So…what is the fate of the IT bag?  Neiman and Saks are desperately trying to unload all of this season’s fabulously overpriced arm candy by marking them down to practically nothing.  Bluefly and eLUXURY are throwing hefty discount codes at discriminating shoppers to entice them to BUY DESIGNER.  Even Nordstrom is getting into the action by advertising a sale IN ADDITION to the famous semi-annual sales they hold.  Unheard of!  Although, I am hoping to take advantage this Friday by scoring a pair of newly discounted pair of tall Ugg boots in Chocolate - YUM!  But, I digress…

The point is, people are becoming more interested in owning a nameless brand, one that is not emblazoned with logos galore.  They are gravitating towards the lower-priced merchandise that does not scream the name of its designer.  Obviously, the economic downturn is influencing purchasing decisions.  But, it is refreshing to see that people are showing more of an appreciation for the creativity and lower-budget marvels of indie designers.

It’s bad enough that indie designers can’t compete with the product development funding of Chanel, Gucci, and the like.  But now, some higher-end brands are fighting their way into Target as well!  They want to enable the masses to buy designer-esque at rock-bottom prices!  Will their marketing budgets EVER run dry?

I recently read that Jean Paul Gaultier is planning to launch a childrenswear line in January 2009.  He is going to be working with the Zannier Group, who also produces Little Marc Jacobs and Kenzo lines.  I am wondering if the strategists thought about the state of the economy before deciding to launch in the middle of a recession, right after the holidays no less!

I cannot say that I do not fall victim to kiddie couture myself.  And Ava LOVES clothes….in fact, the pricier, the better!  Sometimes I manage to put my foot down, even when Ava is whining about the beautiful and colorful summer dress that she needs so badly from Nordstrom.  Please note that this was probably THE most hideous dress I have ever seen, and not only was it ugly, it was also $195!  Yikes!

 But really, is the mini heart attack worth it, when she dribbles chocolate down the front of her new sparkly Juicy Couture t-shirt?  Or when she spills apple juice onto one of her brand-new Uggs?  I think not!  But, one good thing comes from the first spill….at least my neuroses have calmed down enough for me to take the boots out of their protective plastic bags and let her wear them to school.  Heck, I even began storing them in the hall closet with all of the other “used” shoes.

 So, although I am sure the clothes will be outstanding, I am afraid of having a coronary if Ava was to innocently draw a butterfly with permanent marker on the front of a new JPG creation.  Plus, it really is all about the accessories anyway.  I mean, do you walk around with the tags on the outside of your clothes???

In the spirit of Halloween and the impending weekend festivities, I thought that I would muster up the gumption to write a new post that is both intellectually captivating and tremendously amusing.  However, since I do not fancy myself to be the likes of Dave Barry, I will shoot for kind of smart and mildly funny…..

I was just reading an article about Halloween costumes for kids, and found it to be pretty interesting and spot-on…thought I would share.  Basically, costumes geared toward little girls are firing up some heated controversy because they are too sexy?!?!  I don’t know which group is worse - the people making these costumes or the parents that allow their little princesses to run around in belly-baring, micro-minis and skimpy low cut tops.  What happened to the Disney look????  OK, I know that Jasmine is pushing the envelope a bit with her bare midriff, and Ariel…ok, well, she’s a mermaid, for Pete’s sake. 

It is pretty distressing to see how young girls are racing to grow up, and how their parents are contributing to this distasteful situation.  It is bad enough that girls today seem to be developing WAY earlier and WAY further than any girls in my generation.  Darn those milk hormones!!

Why not teach the sweet little kiddies to embrace and enjoy their youth?  The other day I was volunteering in my daughter’s pre-school class, and the teacher was demonstrating how the kids were going to construct black cats from paper cutouts.  She asked the students what comes out of the cat’s nose and mouth, pointing to its whiskers.  And one of the little girls in the class innocently responded, “Boogers.”  Do we really need to rush the kids out of their priceless youth?

