Kristen Davis in Polka Dot Oscar de la Renta

NY Mag posted an adorable picture of Kristen Davis at the Costume Designers Guild Awards in L.A. wearing a strapless polka-dotted Oscar de la Renta gown.

It's such a lovely dress - and Davis smartly skipped any over- powering accessories or over-done hair.

Photo: Michael Caulfield/Getty Images

How To Be A Woman In Any Boys’ Club

Awesome article from Molly Lambert on how to kick ass in a place that's still a boys' club. It's so fabulous. Probably the best thing I've read all month. Now, I don't agree with everything she says, but most of it is totally bang on and I love that she has the guts to write it!

Here's are two of my favourite quotes:

• "Drive It Like You Stole It: Be the best. That is, assuming that you are the best. Be the best you can possibly be, whatever that means to you. Absolutely do not step down in order to not threaten people. Don't apologize. If you genuinely fucked up fine, you are allowed to apologize once but then stop apologizing. Think about how much you hear women apologizing for themselves for no reason, or being self-deprecating or self-abnegating out of habit. What the fuck are you apologizing for? For being too good?"

This one is about trying to befriend other women near the Boys Club only find out they suck:

• "What If She Actually Sucks? This does happen. It's not unfeminist to admit that some women are assholes, just don't make it your focal point or judge any other situations according to how the all time worst one went down (this is a good rule in general). Some people just actually suck. Definition of sucks: steals, lies, or otherwise tries to ruin your life in an undeniable way. Feel bad for her and then back…the fuck…away…"

You can read the full article here or here.

News: Women lawyers leaving in droves

Bummer story coming out of the Toronto Star today on how women are leaving law practice in droves. It's not exactly new news but the optimist in me keeps hoping things will get better in big law land. Either way, it's good to keep up with what barriers are still in place so we can all work to knock them down.

Hat tip: Cynthia for sending me this article.

Fashionista's Toronto Shopping Guide

Fashionista has recently posted a shopping guide for Toronto. They've hit the nail on the head. These are exactly the spots I would send a fashion-hungry friend: Ossington, Queen West, Holts. The post reminded me that I still haven't checked out the "The Room at the Bay" - it is supposed to be lovely.

Oprah and Staff Go Vegan: One Week Challenge

Great news - Oprah and 378 of her staff committed to a vegan diet for a one-week challenge. Oprah also devoted an entire episode to to talking about veganism, including interviews with vegan activist Kathy Freston and food writer Michael Pollan, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at a meat-processing plant with Lisa Ling. Alicia Silverstone over at The Kind Life Blog mentioned this story as Alicia was asked to contribute yummy suggestions for the show.
I think this kind of exposure is essential for the animal-friendly movement. So many people see veganism/vegetarianism as something strange that they could never do. This kind of coverage helps people see it's not so strange and it's also very do-able!

Miu Miu's Valentine's Day Collection

Miu Miu is celebrating Valentine's Day with a capsule collection. It includes ruffled patent clutches, satchels, iPad cases, and flower applique accessories like this head band. How cute is that? Check out the fashionologie slide show for the complete collection. The blue flower bracelet also looks adorable.

I haven't been able to confirm but I think most of the accessories are made of plastic and vinyl, so they should be good to go. Best to check though!

Style Zone: Lara Stone in a Leopard Print Coat

Wow, love this all black outfit with a pop of leopard print. No makeup and loose hair finish the look.
More here.

Spotlight: Chanel's Animal Testing Policy

I did some readin' on the Chanel website and here is the scoop: no testing on animals - sweet! However, they do use some animal derivatives such as beeswax and lanolin.

I wasn't sure what lanolin was so I did some digging on wikipedia. OK, so it's not a scientific journal, but hey. Turns out it comes from sheering sheep. It's a wax that is extracted from the freshly shorn wool. Some people say this is "OK" for vegetarians and some people say it's "Not OK". All depends on how you feel about wool products.