By now, we've all heard about the First Lady's rendezvous over the weekend -- President Obama took his lovely wife on a date in New York City, with dinner at Blue Hill restaurant followed by a Broadway play: Joe Turner's "Come and Gone."

It's been well chronicled that Michelle Obama looked fantastic (her black ruffled dress appears to be an Azzedine Alaïa, and the shoes, Jimmy Choo's "Lantern" heel). But did you know that she likely smelled just as beautiful as she looked?

During the couple's trip to London for the G20 Summit, Michelle charmed English schoolgirls and Queens alike, all while attending dozens of events under the watchful eye of, well, the world. Her meeting with Carla Bruni-Sarkozi alone had fashion tongues wagging for days. Read

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Marriage rates in Japan are plunging as dangerously as the neckline on a red carpet gown -- which must be the inspiration for Triumph International's new invention: The Konkatsu or "Marriage Hunting" bra.

Ah, the Japanese.

The bra is designed to encourage Japanese women to "gather ye rosebuds" as quickly and efficiently as possible: It has a (customizable!) countdown timer that can only be stopped with the insertion of an engagement ring and pockets to hold the pen and stamp seal needed to fill out the marriage license, pronto. It's like a Swiss Army Knife for the single woman looking to get hitched. The only thing missing is a leash to keep the hapless groom from getting away.

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The correlation between financial recessions and increased cosmetic sales has long been noted by economists and beauty industry watchers -- conventional wisdom is that when faced with financial uncertainty, women turn to little luxuries rather than investing in pricey and trendy items (like handbags).

The cosmetic of choice for recessionistas has traditionally been a tube of red lipstick -- think late 20's, early 30's flapper glam -- because it gives the most transformational color bang for its buck.

But we've all heard that this recession is different than any other, and it turns out that this rhetoric applies to our penny-pinching cosmetic choices as well. The Financial Times reports that this time around women are splurging on foundation rather than lipstick.

We want to know -- What's your must-have recession beauty item?

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April showers bring May flowers -- and a fresh crop of waterproof boots. Fashionistas will have to wait until June for the faux crocodile pair that is a collaboration between Jimmy Choo and Hunter, and even then there is a waiting list on both sides of the Atlantic. (Perhaps the post-rainy season delay is due to Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon's admission that she was inspired by music festival goers, a la Kate Moss at the Glastonbury Festival, which doesn't take place until the summer.)

If you can't wait until then, don't fret, there are plenty of high style options available now. Our favorite recent find is a pair by Marc by Marc Jacobs, which come in black with a variety of rainbow trim options for only $28.

An English town is using an innovative solution to deter teen loitering -- they're harnessing the power of teenage vanity (and yes, insecurity) to keep surly teen males from gathering in front of businesses. Read

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