Photo: David Sims for Talbots

It’s Moore vs. Moore in the battle between A-list actresses and their high street brands. Talbots and Ann Taylor, two companies looking to corner the working girl’s market, have named Julianne Moore and Demi Moore as the faces of their fall 2011 campaigns, respectively. It’s the second season in a row that Julianne Moore’s landed a Talbots contract. David Sims shot the ads, which are meant to celebrate soft-lensed “Hollywood Glamour” and the sophisticated women of the ’40s and ’50s. “Julianne Moore embodies the true essence of the Talbots platform,” said CEO Michael Smaldone in a release. “She is a classic beauty who is an extraordinary actress, mother, author, and a true modern woman.” She also has amazing red hair that would make her the perfect face of anything fall-related. Meanwhile, Katie Holmes’ much talked about Ann Taylor campaign was short-lived. After just one season the actress has been replaced by Demi Moore.  Christine Beauchamp, the Brand President of the Ann Taylor division of ANN Inc. said they’re thrilled to have Moore on board, “Demi is a true inspiration for modern women today.” Patrick Demarchelier shot Moore in the gardens of Rockefeller Center with St. Patrick’s Cathedral in the background.  Moore says Ann Taylor’s clothes are “as versatile and diverse as the lives we lead.” Click through to see Demi’s ads, and let us know which Moore you like more!

Photo: Jack Wills

When the pictures at left, of Joe Jonas and Karlie Kloss enjoying each other’s company at a polo match in LA, surfaced last month, their maybe relationship made headlines in People and US Weekly, propelling Kloss into a new realm of fame. Last week, Fashionista asked a Jonas-in-law if she’d met Karlie and she said, “Yes! I like her a lot!”  They failed to ask the important question though, are they actually dating? Kloss answered anyway, via Life & Style. She said they’re great friends, but not an item and that she loves him “as a person.” Too bad, they’d be cute together. Maybe Kloss should date an actor instead—Hollywood’s red carpets could use a fashion person or two.

August is officially for back-to-school, and that means one thing: stocking up on all of the essentials, including a new backpack. There’s no denying that it can be tough to find a backpack that’s both functional and stylish, but have no fear: that’s where we step in to help! We’ve sought out the cutest backpacks that match style and conventionality. So ladies, store away your faded Jansports from 6th grade and pick up one of these chic options. We love this tribal-inspired printed LeSportsac.

Is it just us or are designers really pushing boundaries with their fall 2011 ad campaigns? We’ve seen some bizarre ones that pull our attention away from the clothes onto the sheer imagery displayed. Designers are becoming quite creative with their campaigns; we’re curious as to whether the unique photos are helping draw in revenue for these companies. Who knows. But it is interesting to look at!

Photo: Courtesy of MTV/Paper Crown

Lauren Conrad’s latest edition to her growing sphere of influence in fashion, a new line called Paper Crown, finally launched in stores this past Saturday. And there’s nothing not to love about it, especially the fact that the clothes have her name written all over them—we could totally picture LC wearing this collection herself. Each piece 100% screams LC’s distinct yet effortlessly cool style: maxidresses, silk blouses, tailored blazers, and other relaxed yet awesomely chic pieces. The spring lineup ranges from $69-$400, and is now being sold  exclusively at Nordstrom, Fred Segal, Ron Herman, Planet Blue, and can also be bought online. So where did the name “Paper Crown” come from? We were wondering the same thing. LC told MTV: “When I was little I used to go to my grandmother’s and we would always play dress-up; but when I would go there, I wouldn’t have my dress-up trunk with me, so we’d make these paper crowns. That was our way of creating our own glamour—and that’s what we wanted the line to be like.” Lauren’s pretty proud of her new line, saying “Words cannot explain how excited I am about the launch of this line. The collection is full of wearable pieces that can be easily worked into any outfit.” We don’t blame her for feeling this way either, we think Paper Crown is much more on-trend, and wearable than the collection she did for Khol’s last year. Check out Paper Crown’s spring lookbook for more styles from the line. And be sure to watch out for LC as an up-and-coming designer in the future.

Photo: Getty Images

The Council of Fashion Designers of America inducted thirty-three new members into its organization last week, a record number. “The class of 2011 represents the largest number of designers since the organization’s founding in 1962,” said Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s CEO. Don’t be fooled: this year’s huge class size doesn’t mean acceptance into the CFDA is getting any easier. Prospective members must submit a resume, portfolio, and two letters of recommendation from current CFDA members, all of which is followed by a series of interviews. With an admission policy that rivals the Ivy League’s, the CFDA selects only the cream of the crop. “Each new member is uniquely talented and collectively they add strength to the ever growing influence of the CFDA and American fashion,” Kolb said. Many of the designers, like Prabal Gurung, Rogan Gregory, Olivier Theyskens, and Eddie Borgo are already household names (at least, New York households) while others, like Tess Giberson, Derek Miller and Ippolita Rostagno will get a huge boost from their new membership. To celebrate the group’s induction, Donna Karan will host a party for the new members this fall. Click through for a full list of designers, and congrats to them all!

