Off the Wall

A $10 million Western fashion spectacle staged on the most recognizable landmark in the world's largest Communist country? But of course. Given China's rapid emergence as an economic power over the last decade, it was only a matter of time before someone like Fendi decided to mount a runway show, complete with fur-clad socialites flown in from New York, on the Great Wall. Karl Lagerfeld, the brand's designer, was quick to point out the historical inevitability. "The wall is built to be a runway, huh?" he shrugged. "They don't have to use it for fighting Mongolians anymore; now they can use it for fashion." Isn't he a genius? This guy...is a master.

150K? I'll Take Two

Nobody thought that the golden C-3PO leggings on Nicolas Ghesquière's Spring '07 Balenciaga runway were going to be cheap, but $159,000? The demands of the money-is-no-object set have sent prices for ready-to-wear up, up, and away into haute couture territory—especially if you have to cash your checks in that bargain-basement currency, the U.S. dollar. Accessories, too, have gone through the roof. Bottega Veneta has a bag for $78,000, but the brand has nothing on Hermès, which made a pair of crocodile Birkins with pavé diamonds earlier this year and priced them at $148,000. What were they thinking? Couldn't they see they were underestimating the market? Both bags sold, and Hermès whipped up two more for the holidays. Surprise?!?!

Stocking Stuffer: NARS Sparkling Loose Powder

'Tis the season to be Santa's little fairy... and what better way to achieve that look than with a gentle, shimmery powder? We're not talking about your middle school glitter eyeshadow . No, the chic woman of this decade knows not to let her glimmering makeup out-shine herself. Don't run whenever "sparkle" shows up on a label. The holiday season is the perfect time to try on twinkle once more. I picked up the NARS Sparkling Loose Powder in Gold Rush ($35). If you're looking for a subtle all-over snow bunny glow, this is the only product you need. I love the way that the powder stops grease while the extra fine milled glitter gives my skin a sumptuous gold sheen. Use the powder puff applicator to dab it on over your neck, décolleté even your arms--whatever you want to highlight. This is my product for the day that i thought you guys should know about. It's GREAT!

Economy-Economy-Economy

Foreigners could be the salvation of this year's holiday retail season.While the sluggish economy and high gas prices may be leaving Americans feeling a bit pinched this season, overseas tourists, especially in New York, are shopping till they're dropping, thanks to the plummeting dollar."There's no question that (the tourists) are helping our Economy performance by a few percentage points," said Stephen I. Sadove, chairman and chief executive officer of Saks Inc. "If you walk the New York store, you hear the number of foreign accents. We've seen people walking around the store with empty suitcases and heard about a group of women from Iceland who chartered a jet to come and shop our new shoe floor. The U.S. is on sale. It's a bargain for the European customer." Now who really has the option to charter a jet to the U.S. just to look at the shoes? The dollar's weakness against the euro, pound and Canadian dollar has made shopping in the U.S. seem like a sample sale for tourists. Converted at Tuesday's exchange rates, the pound was worth $2; the euro, $1.47, and the Canadian dollar was on par with the American dollar. What's going on here? Any ideas? This is NOT good.

Meteorologists for the Fashion Industry?!

Wow! So a new job title for the Fashion Industry... Maybe I should reconsider? This sounds like a lot of fun. In the wonderful world of fashion, where hemlines, fabrics and colors fall in and out of favor with breathtaking speed, designers and retailers have always relied on one constant — the orderly changing of the seasons. But now it seems the seasons have become as fickle as fashion. Two consecutive years of volatile weather — last November and this October were the warmest on record for the US, a retail Mecca — have proved disastrous for companies that rely on predictable temperatures to sell cold-weather clothing like sweaters and coats. So the $200 billion American apparel industry, which is filled with esoteric job titles like visual merchandiser and fabric assistant, is adding a more familiar one: weather forecaster. Liz Claiborne, the apparel company, has hired a climatologist from Columbia University to predict weather for its designers to better time the shipments of seasonal garments to retailers. The discount retailer Target has established a “climate team” to provide advice on what kind of apparel to sell throughout the year. More and more, the answer is lighter weight, “seasonless” fabrics.That change is starting to rewrite decades-old rules in the clothing industry, which says that it loses several billion dollars a year because of the unexpected swings in temperature. Isn't this amazing - For those of you who don't want to keep up with the seasons? I think it's very interesting. New Job for me, yet extremely heartbreaking for the money the Fashion Industry is losing. What to do, What to do...

Becoming a Health Nut

Okay, so recently I have been very interested in a new lifestyle. I guess you could say new eating habits. Actually eating ENOUGH throughout the day. It's hard when you have lots to do and no time to really eat what they call "GOOD" food. I actually love cereal and over the last few months there has been a lot of cereal promotion going on. There are the Cereality restaurants. Kelloggs' Special K brand have been promoting their very own Special K Diet Challenge (for a number of years now). Not to be outdone, Kraft have "lose 10 pounds" emblazened on virtually the entire line of "Post" brand cereals (called Eat 2 Lose 10). Both cereal "diets" are bold and upfront with their claims: "Lose up to 6 pounds in 2 weeks!" shouts Special K. Is this for real? Is it valid? Special K claim that the diet is "based on valid research conducted at leading universities". In typical hard-sell fashion, they fail to provide the reference or provide a link to the "valid research". After some digging, I found the aforementioned study.
Yes - People Lost Weight. It made interesting reading, and effectively backed up some of the claims from Special K. According to my reading, the mean weight loss was less than 2 kg (4.4 pounds) in the 2 week period.
Nutrition - The simple truth is - Special K is better than what most people eat, but it still contains such gems as High Fructose Corn Syrup. Serving for serving, it has less potassium and fiber than oats, and more sugar. Compare here and here. Hopefully I will enjoy my new found eating habit. Any suggestions?

Somerset Vertical Tote - Great Fall Bag

I'm starting to research my fall shopping, and of course this includes bags. I am hoping to get more mileage out of my beautiful Kooba bag, but I must admit I have a wandering eye when it comes to this sort of thing. And of late, my eye has landed on the Somerset vertical tote from Banana Republic.

I like that this bag looks very briefcase-ey, and although my interviews are few and far between this would be a good professional bag to be seen with and would hold all sorts of papers and folders etc. I think I'm also starting to get tired of the slouchy hobo bag shape, and this one is boxy and structured.

I would wear this bag with a suit and heels, but i think it would also look great with some ripped jeans and a tank top.