We once dreamed that Gwyneth Paltrow was our yoga buddy. But even in our dream, we were really excited by the prospect of possibly meeting her workout pal, Madonna, whose sculpted body inspired us to unroll a yoga mat for the first time more than a decade ago. During waking hours, of course, neither star is likely to call us. (Especially since we shamelessly used Gwyneth like that in our dream to get to Madge!) But we were eager to try a barre3 class — a blend of ballet-barre work, Pilates and yoga — which is rumored to be Madonna’s new fitness favorite.

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Over the past 12 seasons, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has kept us tuning in for its sensational stories about grisly crimes. The Sept. 29 episode promises to do much more, sending an important message about an under-the-radar issue — that hundreds of thousands of rape kits sit untested in police precincts and crime labs across the country, allowing violent perpetrators to go free while their victims live in fear.

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From the mean girls who made our lives miserable to the “friends” who stole our boyfriends or otherwise stabbed us in the back, we all shudder at the memory of high school classmates we never want to see, whether it’s in person or on Facebook. So imagine running into your nemesis and finding out she’s about to become family — that’s the premise of the new movie You Again, a comedy in which a young woman named Marni (Kristen Bell) discovers that her worst nightmare (Odette Yustman) is marrying her brother. The theme repeats when Marni’s mother (Jamie Lee Curtis) is shocked to realize that her future daughter-in-law’s aunt (Sigourney Weaver) is none other than her former BFF with whom she had a falling out.

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As fairy godmothers go, you can’t get much better than Oprah Winfrey. She turned Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz and Rachael Ray into household names with TV shows of their own, and now her latest protégé, design guru Nate Berkus, is following suit with The Nate Berkus Show, a daily syndicated series. We’re setting our DVRs — Berkus is telegenic, charming and has quite a way with room makeovers.

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When it comes to finding a fragrance that’s memorable without being overpowering, we’re pretty picky. But we fell in love with Lisa Hoffman Variations Fine Fragrance Oils. Each scent — Madagascar Orchid, Japanese Agarwood, French Clary Sage, Tuscan Fig and Tunisian Neroli — comes in a set of four ($95), with a version for each time of day: morning, daytime, evening and night. And it’s a purchase we can feel good about since 20 percent of sales from the Madagascar Orchid and Japanese Agarwood fragrances benefit The Rainforest Foundation, a nonprofit started by Sting and Trudie Styler — friends of Lisa and her husband, actor Dustin Hoffman — to support the rainforest ecosystems and the indigenous people.

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With all the retro looks hitting the runways last week, we were inspired to slip on a fluttery vintage skirt that had been languishing in the back of our closet. We paired it with a modern-looking, short-sleeve Vera Wang jacket and black Givenchy booties — and were pleasantly surprised when a throng of photographers asked to snap our picture in front of Lincoln Center. Talk about flattering! Our 15 seconds of fame aside, eye-catching looks were everywhere last week. Following is part two of our favorite looks from New York Fashion Week for Spring 2011.

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After a whirlwind eight days packed with parties and runway shows, we’re back to report the scoop on New York Fashion Week. Fashion’s Night Out dominated the beginning of the week (which actually started on a Thursday), with fashionistas strutting their stuff from store to store all over Manhattan. Bergdorf Goodman drew shoppers and celebs such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Victoria Beckham by hosting multiple events, including the popular Best in Show dog competition featuring pooches and their designer owners and a karaoke party, which inspired an impromptu danceathon on the third floor!

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With free-flowing freebies, food and fabulous beauty treatments, touring the celebrity gifting suites is like trick-or-treating without the trick. And let’s face it: Who doesn’t love free stuff? But in an effort to balance all of the conspicuous consumption, the events — like the five pre-Emmy suites we recently visited — all have charity beneficiaries that offer those gifted (such as actor Eva LaRue, left) a chance to give back.

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We’ve always found the bad guys (and girls) in art and literature to be more intriguing than their Goody-Two-Shoes counterparts. Villains tend to be more psychologically complex than heroes and thus have a certain glamour and appeal about them. (Think: Victoria vs. Bella in the Twilight series.) Or at least that’s the thinking behind the surprising new collaboration between M.A.C Cosmetics and entertainment giant Disney. Seven years in the making, the Venomous Villains makeup collection takes its inspiration from four of Disney’s nefarious icons: Snow White‘s Evil Queen; Sleeping Beauty‘s green-faced nemesis Maleficent; One Hundred and One Dalmations’ Cruella De Vil; and The Princess and the Frog‘s Dr. Facilier.

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While we love classic hatha and Vinyasa yoga, we’re always eager to try out the latest yoga mash-up. So as soon as we read about Caponyasa — which melds moves and poses inspired by capoeira and modern dance with Vinyasa — we checked out a class at Pure Yoga, led by Caponyasa founder and New York City yoga instructor Carlos Rodriguez.

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