Eh ... si tot carandu-ma eu ... dincolo de fata blocului ... in mod inevitabil am intalnit tot felul de oameni. La inceput ma fascina chestia asta, imi placea foarte tare, acum, ma fascineaza oamenii, dar nu insist sa am cunostinte noi si nu ma mai anturez chiar cu toata lumea pentru simplul motiv ca sunt specimene bune de studiat ...! Discut cu ceea ce mi se pare specimen, insa nu prea ma mai anturez, cu nimeni, ma rog, ma abat de la subiect, alta data despre asta. Si tot cunoscand oameni, si crescand, am observat o chestie: haina de pe om capata in mintea si in inima unora dimensiuni nebanuite.

Niciodata n-am avut mania hainelor, in sensul sa fiu in stare sa nu mai mananc o saptamana ca sa-mi iau nush ce haina. N-as renunta la Managing Quality de Foster, de exemplu, pentru care cica va trebui sa platesc 145 de ron, in favoarea unui plic frumos de la Mango sau al unei rochite. Neah, niciodata. De ce? Pai simplu ... mi se pare mai bine si mai util pentru mine sa stiu sa manageriez calitatea, ca sa spun asa, decat sa fiu bine imbracata ...! Sigur, nu toti oamenii vad treaba cu aceiasi ochi ca si ai mei, intr-un fel poate e logic, fiecare e cu ochii lui ... ma rog ...!

N-am putut niciodata sa suport oamenii care ii judeca pe ceilalti dupa haina de pe ei. N-am putut niciodata sa fiu deacord cu a te uita la un om si inainte de orice sa observi haina, ceasul, cheile de la masina, si, in general, tot ce se vede. N-am inteles niciodata de ce chestiile astea sunt atat de importante, ce au ele in comun cu ceea ce se numeste viata, a trai, a experiemnta, a fi fericit. Oricat m-as stradui, si cred ca am ani de cand tot ma straduiesc, nu reusesc sa gasesc o minima legatura intre a fi fericit si a fi bine imbracat, nu stiu de ce.

Ca femeie, e greu cu hainele si cu astea ...! La barbati e simplu ... au si ei 5 perechi de pantaloni si 5 camasi si mai stiu eu ce alte 5 tampenii si si-au rezolvat problema. La femei e jalanie cu J mare de tipar. Adica ... stim toate ca ... nu poti sa iesi cu aceasi rochie de 2 ori in acelasi anturaj/loc etc. ... ca na ... nu se poate ... nu poti sa iesi foarte neasortat din casa, nu poti sa te imbraci cu aceasi pantaloni la nesfarsit, si tot felul de alte povesti de genul. Eh ... bine ...

Paranteza: sunt abonata la news pe ziare.com si tocmai mi-au trimis email ca a murit fata Laviniei Milosevici. Dumnezeule, nici nu vreau sa incerc sa imi imaginez ce e in sufletul ei in secunda asta ... dar nici macar nu vreau sa incerc. Dumnezeu sa o odihneasca in pace si sa ii ofere cel mai bun loc cu putinta, ingerasul scump :(((((. EH, VEDETI, UITE ASTA INSEAMNA SA AI CU ADEVARAT O PROBLEMA IN VIATA. PARINTII AIA IN MOMENTUL ASTA AU O REALA PROBLEMA, MAI GRAVA PROBLEMA PENTRU UN OM DECAT SA ISI INGROAPE COPILUL NU POATE EXISTA. NU-L MAI MANIATI AIUREA PE DUMNEZEU, UNII, CONSIDERAND CA AVETI PROBLEME CAND DE FAPT ALEA SUNT KKTURI, NU PROBLEME, SI AM FOARTE MULTE CUNOSTINTE DE GENUL ASTA, CARE IMI TOT POVESTESC CUM CONFUNDA EI KKTURILE CU REALELE PROBLEME ..., treaba voastra, sa nu va dea Dumnezeu intr-o zi din astea, tot cersindu-le, ca sa vedeti si voi cum e cand iti moare copilul, sau cand n-ai ce manca, sau n-ai unde dormi, sau n-ai bani sa iti operezi copilul, sau ramai paralizat, sau Dumnezeu stie cate se mai pot intampla pe lumea asta ... ca sa vedeti cu adevarat ce insemana o problema ...! Sfat prietenesc, nu tre sa se supere nimeni pe mine la faza asta ...!

