The Weekly Beforecast — Missed Morsels from May 9th-13th

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

- I think it’s safe to say the Met’s Alexander McQueen Savage Beauty exhibit is fairly popular.

The Poor Are Getting Poorer and the Rich Are Getting, Dare I Say, More Practical…?

Edited by Lester Brathwaite

According to the Wall Street Journal, luxury is back, but bling is not, distressing news to both me and Lil Wayne.

Watch FashionIndie Give Haircut Advice on Good Morning America!

Edited by Amanda Gabriele

How much do you pay for a haircut? $50, $100 or even $500? In an economy still lagging, do-it-yourself tricks to save money are becoming more popular than ever. Two weeks ago, we showed you how to trim your own hair in between salon visits to save time and money. For this morning’s show, Good Morning America asked us to join them at Alibi salon in SoHo to talk about this rising trend. See the video after the jump!

Fashion Statement: Extreme Shoes

Edited by The Fashion Web

Maurico Lima

Zhang Yichao Show

Sonia Rykiel

Romance Was Born

Jean Paul Gaultier

Christian Dior Haute Couture

China Fashion Week 2010/2011

Animale

Extreme, statement-making shoes make the woman.

If you routinely go the safe route on your footwear choices (and, by safe, I mean simple plain black pumps or modest, solid-colored flats), you’re just not living. Or at least not setting yourself apart.

The fashion world is obsessed with over-the-top shoes. The crazier, the scarier, the stranger, the better. And, because fashion is a business, it means women’s appetite for extreme footwear is increasing by leaps and bounds.

Sky scraping platforms. Metallic belt-buckle over-the-knee boots. Shoes that resemble the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Shoes that look like bloated armadillos. Cowboy boots that threaten to topple you over backwards. Torturous spikes. Spinal stilettos. Garter belt lace-ups. Stilettos festooned with feathers.

For fall, 2010, ski bindings and interior design materials like plywood and Formica marry to create Baleniaga’s high-heeled, color-blocked loafers. They are absolutely nuts! And you’ll no doubt see them on some Hollywood It creature come red carpet events later this year.

Riccardo Tisci’s Givenchy fall lineup includes an impossibly complicated pair of red lace-up booties that have tiny bumps not unlike some deep sea monster.

Women have been pushing their tootsies into torturous footwear for thousands of years, beginning with the Chinese custom of breaking and binding feet into the shape of a pointed lotus bud. Bizarre footwear is always associated with the erotic and the fetish. And being attractive is an advantage that has always outweighed any pain women have had to endure.

Cut to modern day and the story is the same. Stilettos are uncomfortable and make walking difficult, not to mention what it does to your posture and spine. Still, we women persist. Why? High heels make a woman taller, force her to arch her back and push her chest forward and hips back. The goal here is an accentuated female form because men love an accentuated female form.

Problem is, height and attractive qualities are relative. So if everybody wears heels then who has the advantage? Why, alpha shoe mavens and their designer enablers who up the ante season after season. A girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. And this year, it may not be a man she’s after. It may be a job. It is the recession, after all, and being memorable is priority number one.

How high can we go? As high and as crazy and as dangerous as we can….that is, until some clever girl decides to set herself apart by wearing simple plain black pumps or modest, solid-colored flats.

(luxist.com)

You know that I’m all about the creative and funky side of fashion…..some of it though, for viewing purposes only. I actually like all of the shoes featured, but don’t wear really, really high heels….I stop at about four inches (however, there are always exceptions). Often, I find that it’s easier for me to wear a four inch wedge or chunky heel (such as the gorgeous pair by Sonia Rykiel), instead of a stiletto; I like the extra ankle support. This Robert Clergerie bootie is the type of wedge that I favor.

The up-turned toe of the sole, provides a type of “rocker effect; I find it more comfortable to have my toes in the an upward position versus slanted straight down. Speaking of up-turned toes, The Jean Gaultier shoe is an extreme example. I love the color and tooled leather design, but I’m really not feeling the whole “toe thing.” At first glance, they remind me of so many of the western style, ankle boots that were so popular last season…..I didn’t really care for those either.

Sad Plaid: Burberry Profits Drop 24%

Edited by Saynt

The house of plaid is suffering as profits drop by 24% in the first half of this year.

GIRD YOUR LOINS. TODAY IS LAYOFF DAY AT VOGUE.

Edited by Saynt

25% of Vogue’s staff is expected to get cut today. If you have any info on what’s up, send an email to saynt@fashionindie.com. Completely anonymous and if you get the ax, we’ll be more than happy to repost your resume.

NEWS: Detroit Sees Future In Fashion Industry

Edited by Amanda Gabriele

Detroit’s auto industry has trained multiple generations of workers in design and manufacturing. Could this knowledge and skill be directly translated to fashion design? It’s an interesting concept, and I’m curious to see if anything lucrative emerges from Motor City.

Via CNNMoney

MAG HAG: Women’s magazines not doing so hot as impulse buys

Edited by Amanda Gabriele

Cosmopolitan’s circulation was down 7.8% in the first half of 2009. The NY Times blames the recession and the decreased frequency of impulse buys. But AdWeek thinks ladymags are becoming more irrelevant with the growing number of Web sites, blogs (cough, cough) and TV programs offering life and style advice. I’m just glad that someone finally said “we don’t need another ‘how to touch his junk’ story.” What do you all think?

Via: Jezebel

Abercrombie Losses $26.7M Loss. Expect Cut Backs on Chest Waxes and Frosted Tips.

Edited by FashionIndie

Abercrombie is feeling a pinch in their perfectly toned abs.

Tiffany & Co. Could Be Munching It’s Last Carat

Edited by Kirby Marzec

It’s one thing to see small boutiques and speciality shops crumble under the credit crunch, but Tiffany & Co., the “fancy good emporium” that has been in existence for well over 100 years, joining the failure brigade is just absurd. Yesterday, Tiffany announced that earnings fell 75.6% in the fourth quarter…that’s a bit over 25% per month! One would think that the diamonds would drop in price or the charms would go on sale, but Tiffany still refuses to lower prices! So, what now? Does Tiffany toss out her pride or suffer the recession wrath? Tiffany’s temporary solution was to convince nearly 600 employees to retire early and to close sixteen of her pearl-jewelry stores. Sorry girl, but I think it’s going to take a big sale or some sort of economic miracle for Daddy Warbucks to even consider getting his little girl a rock from Tiffany’s. Change your tune or start digging your grave. 

Thanks NY Mag!