Blog Posts by Joanna Douglas, Senior Fashion and Beauty Editor

Bless lingerie blazer, available at ra antwerp.We've always deep down felt like two-in-one products were inferior in some way. Shampoo/conditioner combos never work quite as well as the solo hair products, and those convertible dresses that can supposedly be worn five different ways really only look decent when styled the simplest, original way.

We think this Bliss Lingerie Blazer takes the cake for the dumbest fashion hybrid of all time. It's one part lacy camisole, one part blazer, and 100% ugly. This insanely overpriced garment costs $348 and we're not even sure how it stays on. Also? Her neck looks cold.

Related links:
14 things your handbag shouldn't look like
18 absurd and frivolous designer items
Fashion that makes us sad: Mankinis

Read More »from Fashion that makes us sad: The lingerie/blazer hybrid

Coach bags are some of the most frequently copied. Photo courtesy of Coach.Luxury items from big-name brands are ultra-popular holiday gifts, but with so many impostors out there, it's extra important to be sure you're buying the real thing. Shopping online places greater distance between you and your purchase (which allows serious room for scams), but these days it's even tricky to spot a counterfeit item in person. The online consumer site SiteJabber has put together a list of the top 10 counterfeit items and brands for the holiday season. If you're looking to buy any of the goods listed below, you'll want to be extra careful about where you buy the item and examine it closely or check the store's return policy before you commit.

Behold! The top 10 most counterfeited items of 2010:

1. UGGs
2. Coach handbags and leather items
3. Tiffany's
4. Athletic jerseys
5. Perfume
6. Nike sneakers (especially Air Yeezy and Air Jordans)
7. Ed Hardy and Juicy brands
8. Watches (like Rolex, Omega, and Tag Heuer)
9. North Face
10. DVDs

Read More »from The most counterfeited brands of the season—and how to avoid getting ripped off

It's that time of year again when those of us who think we look bad, or silly, or weird in hats are forced to wear them to avoid frostbite. Thankfully there are a variety of options like berets, trapper hats, fedoras, ski hats, beanies, newsboys caps... and animal hats. Yes, hats that make you look like a cuddly critter are all the rage this season, and we don't like it! Sure, making your adorable toddler look like a little bear or kitty cat is cute, but don't people outgrow such hats by the age of five? Take a look at the worst celeb animal hat offenders and a variety of retail options available this winter.

Read More »from Fashion that makes us sad: animal hats

Maybe Joan Rivers would look less scary if she'd waited to have surgery until she was 52. Photo: Wire ImageDid you know that there's an ideal age to cosmetically transform yourself? According to a new survey conducted by London's beauty and health retailer, Superdrug, when you're 52 years, 41 weeks, and four days old you should head to the plastic surgeon. Personally, we're not buying into that, but a survey of 3,000 women aged 40 to 65 found that one in three women are considering cosmetic surgery. Here are more of the survey's findings:

• 20% of women would get a face lift if money were no object
• 25% would like an eye lift
• 29% would want a tummy tuck
• 29% of those who wouldn't get plastic surgery would like to get Botox or chemical peels
• 29% would rather look 20 years younger than be a millionaire
• the majority of women surveyed said Twiggy was the best aging role model

"The popularity of certain treatments is very celebrity driven," Dr. Darren McKeown, a London-based cosmetic doctor told the Daily Mail. "When a famous woman is pictured with a 'trout pout' then Read More »from New survey says 52 is the perfect age for plastic surgery

Wire ImageFormer Gucci designer, Tom Ford, may have a way with clothing, but he sure doesn't have a way with words. Although he is in fact a clothing designer, he's going around saying he believes garments are unflattering and that we should all embrace nudity. Especially women with bigger proportions.

"I spend most of my time at home naked," Ford said. "You know, most people actuallylook better nude. We are all one harmonious colour, with a symmetry and an innate elegance. Fat women almost always look better without the constraint and lumpy pinching of clothes, all the straps and elastic squeezing and sucking. We are the only animal that wears clothes, and that can't just be because dogs can't do up buttons."

First of all, we hate the word "fat." Secondly, isn't it a bit odd for a clothing designer who just launched his first womenswear collection in six years to say that ladies look better without their clothing? Well, this is good to know. Now we can all save thousands by not buying his

Read More »from Worst quote of the day: Tom Ford says "fat women look better naked"

A line outside the New York City Ugg store in SoHo. Photo via Shophound.Years ago when UGG boots began sweeping the nation one furry foot at a time, many people were on the fence about them. They're warm and comfortable (like wearing slippers!) but many would argue they are also ugly and really bad for your feet. Two camps eventually emerged: those who swear by UGGs and those who loathe them and continually list them as a "fashion don't." That last type would be me.

Yesterday I passed by the UGG store in the SoHo area of New York City right around dinner time, and saw a long line formed at a velvet rope outside the shop. Loads of people were already shopping inside. I assumed they must be having a holiday event, or maybe a special sale. It wasn't until I stumbled on this post on Shophound that I realized people actually line up outside the three Manhattan UGGs stores in the cold to score the boots every holiday season. This makes me wonder about a few things:

1. Don't the people who love UGGs already have enough of them?
2. Don't the people who love UGGs

Read More »from If we all hate UGGs, who is still lining up to buy them?

Jessica Simpson makes an in-store appearance at Dillards. Photo by Wire Image.A decade ago celebrity clothing lines were few and far between, and they were of little interest to people. Jaclyn Smith for Kmart? Not so glamorous. But these days it might be easier to make a list of the celebrities who aren't tied to fragrances, cosmetics, or fashion lines. If you're 30-year-old Jessica Simpson, you have all three, and you're worth $100 million as a result.

Simpson may not have struck gold with her fragrances like, say, J.Lo, but her clothing and accessories collections outsell Madonna's. All together, sales of her watches, accessories, shoes, clothing, bathing suits, and fragrances reached a shocking $750 million this year. But an informal poll of our staff found that several of us own Jessica Simpson items (and so do our moms). And our fashionable friends swear by her shoes. So while we've all picked on and scrutinized Jessica Simpson for everything from her questionable wardrobe choices, to her noticeable weight gain, to her poor dental hygiene, the joke is on

Read More »from Jessica Simpson's fashion empire is nearing $1 billion

Helen Mirren put her panties up for auction for charity. Queen Elizabeth II's undies are up for sale! Apparently her majesty left her knickers on a private plane in 1968, ad the late "Baron" Joseph de Bicske Dobronyi discovered them. (They're unmistakable as they have an 'E' embroidered on them with a crown above it.) His estate plans to auction them off, but who would want to own the Queen's underpants, and how much would they be willing to pay for them? Well, this wouldn't be the first pair of famous underwear up for auction. Let's take a look at other celeb underthings and their going rates:

• Queen Victoria - her unmentionables sold for $9,000 by Hansons Auctioneers and Valuers, the same auction house that hopes to sell Queen Elizabeth's underwear.
• Octomom - she sold her used underthings at a yard sale back in September. Ew.
• Adam Lambert - the singer wore a pair of "Ellen" underwear on the Ellen DeGeneres show and the host auctioned them off on her site. They sold for $8,500 which went towards Haiti Relief

Read More »from Celebrity underwear: Would you buy it?