City, capital of fashion.

There are just four days left to win a prize in March before we start in on a new (and different!) contest in April– I’ll fill you in on it soon. Until then, get on over to the widget page and post your widget somewhere.

I hadn’t seen anything from Squidglass before, but I’m really impressed. My favorites are the Girl Detective series, which use illustrations from old-fashioned children’s mystery novels, and the namesake squid pendant. Good find, Jennifer!

We’ll be giving plenty more treats away for the rest of the month. Want to win something? Here’s how: sign up for StyleFeeder and create a wishlist, then post the StyleFeeder widget on your web page. See official rules for details.

Ace is a rocker from Whitman, MA. Seriously: his name is Ace and he’s in a band called 120 Decibels, which counts loud sixties and seventies rock among its major influences. He’s getting a belt buckle of the Who logo. (If you’ve read your pop-culture history, this actually makes him more of a mod than a rocker: the rockers listened to Elvis and rode motorcycles, the Mods listened to the Who and rode scooters). The important thing, though, is that he’s won a pretty cool belt buckle.

We’ll be giving plenty more treats away for the rest of the month. Want to win something? Here’s how: sign up for StyleFeeder and create a wishlist, then post the StyleFeeder widget on your web page. See official rules for details.

Plus, you can pimp your profile with the StyleFeeder widget.

We’ll be giving plenty more treats away for the rest of the month. Whether you wish for pirate’s booty or beauty bounty is up to you, but if you want anything at all, here’s how to win: sign up for StyleFeeder and create a wishlist, then post the StyleFeeder widget on your web page. See official rules for details.

Now, if YOU want to win, here’s how to do it: sign up for StyleFeeder and create a wishlist, then post the StyleFeeder widget on your web page, blog, MySpace, LiveJournal, or whatever. That’s it. We’re selecting one person to win an item from their wishlist every day. See official rules for details.

Today, we begin a March contest! Post yourStyleFeeder wishlist on your web page, and you just might win. I can’t say that posting something green for St. Patrick’s Day will increase the chances that you’ll win… but it can’t hurt.

There are still a few more chances to win in February, plus several unclaimed prizes from January I’ll probably be re-awarding in a few days. So, make a list, check it twice, and post the widget on your web page, and you just might win.

Have you posted your StyleFeeder wishlist on your web page? You could win something from it if you do. Jasmine did.

Buy Olympia, as its name implies, sells handmade and unique items mostly from the Pacific Northwest. Now, the Pacific Northwest in general and Olympia, WA in particular have an unusual concentration of hard-edged punk bands that share an independent-minded DIY ethos. Any connection? Yes! Buy Olympia also runs the storefront for the record label Kill Rock Stars, home to Sleater Kinney, Bikini Kill, and Unwound.

Of course, it’s not all punk rock– they also sell some pretty cute handbags. Anything independent, regardless of style, can be shipped anywhere. It’s a nice store and I’ll be adding to my wishlist from it– how about you?

I’m also sending a pair of hemp-cotton blend t-shirts to Morton Grove, IL, where StyleWise lives. Made from hemp and organic cotton, they’re perfect for screenprinting or actual wearing as unadorned and un-logoed clothing (remember that?). You’ll find a bunch more where they came from at Cultureskate.

That’s in addition to the one-click widget setup for FaceBook and Friendster.

Because Etsy connects you directly to the people who make stuff, you can do things like ask for reprints, or a different color. And you don’t have to buy from an expensive store with expensive overhead and snooty service. This thing could sell for seventy bucks at a chichi store on South Beach, but since we bought it directly, we paid a lot less.

And of course, since she’s a winner in the wishlist contest, Jess got it for free. If you want to win, there’s still plenty of time– just post your StyleFeeder wishlist widget on your web page and you’re in the running.

Now, Andrea over at Dreams and Jewelry makes all the pieces herself, and she’d made just one just one of the “Robin” necklace. That one necklace sold out before I could snag it for Molly, but Andrea was kind enough to offer to make another just for her. She should be shipping it out some time tomorrow.

If you’re looking for some beautiful gifts this Valentine’s day, Dreams and Jewelry would be a good pick: you won’t see just anyone wearing the same thing.

