The battle of the burqa has reached a fever pitch.

In its first legislative step toward a total ban on the controversial Islamic veil, France voted unanimously in favor of a formal resolution calling the garment "an affront to French values," the Telegraph reports.

Following in the footsteps of Belgium, which recently voted for a total burqa ban in public, French politicians approved the resolution yesterday, which comes ahead of a vote in July to enact a complete ban, according to the paper.

"Radical practices which violate the dignity and equality between men and women, such as the wearing of the full veil, are contrary to the values of the republic," the resolution reportedly states.

As we've previously reported, a total veil ban would levy fines and possible jail time against burqa-wearing women and the men who force their wives to wear the face-covering garment.

It has also been announced that well-off Middle Eastern tourists who wear burqas while visiting Paris' luxury boutiques will also reportedly be subject to hefty fines.

And while politicians insist that their tough stance against the burqa is a security, not a religious issue, human rights activists and Muslim advocates claim that such a ban would violate personal and religious freedoms while ostracizing Muslim women.

What's your take? Would you like to see a similar ban in the United States? Or are you opposed to the government having a say on what you can and cannot wear? Leave a comment.

Meanwhile, learn more about Belgium's burqa ban.

By Erin Donnelly

These handbags are made from recycled computer keyboards & will show off your environmental a-wear-ness!
Your friends will be “green” with envy! Cute!

Now that's what we call a retirement fund.

Tycoon Mohammed Al Fayed is $2.3 billion richer after selling famed London department store Harrods upon his retirement, BBC News reports.

The (ridiculously rich) buyers? None other than the Qatari royal family.

(What? Couldn't the queen cough up the change?)

"In reaching the decision to retire, he [Al Fayed] wished to ensure that the legacy and traditions that he has built up in Harrods would be continued, and that the team that he has built up would be encouraged to develop the foundations that he has laid," adviser Ken Costa told the news service of the deal.

Though Costa reportedly added that Al Fayed was retiring to spend more time with his children and grandchildren (his son Dodi was killed in a car crash with girlfriend Princess Diana in 1997), he will stay on as an honorary chairman. But first, a Scrooge McDuck-style gold coin cannonball dive.

The sprawling, one-million-square-foot-plus department store opened in 1849 and is home to luxury goods, food stalls and an assortment of unique finds.

Its new owner, Qatar Holdings, the royal family's investment branch, also reportedly owns a stake in Porsche and is the third-largest shareholder of VW.

"It's a historical place," chairman Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani (aka the prime minister of Qatar) told the BBC.

"I know it's important, not only for the British people but it is important for the tourism."

Guilty as charged. Let's just hope they don't jack up the prices to help cover the $2.3 billion hole in their pocket -- the exchange rate is brutal enough, thanks!

by Erin Donnelly

Most women would never dream of throwing away their wedding dress. Brides search for weeks, sometimes even months, to find that perfect white gown, and end up spending hundreds, even thousands of dollars on an item they’ll wear for just one day (then store in their closets for years to come). But now with the push for more environmentally friendly options, the notion of keepsake fashion is changing. Students studying fashion and engineering at Sheffield Hallam University created a wedding dress that’s the ultimate in eco-friendly. After the big day, simply add water and the white gown dissolves, leaving zero trace of its existence. While most would gasp in horror at watching their wedding dress disappear, this is actually an interesting move towards sustainability for our environment and the need to create (and use) green fashions. Since the dress is made of polyvinyl alcohol, it will simply disintegrate into nothingness and space in landfills, not to mention your closet.

Source: [Telegraph]

Artist Meekyoung Shin specializes in crafting vases and statuary that look like they came from another century. Her work ranges from busts of Venus and Cycladic statues to gorgeous vases so thin that they're translucent. They're beautiful, seen in galleries and exhibitions all over the place — and they're all made of soap. That's right, the artist crafts her pieces, which she calls "translations," from run-of-the-mill suds. Recently, she even crafted a gold-plated Buddha out of soap. What do you think of her work?

Source: The Kukje Gallery

You want to know what Carrie’s wearing, and we’re telling you everything! - Cindy Pearlman, BettyConfidential.com

It’s time to Carrie on. Forget about what happens to Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big, or if Charlotte loses her mind as a new mom. It’s interesting to see Samantha back on the prowl and Miranda trying to trust Steve again. He’s a bartender. She can only hope for the best!

The real question when it comes to the much anticipated Sex and the City 2 sequel is simple. What will the ladies be wearing? “The fashion really is another character in the movie,” says Sarah Jessica Parker who promises that SATC 2 “won’t disappoint on that front.” Costume designer Patricia Field has confirmed that white plays a large role in the movie because the action takes place over seven weeks during the summer. “I’m going for a new look and new elements,” promises Field.

After all, three out of the four girls are married and they’re somewhat settled or unsettled about the traditional roles they’ve found themselves in. The gang is moving on with their lives when we meet them two years post-Carrie becoming Mrs. Big. What’s a girl a little bored with marital bliss to do, but grab three girlfriends and travel for a lush Middle Eastern vacation where she runs into an old boyfriend named Aidan Shaw? Don’t worry. He's dropped the turquoise jewelry that he was famous for wearing in the show.

Carrie’s Must Haves 
(Click on each picture to read more)

Tell us: Would you buy anything that was shown in the movie?