Etsy Top 10

Etsy.com - the website for t-shirt designers, jewelry makers, shoe cobblers and anyone who makes stuff and wants to sell it - is the online version of FLEA-MARKET HEAVEN!

Except on Etsy there are fewer stalls selling crystals and incense and more fashion-forward stuff that just might end up in mass-market chains like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.

As of this month, here are my top 10 favorite things on Etsy!!! What I love about Etsy is that you can find awesome cute and clever stuff for your home AND also one-of-a-kind (or at least very limited edition) clothes for women, men and kids. It's the perfect place to pick up affordable (and unique) gifts - plus you're supporting independent craftspeople, artists, etc.

C'est cool, indeed.

Let me know if you find anything else to add to the list - I'd love to start an ongoing Etsy roll call. There's just so much stuff to sift through - a lot of incredibly cool things mixed with a lot of "what-the-eff-were-you-thinking?!" crapola, too.

+++++(I've included the name of the shop - so just go to Etsy.com and search the shop name!)+++++


Shop Name: FEATHERBRAIN What: Simone Feather Headband, $32




Shop Name: RAGTRADER What: Love Letter Necklace, $22




Shop Name: DALIDECALS What: Wall Decal, $30




Shop Name: BOOJIBOO What: Floral Apron with Sweetheart Neckline, $27.80




Shop Name: URBANHEIRLOOMS What: Damask Leather With Antique Skeleton Key, $65




Shop Name: STRAIGHTRAZORSLASHER What: Steamgoth Spats in Vegan Leather, $40




Shop Name: MYLOTUS What: Adelita Light Switch Cover, $7.95




Shop Name: FOLDEDPIGS What: (Set of 4) Skull Dessert Plates, $36




Shop Name: FABLESBYBARRIE What: Estelle Dress, $140




Shop Name: REDRUBYROSE What: Silk-lined Clutch $75

BEHIND THE SCENES WITH HALSTON: Spring/Summer '09, New York Fashion Week

This collection is simply juicy!

The colors are anything but "Age of Recession"-hued, instead they popped, screamed and licked their lips. Gorgeous 60's-era pinks, electric blues and vibrant oranges were the colors and one-shouldered numbers in flowing bohemian were the styles - accented with animal prints, a very cool juxtaposition!

Who is the Ultimate Florida Fashionista?

Every Florida native is intimately familiar with the somewhat warranted Florida fashion cliche: tanned, peroxided, frosted-lipstick wearing, wrinkled beach (dumb) babes and their guys, who are - of course - pasty, flabby, tacky, Hawaiian-shirted dudes who drive ugly convertibles.

Sure, spend any amount of time on the West Coast (Clearwater Beach = Linda Hogan-lookalikes aplenty) and you will definitely see your fair share of Lycra, leopard print and pleather, but I assure you, this is a small sampling of the wide range of gaudiness and (yes) truly inspired fashion senisibilities Florida has to offer. Florida actually has a pretty cool style if you can get past the flip-flop formal wear and near-obsession with fake double-d cups.

Floridians - like their northern counterparts in NYC - are not afraid to get funky, look silly or be dramatic. After all, Tampa is the Goth Capital of the continental U.S.

And unlike SoCal, we're more than just our bronzed and buffed abs. We're pretty freakin' freaky. We have all kinds of cultures informing our style - so don't be surprised if you see a Pink Polo (popped collar and all) paired with shorts that bear the Dominican flag. Or if you spy a sluccer mom (slutty soccer mom - low-cut tank top paired with Old Navy jeans); a notsosexual (wannabe metrosexual who thinks Prada shades and Crocs are designer); Bumionairre (bum exterior, but owns "Hooters" restaurants, motels and a tractor rental company so is worth billions).

We're like fashion centaurs. We Floridians don't really care if our top halves and bottom halves match - as long as we look hot and manage to stay cool. We are essentially living in a big swamp, so we figure the rest of the world should be impressed that we have clothes on at all.

So all this leads to the question du jour: Who is the ultimate Florida fashionista?

Is it the Tampa goth/punk/dirt rocker? The Miami model/Latin lover/bronzed beauty? The Palm Beach debutante? The Gaineseville hippie/hipster? The Key West beach bum/sandal slut? The St. Augustine surfer/surferette?

Stay tuned...we're going to hit the streets to find an answer!