Move over "Hipster or Homeless," there's a new Tumblr in town showing the blurry area between Halloween and a regular day in Williamsburg. "Halloween or Williamsburg" is asking for photos of both costumed folks and of the neighborhood locals wearing their regular garb, noting that "sometimes it's hard to tell" the difference. This game is going to get a lot harder when everyone in the neighborhood dresses as Hipster Cop Rick Lee this weekend. Now someone talk us out of being Rubik's Cube Grandma for Halloween. more ›

How much would you pay for some clothes worn by Courtney Love herself? Some of her signature silk slips and babydoll dresses are now up on the auction block at eBay! It seems Courtney herself (or rather, her minions) have launched an account called Courtney Love Couture, with items ranging from shoes to dresses, and prices from $200 to $3,000. Some even contain authentic cigarette burns and mysterious white stains! more ›

Should you be able to afford Barneys Co-op, the latest addition to Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue, you may not be able to fit into the clothes sold there. One reporter recently tried on a $315 dress, only to discover Barneys offers clothes in three sizes: 1, 2, and 3 (representing small, medium, and large). more ›

ESPN blabbermouth Tony Kornheiser has talked himself into a two week suspension after derisively mocking colleague Hannah Storm's ensemble. Kornheiser, the host of "Pardon the Interruption," tore into Storm on his radio show last week, scornfully picking apart Storm's fashion sense with all the devastating ruthlessness of a gum-snapping teenage cheerleader. Storm, the SportsCenter anchor, had sported a red V-neck sweater, a short tartan skirt and red stiletto boots that morning. To be fair, it was a lot of red, and Kornheiser charged at her like an enraged bull: more ›

Monday afternoon Natavia Lowery, accused of murdering Linda Stein in 2007, was to have her big day in court... but a "wardrobe malfunction" put a stop to that. She showed up in her orange jumpsuit, but upon her lawyer's insistence traded it in for a less-guilty-looking beige ensemble yesterday — and with that, her trial began. more ›

At the West Indian American Day Parade, it's no surprise to see colorful costumes—and Mayor Bloomberg (sort of) fit right in, wearing a pink sweater under his blue "Mayor" sash. The NY Times explains why Bloomberg took Kay Thompson's advice to "Think Pink": "When he is in a parade, the mayor typically chooses clothing that reflects a color in the flag of the group that is marching. (One Sunday, he led the annual Salute to Israel parade up Fifth Avenue wearing blue, jumped into his S.U.V. to travel 50 blocks back downtown, and emerged in a yellow sweater to march on Madison Avenue in the Philippine Independence Day Parade.) But because immigrants from some 18 nations wave their homeland colors at the West Indian Day Parade, the mayor wanted to avoid playing favorites, and wore the only color that does not appear in any of their flags." The Times adds, "Last Sunday, during services at a storefront church in the Bronx, he wore an eye-catching purple dress shirt and matching lavender socks." Hey, isn't purple for Lent? Well, at least he wasn't wearing his shorts to church. more ›

Employees at a laundromat in Morningside Heights found a four-feet-long, nine-pound boa constrictor curled up between bags of clothes this morning. Animal Care and Control officials say the snake was safely removed by police and taken to its offices in East Harlem for a checkup. Jose Ortiz of Animal Care and Control tells NY1, "It's a very timid snake, not an aggressive snake at all." Yeah, that's probably because it was napping while digesting Snuggle. Animal Care and Control says the boa will be sent to a reptile sanctuary upstate and will eventually be released back into the wild. The incident is only the latest in a long line of surprise snake discoveries in the city; in June a Bronx woman discovered a five-foot long, tan-colored snake under her dining room table; in February two boys found a boa between the couch cushions in their Bensonhurst apartment, and who could forget the python in the toilet? Not us; that's why we're sleeping on our office desks in diapers and hand-washing our clothes! more ›

Bronx Judge Joseph Dawson is fed up with the overly casual attire worn by defendants in his courtroom, and he's putting lawyers on notice that their clients need to class it up. On Monday he schooled a man for wearing shorts and a T-shirt, explaining, "I'm not saying you have to wear a suit. You don't. Just wear something appropriate." And he berated lawyer Edward McGowan: "Your client comes up in a T-shirt and sweatpants, chewing gum? This court deserves more respect than that." The fashion lesson sent defendant Mirabel Aquino—who was awaiting her drug-case sentencing in purple shorts, a tank top and gold flip-flops—scrambling to the ladies room to swap outfits with her better-dressed sister. After the quick change, she got five years' probation, and her lawyer admits, "In the Bronx, things can get a bit lackadaisical." But is judge Dawson demanding too haute couture from indigent defendants? A lawyer with the nonprofit Bronx Defenders tells the Daily News, "All of our clients are poor. What may be the best clothes they have might be considered by others to be disrespectful to the court." more ›

"We have to make bicycling fun and elegant, which it is not yet in New York!" declares Renaud Dutreil, a big shot at luxury goods conglomerate LVMH. Dutreil rides a bike to his office on East 57th Street almost every day, and he thinks more people would do likewise if there was only a fashion alternative to the dominant DIY style of ripped jeans, tattoos, and Bushwick-bound butt cleavage. more ›

