Rachel Zoe is in an empire-building mode.

In just one decade, she's gone from no-name stylist to red carpet tastemaker -- earning $6,000 a day, with clients including Cameron Diaz, Eva Mendes and Demi Moore -- to full-fledged celebritydom, with a Bravo reality show and a QVC line. Now, she's launching a fashion collection with  prices that range from $250 to $700 and a style that says "1970s."

"I wanted androgyny and the powerful woman look," Zoe says. "It’s very Jane Birkin-y and Anjelica Huston-y and Bianca Jagger-y, with a splash of sequins, a little Liza Minelli, thrown in." Booth Moore reports on all that is new in Zoe's life (and that includes a rather well-dressed baby boy named Skyler) -- plus an update on other celebrity stylists who have parlayed their status into clothing and accessories brands.

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-- Alice Short

Photo of Rachel Zoe: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times 

Ever wonder why your clothes just don't seem to be fitting right? It might not be the clothes -- or your body, either.

It could be -- it often is -- foundation garments that don't fit correctly. Bras, in particular. 

Finding a bra that does what it is supposed to do is harder than it sounds. "People have no idea what they're doing," says professional bra fitter Bonnie Kaufman."It's like buying a mattress. What do you really know about mattresses?"

I found out more about Bonnie and other professional fitters in an article by Emili Vesilind in the Image section. I also found out some surprising reasons that it is so hard to get a good fit -- modern stretchy fabrics, cup designs that don't bring you front-and-center, over-reliance on the measuring tape to determine size. 

Emili found several Los Angeles area places where expert fitters will help you find just the right bra, no matter your shape or size.  With the correct fit, you'll suffer no more slipping straps, shoulder indentations or other underpinning mishaps.  Read all about it here.

-- Susan Denley 

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Photo: Bonnie Kaufman is president and founder of Creative Woman: The Wizard of Bras, in Monrovia, which stocks 49 brands of brassieres. Credit: Christina House, For The Times.

Amid all the angst over "Carmageddon," one critical question is inevitably overlooked -- what do we wear to the shutdown of one of the most vital stretches of Los Angeles freeway? How can we prepare, sartorially, for this life-changing event?

For the Angeleno who believes all the dire warnings and plans to stay within walking distance of home, may we suggest:

 
*Pajamas/Robe/Slippers. Yes, it's OK to stroll the block in your night clothes and make like Hugh Hefner. Many of your neighbors will be doing the same thing. Trust us.

Zimmermann, the Sydney, Australia-based clothing company well-known for its fashion-forward swimwear and easy and colorful ready-to-wear, gathered a group of stylists and editors for a poolside dinner at the Chateau Marmont on Thursday evening.

Host Rose Byrne (a fellow Aussie and longtime fan of the brand) hosted the intimate affair and
represented their light and airy aesthetic, clad in a white and tan paneled dress that she topped off with a 1960s-esque up-do reminiscent of a more relaxed Joan Holloway.

"Zimmermann is as Australian as the sun and the sand," said Byrne. "Growing up in Australia, I had always known about them and worn their clothes and swimwear."

The brand has 15 standalone stores throughout Australia and last May opened its first store outside of its home country, landing right here on Robertson Boulevard, where the flowy dresses and relaxed sensibility of the line seem to resonate with Southern California shoppers, especially as the weather continues toward scorching. "We've had a strong response to the swimwear as well as the ready-to-wear in the new store," said Simone Zimmermann, managing director of the brand and sister of head designer Nicky Zimmermann.

The sisters certainly were their own best advertisement, wearing breezy frocks (Zimmermann, natch) that looked perfectly summery and natural with their sun-kissed complexions and barely there makeup.

--Melissa Magsaysay

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Photos: Top, Simone Zimmermann, Rose Byrne and Nicky Zimmermann

Right, guests at the dinner for Zimmermann gathered poolside at the Chateau Marmont.

Left, stylist and designer Emily Current, Simone Zimmermann and stylist and designer Merrit Elliott.

