Good news! You could win one of 10,000 pairs of jeans from the Gap by going on Facebook. The social network announced Wednesday that, with the help of a forthcoming Facebook app that will be similar to Foursquare, thousands of shoppers will receive free jeans for visiting Gap stores. The first 10,000 people to “check in” on a designated day will be the winners. {Fashionista}

Privacy - increasingly difficult to find on Facebook, but look at the positive side: you'll get free jeans or 40% off in exchange!

Shoppers will have to physically be inside a Gap store to “check in,” and those who are not one of the first 10,000 but “check in” anyway will receive a 40 percent discount on a pair of Gap jeans. To put this in perspective, the Gap has just over 3,000 retail locations worldwide, so about three pairs of jeans will be given away at each store. {The Cut}

It looks like the folks at the Gap are trying to wash the logo change fiasco taste out of the publicâ€s mouth, but apparently this is just one of many forthcoming giveaways and promotions Facebook will participate in. The Web site is gearing up to launch a “deals” program, which will be very similar to Foursquareâ€s “deals” program, whereby checking in at certain businesses earns you discounts for that business.

We absolutely love hearing about all the creative ways social media is being used for business purposes, and who doesnâ€t enjoy free stuff? It is a little creepy, though, to think about people “checking in” with Facebook – much like someone would check in with their spouse or boss at various points throughout the day. Then again, it does seem as if creepy has become Facebookâ€s middle name (anyone want to create a petition to change the name to Stalkbook?).

Location based social media has also already shown security risks, with one man reporting last May that his home was burglarized when he updated Twitter while on vacation, thus announcing the vacancy of his house. {azcentral} Facebook has an insecure login process that is not helping security matters, and a new Firefox plugin has made it easy to grab user logins over insecure wi-fi connections. {Valleywag}

In short, if you’re checking into your local Gap (or anywhere else) over a free wi-fi connection, there is a good chance that the busy-looking guy sitting on the nearby bench can see your password. While it might not seem like a big deal that a stranger can access your friends list, or that you’re a fan of cheese, if you use the same password for other accounts – like your email address or online banking - it can easily become a goldmine of information for stores in addition to online criminals and pranksters.

In case you’re still too enticed by the free stuff, weâ€ll be sure to keep you updated when a date is set for the Gap giveaway.

Back to Gap: The Gap's new logo is now their old logo

On one hand, we give credit to companies that understand they have to keep up with the times. On the other, when you have a logo that’s been around as long as the Gap’s has, why trade it all in for yet another Helvetica logo?

But in all the furor over Gap’s new (now old) logo, you may have missed out on another logo competing in the “you paid how much for that?” rebranding category.

In case you haven’t been there in a few years, let us reintroduce you to MySpace. {TechCrunch} You remember them, right? They’re the social network which got dethroned by that other social network, currently  having a Hollywood moment. Given that MySpace’s old logo hasn’t been able to encourage enough nostalgia to keep users from abandoning the site for Facebook, rebranding makes a bit more sense here. Plus, the old logo wasn’t really that great, so what have they got to lose?

5 letters apparently. When users left the site, perhaps they took some letters along with them. Call it the equivalent of leaving with office supplies when you leave a job. The positives: at least they didn’t use Helvetica (a lovely font, really, but overused). The negatives: everything else. While we’re sure using a line to represent a space sounded like a cute idea in theory, it fails in practice.

As a promotional campaign, perhaps it works. As a logo, we get that MySpace wants to represent a network that everyone can make into their own thing, but it could also represent the vast amount of space from all of the users migrating to Facebook. Or the uncertainty of how to reclaim any of their former glory. Any ideas? Fill in the blank.

The PR CEO start of Bravo TVâ€s “Kell on Earth” spoke to a small group of editorial interns, fashion-obsessed youngsters and public relations entrepreneurs at the Bryant Park Reading Room Series Wednesday, and she had a quite frank earful on the future of fashion, replying to a girl asking about where to look for a career in the field by saying:

“Style is in; fashion luxury, forget it. It’s over. Gucci, Vuitton, Hermes … all those places are really great, go for it. That business exists in a city called Paris, France. That’s where that is. Those businesses will continue. Retail business, pretty much over. I think people who sell to retail companies are people who can’t afford their own stores … Old Navy, J.Crew, Gap … they already knew that and aren’t wholesaling. Editorial, magazine, we are going to say buh-bye to them as we know them. They will still exist but everything is on the internet.” {The Cut, Racked NY}

On the one hand, tell us how you really feel, Kell. On the other, Bravo Kelly! She may be over dramatizing a tad in regards to luxury and retail being “pretty much over,” but it is about time someone spoke up about the hard realities facing fashion, especially in the editorial department. Times are changing, and if the dominant players in the industry want to continue to grow their businesses, they need to learn to adapt.

Persistent efforts on the part of luxury retailers to understand the youth market is a great start, but New York Magazine says the fashion industryâ€s biggest mistake is its strange fear and avoidance of the Internet, specifically social networks and blogs, citing the long series on the “future of fashion” Style.com runs in which they ask important fashion businesspeople like Barneys’ Julie Gilhart about the Internet.

