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Fashion Week may be a national obsession, but only a handful of VIPs – editors, buyers, stylists, celebrities – seem to receive the coveted tickets to Lincoln Center's chic bleachers to watch designers unveil their latest collections. How does a passionate fashionista without connections or credentials end up front row-hogging with Anna Wintour, Rachel Zoe and company? With the help of uber-stylist Robert Verdi and PR maven/TV eccentric Kelly Cutrone, we are revealing ten smart strategies to snag fashion week tickets.

1. Dress for success.

• "Walk with great authority and self importance, and chances are you're going to get in," says celebrity stylist Robert Verdi – who's launching his own streaming coverage of the tents at www.firstcomesfashion.com. The problem, of course, is what to wear, since that Wintour wig and H&M shades aren't likely to fool many.
• Don't overdress (Gaga will make the check-in girls gag) but don't think you can rock that rip-off either. "In this crowd, it's hard to make simulated, Canal Street fashion work, so save your money, skip paying your rent and go to Bergdorf Goodman."

2. Be a good customer.

• Big brands like Ralph Lauren or Michael Kors will often invite their staunchest supporters to attend shows as a sales tool-cum-thank you. If you can't shell out big bucks to buy weekly at your favorite designer's store, buddy up with a sales assistant and so they can recommend you to be added to the invitation list for fashion show tickets.

3. Blag in by blogging.

• IMG, the conglomerate that runs Fashion Week, keeps a rolling database of journalists – a list that some organizers rely on heavily. Kelly Cutrone – who's been coordinating shows for years before her gig on "The City" – has seen scramblers work all the angles. She suggests that overzealous types set up a fashion blog with a few posts and register it here. "There are some PR companies that just print that list and invite everyone on it – not my agency," she laughs. "But maybe there will be some interns who don't follow directions and you'll be one of the lucky people who gets a label."

4. Make it a photo finish.

• Verdi used a similarly deft but different trick when he was first starting out. He'd apply not only as a stylist, but also as a photographer. The pool of shutterbugs at the runway's end is more fluid and less full of recognizable names. Robert used a riff on his real name, Bobby Green, as his nom de camera. "If I wasn't invited to the show as a guest, I could get in with a camera credential. And it worked."

5. Let down their guards.

• "Buddy up with the security people keeping vigilant watch at the door," Verdi suggests. The control all access and might take pity on a sweet-mannered would-be gatecrasher.

6. Patience is a virtue.

• Just like at a concert, there might be spare fashion show tickets floating around. Hanging around outside Lincoln Center and chatting to attendees could yield results. Sometimes, when show attendance is low – due to the weather or a scheduling clash – last minute seat-fillers are needed. Cutrone always pulls them from the crowds of fashion obsessives outside. "I look at the fashion kids out front, and go out and give them some tickets – they give good energy."

7. Air-kiss to access.

• The riskiest strategy also has the highest reward. Buff up on some big names, like Joe Zee or Linda Wells, and memorize what they look like. Linger on your cellphone around the entrance to your favorite designer's show, and wait until one of your targets appears. "Say hello to them in some sort of disdainful way, and walk in tailing them as if you're part of their entourage," Verdi says, "And once you get past the first set of doors, that's where freedom is found."

8. Buy tickets.

• Cutrone champions this and has sold off tickets to certain fashion shows she's organized in the past to raise money for charity. "If you think there are 600 press people who need to be at any fashion show, you're wrong," she says. Fashion's Night Out, the extravaganza swelling in size faster than Kanye West's ego, is staging a 200-model strong "spring preview" at Lincoln Center on September 7 for an audience of 1,500 real people. American Express has a similar set up for its Platinum and Centurion (or Black) card members; if you have either, call the number on the back of the card and ask about the special, "By Invitation Only" events.

9. Try a travel agent.

• Look for one with the Virtuoso stamp – the travel world's answer to an all-access VIP pass. "Our agents have the connections and personal relationships to make the impossible possible," explains Virtuoso's Misty Ewing. "Sophisticated shoppers are also sophisticated travelers, and all you need is a good agent to make it happen." She won't divulge how they do it, of course, but hardcore fashionistas can pay the right agent to conjure couture access – specialists include In The Know Experiences.

