Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

With her first Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Lisbeth Salander in 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,' Rooney Mara gave fashion fans a new Gothic-chic muse.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

Although it's not something I'm particularly proud of, I'm willing to admit that, in addition to whiling away the long stretches of time in the air and waiting in airport lounges reading the 'New Yorker' and 'New York Times' on my Kindle, I've picked up the occasional tabloid magazine.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I know it's not particularly tech-savvy of me to suggest a camera that doesn't have a touchscreen, but I think when it comes to candid shots of nights out with friends, there's nothing better than a disposable camera.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I grew up in the Midwest, so I have sort of an honorable moral code. But I moved to a city and joined a sort of fast crowd. A lot of people who grew up in the city sort of aren't aware of manners and other ways of life and 'common decency.'

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I stumbled upon the 3x1 shop because it's a few doors up from the 'V' magazine offices on Mercer. The store is intense: They can take your measurements, and the sewers are right there behind glass making what amounts to a couture pair of jeans.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

One of the perks of my job as a fashion journalist is the travel opportunity.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

Temptation is as old as time; or at least, the history of temptation extends as far back as the moment Eve gave Adam that serpent's apple. But what sets the lady apart from the tramp is the ability to acknowledge she needs to clean up her act - and then, of course, the fact that she actually does clean up her act.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I used to sleep in the T-shirt I wore during the day and whatever ratty old gym shorts I could find on the floor. But one year for Christmas, someone gave me a very chic, comfortable pair of pajamas from Brooks Brothers, and I realized the error of my ways.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I try to wear a watch all the time, because I think guys get the short end of the stick when it comes to jewelry and accessories. A watch is a very chic men's item, and you're sort of wasting it if you just look at your cell phone.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

Turning the heat up on the red carpet while still looking like a lady isn't as easy as it sounds. Too much va-va-voom, and a girl can look like she just stepped out of 'Jersey Shore.' Too little, and she'll look like a sister wife.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

Even on vacation, Rihanna's easy breezy chic is not complete without a red lip.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I use a Blackberry. I'm so behind on mobile communication technology, I think a smartwatch may be too far a leap.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

Jess is not only a successful actress but also has a line of eco-friendly products called Honest that's become a million-dollar business. Jessica Alba an undercover businesswoman? That's my favorite kind of style - the kind with substance.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

For me, in a world full of armies of stylists and makeup artists, what I think truly makes a fashion icon is how a girl dresses when she's off duty and she has to put her own looks together - no small challenge!

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

Some of my best friends here in New York have pasts I have a hard time reconciling with the people I'm close to now. But I wouldn't change them - or their pasts - for anything in the world. Their experiences are what made them the people they are today.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I don't have some sort of moral dilemma with coming as a guest to an event or a fashion show.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

Sometimes I wish that Anna Wintour didn't know I existed.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I try to go home to Missouri every couple of months. I do that because I like my family, of course, but my mom doesn't know who Carine Roitfeld is. And as much as that horrifies me, it's a good way to keep your feet on the ground.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I feel like I have been portrayed as if I was standing outside Cipriani hoping someone picks me as their plus-one.

Derek Blasberg
Derek Blasberg

I am aware that most 27-year-old writers do not co-host galas in their hometowns.