We agree. Even when the big brands try, they don’t always get it right. Considering that the Internet has been a major force to be reckoned with for years now in many industries, fashion magazines and businesses still have a lot of catching up to do. Until revenue from web advertising catches up to revenue from print advertising though (they’re still miles apart), we suspect the wait won’t end soon.

Above, Lady Gaga at the 2010 Grammy Awards wearing a Philip Treacy hat

Despite all of their stellar achievements in the music business, it seems the one thing both Lady Gaga and Kanye West most desire is in fact a chance to work in the fashion industry. Together, they may have sold over 50 million records but as far as their ambitions go, the sky is the limit and there just is no holding these two back, even if it means venturing off into unchartered territory.

On Monday, a Philip Treacy representative confirmed with UK Vogue that Lady Gaga has applied for an internship with the world renowned couture milliner. The representative revealed that “the request came through quite a while ago” and that the “Pokerface” singer has indeed made such an application “although nothing has been confirmed yet.”

Like Lady Gaga after him, Kanye West also had similar fashion business aspirations. Last year, the rapper was reported to have done a summer internship stint for Gap in its New York headquarters. Prior to that, he had also expressed interests at starting from the bottom most rung as an intern at Louis Vuitton’s London headquarters, although this never seemed to pan out.

It’s difficult for many of us to imagine personalities as famous as Lady Gaga and Kanye West truly working as interns in a sea of other white-collared, regularly salaried office workers. Once the first day of work comes along, will they actually get tasked with menial day to day activities like making coffee and photocopying like most real interns do?

It’s hard to imagine that will be the case.

In fact, when designer Raf Simons heard of West’s intentions to intern for him, he was “blown away from the planet” and told The New York Times that “I know he’s very serious about this — I don’t take it as a joke — but how can I imagine him being my intern? It’s a very extreme situation”.

Simons’ sentiments present a more realistic account of the situation. Sure, we don’t for a second doubt that these celebrities do in fact have career ambitions outside of what they are already known for and that these are in fact, not just publicity stunts. They have shown their level of commitment and readiness to grind it out and prove that they want it just as bad as the next intern. But, when the time comes, will these stars actually get the same treatment as their fellow student interns? Or will the internship just eventually fizzle out once the celebrities stop turning up for work regularly once their first career demands more time from them? Or will such an “internship” stint simply become a guise for yet another “celebrity-designer label” collaboration?

In Kanye West’s defense though, US Weekly reported in July 09 that “He (West) works all the time, and one Friday night recently, he stayed until 12 am. He’s learning the fashion business from the inside and trying to do it quietly.” That seems to make a case for West being truly serious about having a career in fashion, and Lady Gaga doesn’t seem to be a slouch in the effort department either.

But with Lady Gaga, it remains to be seen if her job scope includes the usual intern tasks like sorting through mails, photocopying documents or getting coffee. One thing is for sure though, if you thought competing with other students for intern positions was tough, the competition from wannabe celebrity interns won’t make things easier. Work on your dance moves and performance skills – there’s a new definition to well rounded.

Leave the diaper bag, laptop case, and backpack at home.  This stunning Louis Vuitton is the perfect size for holding everything from books (net or text) to baby bottles. The beautiful burgundy color goes with everything and masks any and all stains.

L Mahina Leather {Louis Vuitton}
$2800

If you’ve ever worked in a predominantly male office, chances are you’ve experienced the mysterious temperature divide that always leaves you freezing, while the guys walk around in t-shirts complaining about how hot the 60 degree room is. Staying warm is no problem with a versatile cashmere-silk cardigan over a tank and fitted pants.

V-Neck Cardigan {Martin + Osa}
$99.50

This simple Lee Angel piece pulls the entire outfit together with just the right balance of rhinestones, feminine fabric details, and twine accents.

Glinting Bois Necklace {Anthropologie}
Lee Angel
$178

There’s no need to completely forgo comfort for style. GAP’s skinny stretch pants feel great yet look polished.

Skinny Stretch Pants {Gap}
Available in petite and tall
$49.50

Whether you’re running between meetings, classes or chasing after a little one ballet flats are a timeless, classy and stylish option. Want to sneak in a little extra comfort? Go half a size up and insert an athletic insole.

Abby Toe Cap Ballet Flats {J.Crew}
$128

The new Gap ads are full of holiday cheer, which is aptly the name of the new television campaign, Gap’s first in two years. It has a lot of people talking about its striking similarity to the new hit show “Glee”, a series based on singing and dancing. Feeling cheery? Gap is also offering a promotion to encourage the spread of holiday well-wishes by offering discounts for those who send customized cheers via email, Facebook or Twitter.

Read More {StyleList}

Read More {Nitrolicious}

We hope all the little munchkins in your life are on Santa’s Nice list, because Stella McCartney’s seventy-piece collection for Gap childrenswear hits select stores today.

We love the quirky feeling of the collection (how precious are those miniature Sgt. Pepper jackets?!), which is playful and light but lacks the sugary-sweet (and overly-babyish) gimmicks of typical childrenswear.  As in McCartney’s full-size designer line, all the pieces from the Gap Kids collection are ethically produced, featuring organic cotton and without a leather hide or a scrap of fur in sight — and with smart pricing to boot, with a range between $14-$128.

Read the full story {Los Angeles Times}