10. Watch online at StyleList!

• After all, it's more comfortable, relaxing and the sight lines are better. "In truth, it's just a trade show – yes a very glamorous trade show speckled with celebrities and beautiful young girls - but in reality people are there to do work," says Verdi.

Still want the tickets but aren't up for the antics? Enter to win fashion show tickets from StyleList for New York Fashion Week right here! And then find out the full Mercedes Benz Fashion Week schedule.

As the World Cup frenzy reaches a fever pitch for this weekend's Spain vs. Netherlands final, we couldn't help but notice that the corresponding Wives And Girlfriends (a.k.a. WAG) culture associated with successful athletes has made its way over to U.S. soil. The WAG acronym was first coined during the last global soccer smack down four years ago: the significant others of England's team proved as headline-grabbing as their sporting spouses. These plus ones' glammy, label-conscious look became a top trend in Europe – and now it's spread stateside.

Today, there are WAGs for every sport: baseball (Cameron Diaz, formerly Kate Hudson), basketball (Khloe Kardashian), football (Kim Kardashian), and even hockey. (Carrie Underwood, we're talking to you!)

The American invasion was led by one woman, the WAG Queen B – as in (Victoria) Beckham. When she decamped for L.A. with husband David in July 2007, she brought her soccer wife sensibility with her. The onetime Posh Spice has wowed style snobs from coast to coast.

"Though status dressing started with soccer wives, it's spread throughout now, and it really all started with Victoria Beckham," explains Nikki Pennie, the British stylist who's wrangled gowns for everyone from Madonna to Cat Deeley. "They're always on-trend but in a way that suits them."

But how to decipher the real deal from the hangers-on? According to celebrity stylist Ann Caruso, a frock jockey for Liv Tyler, Lucy Liu and Liz Hurley, there are three main categories of sporting wife style.

WAG #1

• "She is exactly like a 'Gossip Girl,'" says Caruso. "She always has the hair and make up done, she loves designer clothing and always wants to spend lots of money."
• Falling under this category at an international level would be English model Alex Curran who is the wife of soccer player Steven Gerrard and has been dubbed the "uber-WAG." Fellow Brit and popstar Jessica Taylor is considered the ultimate cricket WAG, as she is married to top player Kevin Pietersen. Handsome Spanish midfielder Mikel Arteta has himself a model WAG in the form of Lorena Bernal.
• Stateside A-Rod's former former (former?) ex Madonna and Eva Longoria Parker riff off the same idea.

WAG #2

• She is more relaxed, confident and low key. She favors designer jeans rather than designer dresses, practices fresh-faced make-up and glossy, ad-worthy shampoo hair but is still body-conscious and bombshell-like.
• Gisele, Carrie Underwood, Hilary Duff, and the amorous A-Rod's current squeeze Diaz all fit the bill.

WAG #3

• "She is all trashy glamour – the too tight and too short moment," says Caruso.
• Embodying this aesthetic are none other than the curve-baring, mini-loving Kardashian sisters who are overly vampy and va-va-voom. Carmelo Anthony's main squeeze, MTV VJ La La Vazquez can also lay claim to this club.

WAG style is a ferociously feminine way to dress, but it doesn't stop there. Here's how to obtain full WAG potential in four easy steps.

#1: Have the "Right Stuff:"

• "It's all about big sunglasses, jeans that fit well, and the 'it' bag of the moment', says Caruso. (FYI - for fall she predicts the WAG bag will be the Jimmy Choo Tatum.) "They love to put on make up, have long hair, and feel very sexy. No way is this an androgynous, Agyness Deyn look. It's A little bit Jennifer Lopez." (No wonder she and Beckham are such close pals.)
• Pennie adds that this summer, trend-setting WAGs will be sporting one staple: ultra-short, denim hot pants, especially from J Brand. "They'll be wearing them shopping with flats and even in the evening with heels. I saw Gisele in New York running around in them, then the Kardashians and Cheryl Cole."