Andrea has set up her own StyleFeed for Dreams and Jewelry, as well:

(Or so I’m told. I had one experience with cologne in college and it ended badly: I accidentally broke the top of the bottle right before a date, and it spilled everywhere, and I had to go out smelling like I’d showered in it. Not classy.)

Jackie links to her MySpace profile from StyleFeeder, and you’ll note, in addition to her lovely smile and hilarious headline, her StyleFeed posted right there on the page. Congratulations to Jackie and thanks for using StyleFeeder!

Lindy’s just about the last of the January winners– there are still a couple left unclaimed, but all the new prizes awarded will be going to people who post the StyleFeeder widget somewhere.

So, keep making wishes on those wishlists. We’ll be keeping an eye out.

(Some restrictions apply, kids need parental permission, see official rules, blah blah blah.)

(You know, delicates. Lingerie. Bras and underwear. Bras, especially, can get all tangled up if you just toss them in with the rest of the laundry. Putting them in a mesh bag prevents that. You can also use them to avoid lost-sock syndrome.)

Anyway, congratulations to Karin and thanks to everyone so far who’s participated in the StyleFeeder contest. We’ve just got a few days to go, so keep building those wishlists.

We’ve also added group StyleFeeds– each group you join has its own shared wishlist, which everyone in the group can contribute to. Every time you add an item to StyleFeeder, you’ll get the option to have it added to group StyleFeeds as well. For example, I’m in the motorcycling group and the StyleFeed for motorcycling looks like this:

It’s also problematic, because, if you click through and examine carefully, you’ll notice it costs $55.00. That’s way too much to pay for a t-shirt, yes, but it’s also five bucks over the fifty-dollar limit we set on prizes. I fudged the rules because I just liked the shirt too much to toss it back. I want to apologize to the rest of the contestants I let down in this way, and I hope that you’ll be able to forgive me and continue to enjoy the remaining few days of this contest.

Not only is it a great book, but San Pellegrino (her name turns out to be Rebecca, and she lives in Sacramento) has picked it out from Harvard Bookstore. It’s my favorite place to shop for a good read, and I’m not alone– Harvard Boostore is consistently rated as one of the best independent bookstores in the country. It’s a real pleasure to buy such a great book from such a great store and send it to someone with such great taste.

Buon Appetito, San Pellegrino!

A slightly less surprising, but equally wonderful theme is the focus on high-quality handmade products at PixelGirl Shop. Everything at the store is made by individual artisans, and then selected for sale by just one person. Her name is Shana and her selections have been popping up in the wishlists of a wide variety of StyleFeeders– Kodim10, Aaron, Mellonhead, Sonya6… and maybe you. Have a look around.

We’ll also be sending a tea education in a box to the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, where Marie has won a gift from Adagio Teas. The starter set includes four kinds of tea, a teapot, and a book about tea.

Finally, Decatur, GA native Lady Crumpet got herself a necklace in the shape of handcuffs from craft jeweler Erica Weiner. I suggest jewelry-hounds out some of the other pieces from that studio as well– it’s hard to find jewelry that’s clever and still subtle enough to wear every day, but Weiner manages to do it.

She may like things that look pretty and smell good, but Gina is not a stereotypical LA-dweller. Look at the rest of her StyleFeed, which includes not only beauty products and vintage clothes but also good books and cookware. Or have a look La Bloga, a group blog focused on Chicano literature, where she’s a regular contributor.

Congratulations to Gina, and to those of you who haven’t won yet, a reminder: you have twelve more chances, so keep adding to your StyleFeeder wishlists!

The most-popular item on the site, however, is still the Apple iPhone. Mary-Kate and Ashley have put it in their StyleFeeds, and so has just about everyone else.

For more of the most popular, most wished-for, and generally niftiest stuff, check out the StyleFeed I’ve put together for The Best of StyleFeeder.

What I like about her StyleFeeder wishlist is that it mixes electronics and gadgets with diamond rings and high-heeled shoes. It’s a broad mix of stuff, but it’s all well-selected and shows her personal mark of style:

I first saw Dirty Coast shirts in 93octane’s StyleFeed, but they’re in about a half-dozen wishlists now, and growing steadily. The company itself is the sort of shop you’d have to hear about from af riend: it’s run by a couple guys from New Orleans who got sick of all the terrible souvenier t-shirts in the French Quarter and decided to make something they liked enough to wear themselves. They got started right before the hurricane hit, and then started up again as soon as the power came back on. Now they print shirts to order and ship them anywhere.

