These days, many of us want to make a fashion statement with our mobile phones, digital cameras and other electronic accessories.

You can purchase a digital camera in just about any colour you desire, so why not do it justice with a fashionable carrying case?

You’re asking for trouble if you think you can simply throw the camera in your bag and forget about it - even though many compact digital cameras are very sturdy, you’re still likely to experience scratches and marks on the chassis.

The new Luxe range of digital camera cases from Lowepro offer a fashionable alternative to the more traditional carrying options.

The Luxe is made in soft leather and comes in four colours - eggplant, light teal, black and pink. It can even double as very small purse for night - space is provided inside for memory or credit cards.

There’s also a detachable wrist strap so you can use the case both ways.

The Lowepro Luxe range retails from $34.95 to $39.95.

By Caroline Warnes

Motorola likes to keep us interested in its existing range of mobile phones by introducing new colours and designer collaborations as each model gets older.

The Motorola RAZR2 V9 first arrived on the Australian market approximately 12 months ago, and the manufacturer is keeping the product line fresh with the latest addition to the range - the Tin Silver model.

Basically, that means for a $540 recommended retail price you get a silver casing, interior silver panelling and “subtly tinted text to add to the sophistication of the device”.

Otherwise, the phone is pretty much the same as the existing model - which is a very, very good phone.

There are heaps of noteworthy features, including a 2-megapixel camera, a music player with direct access to BigPond Music and 512MB of internal memory.

Last but not least, connectivity is also good on the Motorola RAZR2 V9, which a mobile phone has to be to be competitive in today’s crowded market. Bluetooth and USB are built-in.

Click here to find offers on Motorola mobile phones from retailers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

Brightly coloured sunnies may not be widely considered to be the best investment piece in the world, but I beg to differ.

General fashion wisdom says that colourful sunnies date very quickly and if you are going to spend big dollars on designer sunglasses, you should invest in a classic colour and style, such as black.

However when I spied these sunnies from the new Emilio Pucci collection, I fell in love instantly. Mainly because of the colours, not in spite of them. That blue is my exact favourite shade, not to mention the splashes of the signature Pucci print around the arms?

Will they date quickly? Well, who knows. But look at it this way - these sunnies look like they’ve come straight from the Studio 54 era, and 30-plus years on, they still look great. But then again, with a recommended retail price of $550, you better be pretty sure you’re going to get some wear out of them before purchasing (I definitely would).

For stockist enquiries call 1800 251 025.

By Caroline Warnes

The winners are:

C. Robinson, 3030; M. Carter, 3218; B. Healey, 3028; W. Christidis, 6021; K. Page, 3226; J. Lane, 3939; E. Wrigley, 4310; S. Riddell, 6936; R. McGrath, 2064; M. Ward, 3065; L. Higgins, 3161; K. Anderson, 2000; M. Linnane, 4817; P. Baldacchino, 3752; B. O’Brien, 4655; K. Mahan, 4215; C. Tennant-Pascoe, 2106; N. Turle, 2154; C. Hermans, 3155; K. MacGinley, 4011.

I mentioned the Madaboochoo website briefly earlier this week, but forgot to mention that it’s one of my new favourites.

It’s specifically focused on racewear (dresses, hats, fascinators and accessories) and you can purchase items either individually or as a whole outfit ready to go.

I am attending at least one event in the upcoming racing season and as such urgently need to acquire some new outfits.

I do feel that it is important for one to be dressed up in one’s Sunday finery whilst donating one’s hard-earned funds to the NSW TAB.

The problem is that dressing for the races can be a tricky affair. I myself grew up in a family where pretty much every Saturday (also known as “the holy day”) was spent either in the members’ stand at the races or in some other sort of gambling facility, and I still have trouble negotiating the finer points of appropriate dressing for the occasion.

I learned my lessons the hard way. For example, did you know that it is a “faux pas” to wear anything too far above the knee at the races? It is also a “faux pas” to wear the same headwear twice in one season. Apparently it is also a “faux pas” to drink too much sparkling wine and tumble down the stairs in the members’ in an ungainly fashion.

Anyway, that’s why the Madaboochoo site is such a good idea - you can check out the “complete outfits” section here. I love the 1940s Darling outfit pictured here, which sells for $437.50 all up. Alternatively you can buy the pieces as separates - the gorgeous dress is from Stop Staring and sells for $198.

By Caroline Warnes

The iTidy is a clever little product that helps eliminate tangles in your iPod or MP3 player headphones by retracting the cords back into the iTidy unit.

The iTidy is the first product of its kind and eliminates the frustration of having to untangle your headphones before each use.

It can only be purchased through the iTidy website for just $29.

We have 30 iTidy units to give away exclusively to Lasoo members.

To be in the running to win email competitions@lasoo.com.au with the words ITIDY in the subject line and tell us in 25 words or less how the iTidy would help you.