Photo: Getty Images

Freida Pinto, the Indian beauty who shot to stardom after her leading role in Slumdog Millionaire, never fails to look stunningly jaw-dropping. Her appearance at the premiere of her newest film, The Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was no exception. With summer coming to a close, Freida chose a sexy autumnal look: smokey brown eyes, burgundy lips, and subtly peach-tinted cheeks. Recreate her dark, sultry look with these easy steps!

Brianna Karp

Wow, it’s so weird to be back writing a follow-up post for ELLE.com after a series of guest posts two years ago, when the glorious E. Jean Carroll plucked an anonymous, homeless blogging chick (that would be me, btw) out of obscurity by offering her a three-month internship. And what’s happened since? The lovely people at ELLE have asked me… Well, I’ve written a book, The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness. It came out at the beginning of May and has gotten much more buzz than I ever could have hoped and critical reviews that have sort of floored me—Publishers Weekly, Augusten Burroughs, Kirkus, Library Journal, Booklist, People Magazine, and many more have recommended it, some with starred reviews. The book won ELLE’s #1 Readers’ Prize in June, which sort of felt like an odd and comforting coming-of-full-circle, in a way.

It’s all a very surreal sensation for someone who never got around to feeling like a “writer” rather than a blogger. There are days where I feel like I’ve somehow accidentally snuck into someone else’s life. Somebody who’s a “real author”. There’s been a lot of “finding my voice” and coming to terms with being a public figure, which I’m slowly adapting to, I think. A terrific theatre in Orange County, South Coast Repertory, has hired me as their Marketing Assistant. I’ve been here for about 6 months now. I didn’t mention during the interview that I was homeless or writing a book, fearing it might hurt my chances of being hired. They Googled me and found out anyway. They still gave me a chance. Not only do they pay the bills, but I love them and I love my job. I lost a fiancé. Well, life’s never perfect, is it? Then again, things have gotten so busy, who has the time or patience for romance? On the nights and weekends and wherever I can in between, I keep advocating for homeless individuals and other social causes close to my heart. A friend in Ireland and I co-founded World Homeless Action Day last year, which partnered with fellow social issues groups such as Food Not Bombs and boasted participation in over 100 countries (we’re hoping to increase that even more this year, and trying to figure out what direction to take the grass-roots organization from here on). My publisher, Harlequin Nonfiction, has been kind enough to send me to various areas not only to promote The Girl’s Guide to Homelessness, but to speak for various homeless organizations and conferences about searching for solutions to all homelessness.

Because of Harlequin and the book deal, I’m also getting to travel and see places that I would never otherwise be able to afford to visit. My 9-5 employer has been more than generous, supportive, and flexible about allowing me to use my vacation time to fly off on short notice to do a book signing or speak to a homeless coalition. I’m working on being permanently re-housed sometime in the next two months. People often express surprise that there’s no definite conclusion yet, no Cinderella ending, despite the media buzz and writing a book and etc. To which I respond: Dude, if you only knew. It’s all a lot of hard work and a process and a steady climb with no promises or certainties at the end of it, but you know what? It’s a nice change to be overwhelmed with work for once after searching for it for two years and finding none. So hell, I’ll take it. Most homeless people aren’t given the opportunities that I have been. They don’t get handed an internship or a book deal. There’s a lot of frantic pedaling just to stay in place, never mind move forward. If I can in any way channel this experience into a platform for them to tell their own stories (and there are millions of them!); challenge stereotypes and prejudices and preconceived notions…that’s what I want to do. Through the opportunities that E. Jean Carroll and ELLE initially opened up for me, I’ve discovered a passion in helping people a making a difference, no matter how small, in the world. What more can a girl ask for? -Brianna Karp

Photo: Patrick McMullan

They’re on-screen enemies, but Rupert Grint literally hearts his co-star Tom Felton, who plays the evil Draco to Rupert’s lovable Ron in the Harry Potter series—or so he told the world via a DIY shirt at last night’s The Rise of the Planet of the Apes premiere. Now that’s what we like to call a true bromance: makeshift graphic tees—plus 100 points. Rupert and Tom aren’t the only male celebs who are total BFFLs. In fact, despite the constant break-ups and make-ups of Hollywood’s hot couples, there are lots of male-male relationships that have stood the test of time like only true bromances could. Check out our favorite famous dudes who aren’t afraid to admit their love for their best guy friends: