- And not at all coincidentally, Anna Wintour is now a museum board member.

- Gisele is the most super supermodel in the world and future supers can only pale in their already pale comparisons.

- Isabella Blow‘s posthumous wardrobe will live on thanks to Daphne Guinness and a generous, completely justifiable use of the Guinness fortune.

- Hindu’s were up in arms — all 4 of them! — over a swimsuit bearing the goddess Lakshmi.

- The Schwarzenegger-Shrivers are now sans a hyphen (okay, it was never there) and a  marriage (nor was that).

- A fashion mag so rare you might be dead before it comes out again. Particularly since the world is ending any day now.

- Get your library cards out, Gaga wants to talk about…reading.

- This June John Galliano will be spelling couture : C-O-U-R-T…cause that’s where he’s going…court.

- Like that great poet — what was his name, oh yes, Biggie Smalls — once said, “Mo Money, Mo Problems.” Those problems just involve cutting back on the Birkin allowance.

Photo: Wall Street Journal

A recent survey of the wealthy shows that their spending habits have changed post-recession with more emphasis on discounts, less trust in branding and more caution in discretionary spending. As a result, Costco and Target are the favorite shopping destinations of the wealthiest Americans, a little tidbit I’m filing under my continuing “Coming Signs of the Apocalypse” scrapbook.

The American Affluence Research Center a.) is a real thing and b.) found that 60% of people said discounts didn’t affect their opinions of a brand. And although well-to-do Americans now think twice about making it rain at the cashier they will stay pay full price on “one-of-a-kind clothes and accessories” as well as “experiences that create fond memories” such as weekend getaways, vacations and I’m assuming high-class call girls.

It’s always sad when the rich have to cut back on their number of homes or size of their yachts — I mean, who else can us po’ folk aspire to and/or steal from? [WSJ]

LINK LOVE: ABC News

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.

LINK LOVE:Fashion Statement: Extreme Shoes

LINK LOVE: WWD

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

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 is feeling a pinch in their perfectly toned abs.

They just suffered a $26.7 MILLION DOLLAR LOSS.

The Solution: Lower prices.

Now even the underprivileged can look like douchebags.

LINK LOVE: wwd.com

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!

SAYNT: Advertising in Conde Nast magazines so down.

AUDIENCE: How down?

SAYNT: It’s so down it just won the six gold medals at the Special Olympics.

And that kiddies is how you compare Conde Nast to a retard. But more seriously, while most mags in the industry are down 24% in ad pages, Conde Nast’s titles are down 30% or more. Ouch…

LINKAGE: Blame Anna!

The retail giant will be sending 375 employees packing. They claim it’s something they do every 5 – 10 years, I claim it’s something you do when you ain’t selling shit.

LINKAGE: Neiman’s Trimming 375 Jobs