Entries close next Thursday.

Competition terms and conditions

It may be an unpopular point of view, but I really don’t get all the hate for Victoria Beckham, AKA Posh Spice.

In fact I get endless enjoyment out of her whole lifestyle, not because I think she is a suitable role model for anybody, but because she has a few things down pat:

1. The posing

Victoria Beckham’s compulsive posing is out of control, and I love it. How does anyone do that in public and not feel like Zoolander? Check out the photo above from a recent Marc Jacobs show. She’s even posing with her hand on her hip WHILE SHE’S SITTING DOWN. Even Jennifer Lopez - who isn’t really known for her unwillingness to pose - looks embarrassed and bemused, and that’s really saying something. I giggled like a schoolgirl when I saw this photo.

2. Everything is an event

In Posh’s world, everything is an event-cum-photo opportunity. There is no such thing as nipping out to the shops to get some bread and milk in your trackies. She recently turned up to a kid’s birthday party at some sort of family restaurant in a designer dress and four-inch Christian Louboutin heels. On anyone else, it would be a vulgar display of wealth. On Victoria Beckham, it’s… well, still a vulgar display of wealth. But funnier, somehow.

You just know that she lives her life to upstage everyone else. She’s the girl who you could never invite along to your birthday drinks or wedding because she would go all-out to be better dressed and attract more attention than you.

3. She shops indiscriminately

There isn’t a trend that Posh hasn’t tried and ruined for everyone else. All that money spent on designer items, and yet still she manages to pull off cheap and nasty so effectively. There was a rumour going around some years ago that a top designer was trying to ban Posh from buying and wearing his clothes because he felt it would damage his high-class image. I hold her up as a shining example of the fact that money can’t buy style.

4. She snared a hot guy

Posh has admitted in the past that she is not naturally the best looking woman around, and yet she still managed to grab one of the most wanted men in the world - David Beckham.

Although Becks is not my cup of tea (what the hell is going on with that voice), many women love him and hate Posh for having him. And she knows it.

5. She doesn’t care what you think of her

Well, actually, anyone who has had that much surgery probably DOES care what you think, but at the end of the day, she has big piles of money she can go home and cry herself to sleep on.

What’s not to love?

Photo courtesy of WireImage.com

By Caroline Warnes

The 1050SW is a new addition to Olympus’s rugged Tough Smart range of compact digital cameras, designed to withstand outdoor use.

While previous models in the range have a sporty, unisex design, the 1050SW is the first Tough Smart digital camera to attempt a more stylish look and feel.

Olympus says the camera is aimed at young families and active women, which is fairly obvious through the sleek styling and colour choices for the chassis (silver, pale pink, black, pale gold and dark blue).

However the 1050SW still incorporates the hardy specifications of its predecessors in the Olympus Tough Smart range. It is claimed to be shockproof to 1.5m, waterproof to 3m and snowproof to -10 degrees Celsius.

It features a 10.1-megapixel CCD as well as face detection and shadow adjust technologies - in fact, the Olympus 1050SW will recognised up to 16 individual faces, even when shooting outdoors.

Another new feature is “tap control”. This allows you to play back a photo simply by tapping anywhere on the exterior of the camera.

The Olympus Tought Smart 1050SW compact digital camera carries a recommended retail price of $399.

Click here to find offers on Olympus digital cameras from retailers near you.

By Caroline Warnes

I have gotten to a point in my life where I’ve paid too much for a handbag one too many times and am now over it.

The fact is that there are plenty of affordable accessories labels around, which means you can buy a decent new handbag or evening purse for under $100.

Olga Berg is an Australian brand that was started in 1995 by a husband and wife team, and miraculously over the past 13 years the prices have not undergone a significant rise as the brand became more visible.

There are some nice day handbags in each collection, however my favourite Olga Berg bags are in the evening range.

I love the Croc Box Clutch in charcoal, as pictured here, which is on sale at Madabachoo for $50 (reduced from $69.95).

It’s a patent mock croc clutch with a diamante push lock enclosure and also includes a shoulder chain so you can wear it either way.

Olga Berg is stocked in Myer, David Jones and many smaller accessories retailers around Australia.

By Caroline Warnes

Fujifilm is giving away a Z20 compact digital camera every week until February 2009 through the Shoot Yourself Famous competition.

To be in the running to win you need to visit the Shoot Yourself Famous page on MySpace, log in and upload your favourite photos.

There is a different theme for photo entries each month, with the best photos winning a Z20 camera and being featured in Fujifilm’s Internet advertising.

So what are you waiting for? Submit your photos and you soon could be shooting yourself famous with a fantastic new Fujifilm Z20!

The Z20 is valued at $249 and features 10 megapixels of resolution, face detection technology and Mpeg-4 movie mode. Its cool slimline design also comes in five fashion colours, so you can pick the camera that suits your style.