We don't know why the world has to work this way, but Beyoncé and her sister Solange's clothing line, Deréon, includes kids' clothes. And we're not just talking, like, tween gear. The kids' line also includes attire for newborns, infants, and toddlers. And the scariest part of it all is staring you right in the face: the ads. Excuse us for stating the obvious, but this is not how little girls should dress. Or pose, for that matter. For the sake of breaking things down, let's examine the jacket on that little girl playing piano on the right. No child — perhaps no adult — should be branded with Deréon like that. To her right her friend has similarly disturbing heels on, also with gold studs. (Side thought: What does it do to your feet if you start wearing heels that early in life?) No wonder the poor thing looks so frightened and is holding on for dear life. We're also having a little difficulty with her cropped denim jacket and long dangly necklace (which appears to have a strawberry hanging off it; thank God it wasn't another fruit). The tea party on the left is more acceptable, but we can't take our eyes off that girl at the table caked with face powder and lipstick. If you're feeling brave, take a closer look at the ads after the jump.

Anna Wintour's Chanel Haute Couture gown at the Costume Institute gala on Monday night was one of the most talked about of the evening for one reason: its gloriously puffy pockets. Never mind that it sparkled more splendidly than Britney Spears did in her "Toxic" video, or that Karl Lagerfeld himself created the dress just for A-Dubs. Reporters like us just couldn't get them out of our heads. Of course we also couldn't resist making pocket analogies. We called them puffy antlers, but, as with an M.C. Escher painting, everyone saw something different in those hand holes. British Vogue called the gown "croissant-hipped." The Telegraph's Hilary Alexander called it "cyber couture." The Independent's Susannah Frankel quipped that Wintour looked caught in a "Starlight Express moment." Suki Matthews likened the pockets to "handles" in the London Times. The Boston Herald's Ivana Martini wrote, "Leave it to Anna Wintour to glam-up the fanny pack," and likened the pockets to "fabric saddlebags." And in the Houston Chronicle, Clifford Pugh wrote, "Her look brought to mind a whacked-out version of Star Wars, with Princess Leia's pillowlike buns attached to Wintour's middle-aged hips."

Related: Met Gala: The Agony and the Ecstasy of the Red Carpet

Simon Doonan used to think politicians' wardrobes were off-limits. Pols are meant to be dowdy, he writes in the New York Observer. But lately, the increasingly bitter battle for the Democratic nomination has lead to a change of heart, as has the constant pestering by journalists who want commentary on Barack Obama's ties every 20 minutes. "Maybe those fashion-obsessed journalists are on to something. Maybe it would perk things up a bit to add a little stylish sizzle into the mix," he writes. So he fantasizes about rushing to Washington with a "U-Haul stuffed with this season’s high-fashion drag" to "Rachel Zoe" the political candidates and their spouses. Thanks to the magic of Photoshop, we've created mock ups of his vision:

Hillary Clinton:

[W]hen she’s not working the Balenciaga, she could go all Japanese avant-garde with a little Comme Des Garçons.

Barack Obama:

The Clockwork Orange-inspired fall collection from Jean Paul Gaultier seems appropriate for the current brawl.

John McCain:

[A] little foppish Lanvin could soften his image and solidify those histrionic Gay Republicans.

Gwyneth, you must be happy as a clam this morning. It seems your up-to-there hemlines have achieved the image makeover you longed for. The press are just smitten by you. Or at least the Daily News is. The paper raves about how Paltrow dons seven-inch heels "as if they were Easy Spirits" and has become the poster girl for fall's hottest looks:

Paltrow has used her super style to make a pair of stilettos and minidress not seem trashy.

"She's wearing fashion-forward, outrageous dresses and taking huge chances. But she still looks elegant, and the fashion industry respects her," says [Mary Alice] Stephenson of Paltrow's leggy looks by Jean Paul Gaultier, Balmain and Stella McCartney.

Maybe the key to her fashion success lies in her Clark Kent–style duality.

"In the Estee Lauder campaign, she's holding puppies and sleeping in a field. You never thought of Gwyneth as supersexy, but there's an edge to the look she's created for this premiere. She's really owning her sexiness," says Stephenson.

Congrats, Gwynnie! Showing your upper thighs to reinvent yourself totally worked! But maybe you should remind people of your Oscar instead of your admittedly gorgeous legs? Just sayin'…

Gwyneth Paltrow puts fashion forward [NYDN]
Related: Dear Gwyneth Paltrow: Skin Is Not Always In

You know, Gwyneth, you didn't have to wear a short dress to the Iron Man premiere in New York last night. While your thighs are indeed very nice — especially for a mom! — we feel like we've seen quite a bit of them as of late. And we might have been able to overlook last night's hemline slide if your dress were a bit more opaque, but alas. Like we said — you have great legs. Hell, we're jealous. But why risk a crotch shot every time you have to go to an Iron Man premiere? Is it in your contract? Defamer suggests it's because you're feeling insecure, as British GQ recently revealed:

"Paltrow admits she suffers from a lack of confidence...she is desperate to change her public image...'People think I'm aloof, or cold, or that I breathe rarefied air - that's not me'." So what exactly turned the former It Girl into a Debbie Downer?..."People came over to watch me in the film Emma and I was like, 'Oh. My. God. I'm the worst actress ever.'" [she said.]

