Awhile back we mentioned the fact that Victoria Beckham was getting into the designer dress business in an unexpectedly low-key way, and so it only seems fitting now to show off some of what she came up with. She clearly favors pencil skirts and below the knee lengths, although in the collection below she does have a couple mini-skirts and even a pretty wool cape for chilly evenings. But her style is hardly forgiving of less than perfect figures, and since most of her designs seem to be based on the same basic shape I think you'll either look great in all of her styles of none of them.

Invitation-based shopping sale sites are big business lately and designers are starting to work directly with them. Ideeli recently announced that Oscar de la Renta has designed a one-of-a-kind couture summer dress that will be offered in a unique giveaway. Ideeli members can enter to win the floral silk faille bubble-hemmed dress and a sketch of the design signed by Oscar de la Renta. The contest starts on June 1 and runs the entire month. You have to be a member to enter and can sign up here.

Of the promotion, Alex Bolen, Chief Executive of Oscar de la Renta said, "We are very excited about this initiative with ideeli. We believe them to be an emerging leader in the growing field of online marketing and we look forward to great success with this promotion."

The dress that Madonna wore in the 1985 "Material Girl" video is just one of the items being auctioned off during The Fame Bureau's Rock and Roll sale on April 28. The original costume including the long satin gloves has an estimate of £60,000-80,000. And how's this for a piece of Madonna history, you can also bid on her gold American Express card (cut in half of course) that she used during the late 1980s.

The auction also includes Beatles memorabilia, signed guitars and a never-heard before recording from Jimi Hendrix including tracks for his Electric Ladyland and the Dylan track 'Tears of Rage' The tapes are expected to sell for £100,000 - £150,000.

Malaysian designer Faisol Abdullah is creating the world's most expensive dress decorated with 751 diamonds from Middle Eastern jeweler Mouawad. The $30 million frock tops Chris Aire's $20 million diamond dress (above) created last year and ties the $30 million diamond bikini in terms of the world's most expensive item of clothing. Abdullah plans to debut the silk and taffeta evening gown, which features a central 70 carat pear-shaped diamond and is dubbed the "Nightingale of Kuala Lumpur," in time for next month's STYLO Fashion festival in the Malaysian capital. Mouawad, which produces Heidi Klum's jewelry line, is a red carpet favorite of Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez and Britney Spears.

"Stocks drop, gold is even falling but a diamond is forever," Abdullah tells Reuters. "This is a dress with diamonds. Why go backwards, why can't we go forwards? We are going to the fantastic, but its real. You are getting value for money with these diamonds." "It's a security and insurance nightmare buts it's worth it," adds Antoine Bakhache, head of Mouawad's Asia operations. "It's not throwing $30 million right down the drain, it is an investment for the super-rich." Nancy Yeoh, chief executive of STYLO which commissioned the dress, says they plan to present the garment to royal courts around the world starting with the Middle East, noting, "It's art and there are still enough rich people who would want to buy."

Have you decided yet what you're wearing this Valentine's Day? February 14th is one day of the year when every woman wants to look her best and if you have plans for a hot date why not go with the classic little black dress? The LBD has been around forever, and for good reason: every figure and every skin tone looks good in it! If you don't have one hanging in your closet already you officially have our permission to go out and go shopping (as if you needed a nudge). There are countless styles and versions of the LBD out there so see some of our favorite picks in the gallery below.

Barack Obama has already had an influence on fashion and while some have used his sartorial style or his image as a touchstone perhaps none have done so as flamboyantly as Jean Charles de Castelbajac. The showpiece of his most recent runway show was a bright yellow dress that features a sequinned image of Obama. The short dress was part of a colorful line with dresses emblazoned with clouds, superhero insignia and beauty queen faces in tiaras complete with flowing hair. In The Telgegraph de Castelbajac calls Obama, the most charismatic leader in politics today.

The black Versace safety pin dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley at the 1994 premiere of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral has been deemed the best red carpet gown of all time. The Telegraph reports that the a poll of 3,000 women by the Debenhams department store determined that the black dress with gold safety pins that exposed much of Elizabeth Hurley's admirable figure was the most iconic frock. The dress went on sale last year at Harrods as part of their "Timeless Luxury" promotion for £10,690.

Second place went to Audrey Hepburn's white flower patterned Givenchy dress, followed by Julia Roberts in black-and-white vintage Valentino at the 2001 Oscars. Others in the top ten included Jennifer Lopez's plunge-to-the-navel Versace at the 2000 Grammy Awards and Bjork's infamous swan dress at the 2001 Oscars.