All photos by Donato Sardella

A few notable happenings for a more stylish weekend:

-- Future:Standard's Six-Month Anniversary sale; through Sunday: The ethical women's fashion site is celebrating its half-year anniversary by knocking 20% off all merch on the site, which only features brands that are eco-friendly, fair trade or humanitarian. Enter code “20halfbday” at checkout to get the deal.

-- The Mini Social Warehouse Sale; Saturday: Upscale children's deal site the Mini Social hosts its first warehouse sale of 2011, featuring brands including Acoustic Kids, Egg by Susan Lazar, Misha Lulu, Crocs and Right Bank Babies.
 
120 East Santa Anita Ave., Burbank.
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. 

-- Madison’s 4 (OH 5!) Sale; Saturday and Sunday: To celebrate Carmageddon, specialty boutique Madison is offering shoppers who buy four sale items the fifth item free (hence, 405!)

At all seven Madison store locations. To find your closest boutique, click here.

-- Nordstrom Anniversary Sale; through July 31: The department store marks down brand-new fall fashion for two weeks only -- a sale that's been an annual ritual since the 1960s (some Nordies die-hards plan their summer vacations around it.) On-sale brands include Trina Turk, Hudson, Rebecca Minkoff, Alexis Bittar, Kate Spade, Hunter, Via Spiga, Tory Burch, Steve Madden, Cole Haan and Diesel.

Get the discounts at all Nordstrom locations and on Nordstrom.com.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photo: A girl's dress from Oilily at the Mini Social. Credit: The Mini Social

Helmut Lang, the Austrian-born designer who walked away from fashion in 2005, has shredded his archive, turning 6,000 pieces into fragments used for sculptures that will be on exhibit starting July 22 in a gallery in East Hampton.  [Telegraph]

The Modalu bag Pippa Middleton was spotted carrying the day after the British royal wedding of her sister Kate and Prince William, is going to be available for copycats to buy again. The bag famously sold out after Pippa was seen with hers, but Modalu expects to have it in stock again in August (in black crocodile) with other materials coming online in September, October and November. It's now called the "Pippa," of course! [InStyle]

Calvin Klein's new collection of lingerie and loungewear, Naked Glamour, promises to make women "look even sexier than when naked," and for proof there's curvy model Lara Stone striking a pose in the ad campaign, released this week. [Telegraph]

What is it about Justin Bieber and beauty? The launch last month of his Someday fragrance broke industry sales records, Women's Wear Daily reports. Remember when his One Less Lonely Girl nail polish collection with OPI launched last year and sold out across the U.S.? Remember the stir at Wal-Mart with his unisex My World fragrance line? Remember when teen heartthrobs were just heartthrobs, not beauty moguls? [WWD] (Subscription required.) 

There are parties ... and then there are parties. Miu Miu took over five floors of Shanghai's Park Hyatt Hotel on Thursday night for a glamorous cabaret-themed fashion event. [WWD] (Subscription required.) 

The lawyer for Yves Saint Laurent, which is defending itself in a trademark infringement suit filed by Christian Louboutin because YSL designed some shoes with red soles, says no consumers would have possibly thought the YSLs were Louboutins just because of the red. But Louboutin's lawyer says everyone knows red soles are a hallmark of the brand, "unless you're living in a cave." Back to lawyer No. 1: Louboutin shouldn't have been granted a trademark for red soles, because a designer shouldn't have a monopoly on a color. [The Cut] 

Sephora plans to roll out in-store nail bars with salon services. [WWD] (Subscription required.)

The Council of Fashion Designers of America named the 10 finalists for its Fashion Fund Award this week. They are:

 Antonio Azzuolo
 Joseph Altuzarra, of Altuzarra
 Carlos Campos
 Christopher Peters and Shane Gabier, of Creatures of the Wind
 Carly Cushnie and Michelle Ochs, of Cushnie et Ochs 
 Soraya Silchenstedt, of Finn Jewelry
 Dana Lorenz, of Fenton/Fallon
 Alexa Adams and Flora Gill, of Ohne Titel  
 Pamela Love
 Erin Beatty and Max Osterweis, of Suno

One winner and two runners-up will be selected from among this group and honored in a ceremony planned for Nov. 14. [The Cut]

-- Susan Denley

Photo: Pippa Middleton, carrying her Modalu bag after the royal wedding festivities.  Credit: Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

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When it comes to eye lashes, the mantra has always been "the bigger the better," but beauty brands aren't stopping at full and lush, they're taking it to the extreme with products that offer intense and almost spider-webby lashes that fall somewhere between a 1960s Twiggy and, well, a 1980s Tammy Faye Bakker.

