It's long been a big problem for the fashionable firearm owner: How to hide a handgun and look haute couture at the same time.

Well, a report in today's New York Times has some great news for the tres chic ranks of the U.S.'s 7 million concealed carry permit holders.

Clothing companies have started to dress up gun culture by marketing apparel that's "a departure from the law enforcement and military look, known as 'tactical,' long favored by gun owners. The latest styles, by contrast, are called 'concealed carry' or 'covert fashion.'"

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Style.com

Dear Ladies of the Red Carpet:

Where's the shock of the swan dress or the pizzazz of the goth showgirl of yesteryear? Come on, ladies, this is the Oscars, and it's 2012! Why are so many of you million dollar actresses playing the Grace Kelly card? We are fully aware that all of you can't pull off a nip slip like Jennifer Lopez, or a bare-leg pose like Angelina Jolie. But you can still be poised and scandalous at the same time.

Please, don't get us wrong, we're not asking for sex-on-a-stick -- we're just looking for some real Hollywood bravado. We would be perfectly content if you had wowed or offended us, but we just hate being on the verge of a yawn. Thankfully, there was a nun on the red-carpet, and Sacha Baron Cohen in his dictator garb. Even veteran actresses like Meryl Streep in a shiny gold long-sleeve Lanvin and Glenn Close in a strapless/blazer Zac Posen put their younger counterparts to shame.

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Angela Ashman

Bill Cunningham

It's time to dust off our Converse and put away the heels: Fashion Week is officially over (tear). After roughly 26 fashion shows between two reporters, including the Oliver Twist-themed Marc Jacobs show, the Gisele-spectacle at Alexander Wang, and the fiery S&M show at Monique Lhuillier, we somehow managed to make it out alive.

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Angela Ashman

Anna Sui

Has Anna Sui been hanging out at Paris Review parties? This was the thought that immediately crossed our minds when out walked the model with the big glasses, blue cardigan, plaid skirt, and perfectly geeked-out cuckoo-clock print blouse. And then, just to make sure we got the point, Sui showed a georgette dress with tiny books printed all over it. The only thing missing was a Bolaño novel under the model's arm.

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Nikki Reed and Tracy Reese

We couldn't help but feel as if we were intruding while walking around backstage at Tracy Reese. It's as if we invaded her personal (ginormous) studio. The backdrop of the runway was a mix of photographs of people and places, colors and patterns, all inspirations of Reese. Friends and family gathered to wish her well, models prepped in hair and make-up, dressers closely guarded each article of clothing.

Reese swiftly looked at the models, doing last-minute modifications, rallied the troops and thanked them for all of their hard work. Then as soon as actresses Nikki Reed, Shenae Grimes, and Beverly Johnson took their seats, the show began. More >>

Angela Ashman

Marc Jacobs

Well before Marc Jacobs's show even got started, it was hard not to be impressed. To design his set, he'd hired artist Rachel Feinstein, who created what appeared to be a crumbling castle in the woods and an elevated winding path leading out into the audience. It immediately called to mind something you might see on Broadway. Which turned out not to be that far off.

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Araceli Cruz

Christian Cota

Imagine being lost in Mexico City. Perhaps an uneasiness notion to some, but for designer Christian Cota it's a kaleidoscope world full of alluring mystic, and romance. So naturally we went along for the ride.

The 30-year-old designer took us on quite an adventure on a bitter cold Saturday morning through his autumnal presentation at the Standard Hotel, full of rich textures, embroidered prints, and indigenous graphics that the Mexican designer knows all too well.

Little did we know we'd soon be encountering our most tempting vices later in the day. More >>

Sam Levin

Council of Fashion Designers of America President Diane von Furstenberg and Mayor Mike Bloomberg

With the clock ticking on his time in office, Mayor Mike Bloomberg is making sure he earns some cool points during his final term.

He kissed Lady Gaga. He chilled with the cast of Gossip Girl.

Now, he's talking fashion.

Similar to his love of the teeny bopper television hit, Bloomberg's love of fashion today was not lacking in a good economic-development-related backstory!

Alongside fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg and Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, Bloomberg spoke at the fashion incubator of the Council of Fashion Designers of America this morning in Midtown to announces new initiatives to support the city's fashion industry. SIX new initiatives, to be exact.

But not before some obligatory fashion jokes.

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Boris Kuslitskiy

Award-winning Broadway costume designer and "Project Runway" finalist Emilio Sosa has no preference over costume or womenswear design -- to him, the processes are virtually the same.

Perhaps that's why his Fall 2012 ESOSA collection, which premiered Wednesday night at Alvin Ailey Studios in Midtown, was somehow subtly thespian -- with just a hint of Sosa's Broadway touch, it transported onlookers to another place.

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Angela Ashman

Gisele

It was close to the start of Alexander Wang's show at Pier 94 when a woman squealed, "Gisele tweeted she's walking in the show!" Fashion-show programs typically list the models' names, but Gisele Bündchen was intentionally left off the roster as she was intended to be the night's big surprise. Just as we were lamenting to ourselves that there can never be mysteries anymore, a funny-looking man in a sailor suit and cap and white shorts breezed past us accompanied by what appeared to be a black-eyed dwarf in a puffy gold jacket and leggings.

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