Mark Ronson and Daisy Lowe have been partying up a storm lately and it’s not surprising if you consider the family background of this stylish duo. Mark, 32, was brought up in London by a wealthy family; his stepfather is famed rock guitarist, Mick Jones, and his mom is writer and socialite, Ann Dextor-Jones. His sister, Samantha Ronson, is in the limelight nowadays because of her sapphic relationship with Lindsay Lohan. Meanwhile, Daisy, 19,  was raised by mom, Pearl Lowe, who is a singer-cum-designer. When Daisy was 15, a paternity test proved Gavin Rossdale as the biological father (he was Daisy’s godfather prior to the test), making her Gwen Stefani’s stepdaughter.

Don’t let these connections fool you as Mark and Daisy are both accomplished in their own right. Mark has won 3 Grammy’s for producing Amy Winehouse’s music and Daisy is a busy model with Vogue and Elle editorials under her belt. The glamorous couple met through Sean Lennon (yes, John’s son) last year and have been together since. Some have dubbed them the new “Pete Doherty and Kate Moss” but they seem content to ignore the attention. For now, Mark and Daisy are just eager to wear quirky and smart outfits to the next party in London.

WOW. I love Kate Moss but WTF?! I was skeptical when my friend from work told me to look at Sympatico’s “Then & Now: Celebrities” gallery. They’re usually not very interesting and the celebrities just look like younger versions of themselves with bad 80s hair. But this. This is another matter entirely. Then again, it’s kind of comforting to know Kate Moss used to look like that.

One more thing: I don’t normally discuss celebrities on this site (I like to leave that to my favourite blogger at www.laineygossip.com) but can I point out Demi Moore please? I had no prior knowledge that she was an Asian version of the kid from Jerry Maguire that said, “Did you know the human head weighs 8 pounds?” Trust me – it takes one to know one.

In the spirit of this post with Google’s help, I am also including a “Then & Now” of the Jerry Maguire kid.

I know. I should just make this a Coco Rocha fansite already. It’s a sick obsession but I can’t stop! I simply luurrrve Coco. Why? Well, she’s gorgeous and she’s Canadian. But she also has a personality that translates into her work whether it’s in pictures or on the catwalk. In fact, she is so charming that www.style.com has hired her to work as a host on the video section of their website! Here is the fabulous Coco in the September 2008 issue of Vogue. By the way, those purple Chloé booties she’s wearing are INCREDIBLE.

1. He doesn’t like intellectuals.

“I want to know everything, but I’m not an intellectual, and I don’t like their company. I’m the most superficial man on Earth.”

2. He doesn’t buy shoes for comfort.

“I buy my shoes a size too small. I like the way it feels.”

3. He likes journalists. Except, of course, the smelly ones.

“I have no problem with journalists — many are friends,” he says. “Only if they are really stupid, or if they’ve got bad breath, or if they smell. Yesterday [at the Chanel couture show] I had a problem. I said, ‘I’m sorry, you’ve got to tell this woman that she needs to be taken away. Her smell is not possible.’”

4. His mother never wanted him to be a child.

“‘You may be six years old, but I am not,’ she used to say.” She refused to let him wear glasses although he was short-sighted, saying: “Children with glasses are the ugliest thing in the world.” She also took little interest in his schooling, never attending a parent-teacher evening. Nor did she ever attend one of his fashion shows later in life, despite his success. “She said, ‘Well, I didn’t go to your father’s office either,’” he laughs.

5. He avoided boarding school as a child because he hated the idea of dorms.

“I found out that if I didn’t create trouble, I could do what I wanted.” Did he not like the idea of boarding school? He screws his face up in disgust. “It was out of the question. I hated the idea of being in a dormitory with other people. No, no, no,” he says, hitting the table as he speaks. “My sisters were sent away because my mother thought they were boring. I was not boring.”

6. He is loath to dwell on the past.

“The worst thing is when friends say, ‘Remember the good old days?’ Forget about the good old days! That just makes your present second-hand. What is interesting is now. If you think it was better before, then you might as well commit suicide immediately.”

7. He sees himself just as we see him.

“Often things aren’t that important. I’m not that important either. I don’t take myself too seriously.”

8. He doesn’t see fashion design as art.

“I’m in a permanent bad mood with myself, thinking I could always do better, that there is more. It’s like there is this glass wall, and I can’t get through to the other side.” But he adds, raising an exclamatory finger: “I’m not one of those people who think they’re more artistic than their profession. Come on. You’re selling things that make people happy, not difficult pregnancies. I can’t stand designers who talk about their work being art.”

9. He thinks of death in a very un-scary way.

“Everything changes, except death. Billions have died before us, so it can’t be that bad. If you ask me, death and deep sleep are the same thing. And then you don’t take yourself too seriously.” He takes a considered sip of his drink before adding: “Oh, please. Don’t over-react to how I am talking. Try to keep all this abstract, huh?”

10. He is entirely nonjudgmental.

“For me, identity is a private, intimate problem,” says Lagerfeld. “Fashion doesn’t have to be your identity. Who cares what people think? As long as you agree with yourself, that’s enough, no? I judge nobody. I laugh about myself. That I can do; I know myself pretty well.”

Sadly, summer is coming to an end and I’ll have to say goodbye to lazy days on the beach and martinis on the patio on a hot night. But you know what? I’m not crying about it, especially when I look at Prada’s Fall/Winter 2008 ads! Linda Evangelista looks perfect for the ads shot by Steven Meisel. The “old” becomes the new again! Speaking of old, Prada is trying to bring lace back into resurgence and it looks anything but dowdy! On top of all this, the fashion house is continuing to design unique shoes that are to die for. Those blue striped ones? I need them!

Linda. Lace. Cool Shoes. All hail Prada!

Like they did last year, Vogue sends out special editions of the September issue to FoV (Friends of Vogue) that gives it that extra-special-something. The mag comes in a clear plastic carrying case complete with handles so it looks like a purse. The cherry on top are the little bookmarks attached to pages with fall’s must-haves. Hrumph. I feel stupid for wanting the special treatment because really, it’s just a frickin’ handle attached to the issue that makes it different and you’ll never actually use it. But still… I want it.

P.S. Don’t you love the “Caution” and heavy lifting stickers on the box? Fashion and humour are always a great combination.

Let’s hope that Whitney can pronounce Diane von Furstenberg properly. You may recall the Paris episode from last season’s Hills when Lauren and Whitney had trouble pronouncing Givenchy. Luckily for Whitney, she can always just say DVF if she’s unsure!

For W magazine’s September issue, Kate Moss was photographed in a Turkish bath posing her pants off… literally. The “Hammam” photos were shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott in Istanbul. Now, if only we could all look like that at our local Turkish baths… Some of the pics are NSFW.

Speaking of which, if any of you happen to visit (or live in) Vancouver, go to the Miraj Hammam Spa – one of Canada’s only authentic Turkish baths. From their steam room inlaid with Jerusalem gold marble to their Sultan’s room where you’re fed Middle Eastern tea and sweet cakes, the Miraj Hammam can only be described as the ultimate exotic oasis.

Don’t you love September when all the magazines pull out extra stops for the biggest issue of the year? Domino magazine has a great feature on designers within their strongholds. The article shows the favourite rooms of these fashion legends: Christian Louboutin in his bedroom in Portugal, Francisco Costa of Calvin Klein in his garden in New York, Vanessa Bruno in her apartment in Paris, Matthew Williamson in his London home, and Sonia Rykiel in her Paris living room. As well, the late Yves Saint Laurent’s renowned Majorelle Gardens in Morocco are featured in the article.