The move was shrewd; it grabbed attention, and targeted older and second-time brides who don’t want to look like fantasy virgin princesses. Yet retailers are skeptical brides will chuck the white uniform. Eleanore Rosenstein, who operates Toronto’s Vera Wang boutique, ordered a half-dozen black dresses due to arrive any day. She doesn’t expect them to fly out the door. “Brides are traditional,” she says. Demand for colour—lavender, pistachio and blush—is limited, she says, pointing to a $4,000 violet gown: “It’s gorgeous, but more of a red-carpet look.” White is a “look-at-me” hue—it’s fresh. “Could Kate Middleton have walked down the aisle in black?” she asks. Black for the bride will fuel bridesmaids’ hell, she says: “What will they wear? White?” It also means no veil—unless a bride wants to look like she’s mourning the end of her independence.

Molly Guy, owner of Stone Fox Bride, an “anti-bridal showroom” in New York City, is doubtful black will catch on. It’s not unique enough for her high-fashion clientele, she says: “Everyone has a black dress.” She’s seeing coloured dresses, noting a friend recently married in purple: “She was stunning.” Yet white is a mainstay, Guy believes, recalling shopping for her 2010 wedding: “There’s this visceral gut feeling of excitement that comes from seeing a bunch of white dresses next to each other; it’s special.” She bought a red and pink Alexander McQueen gown, then changed her mind and wore a white Alice by Temperley dress. “There’s something really beautiful and pure about getting married in white,” she says. “And I’m not someone who cares in the least about things like that.” Brides want to wear something that hints at a wedding dress and bridal tradition, she believes: “Chances are your mom got married in white, and your grandmother.”

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based filmmaker Therese Shechter was momentarily sucked into white-dress frenzy while filming herself trying them on for her documentary about virginity, How to Lose Your Virginity. “After trying on five or six dresses, I was in this weird place, like ‘This is really, really pretty,’ ” the Toronto native says. But she rejected the purity symbolism for her own wedding in 2010, choosing a green gown with an overlay of black netting. “A lot of women love the idea of the white wedding and becoming this princess for a day,” Shechter says. “But for me, it smacks of advertising some kind of sexual status that my groom didn’t have to do.” “Re-virginizing” for a day didn’t appeal, she says with a laugh: “My sexual history is one of the good things I bring to this marriage.”

Marking the occasion with “very special clothing” was important to her, and she wishes women felt freer to reflect themselves fully at their weddings. “The industry sets up this template and you have to fit yourself into it, and they trick you by giving you different sleeve lengths or white and ecru. But it’s a narrow range of choices.” And now we can add black to those choices. Or can we? If early backlash is any indication, Wang may have found it “fun to step out of the box,” as she put it, but brides are happy to stay within it—which suggests the designer’s walk on the dark side was even witchier than it seemed.

"I’m not even looking for a wedding dress right now. I’m pregnant! I’m not going to go try on wedding dresses," Kristin tells CelebBuzz.

She also says that her former MTV reality co-stars Heidi and Spencer Pratt (seriously, what has happened to them? Not that we’re complaining) were quick to offer their good wishes.

"Heidi and Spencer actually sent me flowers, which was really sweet," says Kristin.

And she also assures that her baby "will never be on TV."

Mmm hmmm.

H&M, short for Hennes & Mauritz, is a popular retailer of affordable high fashion for women, men and children. Look for a spring opening.

Snakes alive: Dust off your daubers. The bingo hall that for months has been under way in the building formerly occupied by Mission Reinade de la Paz Church, 706 51st St. on the island, is finally set to open its doors 5 p.m. Sunday, reports Manager Albert Boening. The first bingo session begins at 7:30 p.m.

Ever since this column in April buzzed that a venture going by The 4N Group bought the 11,000-square-foot building with plans for a bingo hall, readers have clamored for an opening date. Securing all the permits and licensing was behind the long wait, Boening said.

For information, call 409-497-4948.