Fumez o tIgara si revi la haine.

Asa ... revenind. Cu hainele. Am observat eu in scurta mea viata ca exista 2 categorii de oameni. Oamenii  normali, si oamenii foarte interesati de haine, pentru care haina si aspectul e ceva primordial asa, e ceva extrem de important, care nu sunt multumiti doar sa fie ei obsedati de povestea asta, dar te mai analizeaza si pe tine din cap pana-n picioare, plus oamenii aia cu care chiar nu poti sa fii prieten daca nu te ridici la pretentiile lor vestimentare ... ca deh ... se fac de ras cu tine la club ..., si care, intr-un sfarsit, sunt mult mai interesati de calitatea hainelor tale decat calitatea ta de om. Eh, astia sunt oamenii pe care ii face haina de pe ei, cum se spune. De ce? Pai simplu. Daca nu exista decat doua variante in viata, adica sau faci tu haina de pe tine sau te face haina aia pe tine ... inseamna ca pe ei in face haina pentru ca ei nu au capacitatea intelectuala, umana, valoarea si potenta necesare, sa o faca pe haina de pe ei ... clar, nu? Adica ... nu le dau ei un plus de valoare hainelor de pe ei, de la orice firma ar fi ele, ci le da haina lor un plus de valoare :). Mda, MISTO, ca sa zic asa :)

Mi se pare extrem de trist sa aijungi sa te faca haina de pe tine. Mi se pare super deprimant pentru calitatea de om sa fii incapabil sa te ridici, ca om, la o valoare superioara unei marci de haine. Mi se pare de tot rahatul din lume sa te considere lumea smecher pentru ce haine ai, sau ce bijuterii ai, sau ce masina ai. Mi se pare extrem de jignitor la adresa unui om treaba asta. Eu sunt pro acordat credit aluia care merita, ca om. Eu personal mereu sunt interesata de caracterul oamenilor, niciodata nu ma las pacalita de ce vad, si ii tratez pe oameni mereu in functie de cum se poarta cu mine, nu in functie de ce au. Nu ma port frumos cu cineva pentru ca e imbracat frumos, si urat cu altcineva pentru ca e imbracat din Europa ...! Nu apreciez un nene pentru ca are un CLS, desi e masina mea preferata, ci il apreciez daca e om, daca nu, nu ... ma pis pe el, la revedere ... o sa zic ceva de genu: uite un cretinoid la volanul masinii mele preferate, de exemplu! Mie mi s-ar parea jignitor fata de mine ca intr-o buna si sa am super ceasuri smechere la mana si oamenii sa ma aprecieze pentru ele, nu pentru ceea ce reprezint de fapt EU, si atunci, aplic voarba aia: ce tie nu-ti place, altuia nu-i face.

Urasc barbatii care ma suna inainte de intalnire sa ma intrebe cu ce o sa ma imbrac. Nu ajung niciodata in pat cu ei, sorry, cantareste foarte mult treaba asta la mine. Putina decenta, inteligenta si caracter inca n-au daunat nimanui ...! Mi se pare jignitor fata de mine sa iti imaginezi ca o sa merg in parc cu un nene incaltata cu tocuri de 12 cm, sau in adidasi de mers la sala, sa nu iti imaginezi si singur ca, poate primavara fiind, detin o pereche de balerini in casa. Macar 1. Sa consideri ca eu sunt chiar crescuta in tractor ...! Ei bine, nu sunt, poate nu am nivelul financiar la care sa am foarte multe haine, dar putinele pe care le am stiu cand se poarta si cand nu. Nu merg cu camasuta la club, asa, in general, stiu si eu ca la club nu e birou ... si atunci la club iau ceva de club si pastrez camasa pentru la birou ... macar chestii asa, de genul asta, in mare, stiu si eu ...! Nu stiu ... dar mi se pare penibila intrebarea.

