What do you get when you mix the panache of a European flea market with sleek python snake skin, a welcome dose of vintage flair, and a trusty pearl-wearing Chihuahua named Charo? Jane August handbags, of course! Sold everywhere from Fred Segal, to Bergdorf Goodman, to smaller boutiques in Singapore and beyond, this New York-based emerging accessories designer knows how to work her leather. Originally an international fashion merchant, August draws her design inspiration from personal experience and memories of the past: "I don't necessarily like to be like other designers. I don't follow a trend. I don't copy anybody. I take inspiration from things that have been done in the past." Think old-school fashion magazines and '50s-era photos of her mother at swanky dinner parties. Made from the finest quality Italian leather and exotic skins, the glamorous collection is big, bold, and a whole lot of beautiful. Handcrafted in family-owned factories in Italy, each roomy piece is as unique as it is totally timeless and chic.

JUVA, a "MediSpa" in the heart of New York's shopping district right off Madison Avenue near the giant Sony store, and the vibe was exactly halfway between a doctor's office and a swank salon.  I had to fill out forms asking me for my insurance information, which made me laugh out loud.  I mean, I was here to subject myself to semi-medical procedures for pure VANITY -- not generally something covered by health insurance in the United States.  Maybe not even something covered by health insurance in someplace where beauty is supreme and governments are super liberal, like France.

Since I'm not traveling much this month, I've swapped exotic places for blogging about pop culture, fashion, and design.  This blog is more about my personal designs on understanding a foreign language that my friend Karen Loftus, an LA-based writer, who covers the Hollywood beauty beat, speaks.  Fraxel. Thermage. Radiesse.  These are the new designer brands.  But these labels aren't for clothes; rather they refer to non-invasive treatments performed by licensed doctors (or at least under the supervision of one) that, together, help the rich and famous dip into the elusive "fountain of youth."

I had heard tell that some of these new treatments were so effective, they might one day make surgeries like liposuction (having the fat suctioned or vacuumed out of your jiggly bits) or face lifts (having the skin on your face lifted or pulled back) obsolete.  And, I was told, these new schools of designer treatments don't even hurt that much!

After my paperwork was processed, I was ushered into the office of JUVA's founder and medical director. Dr. Bruce E. Katz had no fewer than 11 plaques and framed degrees in his office.  I learned that he had served as the president of the Dermatology Society of Greater New York.  He has also been featured in the "Best Doctors" issue of New York magazine numerous times and has an official navy baseball cap with white lettering that says "New York's Best Doctors" to prove it.  It was actually very cool to meet with Dr. Katz because you always see him quoted in everything from Vogue to The New York Times.  He's been in the forefront of the industry, with the innovation of SmartLipo, a laser-assisted liposuction procedure that can be done under local anesthesia, leaves virtually no scars, and has a two-day recovery time because the laser simultaneously melts the fat and tightens the skin in the area that's treated.

But I wasn't THAT ambitious.  I was just here to try one of Dr. Katz's newer offerings: a skin tightening and lifting treatment called Accent.  Let me just say that while things like skydiving and climbing Mt. Everest might give me some pause, I am virtually fearless when it comes to beautifying treatments.  Thus, I've had my entire face scraped with a surgical blade, had glycolic peels, laser hair removal, and once, had a really nasty facial with a serum rubbed into my skin that I later found out was made from the foreskins of circumcised babies.  And I have a pretty high tolerance for pain.

But the amazing thing about Accent (which I had done on my face and chin) is it didn't hurt.  There was no "zap" from the laser, because it's not a laser.  Rather it's a pretty innocuous-looking handheld device attached to the mothership Accent machine (made by Alma Lasers) that delivers the dual-layer unipolar and bipolar thermotherapy, an advanced radio frequency (RF) technology that tightens loose skin and promotes collagen production.  The thermotherapy is delivered via a rolling ball in the handheld device.  The technician rolls the ball round and round the area being treated. But it was weird:  Sometimes it was fine, like a warm massage, then the ball would get really hot and I would jerk away. It was at this point that the technician would move to a new spot.  My whole face and neck area took just 15 minutes to complete.  I was done when I had been treated with 26 joules. I had to ask what a joule was, and here's the answer: A joule is the SI unit of energy measuring heat, electricity, and mechanical work. Not sure if this will put it in perspective or leave you even more confused, but one joule is the amount of energy it takes to lift an object that weighs one Newton a one-meter distance. A Newton is the metric unit for weight and is comparable to the weight of a stick of butter. (1 Newton = 0.445 lbs.)

My face got really red and I left the office with two little cool packs (courtesy of Restylane -- they were emblazoned with the label) pressed to my nonexistent jowls.  They were pretty much nonexistent before I went in, but for the best results, experts say you do need to start doing these treatments BEFORE you actually need them.  And I did look tighter and firmer along my jawline.  But there are two things you really need to consider about these procedures.  They are not nothing:  Accent was pretty mild, but there is usually some degree of pain or discomfort involved.  And you'll likely need multiple treatments to see the best results.  With Accent that's three to five treatments (depending on which area you have treated).  The chin, the stomach, and the thighs are among the most popular.  And one session of Accent costs $500, so you're looking at about a $1,500 investment, about the same price as a Chanel handbag or a trip to Argentina or a down payment on a new car.  There is no right answer, but you should ask yourself, which would you rather have?