Seriously, just leave the hootchie outfits for the moms who still want to know that they’ve got it!

First, let me begin by telling you that Krina is totally non-partisan.  With that said, I would like to take a moment to examine the style of Vice-Presidential hopeful Sarah Palin.  The Governor has taken quite a bit of heat lately for reasons that I will not comment on here.  However, I want to commend her for her adoption of what I have LITERALLY just coined “politica-luxe.”  That’s right, folks.  Consider this phrase COINED.

Sarah rocks Valentino, understands the power of high-gloss lips (Chanel Aqualumiere??) and intelligently sports frameless glasses so that everyone who looks at her can appreciate her artfully-applied eye makeup.  My kinda woman!!

But seriously, patent peep toes?  On a Republican??   Well, why not!  There is  no better reason to highlight your own personal style than by being in the center of global attention, is there?  Should she have to squelch her own stylistic flair just because she has something to prove at the podium?  I think not!  Let her prove what she needs to prove and look great doing it!

At the end of the day, it is her perceived competence and capabilities (ideally) that will garner her support of the masses.  So, if she chooses to wear her hair in a fabulously highlighted half Frenchie, whatever!  It’s just the eye candy factor, which has come into play in this race more than any one I remember in the past.  And for the record, there is NOTHING wrong with a little bit of eye candy! (WINK)

OK, can someone please tell me why only Versace and YSL are making killer sky-high heels this season?  I mean, aside from the exotic dancer footwear websites, where does one have to GO price-wise to get a nice pair of 7” platform booties?

Unfortunately for all of us who don’t command rock star salaries, we need to go to Neiman, Bergdorf, and Bendel.  But why?  Is there too much of an insurance liability associated with making a pair of heels that make the person wearing them hit a new altitude???

I am a not-so-proud petite who desperately craves high heels – the higher, the better.  Although, I did recently indulge in a pair (for fun, of course) of 8” platform heels and let me tell you, it is not so easy to balance on them!  I figure that 6” is my threshold – it puts me at a cool 5”9.

I am obsessed with high heels – I refuse to wear anything less than a 4” heel, and even at that, I am settling.  I do admit that Christian Louboutin is a fave of mine, but they are REALLY uncomfortable.  I, of course, sacrifice the pain for style, but believe me, I am suffering.  And although they have a totally sexy red sole, I cringe with almost every step after wearing them for a couple of hours. 

So, for those of you who obsess and have a need to indulge, here are some of my faves….

Red Hot YSL Tribute Sandal – This one is 4” not counting the platform!  I think I am in love…..

And these are the ones I am REALLY sweet on for Fall!  A YSL bargain for a cool $975!

http://www.ysl.com

Aldo is also a great place to find fabby heels.  The Sami bootie is the hottest, and yea!  5” heel!!!!  And, they are pretty comfortable too, so double yea!

http://www.aldoshoes.com

And if these options are not giving you the height you so desire, try these!  There are extremely…..extreme! 

http://www.snaz75.com/pl-xtreme-709.html

Although I am up on my reading of fashion magazines, blogs, and the like, I don’t like to us this interaction as a means for me to state my opinion on current trends (although I certainly have strong ones for some of the trends coming out of Fashion Week!  But, I digress…).  I think it is more entertaining and engaging to discuss topics that have more impact and depth than the fact that pinstriped suits are a focal point of the Spring 2009 season.

Recently, Vogue India sparked controversy with a fashion shoot featured in its latest issue.  This shoot interestingly enough used real-life, low-income men and women of the country as models for couture pieces they were highlighting.  So, this shoot raised some valid questions:  

1. The models were unnamed - were they unimportant for anything other than wearing the pieces of focus for the magazine?

2. The models are poverty-stricken individuals - are they considered the “target market” for the magazine?

3. The models are POVERTY-STRICKEN individuals posing for a major fashion publication - were they exploited by a major media publication to contrast their plights with glitz and glamour associated to brands such as Hermes, Fendi, and Burberry? 