Dirty talk: Some longtime patrons of Ritz Car Wash, 2712 61st St. on the island, want someone to come clean about the status of the business, which has been closed for weeks. But owners haven’t returned repeated calls.

Word on the street is that a mechanical glitch is the culprit and the closure is temporary. Stay tuned.

Fresh coat: Remember last week’s buzz about a new home design and paint store on the island’s East End? Ed Muncey and Brian Becker confirm they’re opening Glidden Home Store and Design Center, 2025 Broadway later this month.

Along with paint, shoppers can order custom blinds, various window treatments and wallpaper. And look for a section of the store to carry antiques.

Muncey and Becker credit Carolyn Clyburn of The House Co. with helping them find the perfect spot. Carol Yarbrough also assisted with the location and Cesar Hernandez from HomeTown Bank helped with the financing. Store designers are Jeannie Poirier and Paula Ozymy. Stay tuned.

Tapping in: The island’s DiBella’s Italian Restaurant, 1902 31st St., is soon to get some ultimate publicity. Mixed martial arts fighter Max Holloway will sport the popular neighborhood eatery’s logo on his shorts and his banner during UFC 143, airing Saturday on FX.

Undefeated newcomer Holloway will face Dustin Poirier in Las Vegas. (For viewing information,Restaurateur Charlie DiBella is collaborating with island native Yancey Lawhorn’s online retail and custom print business, MMA Overload LLC, which supplies clothing to the fighters and their fans.

This is hot: Would you like your latte with Gulf of Mexico views? Rita’s Italian Ice, 6026 Seawall Blvd. on the island, is now serving up individually brewed, single-cup coffees, teas and Dove hot chocolate. Rita’s is stocking a variety of coffee and tea blends and also will serve lattes, cappuccinos or just a regular cup of Joe. Rita’s also is known for Italian ices and old-fashioned custards, among other cool confections.

On a roll: Meanwhile, Juan Big Burrito, 176 I-45 in League City, is extending hours and serving lunch burritos from noon to 1:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays via its drive-through service.

Juan Big Burrito is known for breakfast burritos. But the new midday meal offerings will allow the eatery to serve burritos with such fillings as steak and cheese or carne guisada, grilled chicken and cheese and more. Lunch burritos also will be available for breakfast, owners report.

Mall open: Officials at Mall of the Mainland want to remind readers the shopping center, 10000 Emmett F. Lowry Expressway in Texas City, is open for business. The mall was only briefly out of commission earlier last month after a tornado caused a section of roof to collapse and some water damage.

Adele is still unbeatable. The British pop singer secures the No. 1 positions on both Billboard Hot 200 and Hot 100 with her album "21" and single "Set Fire to the Rain" respectively. She blocks Tim McGraw from debuting atop the album chart and preventing Kelly Clarkson from climbing to the top spot on the single chart.

Adele stays at the first position on Hot 200 by selling 116,000 copies of "21" (up 22% from previous week). This marks her 18th non-consecutive week sitting at the throne of the chart. With two more weeks on the top spot, she will be tied with Whitney Houston and Elvis Presley who both scored 20-week No. 1 run. The former owed it to "The Bodyguard" soundtrack, and the later to "Blue Hawaii".

McGraw settles at No. 2 with his newly-released effort "Emotional Traffic" that bows with 68,000 copies. Though falling short of ruling Hot 200, he manages to enter at the first spot on the Country Albums chart. This marks his 14th top-10 album on the Hot 200, and 13th No. 1 on the Country Albums chart.

After lacking of new entries for the past few weeks, Hot 200 is flooded with six other new albums aside from McGraw’s "Emotional Traffic". The second-highest debut is Lamb of God’s "Resolution" which lands at No. 3. "2012 Grammy Nominees" compilation album follows by entering at No. 4.

