To get from the Union Square farmer's market to my house involves a near vertical climb to the summit of Highland Avenue. (Just like tackling K-2, minus the treacherous weather conditions and high injury rate.) I love the exercise — but unfortunately, my lack of coordination turns juggling heirloom tomatoes, beets, goat cheese, bread, and assorted other treats on the walk home into an impromptu sketch comedy.

Thankfully, Crate & Barrel has my number:

Yes, this is a decidedly hipper (and, at $49.95, more expensive) version of the carry cart we bought my grandma last summer — but think about how many times and ways you could use this waterproof, lime green trolley. Trip to Market Basket? Check. Stationery binge at Paper Source? Check.

See, I'm already on a roll.

You may have heard that Michael Jackson passed away. No? OK, well it was hardly mentioned anywhere, so it's understandable that you may have missed the news.

Anyway, in memory of Michael, Threadless has reprinted two MJ-themed tees. This one has the zombie choreography from the "Thriller" video. It's tough to see in the pic, so you'll have to trust me on this one.

There's also a T-shirt that pays homage to his classic "Beat It" jacket.

Both are available for $18 and are ideal for dancing to "Wanna Be Startin' Something" in your living room. At least that's what I've heard.

Dior is making it easy to recreate a couture look at home. Just get half-dressed. John Galliano's designs, which walked this week at Paris's couture shows, are a mix of classic Dior style and Lady Gaga-influenced panty-as-pant fashion. I guess mom was right after all -- make sure you're always wearing clean underwear, kids.

Rejoice! Leanne Marshall, the season five "Project Runway" winner, has finally debuted her collection on Bluefly.com. Some of these dresses are a bit sportier than I imagined. Sorry, no origami dresses for you, ladies. But those intricate details are probably tricky to replicate in mass manufacturing. Here's a look at a few of the pieces. It's getting me very excited for the long-delayed season 6 of PR. Only one more month until Tim is back on the air.

Hadley Pollet's people just tipped us off to a sample sale happening this Friday and Saturday on Newbury Street. The preppy-chic local designer will be shedding skirts, blazers, totes, and more at reduced prices at her first sample sale in three years (!). For example: Pollet's signature reversible belts, which normally retail for $100, will be marked down to $50.

This would be perfect for that weekend in Nantucket later this month, no?

Snag your deals at 230 Newbury St., between Fairfield and Exeter Streets, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday.

OK, we've all been there. You jet into Berlin for a BOSS Orange fashion party, only to realize you forgot an undershirt. Oh crap!, you think and consider buying something from the hotel lobby gift shop. But, instead, you watch a five-hour marathon of "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" in German, forgo the shower, and tie a bandanna around your neck in a weak attempt to cover your sparse chest hair.

Everything will OK, right?

Wrong. You can never, ever get away with wearing a v-neck cardigan and a bandanna. Nice try, Adrien. Hot tip: Maybe you should spend more time packing normal, rational clothing, and less time shopping for straw fedoras at street fairs.

I've come to terms with leggings. I can swallow acid washed jeans with a bit of heartburn. But, this:

Hollywood has apparently gone Lisa Frank on us, y'all. It's not OK to wear an image that once decorated my Trapper Keeper across your chest. It's just not — unless you are me, circa 1990, that is. I don't care if the snow leopard is your "power animal" or whatever.

I would expect such red carpet antics from you, Megan Fox, but Emily Deschanel? Your sister, the lovely Zooey, would be aghast. She's probably in shock as we speak, finding solace only in fiancee's Ben Gibbard's shoe-gazing music.

Although, now that I think of it, the tunic could be worse. It could be in color:

[Shudder.]

I love Michael Jackson's music. "Dangerous" was one of the first tapes I ever bought, and I swiped my mom's copy of "Thriller" to listen to while training for cross country in high school. (I always skipped "The Girl is Mine." Too sappy for running. Sorry, Sir McCartney.)

But, I won't bore you with my Courtney-hearts-MJ ramblings. What I really want to talk about are military jackets. He wasn't the first performer to don epaulets and metal hardware (hello, Beatles and Jimi Hendrix) — nor will he be the last (Kanye, Beyonce, and Coldplay have all rocked versions as of late.) But did anyone wear the military look as well as Michael? Short answer? No.

Here are some of his bedazzled and sequined numbers through the years:

[At the Grammy Awards, 1984]

[At the Grammy Awards, 1993]

[At a press conference, March 2009]

Michael in the military jacket is an iconic image. True, you have to be a bit eccentric to wear a rhinestone encrusted blazer with shoulder pads — but it was all part of the larger-than-life consummate pop star persona we loved and the style we'll continue to emulate.

The Achilles Project kicks off its summer sale tomorrow night at 6 p.m. in style with champagne, a DJ, and deals on rag & bone, opening ceremony, filippa k, fifth avenue shoe repair, mc by alexander mcqueen, nudie jeans, acne, ernest sewn, shipley & halmos, richard chai, band of outsiders, nice collective, mm6 masion martian margiela, daryl k, kerringan, helmut lang.

