Well, well, well: old Babs doesn't have such safe outfit choices anymore, does she? Veik, a 29-year-old "doll player" from Beijing, has created a series of Barbie outfits styled after the one and only Lady Gaga. The miniature fashions include everything from Gaga's Alexander McQueen lobster-claw heels to her Jean-Charles de Castelbajac Kermit dress. And as for hairstyles, Veik has Gaga Barbie covered. The bob, the ringlets, the extensions - we're going there. Maybe Mattel will take notice, but we can't really see this guy walking out of the dollhouse with someone so experimental.
Almost a decade ago, before the internet took over communication, readers who wanted to get in touch with an editor would put pen to paper. Handwritten notes were the norm, and some publications, such as Time and Newsweek had a dedicated team whose sole purpose was to read and respond to each and every complaint or compliment received. Today, most readers simply comments on the publication's website or e-mail a letter to the editor.
Glamour Editor-in-Chief Cindi Leive says the magazine receives 30 to 40 handwritten notes, 1,000 emails and 5,000 comments on a weekly basis. According to Leive: "It used to be a big laborious thing to drag your team to Dallas and watch 10 women picking your magazine apart...Not to say that doesn't have some value, but I can watch 10,000 women in any given morning dipping in and out of the stories I have online. It's a much bigger, instantly gratifying, cheap way to get feedback."
Amongst the many trends that have swept us away since the Millenium, the past decade has proven to be one of the 'It Bag'. There was the Chloé 'Paddington', the Fendi 'Spy', the Dior 'Saddle', the Mulberry 'Bayswater' and YSL'Muse', to name a few, not forgetting the ever classic Hermés Birkin. Since the passing of the noughties, the value of the latest arm candy has risen dramatically, with the price of the Hermés 'Kelly' doubling, the classic Chanel bag having tripled its value, and the Gucci 'Jackie' increasing by an overwhelming 600% - from between $500 and 600 back in 2000, to $9,900 for an ostrich-skin version.
So we couldn't help but wonder, what will post-2010 hold for the It Bags of today? Chloé have already released their 'Paraty' to great success, and the Alexander Wang Coco Duffle rode the wave of the studded trend, so it seems that coveted handbags are here to stay. Chosen wisely, they are definitely worth the investment, the problem is - which one to choose?
Good for Stephen Jones: the milliner has been named to Queen Elizabeth II's 2009 New Year Honors list, which recognises today's most innovative and influential designers and tastemakers. Accordingly Jones, who held a retrospective at London's Victoria & Albert Museum last year, has been named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE. "Around the world, millinery is seen as a uniquely British art and I am proud to be part of that tradition," Jones said.
Amanda Wakeley made the list and earned an OBE for both stocking the fashion industry with elaborate gowns and serving as founding co-chair of Fashion Targets Breast Cancer in the UK. The honour capped off an exceptional year for the designer, who successfully bought back her label from an investor in the midst of financial scandal. Michelle Mone, who founded Glasgow-based lingerie brand MJM International, Ultimo's parent company, earned an OBE of her own.
Design duo Kate and Laura Mulleavy are back with another lust-inducing collaboration, though this time it's one for the gents as they reveal their latest Rodarte designs for Opening Ceremony. The collection sees the sisters produce four pieces of their signature web-like knitwear - two cardigans and two crew necks - after having their recent womenswear collection for Target fly off the shelves.
They may be more than the $2,700 mark, but we're genuinely jealous of the gents that will be adding these spindly beauties to their wardrobes. Men should accessorise with geek glasses and many tattoos, obviously. However we may ignore the gender issue and begin rocking some of these ourselves. On your marks, boys.
Paris Hilton is one socialite who has steadily turned her talents into gold (or at least an empire) in the past few years. From party girl to jail bird to her current role as an entrepeneur, the 28-year-old has proved that she definitely has beauty and a brain for business. Indeed, the heiress prides herself on personally overseeing every aspect of each one of her businesses, be it perfumes, clothing or hair and beauty lines. Before she launched Paris Hilton Footwear in February 2008, she informed potential shoppers via her website that she: "personally chose the styling, design, materials and colors for the line and also wanted to make sure it was super-comfortable! Each shoe has a heart-shaped comfort pad sewn in...so you can dance all night long!"
Gwyneth Shoes, a New York-based shoe company, have alleged that Miss Hilton's heart-shaped pads are a copy of their design, which was patented in 2007. With Gwyneth Shoes seeking damages of an unspecified sum as well as an order forbidding Paris from any further usage of the design, one can only imagine what her next move will be. She has yet to comment on the matter, so stay tuned.
There really aren't such things as "trends" anymore because designers know that people are oddly reluctant to spend their money nowadays on things that they'll only be able to wear for three months, what with the economy crashing and unemployment soaring. So really, this is an excellent time to be a customer. Not only are the sales better and bigger this year, but designers are chucking any old thing in the pot these days in an attempt to appeal to the few potential customers out there who might be persuaded to buy.
What do the likes of Thakoon Panichgul, Behnaz Sarafpour and Stacey Bendet of Alice + Olivia all have in common? Be it more exercise, less drink, more sleep, or less shopping, they too have New Year's resolutions they hope to keep, just like the rest of us. Thanks to WWD now we now know that Thakoon, for example, not content with dressing the likes of Michelle Obama, Rachel Bilson and Demi Moore, has his heart set on learning Japanese. Sarafpour, whose celerity clientele include Anne Hathaway, Claire Danes and Selma Blair, knows that going to the gym "just won't happen." Instead she is "aiming for something more realistic and will try to become more of a morning person." Bendet, who can count Khloe Kardashian and Anna Lynne McCord as fans, has her sights set on getting "my driver's license so I can get a pink Smart car."
Luckily for them, the first step of deciding on a resolution has been taken. We, however, are still struggling to come up with goals we know we can actually stick to. Any suggestions will be very welcome.