That’s where Tamara and her wishlist come in. I’m hoping I’ll be able to give out a few more shirts from their store before this contest is over. You’ve still got sixteen more chances to win, so don’t stop shopping now.

Some people just don’t know how lucky they are, though, because they haven’t claimed their prizes yet. Yammy wished for a pillow from BlueFly and won it, Kasia305 put a cameo charm necklace on her list, and I’m itching to buy this incredible New Orleans-themed t-shirt for FunnyBunny.

Now, my original plan was to wait until the end of January and buy all the unclaimed prizes for myself, but something in the rules says I can’t do that. If people don’t claim them soon, we’ll have to either pick new winners, or award one giant prize worth as much as all the unclaimed prizes put together.

In the meantime, I’m going to have to order that New Orleans shirt for myself.

The first winner was a lady from Sacramento named Teresa, a.k.a. Pantone292, who got an adorable baby hat in her list. It’s from a shop on Etsy, which means it’s handmade in small quantities. In fact, it looks like Teresa and I grabbed the only one in that particular style, but they have a whole bunch of others. She says she’s going to give it to a toddler she knows.

Rules update: The initial rules said the contest was only open to people over 18, but we felt bad enough about it that we got our lawyer to rewrite the forms, so now if you’re underage you can get your parents to vouch for you and we’ll send you the goodies.

You still have to be in the US, though– we don’t have the legal expertise to run a global sweepstakes. Still, it makes me sad not to be able to give the skull ring from Fred Flare to the Austrian girl who wanted it. It’s so awesome I’m tempted to buy one myself, but I can’t type with rings on. And pink is so not my color.

Moral of the story: you should put more things in your StyleFeeder wishlist. I have the corporate credit card and I’m itching to use it.

Here’s how to win:

• Sign up for StyleFeeder
• Add something to your StyleFeed

That’s it! Every day this month we’ll select one thing added in January and buy it for the lucky wisher. The more you add, the better your odds.

Winning items must be legally available for less than fifty dollars– we can’t get you a cute guy or a Bentley. See the complete rules here for more details.

So go ahead and get wishing!

The good folks over at

Etsy, you see, runs a storefront for a diverse group of artisans, while StyleFeeder helps shoppers build wishlists. When Etsy products appear in StyleFeeds, shoppers from both sites benefit.

Want to talk about it? Try joining the Etsy discussion group at StyleFeeder.

I will be among them.

That’s certainly true, and it even seems a little obvious. Yes, StyleFeeder is a website for savvy shoppers, not OPML developers. But I think Wired was right to emphasize it, anyway– it’s something we think about a lot. Just like you can drive a car without being a mechanic, we want you to be able to use StyleFeeder without being a web guru.

That’s why we’re trying to make it easier to install the StyleFeeder item grabber, why we’re re-evaluating the ratings system and touching up the page design, and why we’re overhauling the groups feature.

How do you think we’re doing? Let us know.

In particular, gently scented soaps are a great gift– a small luxury that’s also useful and practical. Plus, getting one that’s all-natural says you care about their skin and the environment.

If you want something a little more permanent, go for something shiny– a one-of-a-kind necklace is always a nice touch.

These are the gifts that give themselves. Or something.

KarmaLoop rep Giovannah is a featured StyleFeeder this week, and she’s got a great collection her own personal recommendations from the store:

But the sense of smell is intense and evocative, and there are a large number of StyleFeeders who really understand and appreciate what wearing a good perfume can do for you. Just browsing through the perfume tag, you’ll find plenty of items posted by Marlen, also known as The Perfume Critic, one of our first scent-expert members. And of course there’s Salamandre and Soap and Flutter, all of whom have quite a few scented items in their feeds.

If you love scents and smells, check ‘em out,

StyleFeeder also got some positive press from Fast Company Magazine, which says StyleFeeder is the Future of Web 2.0. I was pretty happy about that– seeing us mentioned up there with Redfin and all those map-mashup sites was deeply gratifying.

