Today's brisk morning found New York's fashion set SoHo-bound, but instead of queuing for yet another sample sale, they sidled into Prada's artistically palatial store on Prince Street for the unveiling of their newest creative fare - -the Prada book. Just what we need, another fashion book telling us what to wear, when to wear it, what to pair it with and flashing papparazzi pics of all sorts of celebs wearing it before. Thankfully, there's none of that in the new take-away tome simply entitled Prada. Arguably the most desired geometric shape in the world, the inverted triangle is worth very little by itself; that is until P-R-A-D-A is stamped inside, giving it a life -- and subsequent price tag -- worthy of a legacy.

BlackBook senior editor Nick Haramis may be one of the biggest beauty junkies I know. He collects more products then he knows what to do with, and he has tried them all. It often goes overlooked, but gents are often more product-savvy (and in many cases, more picky) than gals. Since Haramis has been around the block (the one with a Sephora and a Keihl's), he would know best. This one is for the boys.

In early 2008, Melonie Diaz flew to Park City, Utah, for her coronation. With a schedule-busting four films in competition, she was ready to accept her crown as the queen of Sundance. “It was incredibly flattering, but incredibly tiring. I was supposed to present at the closing awards, but being up at seven doing press every day and then going to bed at four, I got sick!” says the diminutive actress of her whirlwind experience at the festival. While there, she was promoting Michel Gondry’s Be Kind Rewind (with Jack Black and Mos Def), Andrew Fleming’s Hamlet 2 (opposite Steve Coogan and fellow Sundance royal Catherine Keener), American Son (co-starring Nick Cannon) and Assassination of a High School President (featuring a pre-breakdown Mischa Barton).

On September 24, the world’s foremost trance & electronic producer and DJ, Tiësto (Tijs Michiel Verwest), kicked off a 175-date World Tour with three stellar nights at the Hammerstein Ballroom. The tour seeks to promote the October 20 release of his fourth studio album, Kaleidoscope. On the new album, Tiësto collaborates with such acts as Sigur Rós, Nelly Furtado, Calvin Harris, and Tegan & Sara. The first single released in July, “I Will Be Here,” has already been a hit in Europe and recently penetrated the iTunes Top 10 Dance Chart. This comes after a long string of successes, including a Grammy award for his album Elements of Life, numerous endorsement deals, the start of his label Musical Freedom, and five European #1s. Tiësto is one of the most sought-after producers, having remixed tracks by such epic headliners as Madonna, Britney Spears, Sarah McLachlan, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Paul Oakenfold, Moby, Tarkan, Kanye West, The Killers, and Maroon 5. Tiësto is not one to sit around, and the new album marks fresh developments in his musicianship and certainly solidifies his global popularity. We hunted Tiësto down during his New York visit to get the lowdown on his fast-paced globetrotting, in and out of the hottest nightlife venues around the world.

If you're combing the back alleys of Twitter for sentience, you may notice two things. First, you're looking in the wrong place; and second, #MFW is now trending. And with the trending of #MFW, we can put the kibosh on London Fashion Week and vault ourselves head first into the wild, fiery throes of Milan Fashion Week. How is Milan Fashion Week different than LFW and NFW? Well, apart from being a wholly different acronym, in Milan, risotto falls from the sky like rain. In Milan, fat little children do butterfly strokes in ponds of pasta sauce. In Milan, romance sparks and dreams do come true. But more important than your dreams is Anna Wintour. She's already started making the rounds, thereby rendering those other two metropoli -- so splattered with pigeon shit, they are! -- passé. And as far as designers go, some of the top contenders have already sent their latest designs down the runway. And the dapper rabble, they're pleased.

Once relegated to stages and poles, stratospheric shoes have stomped back onto the catwalk in a big way. Gucci went exotic, Pucci channeled Barbarella, Louis Vuitton embraced fetish and Prada took them fishing. This season, make no mistake: thigh’s the limit.

Prada has always been about entertainment -- fairies flitting down the runway, loud, mismatching patterns making nothing but sense, and such consistent sartorial audacity that's given Miuccia Prada creative license to do no wrong. And then there are the clothes. Outfitting everybody who's anybody and everyone else in between, running from the red carpet to the Red Door, it's one of those luxury brands that lean away from actual indulgence, and more toward wearable objets d'art.

When Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme audaciously reintroduced the skinny tie in the early 00's, it created such a dichotomy among the fashionable -- some were overjoyed that they had appropriately slimmed-down accessories to match their severely low-fat suits, while others outright eschewed the idea as an ephemeral accoutrement that would fade by the time the next season hit. But then something happened: Other designers caught on.

Suddenly everything in your suitcase seems so ... blah.

1. Barney’s New York (Shoppes at the Palazzo) - Quirky flagship store where the sculpture and décor are as fabulous as the clothes. An entire floor of handbags!
2. Bettie Page (Miracle Mile Shops) - If your idea of stunning is more Ava Gardner than Mischa Barton. Lace petticoat dresses and vintage-inspired lingerie.
3. Prada (Bellagio) - Their shop window compels women toward the craps tables in hopes of a big win. “Mama needs a new pair of shoes” has never had more meaning.

There was a time in this country when men donned powdered wigs and sweet tights. That trend is returning, but in a 21st-century kind of way. Dudes are starting to dress like chicks -- the progenitors of fashion are encouraging such lifestyle choices. Heads turned this spring when Prada unveiled their Fall 2008 menswear collection in Milan, where they casually featured a short, wavy skirt, paired with knits and trousers. But who would have guessed from that minor move in menswear that similar products would continue popping up, making 2008 the year that men began tastefully embracing their feminine side while not quite yet flirting outright with full-on drag.