The new entry parade continues as Ingrid Michaelson rounds up the top 5 with her new album "Human Again", and Kellie Pickler arrives on the chart at No. 7 with her "100 Proof". Seal takes the next spot wit his newly-released CD "Soul 2", and Kari Jobe lands at No. 10 with "Where I Find You".

On the Hot 100, Adele holds firmly the first position, thanks to the 118 million audience impressions gained by "Set Fire to the Rain". Clarkson rises to No. 2 from her previous position at No. 8 with her latest single "Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)", which gets 29% boost in its digital download. This week, it sells 225,000 units.

Pantone, provider of professional color standards, names a coveted Color of the Year in their annual fashion color reports. Drawn from insight provided by industry experts such as Neiman Marcus’ fashion director, Ken Downing, and celebrity stylist, Isabel Dupre, Tangerine Tango was given this year’s honor.

Along with the strikingly bold fusion of the red-orange tangerine this spring, expect to see Solar Power, a yellow-orange shade, Bellflower, a soft ornamental purple, Soda-lite Blue, a maritime navy, Margarita, a light green and Sweet Lilac, a soft pinkish hue.

Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute calls the trending colors of 2012, "dramatic and seductive." Eiseman said that these colors marry "the vivaciousness and adrenaline rush of red, with the friendliness and warmth of yellow, to form a high-visibility, magnetic hue that emanates heat and energy."

In full accord with Pantone’s color predictions, men’s magazine Esquire forecasts bold colors for menswear in 2012.

Brilliant shades that were once used as accents- orange, green and mustard- will become the focus of men’s apparel. Esquire also predicts that designers will get a little  unorthodox in their 2012 collections by merging the formal with the informal.

Highlighted by designers such as prada and Yves Saint Laurent, designers are anticipated to take the untailored look even further by returning to box-shaped suits, double-breasted spring jackets and loose flowing garments.

Also for women, Style Magazine dubs 2012’s trend to be a revitalization of the Roaring Twenties in which designers draw inspiration from the couture shapes of the 1950s.

According to Style Magazine, this trend is all about, "exposing just a tasteful flash of skin below the bandeau area." Ideally this look consists of a high waist skirt which covers the navel and a short bandeau top that reveals the mid-drift section.

Designer labels such as Alexander McQueen, have taken on ethereal, flowing gowns with shards of coral colors while Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs are embracing soft pastels in their spring 2012 collections.

Spotlighted in 2012’s trendy blend of bold and pastel was Angelina Jolie at this year’s Golden Globe Awards. She wore a body-hugging pearly white gown with a flash of electric red at the bust line by Atelier Versace.

To embrace these styles in a budget-savvy way, look to retailers such as H&M whose current trend is called Urban Scene and encourages fashionistas to pair bold colors with soft pastels.

Featured in this collection is a tangerine colored cardigan for $17.95. Also find these trends at Top Shop, whose collection, Spring Equinox, features vintage-inspired tunics with neon accents. Included in this collection is a must-have pastel, geometric-designed tunic for $40.

For men, Urban Outfitter’s new arrivals include a pastel yellow Tretorn Skymra SL Canvas Sneaker for $70 while H&M’s Season Favorites feature a blue mélange colored cardigan for $24.95.

For those attempting 2012’s color splash in modest increments, accessorize with the ribbed reversible, dual-pattern, tangerine beanie found in Nordstrom Racks for only $21.

In addition to these fashion finds, browse trend-leading retailers such as Levi Strauss, Bloomingdales and American Apparel to find affordable, fashion forward clothing in-line with 2012’s predicted trends.

This year, both designers and shoppers are challenged to convey the high-energy, vibrant, fashion trends forecasted for 2012 through their designs and wardrobe.

The episode, where the cracks in the Kim Kardashian-Kris Humphries marriage were evident and which would eventually lead to divorce, was the biggest in series history. The telecast drew 3.3 million in the 18-49 demo and 1.6 million in women 18-34.

"Kourtney & Kim" has run for 10 episodes in each of its two seasons. This past season the show averaged 3.2 million viewers.