Gwyneth Explains Her Recent Need to Look Like a Hooker: 'I'm The Worst Actress Ever' [Defamer]

We've gotten our hands on the genuinely cool book for the Costume Institute's upcoming "Superheroes" exhibit, and, for all the jokes one can make about the gala's red carpet being graced with celebrities awkwardly decked out in Catwoman leather or Captain America capes (per hostess Anna Wintour's request that attendees take the theme seriously), a look at what's actually being shown at the exhibit is rather illuminating. Just to get all heady on you, we'll quote the book's preface:

Fashion mirrors the superhero's obsessive preoccupation with the ideal body, signaling changes, both subtle and obvious, in prevailing standards of perfection. [...] Fashion, like the superhero, celebrates metamorphosis, providing unlimited opportunities to remake and reshape the flesh and the self.

The looks in the exhibit are organized by various superhero "bodies," such as the graphic (think Superman or Spider-Man; those that incorporate iconography), patriotic (like Wonder Woman and Captain America), or armored (Batman), amongst others. Above, Bernhard Willhelm and Jean Paul Gaultier's looks are inspired by graphic bodies; Dior's, the patriotic body.

After the jump, a sampler of the exhibit's looks from Thierry Mugler, Alexander McQueen, Dolce & Gabbana, and more, plus a brief explanation of the superhero inspirations behind them — just in case you need to impress a random dude (or your little brother). —Jessica Coen

If you can't afford Lasik in the Great Recession of 2008, or the recent reports of the surgery permanently marring some patients' vision freak you out, you're in luck. Or if you've endured the procedure but miss your geeky frames, fret not! Because glasses are just so hot right now that buying them without a prescription — for cosmetic reasons — isn't that unusual. Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, you're not the only one doing it! The Wall Street Journal reports:

Eyewear boutique Robert Marc, with eight stores in Manhattan and one in Boston, says that in the past two years, it has seen a fivefold increase in requests for glasses from people who don't actually need them to see.

Luxottica Group SpA, owner of more than 6,000 eyewear stores world-wide, including LensCrafters and Pearle Vision stores, says U.S. store managers have reported steady increases in sales like these. Buyers are quite frank about not needing a prescription, particularly in cities like New York and Los Angeles and mainly among artists, architects and other creative types.

You can also get frames at American Apparel for use with or without a prescription. Over the past three years its ratio of sunglasses-to-glasses stock has gone from 90/10 to 60/40. Glasses were also hot on the runways during Fashion Week, as you see above. So men are the new women, women are the new men, and geek is chic. Embrace it.

Life After Lasik: A Clear-Eyed Urge To Wear Glasses [WSJ]

The other day we noted that Hillary Clinton was looking a bit Matchy McMatcherson in Pennsylvania — so, to be fair, we'll turn our sartorial gaze to Barack Obama. Well, he wears suits. Like, all the time. And like most male politicians in this country, this results in a wardrobe that is more or less beltway boring (especially for our purposes), but we do give him credit for not letting himself go: Unlike McCain and other politicians on the campaign trail, Obama refrains from blue-collar chic and keeps his suit and tie on almost all the time. And he does take little risks with the neckwear: Most politicians are sporting the same red or blue striped tie without fail, but the O-man isn't afraid to remix the ol' blue-tie/red-tie tune with more textured looks. Not that it always works: On the left, he's rocking something that strikes us as a cross between antique curtains and fish scales (perhaps a shout-out to Marion Cotillard's Oscars dress?). It may work in real life, but politicians are to be photographed, and that tie is just not translating well on film. Meanwhile, on the right, he explores a grayish-purple look, an interesting way to think outside the neckwear-color box: It's like he's trying to acknowledge spring, bearing in mind he shouldn't be too cheerful in These Economic Times. Certainly we appreciate the effort, but perhaps Pennsylvanians weren't ready for periwinkle?

Related: How Hillary Clinton Made Us Hate Turquoise

Guys, hide your jackets — your innocent ladies just might start stealing them, because boyfriend jackets are shaping up to be hot for fall. They manned up the fall runways of Diane Von Furstenberg, Nina Ricci, and Lanvin, and Peter Som explained that he showed some in his Bill Blass collection for a very simple, awesome reason: Girl power is back. The Wall Street Journal reports this:

Designer Peter Som says he was thinking of Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama — "women who are at the forefront of change" — when he designed his fall collection of tuxedo-like pantsuits for the Bill Blass label. "For so long, it's been all about the baby-doll look, the infantilizing of women," he says. "But now there's a sense of empowerment that is trickling down to fashion and how women want to be perceived."

Diane Von Furstenberg, who showed belted, oversize jackets on her fall runway, suggests that women may be subconsciously seeking "a little more authority" as they watch powerful women take the stage in politics.

So women are trading fitted jackets for roomy jackets, and men are trading roomy jeans for fitted jeans. In terms of comfort, the role-reversal thing is certainly working in the ladies' favor. Enjoy those man girdles, gentlemen.

The Boyfriend Jacket Comes on Strong [WSJ]
Related: Man Girdles Are All the Rage

In today's "Styles" section, Guy Trebay devotes a whole article to proving why Elle's fashion-news director, Anne Slowey, could be wrong about the dress going out of style come September. Wishful thinking, he says, gathering quotes from trend forecasters, the fashion director of Barneys, and random dress-clad women on the street to make his case for the dress. And we must say he did so as compellingly as one can when covering such a topic, though it was kind of unfair he didn't quote anyone who agreed with Slowey. Anyway, it felt like the perfect opportunity for the Cut's first-ever point-counterpoint debate!

Point: Anne Slowey, from the set of reality show Fashionista, in which she plays "herself…only meaner":

"The eye is looking for something new, and so is the psyche"

Counterpoint: David Wolfe, creative director of a fashion-trend-forecasting company:

"The dress provides the beauty of so many options." A woman could wear, he said, "a sheath, or a dirndl shape, or a baby-doll or something close to the body or something that moved away from the body."