Fashion

In recent years, we’ve endured the resurrection of many 1980s staples, including skinny jeans, leggings, drop-crotch MC Hammer pants, Wayfarer sunglasses, cocaine and Andrew McCarthy.

So why did it take us so long to haul out the shoulder pads? Controversial linchpin of ’80s dressing, they conjure memories of Dynasty and Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation, of teased bangs and pinstriped power suits. In other words, not the era’s brightest moments.

Yet modern runways have begun to resemble surrealist marching band practices, dominated as they are by massive “structured” shoulders accessorized by tassels, fur and—at Maison Martin Margiela in September—blond wigs. 

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"I have no plans to leave American Vogue now or in the foreseeable future," said Vogue editor Anna Wintour as she was walking out of the Plaza this morning.

Ms. Wintour was at the Plaza today along with New Yorker editor David Remnick and Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter to participate in a panel discussion sponsored by the Newhouse School of Communication and The New Yorker.

Rumors have been circulating for weeks that Ms. Wintour was coming close to giving up her editor's chair. Earlier this week, Condé Nast chairman Si Newhouse dismissed reports he was meeting in France with French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld about her replacing Ms. Wintour. "This is the silliest rumor I ever heard," he said. Ms. Wintour, when offered the chance to dismiss the rumor on November 21st, only fueled further speculation when she told a reporter to go away.  read more »

Wake up, girls! This is the dawning of a new era. It’s time to get serious. The age of Obama has no place for superficial broads who spend all day ironing their hair, blowing their credit on status handbags and coveting bunion-mangling shoes.

In the super-earnest, cash-strapped America of today, you can no longer define yourself by a flashy purse or the number of Louboutin porno pumps in your closet. Ding-dong, the Sex and the City female archetype is melting! That post-feminist woman, the gal who thought drinking Cosmos and buying Blahniks made her an empowered and contributing member of society, is now lying in the fetal position in her closet, clutching fistfuls of credit card bills and cringing with embarrassment at her previous excesses.  read more »

Call it the Year of the Tortoise: the year that New York women—speedy, combative, bargain-driven shoppers—finally slowed their credit card use to a crawl; and tortoiseshell, named for a lumbering, dwindling beast, bled downward from our sunglasses to color the rest of our wardrobes.

Late last week, the city’s beleaguered retail stores were awash in this mottled-honey hue. Designer Shoe Warehouse was selling tortoise ankle boots by Sergio Zelcer for $179.95. The popular boutique Poppy on Mott Street offered Nicole Romano tortoiseshell earrings for $182. Tory Burch had sold out of tortoiseshell clutches at $425. Fashion Web site Style.com was pushing a Sonya Rykiel leather belt with tortoiseshell bow ($217) as a holiday gift.  read more »

Target has announced two new collaborations: a handbag line with Felix Rey designers Lily Band and Sulaika Zarrouk to launch on March 29 and a shoe collection with footwear designer Trish Carroll, called Miss Trish of Capri for Target, for April 5. [WWD] 

When asked about her possible retirement, Anna Wintour asked a reporter from The Cut to leave her alone and please go away. [The Cut] 

Stylista contestant Kate: "What you see on television is a 100 percent accurate depiction of me and the entire cast." [Racked]   read more »

Avon has signed former Mademoiselle editor Mandi Norwood to write the Michelle Obama Style Guide for next spring. [P6]

There were rumors that Anna Wintour might leave Vogue for a "cultural" position in Barack Obama's administration, but Ms. Wintour's rep says it's totally not true. [MSNBC via Gawker]

Gwyneth Paltrow graciously approached PETA vice president Dan Matthews at the Fontainebleau Hotel opening in Miami and apologized for wearing fur in her ad for Tod's. [Us Weekly]  read more »

Last night at Fifth Avenue's three-story Gucci behemoth, the heels were treacherously high, the paparazzi were out in full force, the fur-lined suede coats were not on sale (but yours for just $5,960)—it felt like 2006!

The crowd was there to celebrate a new line of Gucci products that benefit UNICEF; the singer Rihanna stars in the ad campaign and was the evening's host (though after a brief appearance in the women's department, she departed with her bodyguard and entourage of seven for a private dinner in the Oak Room at the Plaza). Ugly Betty star Becki Newton and hubby Chris Diamantopoulos were both clad in head-to-toe Gucci and Ms. Newton was star-struck over Rihanna's (brief) presence.

"I'm still hung up on 'Umbrella'," she said.  read more »

At the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards at Splashlight Studios on Monday, Nov. 17, election fashion was still on everyone's mind. "She saw that dress and she liked it," said Narciso Rodriguez, who designed Michelle Obama's Election Night dress. "She saw it on the runway, she chose it, I guess from the runway..." He nodded slowly and mouthed "yes" when asked if he'd known in advance that she would wear it.

The young designers of Proenza Schouler approached Mr. Rodriguez. "Did you see Michelle Obama in his dress?" cried Lazaro Hernandez. "Really major!"

"They have a fabulous new bag line," deflected Mr.  read more »

In an ideal world, if Leighton Meester and Ed Westwick, the young actors who play the evil but secretly good Blair Waldorf and Chuck Bass on Gossip Girl, were to appear in an ad campaign, it would be for Marc Jacobs or Miu Miu or even Chanel; those are just the kind of labels we imagine Chuck and Blair promoting. 

But somehow, Mr. Westwick's and Ms. Meester's agents don't seem to get all of this. And instead of a high-end, Chuck-and-Blair-appropriate ad campaign, both Ms. Meester and Mr. Westwick are promoting sneakers. Sneakers!  read more »

Those rumors that Pamela Anderson would be featured in ads for Vivienne Westwood were correct. Ms. Anderson has reportedly signed a six-figure deal to be the face of the designer's spring 2009 campaign. [Vogue UK] 

Trays of shots replaced birthday cakes at the joint birthday party at Indochine for Julia Restoin Roitfeld and her father Christian Restoin hosted by mother Carine (editor of French Vogue) and brother Vladimir. [WWD] 

Tallulah Harlech, daughter of Karl Lagerfeld's muse Lady Amanda Harlech, has been cast in a short film for Chanel by the designer. Her mother's words of advice? "Don’t pout like Keira Knightley." [WWD]   read more »