#2: Don't Be Afraid to Go High-Low:

• All of them are known for pairing high and low-end pieces. "I know a lot of these sporting wives love 'Forever 21'," whispers Pennie. "And they mix things together – you'll see them in Topshop, Zara or Mango clothes and then they'll splurge on accessories like that must-have handbag. I personally will invest in accessories which I will live in and are timeless then buy the rest at Topshop."

#3: Vacation (Duh! Where else to wear the aforementioned hot pants?):

• "It's about lifestyle. They go on vacation all the time, even if some are sun-conscious and put self-tanners on," continues Caruso. Think Saint Tropez, the West Indies, or even Costa Rica.

#4: Get Some!

• Today labels from designer to discount are courting WAG endorsement: Longoria Parker and hubby/ b-baller Tony Parker) recently shilled on behalf of London Fog, the Kardashians are co-designing with BCBG (among tons of other licensing deals), and Beckham has a respected eponymous fashion line. The industry has embraced them as much as we have. "At the end of the day, these labels are selling clothes from their stores because of these women," says Pennie.

Find out more about World Cup fashion or celebrity-sporto significant others!

Until "Sex and the City 2" arrives next month, the fashpack's must-see flick is likely to be "Vidal Sassoon: The Movie" which just premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. The groovy documentary – filmed largely in black and white, with appropriately Austin Powers-like graphics – is a biopic of the original celebrity hairdresser and Casanova crimper. In his heyday, Sassoon famously tousled the locks of Twiggy, designer Mary Quant, and Mia Farrow (he was responsible for that iconic crop the latter sported in "Rosemary's Baby).

Now a spry 82 (lifelong fitness freak Vidal demonstrates yoga flexibility onscreen that Madge might envy), he sadly missed the premiere due to a month-long hospital stay for pneumonia in Los Angeles. Fortunately for us, he was happy to speak to StyleList exclusively by phone.

StyleList: Talk to me about inventing the Bob Cut, arguably your most famous achievement. It's well documented in the movie.
Vidal Sasson: [Actress] Nancy Kwan came to London and she had four feet of hair. Her director said 'I want you to give her one of your new looks, starting from scratch'. She was one of the most beautiful girls so you couldn't go wrong unless your scissors slipped. Fortuitously, she was half-Caucasian, half-Chinese so her hair was much stronger and kept its shape beautifully. She was a knockout girl and couldn't have been nicer.

SL: Did you know instantly that it would make your name? Can you tell right away when a cut is a classic?
VS: Yes. You know whether it needs to be improved, and go home and come back the next day to work on it more because there is no genius – just pure hard work and innovation. But you knew when you had something.



SL: What about Anna Wintour, who's become synonymous with the style?
VS: I've never cut her hair but it looks marvelous on her. I would love to talk to her about it, but I can't just call and say 'I love the way you're wearing my hair'. And Victoria Beckham – she has a lovely haircut, reminiscent of the '60s with a '90s touch. It has moved on. They're very good for our kind of work because so many of the young girls just let their hair hang down to their shoulder and most of it looks terribly ugly. It's not even cut to the shoulders, it's just hanging.

SL: It doesn't bother you when people tweak your styles, then?
VS: People can get hold of this bob and as long as they know the techniques, they can put their own artistry in it. That's what important – it shouldn't stand still, or it's dead.

SL: Even as an octogenarian, you stay current– judging the finale of a reality show like 'Shear Genius'.
VS: The show is a very good idea, because it encourages young hairdressers to develop so even if they're not superb, they get better. I enjoy doing it actually. I think criticism should be done in a very kind, upbeat way – if you tear someone apart, there's no benefit to that.

SL: But the film shows that you weren't always quite so mellow.
VS: I was crazy, I was driven. In one moment of the movie, talking to the different stylists who worked with me, one young man says '[Vidal] was absolutely crazy, he had so much stamina he could work half the night'. And I liked that. I'm doing my autobiography and the two together have worked so well, bringing back the memory of what actually did happen.


