Awwwww! Freelancer Megan Kaplan bravely volunteered to write a fashion story about her wardrobe strategy during her pregnancy. Here, the cause of her baby bump, as chronicled in the Thursday source– Mia Byrd. She’s six months old now and has fashion sense already. Her cute hat is from Oh Baby!.

When I pulled a pair of Lish earrings from Picky Girl boutique for Personal Shopper, I didn’t know anything about the designer, Layli Samimi-Moore. When she came to meet me and show me some of her new designs, I was very impressed. She grew up in Alaska and started making earrings at 10-years-old, which she sold to tourists from cruise ships. $150 a day is good cash for a pre-teen. She has awesome personal style from head to toe, literally. In addition to her earrings, she always wears high tops, like these Nikes. Buy her earrings online or at Cliche or Picky Girl and/or check out her myspace page, which shows many examples of her work.

In case you missed the story today (I blame the snow), you can read it online. It’s all about brides wearing bridesmaid’s dresses for a wedding dress. We focused on Flutter Boutique. When you walk into the bright loft space, you will likely say (out loud or to yourself), I’d like to live here. It saves money (though can easily cost around 1000) and you still get to have a customized dress or maybe something untraditional. When we did the story, I met two Jana Hanson’s bridesmaids, including Jodi, who is wedding photographer. Her business partner will be shooting Jana’s wedding, though I’m sure Jodi will sneak in a few behind-the-scenes shots.

For those of you following my New York fashion week adventures, after a while, it all starts to blurrrrr together. Then, suddenly, it all makes sense! Read how I saw fashion for fall 2007 in the Source section of the Star Tribune. I cover specific trends (tights, metallics, dresses) and broader concepts (taking control at a not-so-whimsical time). Then, we’ll talk spring and summer.

Earlier this week, I went to the Tibi show with the women’s fashion director of Macy’s North, Stacie Clark. Read more about it in the Star Tribune today. Here is the footwear look from the show:  T-strap shoes with black socks. Yes, socks. Similar combinations have appeared on many runways.