Asa cum mi se pare penibil sa incerci sa pui presiune vestimentara pe mine, sa ma faci sa ma gandesc ca poate hainele mele sunt jalnice, sau nu sunt destule, sau cine stie ce ... si atunci ... ce ma fac?! Nu ... am trecut de faza asta. Hainele mele sunt asa cum sunt si eu am crescut destul de mult incat sa doresc sa fiu acceptata pentru ceea ce sunt, pentru compania placuta, sau nu, pe care pot sa o ofer, nu sunt disupsa sa fac compromisuri si sa-mi car banii la paine la mall sa-mi iau o haina frumoasa ca sa ies cu un tip tare, da` chiar NU.

Am avut un prieten care imi placea mult la fazele astea, ma amuzam foarte tare cu el pe toate planurile, dar mai ales la faza asta, ca spunea uneori: sa zica merci d&g ca am dat bani pe un pantalon de-al lor, ca le-am facut onoarea asta, la cat de multi prosti de bani gata si parasute isi iau haine de la ei ar trebui sa faca party ca poarta ceva al lor si unu` ca mine :))). Mi-a ramas in minte treaba asta, a ramas asa, un fel de crez ...! Analizand la rece, cam asa este ... stim cu totii cum toate zdrentele, parvenitele si parvenitii, si toti prostii care au pus mana pe niste bani au chestii cu d&g pe ele ... intr-adevar iti piere cheful sa mai dai bani si tu cand vezi ce categorie de oameni le poarta INTENS, cel putin in romania :).

Adica ce categorie ... adica categoria care nu produc, care dispun de sume necastigate tocmai datorita inteligentei lor, care cersesc de la parinti sau alte rude, sau care lovesc cu fruntea pentru a dispune de chestiile respective ... sau daca din cand in cand mai produc si ei ceva, e pentru ca au o familie si un ajutor in spate ... ca asa ... in mod normal, nu se stie ce s-ar fi ales de ei ...! Se stie ca in general nevoia asta a hainelor super, a masinilor tari, grija in exces, nu vorim de aia regular pe care o avem toti, pentru imagine, per total, vine din complexe si frustrari interioare, din nemultumirea ta fata de cat poti tu, ca om ..., e psihologica treaba :).

Ma rog, cam asta e cu hainele, e trist ca exista oameni care atunci cand iti analizeaza valoarea iti baga in ecuatie aspectul vestimentar. De ce am scris de asta azi? Pai ca ma gandeam ca ar trebui sa-mi cumpar niste haine, sigur, nu multe si nu scumpe, si nici nu stiu macar daca mi le mai cumpar ... v-am povestit de planul meu de economisire in 5 pasi (adica in 5 luni)? ... o sa va povestesc o data. Si ma gandeam asa ... cum sa-mi dramuiesc putinele finante pe care le am spre cheltuirie astfel incat sa ma plac eu pe mine insami, si atat, ca ma gandeam eu logic ca restul nu conteaza, ca restul tre sa ma placa pentru ceea ce sunt, nu pentru ceea ce am. Sigur, le va fi imposibil unora sa faca asta, dar aia e ... ghinion de nesansa ... pentru fiecare femeie exista un barbat potrivit, rezulta logic ca pentru fiecare barbat exista o femeie potrivita, pe placul lui ... asa cum pentru fiecare om exista un alt om care ii poate fi un prieten potrivit ... deci am luat eu marea decizie de a-mi continua planul de economisire in 5 pasi fara a-mi cumpara mai multe articole vestimentare fata de cate mi-am propus :)).

Me pongo un poquito mas para atrás y te pregunto: Alguna vez has visto una cosa mas linda? Tu también eres muy hermoso. Tengo que poner mis gafas de sol para mirarte. O soy yo la que esta reluciendo? Buffff! Me siento boba...

Y que te parecen mis adornos? Puedo ponerme 5 cadenas D&G mas, no importa! La que tiene arte lo eclipsa todo!

Ahora, te digo un secreto: El dormitorio no sabe que tengo un fetiche por los azulejos que te rodean, por lo cual voy a tirar una fotito en plan diva ahí también, para que no se de cuenta y herir sus sentimientos...

Model Jessica Stam in the living area of her Manhattan apartment, decorated by Rafael de Cárdenas; the Moroccan doors are remnants of a previous owner's decor. The antique chaise was found on eBay , and the pillow is by the Silk Trading Co.

