Respect Your Elders. Now take that basic commandment and kick it up a notch. Apply that amped up concept to a fashion blog, pepper it with Jew and you have Advanced Style, Ari Seth Cohen's style site that takes your basic street style blog and exclusively shoots the elder set. Cohen describes himself as a writer/photographer who "roams the streets looking for New York's most stylish and creative older folks." He then offers some wise words, "respect your elders and let these ladies and gents teach you a thing or two about living life to the fullest." After surely spending much time on Manhattan's Lower East and Upper West Sides, Ari Seth Cohen has managed to provide his readers with some pretty stylish, often Jewish elder folk who he hopes will inspire young, urban hoodlums. Through almost each subject, Cohen pinpoints and explains what about them he finds most inspiring which usually involves his evoking childhood memories of his grandparents and their generation. Setting aside the nature of a young man who spends more of his time in old women's living rooms than in bars with twenty-somethings, Cohen uses his adorable blog to make us appreciate the little things in life: dressing up, books, going to the movies and understated elegance to name a few. Furthermore, his appreciation for an age group that iDJ Mamy Rocks so rarely revered by fashion folk is refreshing in the climate of today's blogosphere filled with the young, the new, the current and the pin-thin. Images of older women in their jewels bought so long ago that us youngins would jump to call them "vintage" as well as men far too dapper to even know what beer pong is fill the pages of Advanced Style, at times making way for a more groundbreaking senior citizen. Case in point: Ruth, a.k.a. DJ Mamy Rock, a 69 year old DJ living in England who discovered the art of DJ'ing at her grandson's birthday party at a London nightclub. She now throws words like "track" and "spinning" around and relishes in the fact that she'd rather "sign a contract with a record company than sign up for a nursing home." Through his affinity for those well beyond his years, it seems that Ari Seth Cohen has accomplished what his site claims has been his goal all along - to proove that its not only men that better looking as they get older. From costume wearing nap-takers to 60-somethings that know their accessories, Cohen has certainly given his readers "proof from the wise and silver-haired set that personal style advances with age."

For all of us whose Jewish grandmothers have been poo-pooing how much we spend on clothing, stuffing dinner rolls in their purses to compensate for our supposed lack of fiscal responsibility - Zac Posen has come to the rescue, providing fashion-loving Jews and gentiles alike with his Zac Posen for Target line. If you've never heard of Posen, here's some Jewish geography for you, or as I like to call it, the Jewish version of "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon": Natalie Portman is Zac's close friend and muse - enough said.

Posen, one of fashion's few haute Jewish fashion designers next to Alber Elbaz of Lanvin, is officially the next top fashion designer to create a collection for the discount house. Posen will follow in the footsteps of his non-Jewish but incredibly talented peers Proenza Schouler, Benhaz Serafpour, Libertine, Erin Fetherston, Temperley and Rodarte - just to name a few. Rodarte for Target, the most recent designer installment to hit the racks of the discount Mecca, will be followed by John Paul Gaultier for Target, who will officially be the first couturier to grace the racks of Targée on March 7th. For those of you unclear on the difference between high fashion and couture: a fashion house must be appointed a couture house by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris. Few design houses have been awarded such status and no American, let alone an American Jew, has ever been awarded couture status by the Chambre. The others, who most deem couture but are actually just high fashion, are undoubtedly fantastic but are not considered couturiers.

Zac Posen will arrive in Targets right after Gaultier's collection has been rummaged through and sadly misunderstood by flocks of suburban soccer moms across the country. Posen's line channels hints of the mod 60's and 80's and while peppered with swimsuits and not necessarily appropriate for shul, its low price point seems off-putting in comparison to how expensive it looks. Zac Posen for Target will arrive in late April, making his Bubby proud and getting our Bubbys off our backs.

Check out the Zac Posen for Target Lookbook online courtesy of fashionista.com

Designers often credit the music they listen to as the inspiration for their collections. Clearly Marc Jacobs is into showtunes - The Producers' tune "Springtime for Hitler" has never been illustrated in fashion more vividly than in Jacobs' Fluo Passementary Lily Hobo Bag from his SS10 accessories collection. You do not need to be a grandchild of a Holocaust survivor or a genius to look at this fashion accessory and see a swastika there.