SL : This is the latest in a slew of fashion films, from 'Valentino' to 'The September Issue'.
VS: Grace Coddington was my top model in London. I did the 5-Point cut on Grace. We worked in Paris together, and so many other places. She's gone on to become a big star, which is lovely.

SL: What about 'Good Hair,' Chris' Rock's documentary about black women's complicated relationship with their hair? You called your Greek Goddess style 'the Caucasian Afro.'
VS: I had a number of good, good friends in New York who used to take me to Harlem in the 1960s, when it was difficult for a white face to be seen there. But I loved the jazz. And the inspiration for the Greek Goddess cut, the perm with no setting, came from great looking black hair in Harlem, there's no question about it. I said 'Why can't we get Asians and Caucasians to have that look?' and we worked on it one whole weekend in London. I took a couple of rooms at the Grosvenor House hotel and had a salon there. The whole team stayed the whole weekend until we got it right, as close to what you could get in Harlem as possible.

SL: As both a hairdresser and onetime Israeli soldier, the rumor is that Adam Sandler's character in 'Don't Mess with the Zohan' was based on you . Was that another Sassoon biopic?
VS: Nobody spoke to me about it at all, but I would have loved to have joined in the conversation there. But though I can't mention who yet, a very well known company wants to do my life story with real actors, from a child to an older man. I'd cast Jude Law – he's English and a man with great style.

It's time for that twice yearly seasonal swap-out, when summer clothes replace winter ones and your wardrobe is due some spring cleaning. But this year, don't splurge on a slew of new pieces. Instead, follow the Three Rs, a canny system devised by celebrity stylists Phillip Bloch and Elle Werlin to reinvigorate your wardrobe in a thrifty, budget-conscious way: recycle, repair & renew. Follow this three-point plan twice yearly and your wardrobe will both cost less and last longer.

RECYCLE

• First, assess everything in your summer wardrobe for its recycling potential including older pieces that can be revived with a few on-trend tweaks. "Take a cute little jacket and throw some bigger shoulder pads into it right now, and you'll instantly make it more 'fashion'," says Bloch.
• Bloch also suggests a few well-placed studs or beads on an old leather piece; again, focusing on the shoulders. "We're seeing a lot of studding and beading, so get out the bedazzler – but don't get carried away," he laughs. In the same glitzy trend, swap old buttons for glammier new ones – rhinestones are ideal – and so snazz up an old shirt; or even add a strip of rhinestones down the side of a pant (Bloch says strips like these shouldn't cost more than a couple of bucks from a craft store).
• Werlin's thrilled the boho trend is returning, and suggests unearthing those Sienna Miller-inspired skirts and slashing the length for a skin-baring summer. "You want to get a little more sexy, so shorten them to mini skirts – short skirts are in this season," she says. Repurpose ripped or torn shirts and pants with patches to channel the same shabby chic.
• If you're thrifty, but far from crafty, don't worry. Werlin has a tip to finding the best sewing pros in your 'hood. Her own trick, stuck on the road for shoots and in need of savvy help in a new city, is to march into an upscale independent boutique and ask the owner for his or her recommendations. They might offer to handle the alterations on your behalf; if not, do as Werlin does, and scout a few sites in person. Tailors usually share a storefront with dry cleaners. "So always ask if they dry clean leather, and if they have a fur storage area," she explains, "Then they're more of a high-end."

REPAIR

• The next step is deciding what's worth repairing in your wardrobe – whether spring-summer faves or soon-to-be-stored winter staples. Bloch always makes do and mends his leather goods, from belts to shoes. Werlin, too, cherishes her sandals and suggests resoling not just each season, but before a pair is ever worn. "That's the key for keeping shoes forever. Nowadays, the soles are really thin and not equipped for city walking."
• Big-ticket treats are always worth darning, especially cashmere. "I have a whole bag of cashmere things ready for reweaving," Bloch confesses. He regularly salvages ripped or torn garments by sending them for invisible mending.