The apartment for cover girl Jessica Stam is a jewel-tone paradise with a dash of silver-screen glamour. There are all sorts of things people will not do for themselves. Few, for example, feel the burning urge to make their own shoes or build a laptop. And abandoned pasta machines across the land prove that, really, store-bought lasagna noodles are just fine.

But people won't be dissuaded from blithely taking on one of the toughest tasks on the planet: renovating and decorating their homes. Jessica Stam, one of fashion's hottest young faces and a favorite of photographer Steven Meisel, did exactly that with her previous apartment, in New York City's East Village. It was only after a year of arguing with contractors and agonizing over every minor furniture choice that the blue-eyed model finally crumbled.

"I had been living there for a year, and my books were still in boxes," recalls the Canada-born catwalker. "I had bought two sofas, and..." There Stam's voice -- like her progress -- trails off. Tentatively, she started meeting with prospective decorators, but no one clicked until Rafael de Cárdenas stepped onto the scene. The taste of the sharp young Manhattan interior designer -- and, even more important, Stam says, his sense of humor -- was perfectly in step with her own. During a collegial chat, Cárdenas sketched out his ideas for her, which included a healthy dose of what he calls "old-Hollywood exuberance." There was, however, one small problem: Stam's apartment was not worth sinking money into -- it had no view, no charm, and insufficient space. Undaunted, she promptly found another, a one-bedroom a few blocks away, flooded with western light.

It marked the first of many successful joint decisions, though Stam is quick to call Cárdenas her design mentor. "Clients often don't know what to ask for," he says. "I was confident that Jessica would like what I was going to do. She's this beautiful Grace Kelly-esque blond, so I felt it was important for her to have a place that made her look and feel fabulous."

For Cárdenas to reach his desired glamour quotient meant starting from scratch in the new apartment, a masculine, distress-finished, ethnic-accented number that looked, as he describes it, "like Indiana Jones had designed a Marriott." According to Stam, "We basically kept nothing." Or almost nothing: Of her previous decor, only a taxidermy rattlesnake, coiled and ready to strike, made the cut thanks to its sentimental value (it was a birthday gift). Spared in the new space were a former owner's massive Moroccan doors leading to the bedroom, the only major earth-tone element the decorator okayed.

Instead he opted for a jewel-like palette of purples and pinks, along with splashes of metallic gold and silver, to lend an elegant backdrop to furnishings that evoke several modes of stylishness -- specifically, those of 1940s Hollywood, '60s Italy, and '70s America. Though Cárdenas is an unabashed fan of modernism and filled Stam's space with an array of striking 20th-century furniture -- a Vistosi-style chandelier, white-lacquer Milo Baughman sideboard, and Dorothy Draper floor lamp -- he is also a firm believer in more old-fashioned notions of originality and connoisseurship. So he proceeded to troll eBay and scour Manhattan, Los Angeles, and Miami -- some of his favorite stomping grounds -- for unique treasures (no ubiquitous Eames or Saarinen pieces here) like the living area's anonymous long, low '50s sofa he discovered online.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the apartment walls, sheathed in vintage papers from Manhattan's Secondhand Rose. A '30s motif of falling maple leaves in muted blue-greens and coppers bedecks the bedroom while an opulent lilac-and-silver floral pattern envelopes the dining area. Another wall sparkles with neat panes of mirror, amplifying the eye-catching effect of the wallpaper reflected there. More intriguing details were created by the designer himself, including a silver Op Art sunburst mural along a dramatic curved entry wall and a Jean Harlow-worthy headboard in cushioned rays of pink satin in the bedroom.

The rich mix is signature Cárdenas and much like Stam herself -- refreshingly glamorous and relaxed at the same time. "I don't like pure styles," he declares. "They bore me." And one thing is clear: Stam is not bored. "When the apartment was finished I came home every day for weeks and just lay on the sofa," she recalls. "I couldn't believe I lived here; I was so happy."

And as for those two sofas Stam bought, they also got a happy ending -- in the basement of Stam's East Hampton, New York, house, which to her delight Cárdenas is redoing as well. The lesson? If at first you don't succeed, don't try again -- just hire a decorator.

More photos below.

