Balenciaga

With a bright yellow Balenciaga in tow, Charlize Theron arrived at LAX in an enviably pulled-together travel look. It's not just the bag that caught our attention; Charlize's impeccably chic look seems effortlessly styled. The trick is statement pieces, like a floral-printed scarf, cat-eye shades, and a broken-in anorak to dress up a basic tee and jeans combo. It's easy enough to replicate, but the results are so much more sophisticated, and just right for a trip. To channel the same easy look, just shop our editor's picks.

>> 'Tis the season for fashion critics to sharpen their pencils — and, so it seems, do the same with their words. Both Cathy Horyn and Robin Givhan have some choice thoughts on Nicolas Ghesquiere and Zac Posen, respectively.

Horyn writes in the New York Times: "The fact is, some forms just become worn out ... though he is not a showman, there is a growing impatience with Nicolas Ghesquiere. His experimental treatment of materials at Balenciaga has been exciting to behold, and necessary, but more and more the effect is like jumping on a spring-shot mattress. What happened to the cool street chic of Mr. Ghesquiere of a decade ago, when you actually saw women wearing his clothes? People who followed his career from the start probably appreciate his technical leaps and are willing to indulge him for the sake of creative freedom and the sheer hope of being knocked off their chairs ... But I suspect that our extremely materialistic culture, with the grab-and-go mentality fostered by the Web, just makes new fans itch for something to wear."

And Robin Givhan tells Page Six Magazine of Zac Posen: “Zac reminds me of another era in fashion. He’s a maestro. It reminds me of a time when there was an embrace of fashion as this fun, entertaining industry. He’s got a lot more competition now. [Early on in his career] he was one of only a few young guns. But people like Jason Wu have cut into a lot of the razzle-dazzle that he once owned. When you burn that white hot, eventually you burn out. That overwhelming hotness has cooled off.”

>> Those flat Balenciaga biker boots that have been so popular? Without them, according to Nicolas Ghesquiere, there wouldn't have been a Gisele Bundchen moment on the Spring 2011 Balenciaga runway: "The idea was to have this crazy casting with Gisele and Amber Valletta and Carolyn [Murphy], and they said no for high heels. They were not used to walking with heels anymore. Gisele was worried; she would not walk with my heels ... I was already thinking flats and I was already preparing the flat shoes."

Another defining Balenciaga moment that almost was not? The ever-popular, 11-year-old Lariat bag. "The group that owned Balenciaga in the old times — licensing blah, blah, blah — they heard that accessories were hot and they asked me, ‘Would you do a few bags with a license? We think it could make a little business,’" Ghesquiere says. "And we did this prototype and nobody cared; we had a couple of prototypes for a year."

One of those prototypes was the Lariat, he confirms: "Every girl who was walking [the show], including Kate [Moss] came in and was like, ‘What is that? Is it vintage? Is it something that you found at the flea market?’ I was like ‘No, it’s a handbag that we prototyped but just didn’t produce.’ We didn’t produce it because I think when I showed the prototype to the people who asked me to do it, they weren’t happy with it ... Accessories [at the time] were rigid. Luxury leather, especially, was about rigidity. So they were not really happy, and they decided not to produce it. Then when it was in the studio and the models noticed it, I said, ‘I think we should just do 25. Let me just give them to the girls because at least some people will be happy.’ And that product started from a very, very fashion point of view [and extended] to a very, very large, global audience."

Ashley Tisdale stepped out of the Byron and Tracy salon in Beverly Hills looking cute and casual. Her knit Free People sweater, light gray skinnies, and knee-high Loeffler Randall boots were perfect for a day of errands. Not one to travel light, Ashley toted a creme Chanel bag and oversize Balenciaga weekender. She completed her laid-back look with Oliver Peoples sunglasses and a simple pendant.

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• Balenciaga launches new website, credit cards everywhere cower in fear — Purse Blog
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• Forever 21 faces another copyright-infringement lawsuit — The Cut
• Mila Kunis dazzles in Monique Lhuillier — Red Carpet Fashion Awards
• Princess Beatrice's best style moments — The Daily Beast
• Charlie Swim thinks of almost everything under the sun — Vogue Daily
• 7 great online classified sites — The Budget Fashionista
• Talking singing and style with Zooey Deschanel — Yahoo Shine
• 6 printed pieces that are more cute than crazy — Refinery29
• Emmanuelle Chriqui teams up with JewelMint for a charity bracelet — InStyle
• Shoe envy: Nicolas Kirkwood x Rodarte Wrap Candle Sandal — FashionIndie