Project Runway is now casting for Season 8. Do you have what it takes?

Actually ... if you go to the site, you'll see that the deadline is actually April 27. Go ahead, fashionistas. Apply and put Charlotte on the map!

Wondering who Charlotte STYLE Magazine deems are the 25 most stylish people in the city? Well, ya gotta pick up the magazine to find out. Better yet, get yourself a copy of the magazine even if you don't care who's on the list — it's their very first print issue. Hmmm ... I wonder if it will be worth something later ...

Click here to purchase.

After fighting the good fight, Eastland Mall will be closing its doors in a few months. It's hard to believe this place is 35 years old, though. Going out of business sale, anyone?

The landlord at Eastland Mall has told its tenants they must vacate the shopping center by June 30.

The landlord, LNR Partners Inc. of Miami, says the mall’s owners have been unable to find a buyer for the property, and the property is now in foreclosure, according to a letter delivered to store owners Friday.

Between May 1 and May 7, any purchase at Jeffre Scott Apothecary will enter you in a drawing to win a bottle of the exclusive Moulin Rouge 1889 fragrance from Histoires de Parfums.

"While visiting Paris, I found this amazing fragrance and had to bring it back to share," Scott said in a press release. "I'm sure you will fall in love with Moulin Rouge as I did."

If you're a regular follower of Klepto, you'll probably remember me mentioning that I hate wearing shoes. Psh. If I could, I'd walk around the office all day LONG without anything barring me from feeling the cool hardwood floors against my tootsies. Alas, my boss fusses at me.

So of course the next best thing is sandals. And according to Arlene Goldstein, vice president of fashion merchandising and trending at Belk, jeweled sandals are caliente this season. I loves it! Now I can have my toes hanging out with the added bonus of having some bling adornment as well. What's even better is that I don't necessarily have to have my toes all done up just to draw some attention to my pretty peds — the jeweledness of beads and rhinestones will do that for me. For example, how about these "Daffy" sandals from Rampage? Only $49!

The Charlotte Business Journal reports that 7 For All Mankind will be opening up later this month. In the coming months, you can also expect to see footwear retailers Rockport and Skechers, and eateries Cowfish, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and San Antonio’s Modern Mexican.

Read the full story here.

America is so freakin' lazy.

One of the reasons why online shopping is so big is because we can do it from the comfort from our own homes — we don't have to get up off our butts.

In the same way, the McDonald's drive-thru thrives because people don't want to get out of their cars. And the concept of the drive-thru has taken over Starbucks, pharmacies and even some liquor stores.

Now, retail giants are starting to test out adopting that concept for themselves.

The Chicago Tribune reports:

During the past year, the Chicago area has turned into a retail test ground for mass merchants to experiment with drive-throughs. Sears Holdings Corp. started last spring by turning a Kmart store in Joliet into a drive-through warehouse, renaming the outpost MyGofer. Meijer Inc. followed suit with GroceryExpress drive-ups at stores in St. Charles and Aurora. And Wal-Mart Stores Inc. opened its first drive-through at a recently remodeled store in Mount Prospect.

While the concept is fledgling and there are kinks to work out, retail analysts predict that mass merchant drive-throughs will be moving into the mainstream as baby boomers age and the Internet changes the way people shop.

What do you think? Will the masses embrace a drive-thru Wal-Mart? What about drive-thru times? Will the sales associates who work these drive-thru lines be pressured to keep the line moving like fast-food workers are? And more importantly, is this really going to make a difference against the online competition?

If you didn't know, we've got our very own fair trade retailer, Ten Thousand Villages, here in Charlotte, in the Cotswold Village Shops. Congratulations!

Charlotte, N. C. – Ten Thousand Villages, a fair trade organization with headquarters in Akron, Pa., has, once again, been recognized by the Ethisphere Institute as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for 2010. This recognition marks the third year in a row that Ten Thousand Villages was named to the list as an ethical leader in the specialty retail category.

“We are, once more, honored to be recognized among this selection of major companies,” said Ty Smithdeal, store manager of Ten Thousand in Cotswold Village Shops. “As a nonprofit retail store, even in difficult economic circumstances, we continue to strive to be fair trade leaders, coupling our mission with sustainable economic and environmental practices. Our continued recognition validates our continuing commitment to fair trade and to serving the needs of both the artisans who supply our products, and the customers who purchase them. Ten Thousand Villages operates as a business with a compassionate mission by maintaining integrity in our actions and relationships.”

This is the fourth year Ethisphere, a think-tank dedicated to the creation, advancement and sharing of best practices in business ethics, corporate social responsibility, anti-corruption and sustainability, has published the WME rankings, which appear in Ethisphere Magazine’s Q1 issue.

Through in-depth research and a multi-step analysis, Ethisphere reviewed thousands of nominations from companies in over 100 countries and 36 industries in order to determine the winners. Other retailers recognized in the specialty retail category include IKEA, Gap, Best Buy and Target.

“Ten Thousand Villages’ promotion of a sound ethical environment shines within its industry, and shows a clear understanding that operating under the highest standards for business behavior goes beyond goodwill and “lip-service” and is intimately linked to performance,” said Alex Brigham, Executive Director of the Ethisphere Institute. “This year’s World’s Most Ethical Companies award was more competitive than ever, because companies realize that making ethics a priority is critical in a tough economic environment.”

The methodology for the WME ranking includes reviewing codes of ethics, litigation and regulatory infraction histories; evaluating the investment in innovation and sustainable business practices; looking at activities designed to improve corporate citizenship; and studying nominations from senior executives, industry peers, suppliers and customers.

About Ten Thousand Villages

A fair trade retailer, Ten Thousand Villages offers home and garden decor, jewelry, personal accessories and gift items rich in ancient global traditions. Ten Thousand Villages features products from more than 130 artisan groups in 38 countries via a network of more than 150 retail outlets throughout the United States.

For more than 60 years, Ten Thousand Villages has established fair, long-term buying relationships in places where skilled artisans lack opportunities for stable income. Ten Thousand Villages is a nonprofit program of Mennonite Central Committee (MCC).

For more information about Ten Thousand Villages, please contact Ty Smithdeal, store manager, at 704-365-0010 or visit tenthousandvillages.com. Ten Thousand Villages is open Monday – Friday 10AM – 7PM, Saturday 10AM – 6PM.

OK, here it is: I am not a big fan of prints. I'd never deign to wear a dress with flowers splashed all over it. I can't help it that I'm not big on being spotted a mile away. Besides, no one has convinced me yet that I'd even LOOK OK in prints. Maybe it's a confidence thing? I don't know. I just don't wear prints.

So when I heard that anything floral was going to be a big thing this season (thank you, Arlene Goldstein and Belk) ... well, you know what I thought. Yep. That's a train I'm just going to have to miss.

Until I spotted THIS ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS jewelry from Betsey Johnson. Wowza. Someone buy this for me, please?

I guess I'm reminded that while not EVERY trend spotted on the runways will work for every single person in the entire world, there are ways to negotiate certain styles into your own — the best way being to accessorize. Unless someone puts a gun to my head and forces me to buy a floral-printed skirt or something, I'm not going to be wearing a floral-printed skirt. But I will, however, sport some flowery accessories.