In the living area, 1950s armchairs upholstered in a Donghia cotton, a vintage Lucite -and-glass table from Glo, a '50s floor lamp, and a vintage sofa found on eBay ; the custom-made rug is by Stark Carpet.

The foyer features a '40s slipper chair from Todd Merrill Antiques, Dorothy Draper floor lamp, midcentury side table, and Cárdenas-designed mural.

The light fixture is '60s Italian, and the vintage wallpaper is from Secondhand Rose.

A Milo Baughman sideboard from Visiona and '60s lamps in the dining area.

In the bedroom, a custom-made headboard by Cárdenas, quilts from Calypso Home, a vintage Florence Knoll bench, and 1930s wallpaper from Secondhand Rose.

A vintage chaise longue, a '40s lamp, and a stool by Marcel Wanders for Kartell in the living area.

"I'm so jealous!" :P

[Source: Elle Decor]
Written by David Colman
Photographed by Roger Davies
Produced By Carlos Mota

Uno: Working man. Dile al mundo que eres un hombre trabajador, o al menos, haz que lo parezca. Para ello vístete como si trabajaras a la intemperie (si lo haces, tienes ventaja). Nada está de más: abrigos, jerseys, gorros, bufandas… Frankie Morello muestra en su desfile al perfecto hombre trabajador.

Dos: En los días que te apetezca arreglarte un poco más, imita a Jon Kortajarena para Tom Ford. Lo conseguirás combinando trajes de tres piezas con un elemento que aporte frescura, como una parka o una cazadora de cuero.

Tres: La lana, un básico necesario. Eso sí, siempre oversize. Este invierno nada de estrecheces, por favor. Otro consejo; no temáis a los colores fuertes, como el verde o el naranja pero siempre procurando que el resto del look sea en negro o en gris.

Cuatro: ¡Cuadros! Los que ya se hicieron con una camisa de cuadros el año pasado están de suerte, y los que no; no se a qué estáis esperando… vuelve el tartán también para vosotros. Además, lo hace en forma de pantalones, abrigos, americanas…

Cinco: El cardigan. Otra tendencia que vuelve, aunque esta temporada es mejor que te hagas con uno en lana gruesa.

Dato importante: sigue la estética college  como en el desfile de Fred Perry.

Seis: Cazadora de cuero. Tened en mente a Luke Perry en Sensación de vivir o fijad vuestra mirada en el desfile de Gucci.

En negro o en marrón, la cazadora será tu mejor amiga tanto durante la noche, como por el día.

Siete: El abrigo. Por encima de la rodilla y con solapas, al estilo mafia. En cuanto al color, opta por cualquier gama de marrones o grises.

El de la imagen es de Yves Saint Laurent.

Ocho: Piel. No os podéis quejar, ¡este invierno la industria se ha propuesto que vayáis bien abrigaditos! Los hermanos Dean y Dan de Dsquared2 apuestan por la piel vuelta, hazlo tu también.

Nueve: El pantalón. Se acepta el pitillo como tendencia, pero esta temporada lo más son los Oxford bags. El oversize toca todos los campos y el pantalón no podía ser menos.

Diez: Botas. No importa el estilo ni el color, basta con que puedan denominarse botas.

Las de la derecha son de Boss Orange, las de la izquierda de D&G.

Raquel F.

retail price $499

Which is hotter!!! The low-top, or the high-top???? Leave your comments

retail price $519

This is phillyfreck back at it for my dudes that need that italian shoe game in they life lol. I was just going to post the high-top sneakers cause thats more my flavor, but I got some requests for the low-top. So i said efff it, I will post them both.

LOVE the entire collection, and the red lips! I could never pull off that red lip!

ANNE VALERIE HASH SPRING 2009

Beautiful watery print and flowing dresses!

BALMAIN SPRING 2009

Military inspired, new shoulder pad shapes and fitted dresses. Fabulous!

BRUNO PIETERS SPRING 2009

New fabrications in simple geometric silhouettes.

DOLCE AND GABBANA SPRING 2009

Looking more like Fall than Spring, but still amazing!

D&G SPRING 2009

Sophisticated and nautical!

EMILIO PUCCI SPRING 2009

Fun prints and fabulous brights!!

