{Photo Courtesy of www.jacindathomas.blogspot.com}

Urban and hip-hop inspired style is influenced by life in the city. As with many other niches in the fashion industry, urban flavor is influenced heavily by the music industry—specifically hip-hop music. Urban chicks love to get dressed up for a night on the town and dressed-down for a day in the city. They are not scared of making a statement. They love glamour, bling, and everything that goes along with it. When it comes to formal events, urban ladies love fitted, sexy, and bold dresses paired with ultra-high stiletto heels. They favor neutral hues and flashy accessories. Urban style has roots in other cultures including Africa, Jamaica, the Caribbean, and Latin America. From Hammer Pants to the House of Dereon, urban style has (and continues to) evolved a lot over time.

{Photo Courtesy of www.pursepage.com}

Get the Look: Chunky Gold Jewelry, Hoodies, Skinny Jeans, Knee-high High-heeled Boots, Beanies, Faux-fur-lined Coats, Fitted T-shirts, Designer Tennis Shoes,

Celeb Inspiration: Kim Kardashian, Tyra Banks, Kimora Lee-Simmons, Beyonce, Rihanna, Vanessa and Angela Simmons

Where to Shop: Urban Outfitters, Baby Phat, Sean John, Adidas, Puma, Lacoste, Ecko, Pastry, Bebe, Dereon, French Connection

As always, no matter what your style is, in the words of Mr. Doonan himself, “SAY NO TO HO! … and yes to ECCENTRIC GLAMOUR.”

{Photo Courtesy of www.mystyle.com}

• Economic crisis news is everywhere and especially the effects on this years retail sales numbers but here is a number we just could not ignore. RIS reports 6,000 retail stores will be closing by the end of this year. Click thru to see the list. RIS
• It turns out politicians are not the only ones making headlines for bribery charges. This week designer Marc Jacobs has coughed up $1million dollars to settle bribery case in New York. The Guardian
• ASOS defies shopping gloom by reaching height of online fashion. With the Christmas season fast appraoching, lace and prom dresses along with shiny tights have been driving sales. The number of active account holders have also risen for them to an all time high of 947,000. The Guardian
• The second annaul Supima Fashion Designer Competition is now searching for the top 25-30 designers. The open call will be held at the Thompson Hotel in SoHo on Thursday November 20th (4pm to 9pm) and Friday November 21st (10am to 1pm). 25-30 designers will be hand picked for the event. Learn more here. GlamChic
• Adidas will be launching a new line in February ’09 called SLVR. The line wil include mens and womens clothing, footwear and accessores. Read more here. Drapers
• Stylecaster , a new fashion site, launches a series of short films highlighting both established and emerging designers. The films also have their own unique soundtracks as well. The clips spotlight some big name designers such as: Richard Chai, Matthew Williamson, and Carolina Herrera.

Jeremy Scott designs for Adidas

• Jeremy Scott will design a men and womens collection of apparel and footwear for Adidas. It is due to launch next spring. We cant wait to wear our sequined track suits to the gym.  WWD

• Get the Milan fashion week scoop. Guardian.

• The ever-so-fashionable Benjamin Bixby of Outkast fame, has launched his menswear collection in Harrods in London and Barney’s New York this week. His line reflects his vintage aesthetic that he is well known for. Bixby admits “Its all about merchandising”. The business of Fashion

• The Queen’s dressmaker Hardy Amies is on the brink of collapse after an Icelandic investment firm refused to provide further funds to the 62 year old company. Its sad to see such iconic labels go out of business. The Guardian

• British designer Matthew Williamson took his final bow as artistic director of Pucci after a 3 year stint. Its seems that the Pucci bosses were unhappy with Willamson’s multitasking and travelling. He also has an emponymous clothing line due to expand in the US soon. The Florentine print label will bring on relatively unknown Norwegian designer, Peter Dundas. The Guardian

• Find out who were the best and worst stock performers this week. WWD