A post we wrote this week on the disappearance of nude as a trend, had us thinking about another curious absence in fashion. When magazines and websites were gearing up for the Spring 08 season hardly a week went by where we didn't see sheer stocking socks editorialized in some way, shape, or form. Those sweet little socks paid complement to our most daring platforms and sandals of the season and exhibited sheer, as an overall trend, quite nicely. We realized this week that those sexy little aspects of hosiery never really made it to the shop windows or the streets. At all. This absence, however, doesn't seem to be a case of a timid fashionista, rather, a lack of actual product! When all those stylists were rightly including sheer socks in everything from runway shows to editorial spreads, perhaps no one remembered that these are not the same people that put the darn things in the store. Needless to say we think we figured out what to do with those sheer American Apparel pantyhose everyone hates so much. Let's keep it alive, folks!

Those crazy scenesters, curiously hitting up Sao Paulo Fashion Week instead of, we don't know, Santos. Well, somehow they managed to hop a flight and escape the city during this thunderstorming/heatwave/coldfront week of Resort shows. And darn it if we aren't going to acknowledge our envy of their proximity to a Fashion Week that isn't a seizure-inducing nightmare (i.e. New York). Same amount of alcohol, different atmosphere. Go figure. We can't conjure much of a trend forecast from the report (and you can't really expect to find much coverage elsewhere), but it does seem pretty darn fun. Of their entrance they wrote,

"This edition of SPFW coincided with Sao Paulo's Japan week, the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants to Brazil (Sao Paulo has the largest population of Japanese people outside of Tokyo). The special Japan theme was enough to draw Japanese fashion bigshots like Kenzo Takada, Issey Miyake prez Nobuyuki Ota, clusters of elegant Japanese fashion women, gaggles of Japanese schoolgirls, and of course, us."

Below, check out our galleries of snapshots from the Brazil shows (Rio and Sao Paulo), with more coverage, trend reports, and photo galleries to come.

Gee, why does Marni have to be so gosh, darn livable all the time? While window shopping on ecommerce this afternoon we realized how amazingly comfortable we'd be if we only wore Marni all the time. Just look at those dresses. This sentiment, in part, is inspired a certain Network Partner who rolled up to our cocktail gathering in something of cotton feedsack with acid green hoop earrings and lace up platform sandals. The girl knew how to keep it comfortable and look smashing. Inspired we were. This season, Marni turned out something that they describe as an 'amphora' shaped dress (yes, like the freakin' vase) which is, as far as we can tell, Marni's patronizing way of saying 'loose at the hips'. Patronizing she may be, a Marni girl conjures happy and relaxed better than most and she doesn't have to spend half of her life at the gym. We're kind of wondering if that might be our summer resolution past July 4th weekend. We'll call it 'Marni and a Makeover'.

Jane Sheperdson, former Topshop mogul, has begun designing for British retail chain Whistles. Sheperdson is attempting to re-imagine the Whistles aesthetic as 'classic', prompting comparisons of her work to See by Chloe and 3.1 Phillip LIm (two designers very popular among twenty-somethings). Her first collection, for Fall 08, will hit stores in September.

Gucci is poised to launch a new mens fragrance come September. Gucci by Gucci Pour Homme will become the first men's fragrance developed from scratch by Frida Giannini.

Diane Von Furstenburg, showed her Resort collection in Florence recently and took the concept of packing-light to it's farthest extreme. Inspired by a 'petite valise' she offered up flirty sun dresses and crisp trenches and all of the swimsuits and scarves to go with them. Prints consisted of flags and keys and stripes and other looks had the red, white, and blue motif we love so much for our mid-season getaways.

Another Urban Outffiters collaboration has been announced. This one with high end costume jewelry designer Lulu Frost. The line will be called Secret Garden and be comprised of five pieces, three necklaces and two earrings, that are loaded up with charms the designer is known for (except these aren't salvaged numbers from the sinage at the Plaza Hotel).