One reason to be excited about the end of summer and cooler weather is the return of velvet season. As my colleague Kristin Young reported earlier, velvet is hot this year. This velvet jacket from Shanghai Tang has a basic black exterior with frog closures but gets a pop of color from an embroidered 100 percent silk lining in either red or vivid turquoise. It sells for $915.

There's likely no end in sight to the number of iPhone apps to come. So I'm going to tell you about one more, OK? You'll thank me. Actually, thank The New York Times: Designer fashion hub Net-a-Porter.com released its iPhone application, the Net-App, in mid-July. Shoppers can browse handbags, clothes and shoes; read the site's weekly fashion stories; and make purchases. The Times noted that even though some people use their cell phones to buy virtual goods to use in mobile games or e-books to read on their phones, the masses have not shown much willingness to buy physical goods - especially expensive ones - from their cell phones. (Kind of like how early online purchases, of anything, were made by the few and the brave; now, it's second nature.)

But Net-a-Porter.com, which went live in 2000 and states it has 1.8 million visitors a month, succeeded in getting people to buy $4,000 gowns and $1,000 stilettos on the Web, so iPhone app success may be in sight. The potential for shopping on phones "is massive," said Alison Loehnis, v.p. of sales and marketing at Net-a-Porter.com, in the Times. "We feel very strongly that third-generation technology is the new shop window. No one wants to be bound to their computer anymore."

Net-a-Porter.com is not the first to offer an iPhone shopping app: there's Lucky at Your Service from Lucky magazine and ShopStyle Mobile from ShopStyle. Net-a-Porter, however, developed a tool it calls ClosetFlow, which shows users small images of new products to thumb through. Shoppers can zoom in, flip the phone to look at items from different directions, and read more detailed information about them. The shopper can add the items to a wish list to access later from a computer or buy from within the application, without opening a separate browser window.

Loehnis noted in the article: "Our customers love to shop from their homes or offices, but we want our customers to be able to shop from a cab or while waiting in line and really maximize what little free time they have."

[Thanks to my savvy sister, GP]

Beautiful model Amber Valletta becomes the latest to step off the runway and into the design studio. She is working with sportswear brand Monrow on a line called Amber Valletta for Monrow. She told WWD that she hadn't really thought about designing before except for thinking of creating a children's line because she enjoys shopping with her son.

Monrow is a Los-Angeles based brand that makes tank tops, t-shirts, day dresses and more relaxed clothing. Valletta's collection includes these types of pieces as well as a classic tailored blazer, a smoking jacket, scarves and a romper all done in a muted palette of navy, cream, black, light gray, pale pink and with gold and silver bursts. The line will be moderately priced and Valletta is already at work on a second collection.

Matt Booth has kicked his style to a new level, releasing Room101 Cigars, a new line developed with Camacho. This addition joins Room101's clothing, jewelry and accessories product lines. The result of the Room101/Camacho partnership is a medium-bodied cigar which uses tobaccos from Honduras and the Dominican Republic. The wrapper is a Semilla 101 was grown exclusively for this cigar.

The new cigar is available in six sizes, which are named for area codes: 213 (44×5.5), 305 (50×5), 323 (50×6), 404 (54×52x6), 702 (48×54x48×6), and 808 (60×6). To my chagrin, 212 is not listed.

"We are very excited to launch this line of cigars with Room101," said Dylan Austin, marketing director of Camacho Cigars. "This project has been a year in the making and it really great to see it come to fruition."

Matt Booth calls the new cigar "first of its kind in many ways." He says "I am honored to be working with the Camacho family on this project. No other combination could have possibly done this concept justice."

Lux Life Apparel recently launched an organic clothing site, Lux Green Living. (I know luxe is spelled with an "e," but this is how they spell it.) The site is just getting going, and for its first line is featuring Toggery by Kate D'Arcy, a simple, casual line with reasonable prices that the site calls "a fun, contemporary line that appeals to every body shape and is offered in all organic and sustainable luxurious fabrics." I saw only one item that cost more than $100. I randomly clicked on about 10 items, and all were made with bamboo or cotton, and some had Spandex. If you're looking for some light, breezy summer basics that are eco-friendly, this could be a place to start. See the gallery for a few items that caught my eye (too bad they don't come in petite sizes).

Stella McCartney has created a lot of "happy" designs in the past and now she's done it again with her collection of 'cloud print' goods that are exclusively available at Net-a-Porter. It's definitely a casual, slightly whimsical print, and the pieces she's created are comfortable and relaxed. There's a tote, a pair of flat sandals and a cute wedge, plus an organic cotton t-shirt, a breezy jersey dress, and a silk shirt. Each comes with a special silver tag label.

The only thing missing in the collection is a nice floppy sun hat for the beach!