The look was all over the fall runways -– seen at Lanvin, Miu Miu and Chloe -– but beauty products offering heavy and dramatic lashes are hitting shelves now, meaning you can start sporting your spidery eyes now or try learning how to perfect the technique so that you don't end up looking like a mascara wand attacked your face.

Celebrity makeup artist Patrick DeFontbrune, who works on flawless-face women such as Brooklyn Decker, Jenna Ushkowitz and Heather Morris, gave us a tutorial on how to do doll-like lashes so the effect is flattering and not unfortunate.

He offers that the key to getting long, thick and intense lashes is all in the building up of the product, and that it does take several steps before lashes are both long and thick but still separated.

"Start by curling the lashes; they will always look fuller and longer," DeFontbrune said. "Sweep on a lengthening mascara, applying it from the bottom of lashes. Let that dry and brush through the lashes with a clean eyelash brush. Then apply a volumizing mascara. Feel free to use as many layers as you want, trying to keep lashes clean and separate. Use an eyelash comb (a metal one, not plastic) and brush through again."

He recommends just adding more mascara until you hit the level of intensity you desire. And should you sweep any across the bottom lashes to achieve this doll-like lash trend, use a waterproof mascara and blot the under eye area with a loose powder, so there's less chance of the product transferring onto the face.

"Using a loose powder on the eye lid and under-eye area is also a good thing for getting thicker lashes, because some residual powder will fall onto lashes and it provides a nice base for building the mascara," he said.

The building process combined with several new mascaras designed specifically for the spider-lash look should produce heavily defined eyes that are best when worn with relatively little to no other makeup. A wash of cheek color and neutral lip will keep the eyes standing out and the overall effect pretty and balanced.

And as far as mascaras promising a dramatic, femme fatale result, there's everything from a lacquer to a doll-like formula hitting shelves now and in the next month.

We reviewed a new lash lacquer from Hourglass Cosmetics in a previous post. The product is designed to go over mascara like a top coat and add a patent-leather-like shine and even more intense shade of black to lashes.

Lancome has just launched its Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara that is meant to deliver doll-like lashes and make the eyes appear bigger and more defined. The cone-shaped brush is supposed to get into the hard-to-reach areas around the eyelid, while keeping lashes separated and ultra dark.

Also offering some intense eye makeup is L'Oreal Paris with its new Voluminous Million Lash Mascara in Carbon Black -– a hue that is apparently twice the intensity of its black mascara.

And a company known for its heavily pigmented products and intense effects is MAC Cosmetics, which has a mascara called Opulash Optimum that has a super saturated black color and gives lashes extra volume. It supposedly resists smudging, flaking and the effects of humidity and lasts up to 15 hours without wimping out.

And this season eyes are obviously anything but wimpy-looking.

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-- Melissa Magsaysay 

Top photo: The beauty look from the Lanvin fall 2011 runway. Credit: Luca Cannoneiri, gorunway.com

Second photo: Hourglass Cosmetics Film Noir Lash Lacquer, $28 at www.hourglasscosmetics.com. Credit: Hourglass Cosmetics

Third photo: Lancome Hypnose Doll Lashes mascara, $25 at www.dillards.com. Credit: Lancome

Fourth photo: Loreal Paris Voluminous Million Lash Mascara, $8.95, available in October at drugstores nationwide. Credit: Loreal Paris

Bottom photo: Opulash Optimum black, $15, available Aug. 25 at MAC Cosmetics locations. Credit: MAC Cosmetics

"Carmageddon" is upon us. The dreaded closure of the bustling 405 Freeway for 10 miles through the Sepulveda Pass is scheduled to start at midnight and is expected to go on for more than 48  hours.

Angelenos are full of angst. And perhaps none more so than my boss. Yes, she lives on the Westside. Yes, she is hosting in-laws for the weekend. And yes, she expects an end to life as she knows it. At least for these two days. 