• Add a local cobbler and a crack reweaver to the list of pros to keep on hand. The latter's a dying skill, but one still practiced by a few nimble-fingered vets across the country, like The French Re-Weavers in San Jose, Calif., or the French American Reweaving in New York. The latter is a favorite of every high end showroom and also accepts garments for repair by mail. The operation is so old school there's no website - call 212-765-4670 for details; prices start around $40.
• While you're resoling and reweaving summer clothes, prep your winter staples for storage. Neither stylist will ever stash clothes damaged or unwashed: it's the body oils in dirty fabrics that moths love to munch on (and keep those reweavers in business). Though Bloch dry cleans almost anything – jeans stay crisp and last longer that way, he guarantees – he also handwashes his knits in a gentle detergent like Woolite twice a year, at the beginning and end of each season. "I'm not a big sweater, but under the arm? Dry cleaning does not necessarily clean things that great."
• Store jackets, shirts, and pants on professional wooden hangers, like the bargain style from IKEA that's $4.49 for 8. Werlin protects everything in garment bags, too. "Clothes do need to breathe, especially leather, so store that in a cloth garment bag," she suggests. For a bargain, buy them in bulk from the stylist supply store, Travel Auto Bag – go in with a few friends and split an order.

RENEW

• The final step in wardrobe renovation, after recycling and repairing, is to add a few cheap on-trend treats: no more than three key pieces, best found in the bargain racks and sites of H&M, Forever 21, and Top Shop. Bloch suggests an "asymmetrical something – a great one shoulder dress or top," and a statement accessory, whether it's a chunky necklace or wide belt. The last addition should be "a cashmere-mix T shirt, long-sleeved, that's great for the evening," says Bloch. "There were strapless dresses over these on the runway at BCBG. We've had a lot of global warming in fashion lately and you can't tell what season the clothes are."
• Werlin's trio of treats is different: something splashy and printed, be it minidress, skirt or shirt. "And something with a military vibe, whether a button-down shirt in an army green or a pair of slouchy khaki shorts," she recommends. And for another boho touch, some lingerie-as-outerwear. "Maybe even a bra that you can see through or show with a button-down."

Hopefully, with a little help from Stylelist, holiday gifts proved a little less predictable last year. Of course, less than two months later, it's time for another gifting intervention: after all, what holiday is more ridden with clichés than Valentine's Day? So we tapped our crack gifting team to provide inspiration again as V-Day D-Day approaches:

They're well qualified for advice-dispensing: Lindsi Shine runs InsiderNYC, a concierge service for the gifting-challenged, and spends all day devising inventive alternative presents. And for a glimpse into the angst-ridden mind of guys across America, we grilled style maven Tyler Thoreson who's survived more than one or two V-Days himself.

The best thing to do with this story is read it, then subtly pass along to any gift-challenged loved one – husband, boyfriend, fiancé – to help them steer clear of drugstore chocolates and gas stations flowers.

BANNED! GAS STATION FLOWERS: Ah, the classic scent of Valentine's Day: wilting, week-old carnations and a whiff of gasoline.

BETTER! YOUR FAVORITE FLOWERS: "I've never really liked red roses, or baby's breath, the whole thing is so dowdy – and they put a big mark-up on red roses this time of year anyway. What you want is something really elegant," Thoreson confides. Men should instead gently Braille their loved ones to find out their favorite flower and buy two dozen of those instead. A simple, yet personal, gesture like that will eclipse any past rose-related snafus. Or if those flowers aren't easily available, a fragrance – whether perfume, candle or room – of that same scent instead.

BANNED! DRUGSTORE CHOCOLATES: Admit it: last year's box is still secretly stashed under the sofa, cellophane intact.

BETTER! CHOCOLATE BODY PAINT: Take inspiration from chocolates in a quirkier way: a jar of edible, chocolate body paint is both more fun and lower calorie than those inedible coffee creams. For a less raunchy riff on the tradition, bring home a bar of Swiss chocolate and a punnet of strawberries for a dessert that can be made together. And a box of chocolate cupcakes delivered to the office is a can't-miss twist.

BANNED! CHEAPIE FRAGRANCES: Grabbing a cheap bottle of perfume at the counter along with those chocolates only underscores how last minute a shopping spree the whole thing was.

