This line of twinkling umbrellas is called the Twilight Umbrellas. These hi-tech brollies utilize fibre optics, three AAA batteries and lots of LED lights to illuminate a rainy night. There are two types of Twilight Umbrellas available, the Starlight featuring twinkly white lights, and the Spectrum featuring constantly phasing multicoloured lights. The umbrellas can be purchased here on Firebox for £24.95 - $41 U.S.
Squid London has developed a new umbrella that changes colors when it gets wet.
The black umbrella with a white London skyline changes to multi-color when water hits it. The umbrella can be purchased here for £22 - about $36 U.S.
You can see the umbrella in action in this video clip. Take a look:
These adorable cufflinks are engraved with an the image of Decepticon and an image of Autobot from the cartoon and movie Transformers onto a silver plated frame. The cufflinks come with a black PVC covered cufflink box. They can be purchased here from Etsy user Finkstudio for $20.00.
The Mercura NYC sunglasses worn by some of the models at this year's Barbie Fashion Show are now for sale here on 212 Dressing Room. They retail for $495. Mercura's Marilyn sunglasses feature black retro cateye frames, dark, blackened lenses and custom rhinestone details. The dress pictured on right was designed by Naeem Khan. You can see a larger picture here.
Louis Vuitton is selling a Damier Graphite USB Key. Search "USB Key" on Louis Vuitton's website to pull up the product listing.
The obvious problem with designer USB flash drives is they quickly become outdated when it comes to storage space. The Louis Vuitton drive pictured above only as 4GB of storage space. There are USB drives with 64GB selling now for around $150. Kingston also just launched the first 128GB USB drive. If the designer drives had a replaceable storage component it would solve this problem.
This is a great commercial for Ray-Ban sunglasses in which a young man is protected from exploding balloons which are inexplicably filled with paint. Directed by Francesco Carrozzini, the video was created to promote the new line of colored Wayfarers sunglasses. The film was inspired by
Albert Lamorisse's Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Balloon) which won the Palme D'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 1956 and an Oscar for Lamorisse for best original screenplay the same year. Take a look:
You can see the chase scene and the ending from the classic film, The Red Balloonhere with subtitles, and the entire film in French here.
Becki Newton is so hilarious on Ugly Betty: we love her. Becki takes the cover of the July issue of Lucky magazine. This issue is all about affordable fashion, which Becki says she loves. In the interview, she shares her fashion and beauty tip, such as this one (which is so true): "Every girl needs a classic jean jacket in her wardrobe. But you have to make sure the arms are fitted, otherwise it's just boxy and weird."
In this video Becki
talks about finding great clothes on the cheap and why she's so excited to have landed the cover of one of her favorite magazines. Take a look:
Toy Watch USA has launched a line of watches called jelly watches. First Lady Michelle Obama wore an ultra violet neon purple Jelly watch during her Eiffel Tower visit. The Jelly watch cases and straps can be mixed and matched. You can see the many bright colors available here.
One complete watch costs $175. Extra cases and straps cost $65 each. You can see a brief video that shows how they work here.
Spy Optic, Inc. has parnered with driver Dale Earnhardt Jr to promote its Dirty Mo sunglasses. Dale Earnhardt Jr. has more than $53 million in winnings in his career and 18 victories including the 2004 Daytona 500.
"I am really excited about my new signature sunglass. With the Spy Dirty Mo, we are at the forefront of design with the look and feel. I am extremely happy with the result," said Dale Earnhardt Jr. "I was introduced to Spy sunglasses through my friendship with driver Boris Said and since then it's the only sunglass I wear. I like the way they look, the way they feel, and how Spy constantly evolves into something new."
The Dirty Mo's frame is crafted from Italian propionate material and features inset custom metal detailing. The lenses provide 100% UVA, B and C sun protection. The Dirty Mo sunglass features a Dale Jr. signature pad print on the inside of the side temple. The Dirty Mo is offered in five frame colors: grey crystal fade, brown stripe tortoise, matte black, shiny black and shiny white. The manufacturer's suggested retail price is $109.95 U.S.
WWDreports that Jimmy Choo has created a collection of accessories, footwear and handbags called Project PEP. The line is partnership with the Elton John AIDS Foundation. 25% of proceeds from the collection will benefit the Simelela Rape Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.
The cause is close to Jimmy Choo founder and president Tamara Mellon, who worked with John in 2005 on Jimmy Choo’s charity auction project "4 Inches," which helped secure the future of the Simelela center.
"As a brand, we have always wanted to do charity work," said Mellon, who moved to New York from London last month. "It's important to do charity work, especially when you're a company of a certain size."
The collection will arrive in stores in Novembe with prices ranging from $95 for the flip flops to $995 for a handbag.
Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has won the title of Celebrity Hat Wearer of the Year. The Queen came and second and the Countess of Wessex finished third. They were followed by Madonna and Victoria Beckham. The annual list of top hat wearers is produced by is produced by promotional consortium Luton First with the town's famous millinery and hat-making industry.
Carla Bruni may be the winner and certainly she dresses quite elegantly, but but she doesn't really wear hats that often. Take a look:
Chloe Sevigny models several 80s-inspired pieces in a feature. for Elle magazine. In the photo above, Chloe is wearing a wool jacket from French Connection and stretch cotton pants from Maxstudio.com. Accessories include an studded suede bow belt from Chloe by Hannah MacGibbon and a lizard inset clutch by Donna Karan New York.
Chloe suggests using accessories to dress up inexpensive basics.
"It's not what you spend but how you wear it that counts," she says. "The key is often to dress up inexpensive basics with accessories. Something like a beautiful designer bag or belt can make everything else look richer and more luxurious."
Lots of celebs turned out for the launch of the new Burberry's American headquarters in New York. Orlando Bloom, Claire Danes, Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, Harry Connick, Jr. and Rose McGowan turned out to show their support and talk about why they love the brand. The most erudite celebrity award goes to Rose McGowan for using the words "venerable" and "chic" in the same sentence when describing the brand. Mayor Bloomberg declared yesterday Burberry Day in New York. Take a look:
The SENZ storm umbrella was designed to withstand winds up to 70 mph (100 kph).
It comes in several colors including pure black, ocean blue, sensual pink, passion red and sparkling silver. The umbrellas retail for $55 to $83 depending on size and can be ordered here from senzumbrellas.com. Here is a video of the SENZ umbrella being tested.
Now that summer is nearly here, it's time to start thinking about a new pair of sunglasses. Whether you buy expensive designer frames or inexpensive trendy frames, it's important to pick sunglasses which will flatter your face. Kathie Lee and Hoda Kotb explore this important accessory topic with makeup artist Mally Roncal. Take a look:
WWD 