W Magazine strays from its normal high fashion looks and points the camera at hip(ster) couture, namely the Depression Era threads being paraded all around town. The mag notes, "at least young New Yorkers are going down in (historically appropriate) style. In Williamsburg and the Lower East Side, the resurgence of feathers, vests and newsboy caps are a fashionable response to the plummeting Dow." But these old-timey signifiers have been around for well over a year now—does this mean the hipsters knew just how bad this recession thing would get and were subliminally warning us through their curly mustaches and buttoned vests? Somebody check how many hipsters cashed in their stock options before Bear Stearns! And while admiring their vaguely Depression Era-ensembles, keep in mind that the bars you see these kids in are pouring $10 to $15 cocktails. The real folks feeling this recession are probably just huffing, with the kind of facial hair that comes from having sold all their razors as scrap. more ›

As we announced on Monday, a group of cycling clowns rode along Kent Avenue in Williamsburg today to protest what they call a growing "anti-bike sentiment in Brooklyn." Organized by Times Up, the ride was a response of sorts to vocal community opposition to the bike lane, which some residents and business owners blame for a sudden dearth of parking. Last month Hasidic Jews in the largely Satmar section of South Williamsburg vowed to protest the bike lane by blocking traffic on Kent. more ›

The Brooklyn Museum has become nothing more than a storage closet for its "storied couture clothing collection," but now the Brooklyn Paper explains the "cash-strapped" institution is "unloading" the 105-year-old cache to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The BMA, which hadn't displayed the clothing since 1991, won't receive any money, but it's saving some, since it will no longer pay for the storage and care. The Met, with its funding (not to mention 10 times the BMA's visitors) can mount a proper exhibition of what's being called "one of the world’s best collections of American fashion" (the NY Times reported that its "largely assembled from the closets of grand ladies of Brooklyn and Manhattan"). The paper also notes that while the "Met’s Costume Institute will own, curate and preserve the pieces, the two museums will collaborate on a bi-borough costume show in 2010." more ›

We continue to receive emails about the controversial Kent Avenue bike lane in Brooklyn, which has become the front line in the battle over bike lanes. On one side are business owners and residents who insist that the new "No Stopping" signs on Kent, installed to accommodate the bike lane, are onerous; on the other side are cyclists who enjoy the sense of a safer commute between north and south Brooklyn, and cherish the hope for a Brooklyn Greenway completely separate from traffic. Here's an email in response to yesterday's story about a cyclist who says Hasidim in South Williamsburg are making good on their promise to obstruct traffic in protest:

Things have gotten pretty terrible in the saga of the Kent Ave. bike lane, at least for the people who live or work on this block. Today I had to drive home my 5 year old daughter from hospital, after she went through surgery last week, it was 6 p.m. when we arrived in front our home at 450 Kent Avenue and it was freezing cold outside, after driving around for 15 minutes, I finally found a halfway illegal parking spot 4 blocks away from my home, I had to walk with my cranky just out of hospital daughter in my hands, all while she was complaining why I had to park so far. more ›

The battle over bike lanes is heating up, with members of the Hasidic community in South Williamsburg vowing to block traffic in protest against a new bike lane on Kent Avenue. You'll recall that some of the opposition has to do with the increasing number of female cyclists riding through the neighborhood wearing immodest clothing. The Hasidim are also fuming over a parking ticket blitz last October when, to make way for the bike lane, traffic cops enforced a new change in parking rules on Shabbos, when Orthodox Jews don't operate machinery. more ›

Prepare for some extra craziness in Times Square tomorrow, Uniqlo tells us they'll have "giant human vending machines" (which really, just sound creepy) on hand dispensing clothing "made from a blend of high-tech fibers that convert body moisture into heat, warming and insulating without adding unwanted bulk." Whatever, free clothes! If you want in on the action, head over to the Square's Military Island (Broadway & 7th Ave) tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Get ready to strong-arm the tourists, there's only going to be a measly 1,000 ("one-size-fits-all") items dispensed. more ›

Don't go thinking all the fashion talk about the Obamas is geared towards Michelle, Barack has also been getting his fair share of critique since before he even won the election--Tim Gunn approved his style back in June. more ›

Leaders of South Williamsburg's Hasidic community are pressuring the city to paint over the newish bike lanes on Bedford and Wythe Avenues because they're appalled by the immodest attire of female cyclists pedaling through their neighborhood. Simon Weisser, a member of Community Board 1, tells the Post, "I have to admit, it's a major issue, women passing through here in that dress code. It bothers me, and it bothers a lot of people." more ›

Gossip Girl is officially back, with their new season premiering last night. There were British lords, Hamptons parties, people who aren't rich getting looked down upon by people who are rich (as well as other cookie cutter plot devices), and a number of puns involving Chuck Bass's name. Now, to insure an absolute takeover, the show has stepped off the small screen and invaded the windows of Henri Bendel. Racked reports on the 5th Avenue display, noting, "By our count, it looks like the display features two Blairs, one Serena, one Little Jenny Humphrey, and one dark-haired other girl." Give them one more season and they'll be slumming it with their own H&M designs. Bendel's has been one of the many NYC locations used in the show--it was where Dan spied Serena in the very first episode! more ›

The NY Times looks at some of New York's indie elite in their Men's Style Magazine this weekend. So incase you were wondering what last night's SNL music guests, Vampire Weekend, wear when they aren't decked out in their Columbia University alum apparel, now you know: Marc Jacobs. Or at least that's how The Times translates it. more ›