BETTER! A PERSONALIZED BOBBLE HEAD: It's far better to decorate a dressing table than a no-name bottle of scent – and funnier, too. Order a personalized bobblehead of a loved one, or even a pet like a much-loved dog. "One of my girlfriends did it for her boyfriend – he's a big golfer, so his says 'World's Sexiest Golfer'. It's adorable," raves Shine.

BANNED! CHEAP CHAMPAGNE: Nothing takes the fizz out of a relationship than a last-minute bottle of bubbly.

BETTER! D.I.Y. WINE: One of Shine's favorite NYC treats is the Chelsea Wine Vault, a store that allows couples to custom-blend their own wine which she does with her husband each year. "I'm more a White Burgundy, he's a Riesling. We combine that and make a wine that would be us together and save it for next Valentine's Day when we can enjoy it together." There are similar firms across the country, or couples could even sign up for a wine-appreciation class together then select a bottle based on what they've learned to lay aside for next year. "Make a tradition out of something you guys like to do together," Shine suggests.

BANNED! CHEESY CARDS: Does anyone really want to say "I sort of love you, I suppose"? Send a flimsy, generic card like this one and that's exactly the sentiment telegraphed.

BETTER! A PRELOADED DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME: Nix cards completely. Buy a digital picture frame and then pre-load it with a few personal snaps – trips or days or moments that are meaningful. It's not the frame that counts, but the time taken to select the photos.

BANNED! OVERPRICED PRIX FIXE MEALS ON VALENTINE'S NIGHT: "Most restaurants treat Valentine's Day the same way florists do: they churn out product, and mark up the price," says Thoreson. "The prix fixe meal was probably cooked hours before."

BETTER! PRIVATE COUPLES TIME: This year, Valentine's Day is a Sunday, so it's even easier to set aside some personal time. Thoreson, himself a keen cook, suggests subbing eating out for dining in. "You're not going to save money if you do it right and buy the right ingredients," he warns. Shine suggests spending the afternoon on a romantic walk. "Take an afternoon to go look at an art exhibit and read up on it before," she recommends. "Another one of my favorite things is to do a walking tour – all cities have them. I'm from Indianapolis, and they have them there. In New York, the story behind the Brooklyn Bridge is such a great love story: the wife finished it because the husband had gone blind."

Photos: Corbis | Getty Images

BANNED! A BOUQUET OF BALLOONS: It's a simple equation: celebrate V-Day with a glass of wine or a bouquet of balloons. Anyone old enough for the former is long past the latter.

BETTER! AN OFFICE PAMPERING: "Someone as a thank you to my team gave everyone in the office 15-minute back massages," Shine recalls. She suggests sending a manicurist to the work place for a throwaway indulgence that's more personal yet less intrusive than that helium bouquet.

BANNED! FRILLY LINGERIE: That lace-trimmed thong is an oddly automated gift on V-Day. "It means you're just doing what you're supposed to be doing, and no-one likes to be loved that way," Shine agrees.

BETTER! INTIMATE ART: Take the intimate sentiment behind the idea and instead order a custom canvas from one of the many online art-sellers. "My husband had them draw a picture of [NYC restaurant] Bar Pitti, where our first date was," Shine says. She also likes the LA-based movie art mecca, Every Picture Tells a Story, where you can order animation cells, book art or cartoons: buy one from a loved one's favorite film or childhood story.

BANNED! BORING MEN'S GIFTS: Admit it – it isn't just men who suffer from V-Day blah-itis. Women fall back on the same generic catch-alls – sports jerseys, ties – year after year, or sometimes don't even reciprocate.

BETTER! THINK 'MAD MEN': Thoreson puts it simply. "Think: what would Betty Draper five her husband Don, at least when she's not pissed off at him – whatever that is, is a pretty good Valentine's Day gift."

Shine remembers that the way to a man's heart has always been through another body part. "Get steak lunches delivered to a guy's office – pick up a meal to go, and deliver it," she recommends. Red meat on Friday lunchtime should leave him raring to go when Valentine's weekend begins.