Marc Jacobs currently has a hand in designing multiple collections, including Louis Vuitton, his namesake collection Marc Jacobs and his more affordably priced Marc by Marc Jacobs line. It's possible that his being overworked and spread quite thin attributed to his being (dare I say) less detail-oriented as he clearly overlooked this front and center swastika. Although it's likely that this imagery was not evoked intentionally, CounterfeitChic blogger Susan Scafidi appropriately asks whether there could be another, less offensive way to evoke German style inspirations into our ensembles...as if we often look to the Germans for style tips (sorry, Karl Lagerfeld). Clearly versed on the historic side of the issue, Scadifi points out that although Jacobs' bag's image turns to the left while Hitler's swastika faced right, this image is undoubtedly offensive - or at the very least, jarring and unsettling - to those who recognize it. The intricate detail of the bag may as well be replaced by a Post-It note that reads "Hitler's Hobo." Perhaps it's time to lay off the showtunes for a little while, Marc?

Nazi Couture?

Haaretz reported this morning that the Israeli Defense Force's Major General Avi Zamir has recently declared his lastest target: supermodel and Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl Bar Refaeli. At a lecture he gave at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Zamir explained his frustration at not being able to punish Refaeli for supposedly avoiding her mandatory army service by marrying an older man believed to be a family friend.

At the time of their quickie wedding Bar was 18, and her now ex-hubby was 37. In America she'd be just another gold digger, but in Israel this behavior is apparently cause for a boycott. While avoiding serving in the army is not respected in Israeli culture, Zamir took his disrespect and turned aggressive, encouraging Israelis to boycott products that use Refaeli in their advertisements, including Israeli denim company, Fox. "We are a society that has an army," Zamir explained, "and Bar Refaeli doesn't have to participate in ads for Fox - and if she advertises Fox than you shouldn't buy their products."

Zamir is accurate in stating that his country, as most do, has an army and he is also right in saying that Refaeli did not have to participate in the Fox campaign. In fact, that may be the best part about the current state of Bar's career - having achieved outrageous success in her field, she now never has to appear in an advertisement that she would prefer not to. It seems Refaeli is nowhere near as ashamed as Zamir would like her to be for avoiding serving in the IDF and for that reason alone - let's never wear Fox jeans again. 

Being only one of possibly thousands who avoid IDF service, Bar Refaeli seems to be taking the brunt of the military's disdain on the matter. Zamir closed with an ever more aggressive, yet unintentionally hilarious quip: "She is the one who has to look at herself in the mirror." Zamir is right again - Bar does have to look at herself in the mirror each morning, but I can guarantee her reflection is far more enchanting and seductive than any other Israeli who recently dodged their IDF service. C'mon Maj. Gen. Zamir - don't hate Bar cause she's beautiful.

The world's first diamond dreidel

“Oh, Dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, I made it out of…precious stones?”

Finally, our connections in the diamond district have paid off in ways other than discounted engagement rings. Introducing the Jewish equivalent to the Victoria’s Secret million dollar bra, the diamond dreidel. This toy turned collector’s item from Mervis Diamond Importers gives a whole new meaning to holiday “gelt,” and in this recession, could not have come at a more appropriate time. Mervis claims this is the world’s first diamond dreidel, an almost one of a kind luxury that will cost you a pretty penny - $1,800 to be exact. While as Jews we may be saddened that this piece is not as edible as its chocolate gelt counterpart, its quality is sure to make up for its being made out of inedible, top-quality metal.

Let’s get to the specifics. The diamond dreidel features .96 carats hand-set in platinum and the diamonds are graded top-notch in both color and clarity. The stunning gleam of the stones is sure to appease anyone who sadly rolls a “nun” and is forced to put all their gelt back in the pot. On the other hand, for those who win the game of dreidel with this piece, you’re sure to feel like a Vegas high-roller. Pick up one of these to feel like you’re celebrating with the Trump-Kushner clan this Hannukah – but, be sure to order yours by December 9^th to ensure it arrives on time for the holiday. Who knows? Maybe by next year you’ll see this puppy being rolled in high-end casinos across the globe – who needs penny slots when you can win the big bucks by rolling a “gimmel?”