FENDI SPRING 2009

One of my favorites so far! Nothing but feminine silhouettes and great texture mixing. Mega belts or modern corsets? Love them!

KRIS VAN ASSCHE SPRING 2009

Menswear inspired and great boots!

LUISA BECCARIA SPRING 2009

So fairy tale-fem I love it!

MAURIZIO PECORARO SPRING 2009

I wish I could walk around in underwear and a metallic tank during NY summers!

MAXMARA SPRING 2009

Simple plaids and solids make you focus on the new shapes!

NINA RICCI SPRING 2009

Beautiful dresses and prints to die for!

RICK OWENS SPRING 2009

Not sure about the nun head dresses but the silhouettes were interesting.

VERSACE SPRING 2009

Feminine and chic, more polished than usual! 

Get up to speed on 2009 fashion with the Times family critics.

By now the stilettoed set covering the shows in Europe has traded caffè latte for café au lait. For the rest of the world, however, last week had some distractions (a worsening global financial crisis, for example), so a Milan fashion refresher is probably in order. Here is an ultrasimplified digest of all the reviews written by Suzy Menkes (SM) and Cathy Horyn (CH) from Milan. Teetering models and teetering markets -- two of a kind, sort of.

To read the full review click on the name of the collection.

Alberta Ferretti: "a sophisticated peekaboo perforation" -- SM
Antonio Marras: "too sophisticated to make romance sugary" -- SM
Aquilano e Rimondi: "a front/back look at fashion with the focus often on the exit line" -- SM
Bottega Veneta: "Ah, a leather sundress -- just the thing for summer!" -- CH
Bottega Veneta: "maiden freshness was often pretty" -- SM
Brioni: "all calm and voluptuous elegance, proving that whatever the state of the economy, modern classics are always a good investment" -- SM
Burberry Prorsum: "seemed to return to the Mr. Bailey of his London girl years" -- CH
Burberry Prorsum: "Bailey knows that into life some rain must fall, even if spring green ultimately broke through in this quietly beautiful show" -- SM
C'N'C: "However the designer tried to dress up the futuristic clothes as 'techno-rock,' the result had a familiar club vibe" -- SM
D&G: "The wind was certainly blowing in from all over" -- SM
Dolce & Gabbana: "as if a gifted child was doing math in bed" -- SM
Dsquared: "bluntly silly" -- CH
DSquared: "as if nothing was going to intrude on their optimism about a world where a safari suit partners with pink suede boots and a golden crocodile trench coat was flashed up with copper sleeves" -- SM
Emporio Armani: "from the Ottoman empire via cruise boat to dance floor seems a long stretch" -- SM
Fendi: "visualize, if you will, a collection of trolls on a sunny windowsill" -- CH
Fendi: "had a touch of the peasant/pastoral innocence that is moving fashion away from those toxic city slickers" -- SM
Gianfranco Ferré: "things like silhouette and proportion and wearability were sacrificed to pure effects" -- CH
Gianfranco Ferré: "They had maybe clicked too hard on the 'refresh' button" -- SM
Giorgio Armani: "wild hair was in tune with the wind-blown effect of a super-light collection" -- SM
Gucci: "felt more merchandised than designed" -- CH
Gucci: "a sulfurous safari" -- SM
Jil Sander: "incredibly gratifying; devouring, too" -- CH
Jil Sander: "went 'beyond the fringe' " -- SM
Just Cavalli: "The focus of Cavalli's summer 2009 secondary line was animal prints -- which is a bit like announcing to the world that the Pope is Catholic" -- SM
Marni: "wonderfully tone-deaf to everything else going on -- and more so than usual" -- CH
Marni: "offered a joyous way to chase away doom and gloom" -- SM
MaxMara: "It's always fascinating how everyone seems to know that one thing will be in fashion and not another" -- CH
Missoni: "a strong collection of bold, abstract prints" -- CH
Missoni: "a streamlined elegance to a Missoni collection that a couple of years ago seemed aimed at her 20-something daughters" -- SM
Pollini: "Geometric patterns on wafting pieces of wallpaper were not just a lively backdrop" -- SM
Prada: "There was no real taste, no mastery of an idea or a feeling, and probably no real place for these clothes except on the runway or in a picture" -- CH
Prada: "a tumble as obvious as the unfortunate model, whose figure, folding up like a pipe cleaner as she hit the concrete floor, made even the most seasoned fashionista squirm" -- SM
Pucci: "upbeat to a fault" -- SM
Roberto Cavalli: "total aesthetic confusion" -- SM
Salvatore Ferragamo: "tough chic, with a 1980s tinge, looked like a tough sell to the discreetly elegant Ferragamo woman" -- SM
Versace: "What makes people think that a $3,000 dress with a rash of zippers at the neck can take peoples' minds off an economic crisis or their children's shrinking college funds?" -- CH
Versace: "Bling, though maybe 'very Versace,' does not seem to fit with a mood when ostentation is out" -- SM

