by coutorture

The twenty four hour news cycle is filled with constant and consistent regurgitation. Americans peep and peck at the beak of the all American newscaster, preferring to have information gathered and digested for them. We consume in tiny little bits at regular intervals like a baby bird being nurtured in the nest of international news without ever bothering to spread our wings. Just as with actual digestion, a little bit of bile is often the result of this process. One of our favorite by products of this process this summer? The constant obsession with the economy and/or the recession.

Now of course defining a recession is pretty cut and dried, but that doesn't leave much to fill the gaping maw of America's desires. Because if we can't consume things we must consume content. We often wonder that if in attempting to keep up appearances, as the beloved Simon Doonan points out in his piece on dressing during a recession, we as the fashion content industry has gone completely overboard in our efforts to sate the appetites of our constituency. We know you aren't buying as much, we aren't buying as much either.

Thus we continue to supply useful pieces on consuming no matter how large our debt to China grows. Instead of consuming products you consume ever more useful pieces of content on fashion. We show you how to shop online, or how to avoid sample sale madness. We are complicit in the ever growing obsession with constantly consuming, no matter what the product. And you know what? We are going to keep doing it.

In the rat race of online publishing we must constantly polish the rhetoric of consumption such that you are always wondering what new and digested manner of shopping we will provide to you next. In fact, we already have a new series in mind that makes use of the kitschy buzzwords of the recession content watch (we are going on staycation folks), but we just wanted to let you know that we are aware. Even our hyper vigilant efforts to remain aloof from the other yammering folks churning out content online (no boring ogling of persons of non-note for us) are not immune from the process of constant product. So we have to at least admit that we know we are doing it too.

by coutorture

The nostalgia and yearning of city life has been an inspiration since antiquity. While pastoral idealism has certainly had its impact on many creative processes, fashion has always sat squarely in the camp of urbanism.

While Atonin Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, in E Minor "From the New World" is our favorite for a certain kind of longing and aspiration that speaks to the hard scrabble world of American immigrant urbanism that built our textile industry, there is another kind of urban symphony that speaks to American dreams.

They are dreams are not of longing, but of completion and success. Naturally we are referring to George Gershwin who is our go to guy when it comes to a certain era of cosmopolitan creation. It is inspiration for those that have already made it. He plays on a kind of perky insouciance that says there is no hoping only being as the kind of cocky optimism that plays out across the American cultural heritage. He gave us An American in Paris which practically defined the genre of American cross cultural ownership of the urban landscape. Strangely nothing is more American than a pretty lady and her beau swanning about Paris claiming French haute couture for a certain quirky American constituency.

But with the Euro beating the dollar the kind of naive ownership that American style have long had over modern cities even beyond our borders is crumbling. We cannot borrow and reinvent against other's cosmopolitan culture anymore. We simply can't afford it. We say however to let go of Dvorak and go again for Gershwin when dressing in our American Not Quite in Paris staycation attire.

Let us hope that these style inspirations help us remember more of the Gershwin and less of the Dvorak in our urban landscape. This kind of confident ownership is sure to turn our currency around and annoy the crap out of the Parisians as we again claim rights their crown jewel. Even if we have to do it from a café next door on our staycation we say emulate the Parisians. After all, we are a nation of comeback kids and second chances. We say be dressed to be an American in Paris, since any day now a chic pair of black pants and a black shift might be required as we traipse about humming Gershwin on a wild spending spree at our favorite Right Bank boutiques.

by coutorture

Your editor just came back from a very curious little vacation. She went on the ultimate search for the ultimate bar food munchie: the chicken wing. This strange journey upstate to Buffalo is somewhat indicative of the perplexing situation of plenty amongst the possible ruins that typifies our current climate.

Though not everyone is able to take a vacation this summer. In fact, we have taken a shine to a phrase that is all over the news media. Many of us are supposedly going on staycations to save on gas, airfare, and other overpriced travel problems.

