Blog Posts by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff

Fashion was in full democratic force on Monday at the 57th Presidential Inauguration ceremony. No matter who you were--the First Lady, an A-list power couple, or a ticket-holder waving a hand-held flag--you were probably really, really cold. But on a day when Michelle Obama's wardrobe changes make history, nobody's talking about the weather.

Michelle Obama in Thom Browne on Monday (NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)Michelle Obama is known for launching women's fashion trends worldwide, but it was  menswear that served as inspiration for the first lady during Monday's daytime inaugural events.

President weighs in on first lady's new look

Michelle's custom navy jacquard Thom Browne Coat and dress chosen to kick of the festivities in Washington took its cue from the fabric of a silk men's tie. Power ties of varying color, of course, are a trademark of her husband's first term.

"It's one of those moments when I just can't believe that happened," Browne told the New York Times' Eric Wilson. Known primarily for his suits, Browne was named GQ's Designer of the Year in the fall 2008, the same year as Obama's historical election to the presidency.

The first lady has been a fan of Browne's dress collections in recent months. She wore a custom gray dress with a black lace overlay in October, during the Democratic National Convention.

The decision to wear Browne was a win for Michelle on Monday,

(Annie Leibovitz/Vogue)When tragedy hits New York City, the most financially and culturally diverse 300 square miles in the country, we are all the same. But in the recovery processes, our differences are more pronounced than ever.

Look no further than Vogue's controversial Superstorm Sandy-themed fashion spread in this month's issue for proof. "Storm Troupers," a photo shoot by famously exorbitant photographer Annie Leibovitz, features supermodels dressed in couture gowns "celebrating" the heroes of the storm that knocked the whole of New York City temporarily on it's behind, and left portions of the outer-boroughs permanently in crisis.

It's a dedication to "New York's Finest"--both the heroes of Sandy and the heroes of fashion, explains the the feature's clunky opening statement. But if you ask a legion of outraged media critics the comparison is way off.

How Hurricane Sandy put New Yorkers at risk

Slate's Katherine Goldstein calls the spread "awful" and describes one particular image, of

Does this woman look crazy to you? (Sante Dorazio/Esquire)Megan Fox can teach us a lot about the core differences between men and women.

When a male sex symbol espouses his belief in aliens and religious extremism, he's permenantly deleted from People's Sexiest Man Alive files. When a female sex symbol does the same she's hailed by Esquire as the "last American bombshell. "

After Fox's interview for the men's magazine's February issue went viral this week, she was labeled by and large "crazy" due to a series of bizarre comments she makes about spirituality, mythical creatures and doomsday.

Score one for Megan. She's smarter than she seems. If your job is to play the world's hottest woman, being labeled "crazy" by your largely male fan-base means you're doing something right. Men love "crazy." More on that in a second.

After Esquire's reporter spends a good long paragraph describing her face as "sublime, a force of nature, an elaborately camouflaged butterfly...flawless," he concludes his profile with a list of some of the

In my estimation there should be some kind of award designed for people who eat at The Cheesecake Factory and don't order a cheesecake for dessert. But The annual Xtreme Eating Awards, a not so figure flattering list released annually by the nonprofit Center for the Science in the Public Interest, some seemingly healthy entrees from the chain has more calories than that slice of the most decadent oreo cheesecake you've been drooling over. Lets look at what you've been ordering versus what you've been missing.

The new Mango Creme cookie from Girl Scouts of America

Ever wondered why we can't make more cookies that are good for us? Here's why: They come with a price, or rather a patent. 

Girl Scouts, an organization that boasts the world's three best fund-raising tools (Thin Mints, Samoas, and Tagalongs) recently introduced its latest treat: Mango Crèmes with NutriFusion™. Note the TM. That's where the problems begin.

Girl Scout cookie boxes: the evolution

In an attempt to give Girl Scout cookies a healthy makeover, ABC Bakers--Girl Scout's official pastry think tank--concocted a "tropical-inspired" sandwich cookie doused in vitamins. Make that vitamin product. Critics are crying foul over the new cookie's added nutritional element: NutriFusion. Not only is that the name of an ingredient, it's the name of a company behind a "scientific process that…when added to foods and beverages, supercharges their nutritional value," so says the company website.

"NutriFusion is the latest in manufacturers' attempts at making junk food healthier,"

Welcome back, Bachelor compatriots. If you watched last night's episode you already know that buildings were jumped from, vampire teeth were worn, pranks were had at an innocent person's expense, yoga instructors bowed out, and two people you'd never seen until the last five minutes of the show got sent home. What you may have missed is all the the weird stuff that happened in between.

--Piper Weiss, Shine Staff

Carrie Bradshaw: Then and Now (HBO/CW)"I'm worried," writes a real person on a fake Carrie Bradshaw Facebook page. "I loved Sex and the City sooooo Muchhh.... I have no Idea how I'm gonna feel about this...."

We are all worried, dear soul, after spending more than a decade falling asleep to episodes of "Sex and the City" on HBO, TBS and DVD, memorizing every minute detail of the alternate universe of Manhattan--where it's always springtime, limos are always pulling up on abandoned streets not in search of prostitutes, and hot strangers are always saying things like "have dinner with me!" If a single hole is poked in the already improbable math of "Sex and the City," what will we believe? Enter "The Carrie Diaries," the new prequel series to the original HBO hit, and a sharp thorn in the side of Bradshaw loyalists.

No really: people are in hysterics over "The Carrie Diaries," (Mondays at 8pm EST on the CW), a one-hour soap tracing the origin of Carrie Bradshaw through her teen years. Sure it's based on author