And for you bargain hunters, the store has a few racks of past season fashion at 85 percent off.

Here are the details.. save some for me
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
6 pm - 9 pm
283 Summer St., Boston

Do you consider yourself a Serena, a Blair, a Vanessa, or even a Lil J? Now you too can dress like the "Gossip Girl" ladies — sort of. The Cut reports the looks for Anna Sui's new "Gossip Girl"-inspired line for Target have leaked. Now, you too can wear Blair's high collars or Serena's barely-there necklines. The nineteen looks somewhat mimic the ladies' style, with the Vanessa-inspired outfits a confused shade of orange and the Jenny-inspired outfits an awkward mix of edgy punk rock and Catholic schoolgirl.

The line will be available in Target stores from Sept. 13 to Oct. 17. Just don't expect a run-in with Leighton — Blair wouldn't be caught dead in a Tar-jay.

Here's the trailer for the forthcoming documentary about the making of Vogue's September issue, the bible of fashion. Ok, I'm not going to lie. I squealed with delight when I first saw it. It looks pretty amazing. The editing on the trailer, Andre Leon Talley in furs declaring "It's a famine of fashion!," and a snippet of my favorite Ladytron tune is making me salivate.

Get your credit cards ready, kids. Tomorrow (June 25), Zara kicks off its semi-annual sale. Everything in the store -- men's, women's, and accessories -- will all be 50 percent off. You can find the Spanish retailer at these locations:

Boston: 211-214 Newbury St.
Burlington Mall: 75 Middlesex Turnpike
Natick: 1245 Worcester St.
Peabody: 210 Andover St.

And remember, if you come across a good sale, email me at muther@globe.com and I'll share it here. Happy shopping.

The John F. Kennedy Museum on Columbia Point in Dorchester has a new Jacqueline Kennedy dress on display, and it's classic Jackie. In other words, it was designed by her long-time collaborator Oleg Cassini. The pale yellow suit worn by Jacqueline during her celebrated trip to Paris with President Kennedy is now on display in the First Lady Exhibit.

She wore it, along with a matching yellow hat by Halston to a luncheon with President and Mme Charles de Gaulle at the Élysée Palace in Paris on May 31, 1961.

Lots of flowers.

Last Friday night at District nightclub, Misstropolis sponsored a fashion show for the non-profit organization Room to Grow. In case you missed it, you can click on the video above and check it out. The show was inspired by the style of artist Frida Kahlo and featured clothes from local stores such as Matsu, Stel's, and Portobello Road. Those stunning headpieces were created by local jewelry makers Patch NYC.

Here's some handmade loveliness from Etsy to cap off your Monday:

[Three peas in a pod necklace, $38, from sudlow]

What a perfect gift for parents expecting a baby. Sure, it's a little sappy — but new moms and dads LIVE FOR sappy. You'll score major points. The peas are dyed mother of pearl beads and I love how the green pops against the sterling silver.

So... I have a fiancee and a potted cilantro plant. Can I justify this necklace?

Steve McQueen.. number 19?

The British shirt company Pink just released a poll asking 3,000 men about their style icons.

Here are the top 20. What do you think, 'Philers? Agree? Disagree?

TOP TWENTY MALE STYLE ICONS

1. Barack Obama
2. Brad Pitt
3. David Beckham
4. Daniel Craig
5. Al Pacino
6. George Clooney
7. Bill Nighy
8. Andy Warhol
9. Clint Eastwood
10. Will Smith
11. Danny Dyer
12. Johnny Depp
13. Dean Martin
14. David Bowie
15. Pierce Brosnan
16. Elvis Presley
17. Justin Timberlake
18. Sean Connery
19. Steve McQueen
20. Vernon Kay

Sale at Vessel this weekend:

Listen up aspiring T-shirt designers and fried chicken lovers. KFC is sponsoring a T-shirt design contest. Now through July 10, go to KFC.com to submit your design. The winner receives a cash prize, their design will be reproduced on a tee, a trip to New York City and -- now here's the real prize -- free KFC for a year. Here's hoping that includes all-you-can-eat biscuits and free sporks! Naturally Stylephile has already started his tee shirt design. Good luck.

WWD is reporting that Oscar-nominated actor John Malkovich has started his own men's clothing line — and it's not even his first foray into the fashion world. In 2002, the actor created the men's label Uncle Kimono, featuring $365 sweaters and $39 t-shirts. The new line of "casual looks," called Technobohemian, will be shown in Milan on Monday.

Hopefully Malkovich's new garments will have names as eccentric as the pieces in his Uncle Kimono line. Who wouldn't want to wear the "Nervous Breakdown Jacket" and the "Free Martha" overcoat?

One of my favorite blogs, Crocodile Tears, has an exciting update. The Cambridge store Abodeon has finally updated its web site. If you haven't hustled yourself over to Abodeon in Porter Square, do yourself a favor this rainy weekend and check it out. It's a fantastic mix of new and vintage.