I’d apply the tag “awesome.”

Which is why I had to copy the chocolates with Brittany sea salt to my StyleFeed as soon as I saw them.

Yeah, we’re cool.

Find anything fun, weird, or just plain great? Post a comment or write to info@stylefeeder.com.

Like a musical toothrbush.

Yes, someone has posted a musical toothrbrush anonymously. Not sure why. But I bet it sounds cool.

Nine hundred million is a lot. Look through StyleFeeder items tagged expensive and see if there are any social networking sites in the list.

Check ‘em out on StyleFeeder or etceteramedia.com.

Also a nice addition to the “add an item” page is a list of all the tags you’ve used in the past…

For more stuff, see items tagged as: scarf, knit, funny, or awesome.

Don’t know who Domo-Kun is? See the Wikipedia entry: he’s an impossibly cute Japanese TV mascot.

I’m not sure what to make of that, honestly. Does it say that we’re a website full of wine-drinkers? Or that there are simply more products related to wine than there are to other beverages?

It also means you can tell your friends that we’re a trustworthy website and they’ll believe you, unlike that time you got everyone involved in that free iPod scam.

• Becks & Posh Nosh, a food-oriented blog by Sam Breach.
• Decremental and Baba-Baba by Bart Decrem of the Flock project.
• Here There Be Tygers, by featured user Annette.
• TheVieve, by featured user Genevieve.
• Life, Love, Chocolate, by featured user Connie.
• Perfume Critic, which uses the badge in several interesting ways.
• Flying Seeds, by Tim Post.
• La Tartine Gourmande, by Béa.
• Nika’s Culinaria
• Mikim Press
• Lucila from MySpace

Plus, of course, the StyleFeeder staff blogs: Secretly Ironic, Mamacentric, Halley’s Comment, Whirlycott, John Palfrey and HubArts.

But they totally missed her giant bikini spree. I was heartily amused to catch my boss shopping for what turned out to be some fairly raunchy garments.

Go to any product page on the site, like this fancy side table. On the right side of the page is a small button that will allow you to add the item to your StyleFeed with just one click.

If you run an online store, email info@stylefeeder.com and ask about becoming a StyleFeeder partner.

And now LawPundit has found a dozen or so new blogs to read, and is signing up for StyleFeeder.

I guess it really is true that the Internet makes the world a lot smaller.

This is all part of a kick I’ve been on recently of trying to vote with my dollars for sustainable commerce, handmade and independent products, and so forth. It started with picking up a copy of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, and wanting to eat more organic or sustainably-grown food. But it’s not just food: it’s housing (the latest issue of Dwell is all about environmentally responsible buildings and design) and clothing (like this organic cotton t-shirt in my StyleFeed), and everything else.

Another store I think is worth noticing is one I found while browsing the Environment tag. It’s called Pangaya and it sells a bunch of environmentally-reasonable (organic cotton, free-range wool, that kind of thing) clothing for women and kids that doesn’t look too hippie-ish.

Baba-Baba, a global music blog, has included their StyleFeed, with interesting tags like stuff to go along with the music.

Anyway, that’s nothing compared to the Ferraris, or even the other other car and motorcycle gear. But that’s not as high as it goes.

Look past the the various decor items tagged with house and you’ll find a fair bit of real estate, which as far as I can tell takes the cake.

Anyone find anything that costs more than a few million? Let me know.

RambleWoman went over the list of goodies handed out by companies at the BlogHer conference, praising the StyleFeeder shirt our CEO Halley was handing out there.

She uses StyleFeeder to keep track of exotic food items including ostrich and other game meats, Japanese candies, and hard-to-find teas. It saves her a lot of time because she doesn’t have to hunt around trying to remember where she last saw the ingredients she was looking for.

Have a look at her StyleFeed or visit Nika’s Culinaria and let her know what you think of her flavorful choices.

So, I wrote to her and asked if we could talk about her on the blog. It turns out that she’s a Hamilton, Ontario student named Melissa, and that she first heard about StyleFeeder on a blog she reads. She says “I like that I can keep track of things that I want to purchase because I have a horrible memory and wouldn’t remember anything without it. I also like the tags feature because I helps me find interesting things I like on other people’s StyleFeeder.”