Cathay Che is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Travel & Leisure. Today, she's trading places with Fashion & Design blogger Theo Kogan, who writes about her recent adventures in Travel & Leisure. Usually, she posts every Tuesday and Thursday.

This is not my typical advice column, but I feel moved to share these words. With global warming destroying the earth (not so) slowly, but surely, and UV rays beating down on us harder and heavier than ever, there are some measures we must take to stay and remain healthy, comfortable, and fashionable in the summertime and thereafter. In a nutshell, here they are.

Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen:
I cannot say it enough. Skin cancer is more prevalent than ever and people are getting it at younger and younger ages. I personally wear sunscreen on my face every day of the year. I like Fallene Cotz for the face and they have different formulas for all facial skin types -- sensitive to oily.

If you have a fair complexion or not and are heading to the sun, please get a sunscreen with  30-70 SPF protection. I like Alba Botanica Lavender 30 SPF and Neutrogena 45 and 70 SPF Ultra Sheer Dry Touch.

Furthermore, please don't lie out in the sun with a silver reflector aimed at your face and roast yourself at high noon or at any time for that matter, besides in the midnight moonlight. I don't care how you rationalize it and how much you believe your skin can handle it or how olive or dark your skin is. The sun is a ball of fire that will burn your skin like a pig on a spit. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I know this may sound like "obvious science" but seriously it makes me crazy when I see people on the beach or in the park putting on SPF 4 tanning oil and with no umbrella on top of it.

Flip flops:
Yes for the beach or poolside. Yes if you are on a rocky beach or lake. Yes to flip flops if you are running to the store, the mall, or to the laundromat. Yes if you live in a beach town -- I know it can't be avoided. The most comfortable and cutest flip flops I have ever worn are Havaianas.

Please, I beg of you, don't wear them out to dinner that is not on a beach, patio, and porch or beach or waterfront restaurant and don't wear them in place of a  "sandal" or other footwear in any city and especially NOT to a nightclub. You may get stepped on (brutally) by a high heel or procure glass in your foot and find out the hard way, but whatever it takes -- I told you so. Oh, and I will personally call the fashion police if I see a flip flop worn in NYC when it is weather inappropriate, aka 50 degrees and below.

Water:
Finally, and importantly, drink lots of fluids, especially water. You sweat it out in the heat and you've got to replenish.  If you are summer boozing make sure to drink a glass of water for each glass of alcohol. I can't stress the fluid intake importance enough in general, and I am sure many a 96-degree fainting on the street could be avoided if the person had only drank some more water (maybe?). Our bodies are made up of mostly water; blood alone is 80 percent water. Let's try and keep it that way, shall we?

Theo Kogan is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Fashion & Design. Her THEOlogy column appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Being in Munich, Germany at the moment, (and knowing MOLI has just launched in Germany) I was hoping to find some new hot frau wear, like the old timey brau haus frauen (beer hall gals) wore - like on the St. Pauli Girl bottle of beer. I found it in the company called  Angermaier. Not sure what the word means, but the clothes are fierce. Embroidered wench corsets over white and black tops, knee-high lace up boots, in black and red (zipper on the side for quick on and off). Sexy lederhosen for men and women. Your basic 'traditional' German wears with a modern fetish twist.

The lederhosen I speak of are generally worn by kinder AKA babies and children and also formerly by Bavarian men - and are usually a sort of  brown leather shorts with attached suspenders further accoutrements are stylized embroidery. I have been keeping my eye out for adult lederhosen for years and the only ones I have seen have been for kinder.  The Angermaier Company has them in black as well as brown in different lengths and even full-length trousers for men. Along with the lederhosen for men are traditional men's vests and blazers for men and women. Not my stein of tea, but there they are and someone must be wearing them.

Some of the dresses look like they came right off of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella - before or after she passed out in a barn, castle or brew hall, or ate a bad apple. (The Neuschwanstein Castle in Salzburg that Walt Disney based the Sleeping Beauty castle on is not far away from Munich - only two hours). Maybe this is actually the real Never-Never Land?

There is a gothic looking silver-grey corset with a modest (for this collection) long skirt. The 'sexiest' outfit is a beautiful emerald green embroidered wench dress with a see-through lace baby doll top underneath and a sheer black apron (pictured). Meow. Fabrics for many of these pieces are satin and silk brocades, some have aprons, and some of the models look like Paris Hilton.

I will say that this is quality stuff at least from the looks of it and they have full outfit sets for men and women as low as 169 euros each, complete with shoes. There are fancy accessories and belt buckles, and, of course, clothes for kinder.

I have to wonder, is this ultimately based on a beer hall waitress fetish? Is it for those obsessed with Disney Character /MILFs? I guess that's for you to decide.

Theo Kogan is the MOLI View's contributing editor for Fashion & Design. Her THEOlogy column appears Tuesdays and Thursdays.