What can I do, I wondered, to help her make her way through it? Or give her a little reward for being a tough soldier once it's over? Why, a T-shirt, of course. Or maybe a coffee mug. An iPhone case?

Luckily, as in any California crisis, there are vendors ready to oblige with the requisite "I survived the fill-in-the-blank" merchandise.

So I'm thinking an "I survived Carmageddon" tee, water bottle, coffee mug or bumper sticker might do the trick. The folks over at cafepress.com, a website that specializes in such things, has a supply at the ready, including a small pin for $3, a bumper sticker for $5, a mug for $15 and an assortment of tees starting around $15. I could also be creative and design one of these items myself by using their customization service.

Now note: These items are all available now. They presume everyone will indeed survive Carmageddon. My boss doesn't seem so sure.

But I have no doubts. In fact, maybe I'll make a little something for myself that says "Carmageddon, Schmarmageddon. I live in the O.C."

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Photos: Top, T-shirts, left, $30, right $15; Middle, iPhone case, $25; mug, $15; Bottom, bumper sticker, $5. Credit: cafepress.com

Oh, what delicious torture. The attention-grabbing wrapping screams “open me first,” but the paper is so beautiful that the gift’s recipient will be conflicted about tearing into it.

Samantha Silverman’s company, Wolf in Sheep’s Wrapping, grew out of the collages she made to wrap friend’s gifts and the custom covers she crafted for the CD mixes she compiled. She still makes the collages by tearing, cutting and pasting other papers chosen for their images and textures, only now she assembles the whole and has it placed in a high-resolution scanner and printed on 20-by-30 inch sheets of lovely, substantial matte paper. That's her Hearts on Fire pattern above and Manbotic below.

Composition and presentation are nothing new to Silverman, a singer-songwriter. She says taking time to wrap a present in a unique paper “adds to the character and the thought that’s put into the gift. It steps it up a notch.” As for her inspirations, Silverman says, “I’m sometimes influenced by a theme, and sometimes by an image.”

And going forward? Perhaps she'll add tissue paper, ribbon and cards.

Wolf in Sheep’s Wrapping, $5 per sheet at www.wolfsheeps.com, and $5.95 per sheet at Pulp, 452 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, 90036. (323) 937-3505.

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Photos: Samples of wrapping paper by Samantha Silverman. Courtesy of Wolf in Sheep's Wrapping.

Celebrities turned up in abundance, yet Thomas the T. rex and his brethren had the starring roles at Saturday’s Dinosaur Ball for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.

Following their expedition to the museum’s new 14,000-square-foot Dinosaur Hall, Lauren Conrad of “The Hills” called the exhibitions “spectacular,” while Lo Bosworth named the Tyrannosaurus rex as a special highlight.

“I don’t know why I haven’t been here more,” said Rico Rodriguez as he examined the ancient bones, as did fellow “Modern Family” member, Nolan Gould. “I’m ready to learn everything there is,” Rodriguez said.

“The girls love seeing the dinosaurs,” said Maria Canals-Barrera of “Wizards of Waverly Place,” referring to daughters Bridget, 7, and Madeleine, 5.

Luis Chiappe, director of the museum’s Dinosaur Institute, said two-thirds of the displays had never been on view before. Moreover, with no barriers and few glass cases, he said, “the views are personal. We have elevated the animals on platforms, so you can walk beneath the head and tail.”

With Lynn Warner Brengel, Sarah Meeker Jensen and Diane Naegele as dinner co-chairs, the event drew 600 guests and netted more than $1.1 million. Other committee members included Doug Brengel, Victoria and Jean-Marc Chapus, Heather and Paul Haaga, Joan Payden, Gayle and Ed Roski, Kevin Sharer, Cindy and Sheldon Stone, and Marla and Drew Sobel. More notables were Lisa Ling, Kristen Vangsness, Charlene Amoia, Jayson Blair and Sebastian Copeland.

-- Ellen Olivier

Photo: Lauren Conrad, left and Lo Bosworth at Saturday’s Dinosaur Ball for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Credit: Ryan Miller / Capture Imaging