In other E! programming on Sunday, the cabler’s SAG Awards red carpet coverage drew 1.5 million viewers and latenight skein "After Lately" garnered 1.7 million.

At the airport, Blair attracts the attention of other passengers. When one girl approaches her, she tries to elude her pursuers by claiming she and Dan are just decoys. Aside from this problem, she must make a difficult decision about her future, the consequences of which could hurt those she loves most.

In the meantime, Serena takes the blame for an incident with Gossip Girl in order to protect someone she loves. Georgina (Michelle Trachtenberg), who is still in the town after the royal affair, smells the scent of scandal and decides to follow its trail.

"The Backup Dan" will air Monday, February 6 at 8/7c on The CW. Speaking at last week’s screening of the 100th episode, executive producer Josh Safran said that the next outing will be about "Chuck and Serena together dealing with Dan and Blair together." He additionally noted that when Serena "discovers what’s happening between Blair and Dan," it will "wrankle" her.

When asked if Georgina is the "new" Gossip Girl, Safran said that Georgina has the role of Gossip Girl, which opens up more storylines. He added that seeing the process of "what she does do to get her tips is fun and a new thing." He went on assuring that Kristen Bell’s voice will still be heard as the Gossip Girl.

Wu’s 53-piece collection, which hits stores and Target.com on Feb. 5, comes hot on the heels of Target’s website-crashing collaboration with the Italian Fashion house known for its zigzag.

But Wu isn’t worried.

"The funny thing is, when I signed up, I didn’t even know about the Missoni (collaboration)," the New York-based designer says. "The news wasn’t even released yet, but as soon it was, I felt like my approach in doing the collection had to be something different. Coming after that huge success from a legendary brand such as Missoni, I wanted to give my collection a different spin. I wanted to make a collection that was a lot more compact that it felt like a capsule collection instead of something larger."

And that’s exactly what he has done. Influenced by French New Wave films, Wu turned to screen stars such as Jean Seberg for inspiration. "It’s about having that nonchalant sense of style that was so effortless and chic," Wu says. "It’s playful, (but) it was sophisticated at the same time. It had that throw-on-your-dress-and-go quality."

The Target collection, which features women’s apparel, handbags and scarves, includes A-line dresses, tie-waist shifts and high-waisted skirts. While Wu’s runway designs can sell for thousands of dollars, each piece in his Target collection is under $60.

"We have so many fans from a younger generation that cannot yet afford Jason Wu but pay attention to what we do," says the designer. Wu considers the Target collection "a gift for them. … It also shows my range as a designer that I’m able to design for two spectrums of the market."

And no matter the cost, he says, "it’s about making women look great, at the end of the day." Wu is also busy at work on his fall ready-to-wear show, set to take place in just two weeks during New York Fashion Week. He says to expect "something opulent."

"He is such a talented designer," says Trish Adams, senior vice president of apparel and accessories for Target. "We spend a lot of time when we think through our collaborations about who we would want to work with, and he was at the top of our list."

After Missoni’s boon to the company, Adams is aware of the pressure, but it’s "something we feel all the time. We just want to deliver a high-quality product and bring something special to our guests."

Besides, she says, it’s not fair to compare the two. "The size of the collection is different. It’s a brand vs. an individual designer," says Adams. "Jason is about women. It’s about springtime …. He’s been absolutely fantastic, and we hope for success, as we do with all of our collaborations."

But one lesson learned from the Missoni madness is to get it while it’s hot. Wu’s collection will be available until March 6 — or until supplies last. "If a guest is particularly interested," Adams says, "we recommend being there when the doors open."

The Headwear Association — an organization founded in 1908 that “promotes hat wearing and the headwear industry throughout the world” — highlighted some of Kate’s best hats, including the velvet cabernet hat she wore on Christmas (left) and the memorable maple leaf headpiece by Sylvia Fletcher at Lock and Co. that she selected for Canada Day in July (center).

