Monthly Archives: November 2009
Farmers Accuse Hermès of Hoarding Alligator Skins
November 30, 2009 – 5:20 pm
Last year, farmers in Louisiana who produce alligator skins used for luxury handbags and watches and things plucked over half a million gator eggs from the wild to harvest. However, this year most farmers collected no eggs. Demand for the goods, which routinely cost upwards of five figures, has flagged somewhat. For example, sales of watches — a key component of the gator-farming business — are down 25 percent. But farmers don’t think that adds up to such a quick and utter washout of the business.
Hermès, which began breeding their own crocodiles on farms in Australia this year to keep up with demand for croc goods, became the “largest player in the exotic tannery business” a couple of years ago, according to the Times. In the nineties, they began buying tanneries.
One farmer posits that Hermès is hoarding the skins, driving up prices for other fashion houses (Hermès denies a monopoly of the business). Now some gator farmers are being forced to experiment with other livelihoods, such as opening roadside zoos with turtles and snakes found in the surrounding wilderness. It’s less bloody, but also a far less lucrative and glamorous occupation.
As Sales Vanish, Skins Stay on Alligators [NYT]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: later gator, designers, hermes
Katie Holmes Likes It Messy
November 30, 2009 – 5:00 pm
Katie Holmes’s makeup looked natural and clean at the Dizzy Feet Foundation’s inaugural fund-raiser in Hollywood last night. But her hair looked just the opposite, tied back in a messy ponytail with wispy pieces hanging out.
Do you have to do your hair every time you go out? Or is it okay to keep it messy like Katie did?
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: look of the day, beauty, katie holmes
Breaking: Men Wear Facial Hair Because It Makes Them Feel Special
November 30, 2009 – 4:45 pm
We’ve been noticing a lot of furry men lately. Like real men, not just Brad Pitt and David Beckham and their magical mustaches. Why the extra fuzz? Just to prove that they can. “Men grow facial hair now with a bit of irony,” says Allan Peterkin, author of One Thousand Beards. “It’s rebellious but playful at the same time. They’re saying: ‘I’m no corporate slave. I can get away with this in a way my grandfather couldn’t.” Do men look better with or without facial hair? [Independent UK]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty, brad pitt, david beckham, facial hair, men’s beauty
Behind the Scenes of H&M’s Giant Sonia Rykiel Lingerie Show
November 30, 2009 – 4:30 pm
This Saturday, Sonia Rykiel’s lingerie collection for H&M hits 1,500 H&M stores. (For the first time in H&M’s designer-collaboration history, you can also find the collection in stand-alone Sonia Rykiel boutiques.) A runway show of the line will take place in Paris tomorrow, and stream live online here beginning at 5 p.m. EST. It’s shaping up to be the Victoria’s Secret fashion show of Europe. The elaborate Alice in Wonderland–inspired concept involves 2.5-meter-high rabbits, a 25- to 30-meter-high replica of the Eiffel Tower, and plenty of balloons and other shenanigans. Whereas Victoria’s Secret models get wings, the models in Rykiel’s H&M show will be carted out on floats in a nexus of two of life’s greatest pleasures, parades and fashion shows.
Pieces in the line range from $12 for thongs to $30 for bras and $114.50 for “Hollywood homewear” items, which include chiffon kimonos, black velour pajamas, and a one-sleeve dress that can double as eveningwear.
H&M has released new images of the collection and behind-the-scenes video of the model fittings and show preparations. Enjoy the panty-fest in the slideshow!
Sonia Rykiel for H&M will launch with a fantasy Paris show on Dec 1 and online streaming [Sassybella]
Sonia Rykiel Previews H&M Lingerie Line [WWD]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: panty parade, designers, hm, sonia rykiel
For the Holidays, White House Uses Barneys Decorator
November 30, 2009 – 4:06 pm
A designer known for some naughty New York holiday windows has been in charge of yuletide arrangements for the White House.
Cindy Crawford Hasn’t Gotten Botox in Ten Years; Lady Gaga’s Manicure Secrets
November 30, 2009 – 4:00 pm
Cindy Crawford.
PLASTIC SURGERY
• Cindy Crawford, 43, on plastic surgery: “I haven’t done Botox for ten years … Because people have such expectations of what they are going to find when they see me, that brings added pressure to fight the aging process. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I think I’m holding together pretty good.” [Daily Mail UK]
• Plastic surgery is on the rise in Venezuela for an unlikely reason — the recession! People are reportedly spending more money on themselves to remain happy and positive during the financial crisis. [StyleList]
NAILS
• Lady Gaga’s manicurist Kimmie Kyees painted the China Glaze shade Liquid Leather on the singer’s fingers for the opening scene of the Bad Romance video, and covered nails with gold screens found at Jo-Ann Fabrics. She also used Alpine Snow Matte by O.P.I. [BellaSugar]
FRAGRANCE
• Patrick Dempsey stars alongside his wife for the campaign of his second fragrance for Avon, Patrick Dempsey 2. His wife is how he got the scent deal in the first place — she is Avon’s creative color director. [StyleWatch/People]
HAIR
• Lily Allen is a big fan of wigs. Over the weekend, she wore a platinum-blonde hairpiece with asymmetrical bangs and black streaks. [Beauty Counter/Style.com]
MAKEUP
• For the next two weeks, Estée Lauder makeup artists are offering free “put your best face in cyberspace” makeovers at stores across America, which means they are doing makeovers — and taking pictures on-site — specifically so you can pretty up your Facebook or Match.com photos. The events kicked off in New York last week. Would you go? [Independent UK]
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: beauty marks, beauty, cindy crawford, estee lauder, fragrance, hair, jill dempsey, lady gaga, lily allen, makeup, nails, patrick dempsey, plastic surgery
Carla Bruni Wore a Jacket From Stella McCartney’s GapKids Line on TV
November 30, 2009 – 3:35 pm
Carla Bruni isn’t known for her high-to-low fashion sensibilities like Michelle Obama is, but last week the 41-year-old First Lady of France wore a jacket from Stella McCartney’s GapKids collection on TV to do a duet with Harry Connick Jr. A children’s piece, the jacket naturally looks shrunken on any adult — especially Carla, who’s of model height. On her, it looks to us like a piece we’d try on and debate purchasing in front of a dressing-room mirror for 25 minutes before fleeing the store in sweaty frustration. [HuffPo]
Read more posts by Amy Odell
Filed Under: carla watch, carla bruni, designers, gapkids, stella mccartney
Saks Fifth Avenue Uses Twitter in Its Holiday Windows
November 30, 2009 – 3:20 pm
It might not be snowing yet, but Saks Fifth Avenue’s new holiday windows have enough fake snow to last you all season. The retailer’s new holiday book, Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Flake, inspired the displays, which feature glittery flakes that drizzle down each pane and fake snowdust gathered in piles at the bottom. There are also video monitors that show tweets tagged with #holidaywindows, which is a result of the retailer’s new partnership with Microsoft. See these, and the new Lord & Taylor displays, in our Holiday Windows slideshow.
Read more posts by Sharon Clott
Filed Under: tis the season, holiday windows, holiday windows 2009, lord and taylor, saks fifth avenue
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