Long story short: Etsy is a new favorite site of mine and PoeticWonder is a new favorite StyleFeed.

“I’ve spent my every free second since, browsing this site,” she wrote in her post this afternoon. “StyleFeeder harnesses all of the coolest things for sale across the internet and tidies it up in one simple feed; or just visit their website and browse through their comprehensive tags. … It’s not just a website, it’s a shopping community.” Thanks, Dana!

The first mistake is assuming that “it’s a social network.” If there’s no communication between members, it’s not a network. This is an old-fashioned amateur talent contest with some MySpace makeup on. Wal*Mart won’t get a lot of people to spend a lot of time on the site, but the contest will get a few kids excited and Wal*Mart will get a new perspective on what kinds of ads young people want to see. It doesn’t need or want to be MySpace.

Now, if Wal*Mart wanted to add a social element to their website they could add product reviews and improve their gift registries and wishlists. Take a look at what I’m guessing is a typical wedding registry: J. Smith, of Marion, AR. Most of the items don’t have images (most of the items are in-store only), the descriptions are pretty minimal, and there’s no sense of fun to it at all. It’d be great if they just had some captions stating why the couple wants that new set of towels or whatever. A partnership with StyleFeeder would be a good first step.

You knew I’d get this on-topic somehow, right?

Canadian blogger Mikim Press features the badge as well. Visit Mikim’s StyleFeed to say hello.

Like StyleFeeder? Use it in an interesting way? Drop us a line or put your StyleFeed on your page and tell your friends.

StyleFeeder is also one of the featured sponsors of BeautyAddict; if you’re of the makeup-wearing persuasion, drop by and have a look at this season’s chocolate-tinted eye shadow.

Got other recommendations? Comment on his items or add your own.

Finally, I just peeked over my co-workers shoulder to see that he a splattering of his SF pictures on his blog. It looks so cool, and it is such a fun way for his readers to check out his favorite styles, that it tempted me to start my own blog, if only to post my favorites. But wait.. that’s what Style Feeder is, right?

I’m sure there are even more ways to use Stlye Feeder. If you figure out more, let me know!

In the HTML StyleFeeder gives you to paste into your page, you’ll see a line beginning:

      width="150" height="450"

Change those numbers in increments of 50. So if you wanted your feed to be six boxes wide and two boxes tall, you’d put in width="300" height="150", and you’d get this:

I think this means that we’re building something which is obviously and logically awesome.

She’s so pleased by it that I feel compelled to point out that we haven’t paid her.

“I added her StyleFeed to my watchlist,” said Stefano, “and when she found something she wanted my opinion on, she’d just add it.” The couple used StyleFeeder to pick out a new TV and DVD player, a set of patio chairs, and an armchair. Months after the move, Stefano says they now use StyleFeeder as a wishlist. “I’m still subscribed to her feed– Stylefeeder has been an invaluable tool for us.”

Visit Stefano’s and Jessica’s StyleFeeds yourself and see what you think, then join StyleFeeder to create your own.

PS, founder and developer Phil’s StyleFeed is here.

Or maybe it’s more like showing your first painting to someone. You’re never sure what they’ll think.

And you get the feeling like you’re giving someone that you really care about a present… wondering if they’ll like it.

But StyleFeeder is now live. And we hope that you like it.

StyleFeeder is a new website that you can use to share and organize the great stylish things that you see online.

Looking for shoes? We have shoes. And they’re not shoes that some marketing droid is trying to sell to you. They’re shoes that another StyleFeeder found and liked enough to post to the site for others to see.

We all know that the best way to find things that we like is to ask someone who likes similar things. This type of filtering works best, because humans know when something is just different enough in it’s own special way that it triggers a reaction inside. “Yes, I like that.”

There’s a lot more to come.

Special thanks to Beatrice Peltre, Jake Shapiro, Brendan Greeley, Seth Fitzsimmons, Bart Cilfone, Sara Jacob, Gregor Rothfuss, Jason Prince, Kim Prince, Eric Savage and Stefano Mazzocchi for making this happen, their advice and their input.