Kate is the third star to win top honors from The Headwear Association; Johnny Depp nabbed last year’s title, following in the footsteps (er, headprint?) of the organization’s first-ever winner, Brad Pitt. Tell us: Are you a fan of Kate’s hats?

"Goa was the birthplace of Indo-Western garments," Rodricks said in an interview. The book, "Moda Goa" (HarperCollins-India), which he describes as his tribute to his state, takes a look at the factors that shaped Goa’s distinct garment Style.

"The Portuguese, who were the first colonisers in 1510, brought with them Western clothes. We took some 80 garments traditional to the Portuguese Malacca Strait – where the Portuguese had married the Chinese," he said.

"The Mughals came after the Portuguese…The Tughlaq and the Khilji rulers visited Goa."

Besides the Portuguese and the Mughal clothes, Goan fashion was influenced by Persian embroidery and Buddhist drapes, Rodricks said.

"They all came together to create the traditional garments of Goa at different points of time. However, many of these garments were found too revealing at the time of the Goa Inquisition when almost all Goans were forced to become Catholics," Rodricks said, narrating the history of Goan fashion.

History says the Goa Inquisition set up in 1560 by the Portuguese brought to trial more than 16,000 new Christians – mostly Hindu and Islamic converts – roughly over a 300-year period. It also punished those who violated the ban on Hindu and Islamic religious rites or resisted attempts at conversion to Catholicism.

"They (Portuguese) began to impose a more modest way of dressing…the first major change was that they did not allow any Indian dress. People who wore loincloth and ‘dhoti’ were forced to wear suits and shoes," Rodricks said.

Some of the older residents of Goa whom the designer-writer interviewed said "native visitors on their way to Panjim in their traditional carriages would stop by a small bridge – which was patrolled by Portuguese guards – and would change their clothes outside before they went to the capital city", Rodricks said.

"Once they left the city for their villages, they would change back to their native clothes outside Panjim," Rodricks said.

The crackdown on indigenous Goan dress went on till 1806 when the Inquisition was lifted, the designer said.

"However, it (the unofficial ban) continued well into the early part of the 20th century between 1850 to 1970. When we joined India in 1961, we had been a hybrid race for a good number of years…my mother still says it felt different after 450 years of Portuguese rule," Rodricks said.

"I love my sherwanis…and all my Indian clothes," the designer added with a touch of pride.

In the book, he starts off with the early Buddhist drapes that set the cut for later Hindu costumes and moves through opulent brocade coats of the Muslim Tughlaq rulers and Portuguese invaders, who had to improvise on their heavy Renaissance attires to suit the hot Konkan climate.

He documents the Western-style dresses of the newly converted Goan Catholics through illustrations by European travellers, photographs by lensman Mark Sequeira and leading fashion photographers.

"When I started my research 11 years ago, there was nothing on the history of clothes in Goa except some clothes in the Portuguese museum. Of the nine years I spent researching the book, I spent three years at the National Costume Museum at Lisbon in Portugal and at the Fashion Institute of Technology Museum in New York," Rodricks said.

The years that Rodricks spent abroad strengthen his view that he was "on the right track and doing something for the state," Rodricks said.

Rodricks said "putting together all that had been soul-searching to a point. I wanted to share all that I had learnt about clothes".

"I had begun to collect garments and very old jewellery. I went to Lisbon and New York to learn how to store and display old garments. My collection covered many periods…," Rodricks said.

"Fashion is the mirror of history," the designer said.

Rodricks, who trained in New York and Paris, set up his label in 1990. In 1993, he moved to his ancestral village Colvale in Goa, creating collections inspired by Tibetan monasteries, tribal symbols of Shiva and Vishnu, a harem in Istanbul, tattoos of the Lambada tribe and the history of Goa.

His retail space, Wendell Rodricks Design Space in Panjim, is a niche fashion stop on the Goan map. "Moda Goa" is priced Rs.3,999.