We find this humorous because fashionistas have been playing at escapist fantasies without ever leaving our four walls for years. That is why we play dress up in the first place as far as we are concerned. But its nice to know that our ability to play with perception is finally gaining credence with the rest of the world. Thus we give you are first attempt at the escapist fantasy dress up game in our staycation series.

We love deserts, rafting, and cowboys. The allure of that lifestyle is one we continue to chronicle. Thus we give you Four Corners Without Leaving Your Four Walls. Cheap dungarees, fast fashion southwestern themed accessories (totally called that one) and one very pricey but awesome Phillip Lim western shirt will take you to a dive bar that plays both kinds of music (country and western) or maybe a movie night at home. May we suggest a few dude ranch westerns?

by coutorture Certain garments can't help but evoke unfortunate associations. For us the one shouldered style bring up brings up Express tank tops bursting at the seems with sorority girl bosom, beer pong, and this tragic song. But our community just insists on keeping an open mind. Couture in the City has tips on how to wear the one shouldered style (even if her initial examples of the trend make us yawn since umm celebrities) and Fashion Pad has off the shoulder madness. Now we associate this style with warm weather, possibly because of the bare skin, possibly because it can have a bit of a silly spring break vibe to it. But given the finds from Couture In The City and Fashion Pad, In fact, there seems to be a number of sophisticated fall styles that show off your shoulders. The Versace dress pictured above is clearly one of Fall 2008's best dresses. Maybe this is simply a brilliant merchandising designer gambit designed to keep shoulders free for Fall's ubiquitous shoulder bags. Why make money off the dress when you can make even more money off the bag? But Vince, Lela Rose, and Marc Jacobs all have fall styles we could really get into. Which makes us think this asymmetry isn't just about showing off boobs to distract your opponent at bear pong anymore.

by coutorture Getting a shave and a haircut may not cost two bits anymore but old timey allure is still in style. Freeman's Sporting Club has opened a second barbershop location with 750 SF on Horatio Street called F.S.C. Barber. It won't be quite so bear and beard as its original location according to Sam Buffa. “With this, I wanted to do a little bit of a cleaner look of Twenties and Thirties Deco." Ruffled purveyor of mall fashions Charlotte Russe is in trouble. Its board adopted a stockholder rights plan, also known as a poison pill, which companies often use to discourage hostile takeovers. We can't imagine anyone wanting to be hostile about a cheap going out top but Charlotte Russe said the plan is “designed to enable all stockholders…to realize the full value of their investment and to provide for fair and equal treatment for all stockholders in the event that an unsolicited attempt is made to acquire Charlotte Russe.” In other mall stores that are having a bad day news, Wilson's Leather is going out of business. London Fashion Week has abandoned plans for its health test for models. Being a size zero will not be a crime. Up and coming British label Sinha Stanic just got a little more "up." For the two seasons from spring/summer 2009, the label will be sponsored by Cotton Council International's (CCI) UK Fashion Support Agency.

by coutorture When aspirational fashion grabs hold, you'd better hold on tightly to your wallet. Although we love all things luxurious, all things fashion don't have to be expensive, as you'll see in today's Must Read posts from: As anyone who is fashion obsessed, Look Online can't help relating everything back to fashion. Watching the Olympics puts the global fashion market into perspective, from cultural trends, to Ralph Lauren's designs. Aspirational fashion is what keeps many of us working hard, so we can someday obtain the gold prize we seek. M.I.S.S. Crew brings a custom Goyard train case event to our attention, and it starts those dreams all over again. Might as well add another item to the list! As often as trends and styles change, we can't imagine doing anything permanent with our look. Beauty and Personal Grooming opens a discussion on permanent makeup, and while we think of it as a procedure of convenience, she reminds us that it is also helpful to those who are allergic to cosmetics. CC Style discovers the most charming thing about Charmed and Dangerous jewelry, other than the designs, is the price. Cute jewelry and wallet friendly are absolutely two of our shopping criteria. Looking hopeless is something we could never recommend, and neither could Between My Peers. It's important for women to not become dredged down with their everyday lives and remember they're still beautiful at any age.