Noooooo! Part Three

Christian Lacroix, the French couturier whose artistic and exuberant pouf dresses propelled him to fame in the 1980s, became the latest victim of the global financial crisis Thursday as the U.S.-owned fashion house bearing his name filed in France for court protection from creditors.

Although Lacroix’s chief executive officer, Nicolas Topiol, emphasized that the brand intended to continue operating during the process, the news brings an end to a luxury business model for which Lacroix was the last of the Mohicans.

Lacroix Files for Bankruptcy

Wednesday's Wordle: And Justice for all

Shuesday: Something ... red?

Alright ladies, June is upon us, and that means wedding shoes, for the bride, bridesmaids, guests, and onlookers.

I'm officially devoting the next six weeks of Shuesday to footwear for weddings, and kicking it off with this Christian Louboutain that answers the "Something Blue" question delightfully.

Besides, now that it's after Memorial Day, we can get out the white shoes again.

Also appropriate for Fleet Week.

FG of the Month: Carine Roitfeld

Not to be outdone by Anna Wintour's 60 Minutes treatment, her French counterpart, Carine Roitfeld, had London's Guardian over to her office for a chat.

Listening to Carine Roitfeld talk is like having Chanel No 5 eau de parfum dripped, very slowly, into your ear. If it were possible to bottle that accent, it would surely be found to contain the very DNA of sexy-French-womanliness. Her thickly Gallic delivery is cartoonishly seductive, but the kittenishness is spiked by the low, Gauloise huskiness of her timbre. The combination is a heady cocktail of sharp and sweet, like the salted rim of a Margarita.

Wow. The British will really enver get over their fascination with the French, will they?

This, however, is delish. On rumours that she was asked to replace La Wintour:

...I think it's really not me. I'm good at what I do here and I'm not sure if you put me in that world I would be as good. I think it's much easier to talk to 100,000 women than millions of women across America.

And from the actual article:

she walks into her office six floors above the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in fresh-off-the-catwalk python boots, swinging a curtain of chic glossy dark hair, with thoroughbred-skinny legs and expensive-looking white teeth

NY Mag

The Guardian

Noooooo! Part Two

Hopefully this won't be a standing post. Au Revior, Mrs. John L. Strong.

Tell me about the history of Mrs. John L. Strong.
The company was started in 1929 by Flora Strong, the wife of an affluent stockbroker who fell on hard times during the Depression. Flora's sister had a trousseau shop on Fifth Avenue—it was actually right where Tiffany stands today—and Flora decided to go into the paper business at her sister's store. She had a rather tony group of friends—the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Nixons-social-register-type people. She catered to them and turned it into a business.

How would you sum up the company's style?
I wouldn't say there's a particular style because we do everything. The sky's the limit. And because we sell, without being crass, the world's most expensive and fine papers—everything is hand-engraved, hand-crafted by master craftsmen—I feel like the onus is on me to offer absolutely anything anyone wants. A person who comes to Mrs. John L. Strong understands that, and knows that it takes time to create these kinds of things. It's not immediate gratification. You can't get your paper in a week. And unfortunately, there's a cost associated with it.

If you're really interested in monitoring the recession, visit RecessionWire.com. They're far more well rounded when it comes to this sort of thing.

Company Profile
NY Mag

Wednesday's Wordle: Summer summer summer

The question is, will the office close early on Friday?

Shuesday: Bubble bubble

Thanks to Manolo, a Shoe Tub!

How do they do it?

Why can't I just roll out of bed on the weekend and look like this? Le sigh ...




Sartorialist

Noooooooo!

Two weeks ago, however, (Henri) Bendel’s announced that it will stop selling clothes and, beginning this fall, focus solely on more lucrative accessories, gifts and beauty products, including those sold under the Henri Bendel brand. The third floor will go vacant. And although the store will continue to see new designers (of accessories and beauty products) and open stores selling Bendel-branded flip-flops and candles at malls around the country, this moment, to many designers, feels like the passing of an era.

Damn recession ...

NY Times

Wednesday's Wordle: Play much?

Because in the last month, I've seen Waiting for Godot, Distracted, Impressionism, Blithe Spirit and Desire Under the Elms, and The Philanthropist is still to come.

Shuesday: Julia Roitfeld

See Julia's shoes (and jewelry, and handbags, and books, and art ...)

Wednesday's Wordle: I'm only happy when it rains

Shuesday: Mudflap girl shoes

Sometimes Shuesday writes itself.

WendyB just made Mudflap girl cufflinks for Trend de la Creme, which led me to these. Wear at your own risk.

If you can reclaim language, surely you can reclaim imagery ...

Requisite Celebrity Sightings 9

I can't believe I haven't seen anyone since October, but here goes:

At Prune for Sunday brunch, at the next table, Top Chef Stephanie Izard.

(PS: I accidentally introduced myself to her when she sat down, sure I knew her from somewhere, and she was lovely. That's what you get for watching Top Chef 3-4 episodes at a time.)

(PPS: I always have the fresh ricotta - /so/ good ...)