Fashion and carnivals usually don’t mix, unless you’re into all that face paint and over sized polka dot pants (sooo early 90’s). Luckily, the theme managed to go over at a recent party here in the Big D, all, funny enough, in the name of high fashion. Dallas designer Abi Ferrin premiered her collection for the upcoming fall this past weekend at Southside on Lamar, where she also has her design studio.

Remember when nabbing your aunt’s Benson & Hedges and downing the cooking brandy was the height of social sophistication? All right, I may be alone on that one, but the truth is our tastes have evolved when it comes to cocktails and cigarettes. We have come to appreciate the finer things, which, come to think of it, usually come in the finer venues. So here’s the hottest of the haute local bars to get you in the spirit of things.

You never really need an excuse to relax. Whether its a long day at the office or an equally long day on the golf course, you deserve a little R&R. But why leave the Big D when you can get your kicks locally? This summer, the W hotel at Victory Park is offering up a sweet “playcation” deal that makes their posh space and numerous amenities your adult playground.

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is like a leap year Christmas for sports fans. It seems to generate more excitement than the Olympics (it definitely spawns more bar fights.). So where will you be watching the action? If there’s one thing we know here in Texas it’s sports, so it’s really no surprise our sports bars are so plentiful and aptly stocked. Projection screens? Check. More than 100 beer options? You got it. Looking to switch up your game day watching party? Try one of these Haute 5 viewing spots.

Benjamin Franklin once said, “Wine is a constant proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Oh how true. Wine is a libation that lifts the spirit, as well as an avenue to impress a date (usually rambling off about tannins and berries works, FYI.) Although it’s easier in these sultry summer months to switch to Mojitos or Bud Light Lime (the Sunny Delight of beers), I encourage you to maintain a reputation as a distinguished wine drinker. Here’ s a list of the Hautest wine bars in Dallas to enjoy on a hot day.

It’s like a dream, or a nightmare: A Challenge-series Ferrari, turned inside out, the mechanical innards all visable, with a skeleton at the wheel.

This is just one of SkinzWraps creative designs.

Sharon Hage’s reputable little bistro (and I mean tiny, so getting a reso on the weekends can be very difficult) is shyly nestled behind a gas station in the Lakewood neighborhood, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it locale that keeps the clientele mostly Dallasites. Her menu changes daily, offering fresh, seasonal dishes with ingredients grown from small, sustainable suppliers (their Windy Meadows chicken comes from the Texas Meats group).

Like many Hollywood fads, the Megaformer is intimidating and looks really, really expensive. The newest evolution of Sebastien’s Lagree’s SPX machine series, the Megaformer is sort of like the traditional Pilates reformer ‘roided up and blinged out. So when you walk in to the brand new Beyond Pilates studio that opened on Lovers Lane this week, try not to panic.

I can’t sit in a pub for long. The smoke, the smell of stale beer, the blinking Coors light signs and the clacking of pool balls somehow puts me off my pint. Luckily, the brains behind some of Dallas’s best restaurants have concocted The Common Table, which hosted its opening night VIP party last night on Fairmount Avenue in the old Lola space.