Alyssa Milano has an option for female NFL fans tired of wearing oversized men's logowear but still wanting to look fashionable while supporting their team: her "TOUCH" apparel and jewelry line, available at NFL Shop.

Launched in spring 2007, TOUCH, which also includes lines for the NBA and NHL, was born out of necessity, according to Milano's Web site. When Milano, an avid baseball fan, went to games, "she wanted to wear fan gear to support her team, but found that the product mix offered in the marketplace did not address her everyday fashion needs. She felt women should be able to look stylish while cheering on their favorite team. So, she partnered with G-III Apparel Group and Major League Baseball to design and distribute a line of juniors' ladies MLB apparel." And so it began.

I just learned about the line when I saw a TV ad during a Sunday night football game; it seems the NFL partnership is fairly new. This line includes 245 products that range in price from $16.99 - $89.99.

View the gallery for some examples. Most of the products are available for multiple teams.

Fashion stylist Phillip Bloch is moving on from simply fixing people's clothes to designing them from the ground up. He's teaming up with the contemporary Emma & Posh to come up with an all-cashmere collection for this year's holiday season. And if you're excited about this first attempt you'll be happy to know that both sides say this is only the beginning of what looks to be a long-term partnership. Look for the Phillip Bloch for Emma & Posh collection in stores like Henri Bendel and Fred Segal with price points around $108-$188.

American men have been able to buy Armani undies since this past January and now women will soon be able to also: Armani has finally put together a line of women's intimates apparel for the United States. Launched today, the new line is divided into 4 subcategories (Gardenia, Tulipano, Camelia, and Lila) and is aimed to "satisfy the specific needs of the American woman" by addressing comfort, fit, quality, functionality, and (of course) great design. Look for the new line at the Georgio Armani showrooms in New York and expect prices to start somewhere between $12-$50.

These jeans by Key Closet look good, there's no doubt about that, but do they look $10,000 good? I have a hard time justifying $50 for a new pair, not to mention for that kind of money I'd really not know where to wear them. But the price tag is just that, $10,000, and they feature hand-drawn designs, over 1,000 Swarovski crystals, and a one carat diamond on each back pocket. Yes, wear these and you'll have a very valuable backside.

The best part about the whole thing is that although they cost almost as much as a new car, 30% of the profits will go towards building a school for under-privileged children in Uganda. That makes them totally worth it, sort of.

The Animal Rescue Site has harnessed the immense power of the Internet and put it to use for a good cause. The site features a button that visitors can click as many times as they want to provide much needed food to the millions of animals in shelters across the US. The food is payed for by sponsors that advertise on the site, and it's distributed by volunteers. So, next time you're bored at work... click away! Like most charities The Animal Rescue Site has an online gift store, except this one is more like and online gift mall, I was blown away by how much cool stuff they have (jewelry, cute clothing, home and garden supplies and pet accessories and much more), I put the shopping link in my favorites, I will definitely check back next time I'm buying a gift! If you're going to be shopping online it feels good to know you aren't just fueling the mass consumerism lifestyle, when a portion of the money goes to a good cause it makes shopping so much more enjoyable! Plus I can justify spending more knowing the proceeds go to animals!

Banana Republic is stepping up the luxury by launching their newest line called BR Monogram. The new high-end collection will have all the goodness of traditional Banana Republic, but with a boost in the quality of the fabrics used and better tailoring. This quality upgrade will also mean a pricing upgrade (BR Monogram items cost an average of 30-40% more than the rest of Banana's items) plus there will hopefully be stand-alone BR Monogram boutiques around the country very soon -- the first one just opened in New York.

This Gryphon Petticoat looks like it came straight off the runway at an haute couture fashion show. That isn't necessarily a good thing, but if you can pull it off...why not. In a deep chocolaty brown, this lavish blend of cotton and linen has a slightly wrinkled look providing that classic vintage feel. The accompanying red leather belt cinches you in, accentuating the waist line with a large gold buckle. The sizing chart looks like a math problem, I'm pretty sure I would end up ordering one in something not at all my size! This pretty petticoat costs $1,035 and is available on one of my favorite shopping sites chickdowntown.com.

These 100% cashmere, animal print hoodies by Knitwit, are must haves for spring 2008. Soft and comfy yet easy to dress up, perfect for all the girls who have lived in their Juicy hoodies for the last decade! Layer one over your favorite long tank top and VOILA instant outfit! Shopkitson.com has them for $275 in zebra giraffe and tiger print.

How do posh tots stay warm in the winter months? In cashmere babywear. Baby CZ a line by designer Carolina Zapf offers cozy outfits for babies, toddlers, kids and even adults in cotton, linen and baby-soft two-ply cashmere. For babies there are also blankets and hats.The gift set shown here includes a cashmere tipped double breasted hoodie in pink with cream tipping and a pair of drawstring pants. It sells for $374.

[via Style.com]