Alas ... not.

According to our friends at Shophound who have been following the shows in Milan (though not actually there covering as they did for NY Fashion Week), the numbers have been disappointing.

The runways at Milan Fashion Week looked kinda like this. See the one black spot?

Bottega Veneta led the way with a 17% 'diversity quotient' consisting of four black models and one Asian out of 28 total models.

After that, it's all single-digit DQs. Depressing.

Way behind, was D&G, with four models of colour - three black models and one South Asian model out of 51 models in total, to have a DQ of 8.9 %.

DSquared had a DQ of 9.6% for having 2 models of colour - one black, one Asian, out of 21 models.

Gucci, which just signed Rihanna to be their spokesperson in their first ever UNICEF campaign, had a measly DQ of 4 % which represented a whopping one model of colour, out of 25.

It infuriates me how so many of these luxury brands are willing to ride on the popularity and influence of black celebrities and of hip-hop culture in particular which has glorified and glamorised them but then people of colour are not good enough for their campaigns. We market them and push them but there is hardly any reciprocity and it's not right.

My favorite new trend that is hitting fashion is tucking the hem of the pants into high-top shoes! It looks awesome and works great if you're gonna hit the club. That way you won't ruin the bottoms of the legs when you get out there and dance!! And what outfit would be complete without adding some accessories? None! So here are my choices!

And last, but not least...

So, that is only one of the outfits that I got in LA. I got a few other things that I will be sure to post at a later date. I also will be putting up more future outfits and hopefully be doing some shoots with them!!

I've got an interview coming up with Ethan Reynolds, current cast member of the Here! Network show "The Lair"!! Stay tuned people!!

So, no, this is not the picture (but I had to stick something D&G in here); however,this one is fairly tasteful, definitely dramatic and bigtime beautiful as in something to look at and not necessarily to wear. Jessica Stam and Gemma Ward were nearly unrecognizable in this one (sorry-forgot who the third model is) but this campaign from Spring-Summer 08 is far classier and embracing than a lot of D&G's stuff over the recent past.

If you want to see my D&G rusticana-to-die for picture, you'll have to get your hands on a September VOGUE. In the meantime, I'll keep searching for a scannable, scammable copy.

It's such a good taste...

DJ AM has been released from the Hospital here
The celebs came out to celebrate Domenico Dolce of Dolce & Gabbana's 50th anniversaryhere
Hottie Shia Labeouf won't be charged with DUI here
Drew Barrymore + Bill Clinton here
Britney Spears Womanizer: Love it or Leave it
Christina Aguilera wants you to Rock the Vote here

Take for instance, Gucci.  Poor Frida:  From Cathy Horyn of the New York Times "(...) are they a look you  expect from Gucci, or Liz Claiborne? Are they even a Look?" And from WWD: "Gucci looks are all over Zara."

OUCH!  Or as we say in France, AIE!  Zara - Gucci - Gucci - Zara....?

Sure, every designer gets sliced once in a while by the Cathy Horn razor blade.  But I must say that what shocked me the most was the display of pure, unadulterated copying at D&G.  A complete Chanel knock-off!! Take a look for yourself!  Scandalous!

Being French, and living for French fashion, I cannot accept this type
of plagiarism.   Bisoooooo!

Inspiration fonds marin pour cette brillante robe Giorgio Armani

Le récif coralien vu par Blumarine

D&G signe une tenue parfaite pour le yatching

Source des visuels : Madame le Figaro