Rachel Roy is in the news again, and this time it's not because of the dough that she and husband Damon Dash owe. Roy has teamed up with vodka maker Grey Goose, which commissioned her to exclusively design and create a signature cocktail dress to be worn by the brand's spokesmodels at select Grey Goose-sponsored events across the country. The dresses will be labeled "Rachel Roy exclusively for Grey Goose Vodka." Grey Goose was the official title sponsor of the Rachel Roy Spring 2009 Fashion Presentation earlier this month during New York Fashion Week, and the partnership also will include trunk shows and store openings.

The cocktail dress will resemble a classic silhouette with clean, modern lines. Made of stretch wool for structure and ease of movement, the design will include a feminine draped neckline and an element of fluidity in the back detailing. (See gallery.)

Roy's creation is "derived from the classic heritage and discerning taste of the luxury vodka brand," according to Grey Goose. Roy notes, "In keeping with this tradition, my design matches the timeless fluidity of the little black dress, with a hint of the iconic, signature blue to capture the effortless elegance of this occasion."

In addition to joining with Grey Goose, Roy has jumped on the green bandwagon by designing eco-friendly clothing, which she will continue to selectively incorporate in seasons to come. Roy will donate 100% of the proceeds to Orphan Aid Africa, an organization that aims to help orphans in Ghana.

[Via Grey Goose and BlackVoices.com]

As beautiful and comfortable as shirt dresses are, at times they can be too casual and subdued lacking a powerful presence within a classic style. Leave it the the designers of Emilio Pucci to take a simple silhouette and combine their colorful signature print to create an unmistakably striking and versatile dress. Pucci's Orchidea Shirt Dress is made of cotton with a stretch satin weave and features slanted side pockets and rolled cuffs for a casual feel, while its belted waist accentuates a woman's curves and creates a dressier aura. Whether you wear it with stilettos or flats, the Orchidea Shirt Dress will make you stand out from the rest. Price: $1535.

LaROK was started in 2004 by the same fashion house that brought you the high end denim line 7 For All Mankind. Since it's debut it has been steadily starting trends and gaining quite a following. This adorable sequined tunic is versatile and comfortable, it can be worn alone as a breezy sundress or over leggings as a long tank top. Fans include Ashley Tisdale, Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan. Available in black, blue and grey (shown in grey on Ashley Tisdale), Thehipchick.com has it in all three shades, for $220.

Valentino is among the world's most famous haute couture designers, known for stunning gowns that can be seen at red carpet events, black tie galas and high society soirees. The Color-Block Gown is a fresh and flirty piece, from the Spring 2008 collection. Made in Italy, of pure crepe silk, this strapless dress has an empire waist and flowy layers of pink purple and yellow. Bergdorf Goodman is among the many high end stores worldwide that carries Valentino couture, the Color Block Gown retails for $8,780.

Parties aren't easy on fashion. This past September Kate Moss wore a vintage Thirties Christian Dior gown to a party at the Victoria & Albert Museum in celebration of a new Dior exhibit, and although the dress wasn't exactly in new condition when she first put it on by the time the night was over it was practically in shreds. Somebody stepped on the satin at one point, causing a rip to appear up on the shoulder, and later in the evening a huge tear appeared across the back and another one almost directly over her butt.

Kate won't be wearing the dress again (for obvious reasons) but instead has donated it to the charity Cancer Research UK. It's one of many dresses donated by celebrities, other famous names including Dita Von Teese, Kelly Osbourne, Meg Mathews, Peaches Geldorf, and Lily Allen. Half the items will be auctioned off on The James Brown eBay store (starting Friday) and half will be on display and available for bidding at the Cancer Research UK shop in Marylebone High Street at the end of this week.

Wedding dresses come in all shapes and sizes from sleek and stylish to large and marshmallow-like, and from hand-embroidered to mass-produced. And although jewels aren't that uncommon in small doses, what about 4 pounds of jewels? A designer in Hong Kong has created a wedding dress with 9,999 karats of jewels (that's a very deliberate number!) and it's on sale for over $130,000.

It's beautiful but I personally wouldn't want a wedding dress with so many different colors, and I think for that price it might be more worth it to just get something custom-made -- I think I'd still be able to afford plenty of jewels.

Over 60,000 crystals adorn the Topshop dress worn by Kate Moss to the Swarovski Fashon Rocks fashion show and concert. The dress, which is now up for auction, is similar to a 1920's Flapper style cocktail length dress in Moss's personal collection and features hand-beaded Swarovski crystals in shades of silver, gray, and green. The auction started October 19th and runs through the 28th with proceeds going towards the Princes' Trust Charity. No word yet on where bidding stands but the dress is estimated with a retail value around £40,000.


Via Trendhunter

The Versace safety-pin dress that first brought Elizabeth Hurley fame when she wore it to the 1994 premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral is now on sale at Harrods. The dress is part of the Harrods Timeless Luxury promotion focusing on the little black dress. The dress costs s £10,690 and will be delivered two months from the date of order. Quite a deal when you consider that another famous little black dress, the one worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffanys, went for over $800,000.