I am hoping these people at least got paid a good sum of rupees for this modeling job.

Now, the really interesting thing about this is that everyday people who desire couture often leverage themselves to the hilt in order to obtain the hot new “IT” bag or pair of shoes.  The fashion industry does highlight some lower priced brands, and some high-priced designers have also created lines for the less affluent demographic.  However, the luxury brands are always the status symbols, always the pieces to have and to hold dear.  Sometimes I think that designers create their lower cost alternatives looking for good karma in the afterlife.With regard to this photo shoot, Tracy Chiat of Luxist reports that “somehow poverty never quite goes out of fashion.”  Ironically enough, it is “poverty” that ends up feeding into the aura around the fashion industry – if all luxury goods were affordable to the masses, there would not be any controversy to speak of and no opportunity for aspiration on the part of consumers.

Right now, I am watching Cinderella with my three year-old daughter Ava. She is becoming a little thorny at this point, since we are reaching the “witching hour”, but I digress As I watch the movie, I realize that all of the Disney movies feature their heroines in beautiful floor-length gowns (fully dressed up to the nines even when they are scrubbing floors!), complete with bling and crinoline (I am guessing – or else, how would those skirts always look so full and flowing?).

So, all these girls have to do for such luscious locks and gorgeous clothes is to put up with a little targeted wickedness from one of the various famed villainesses in their respective story. Not a bad deal. Especially when there are ALWAYS “happily everafters” in the world of Disney, along with smashing princes!

I wonder how it would be if Disney princess-wear was to go mainstream. Imagine that, walking through the mall and seeing streetwear in the form of sparkling gossamer ballgowns. I kind of like that idea. I love everything glamorous and ostentatious, I have to admit. The more bling, the better!

It would be so much fun (in any season EXCEPT the summertime) to live in a world where everyone dresses up like they are ready to cut the rug at a royal ball all the time. Why do we need a special occasion to get all gussied up? We should always dress like we are going to a ball! And of course, a fabulous clutch would be a necessary part of your fairy tale ensemble!

OK, now that I have put this out there, I need to go and regain some of my sanity, as my child is in full-sunset mode….

I came across some controversy on the Web yesterday about a banned ad for Calvin Klein’s Secret Obsession perfume, which features actress Eva Mendes. This ad has received so much negative attention that it was actually banned from YouTube!

Of course, I wanted to actually see the video - natural curiosity propels us to view things deemed “bad” by society and the media, right?  It took me some time to actually locate the video online.  NOBODY seems to have it - most sites point to YouTube and alas!  The video has been taken down.  For those of you interested in viewing, use the following link and formulate your own opinion:

http://gawker.com/5032671/eva-mendes-is-too-hot-for-tv-on-purpose

Obviously the controversy alone will entice people to sample the fragrance.  I know I was curious when I started reading!  But, it seems to be more of a ploy than anything else.  Certainly ad execs in the United States KNOW when something is too risque for our puritan nation.  So it seems quite evident to me, and many others I am sure, that they are trying to use the negative publicity to augment interest in the product.  Nice work, folks.  Plain old advertising doesn’t get companies very far anymore.  The really effective campaigns are those that have people screaming (and not in the good way).

After viewing this ad, I do think it is something I would not want my three-year old daughter to watch, however, I really don’t think it was ever intended for a TV audience.  Let’s face it - publicity like this has always been helpful.  You know what they say - bad publicity is still PUBLICITY. 

Maybe I can get Eva to become a Krina girl too!!!!

As I considered topics for my very first attempt at a design blog, I quickly realized that I must not be much of a writer, if I cannot come up with anything interesting and inspiring to say about the industry which I have pledged my everlasting devotion to!

Then, I considered the possibility that I am not really all that inspired by what is currently out there, at least from an accessories-standpoint. I read all of the fashion magazines, watch all the runway collections, and read all of the stylist commentaries, so I am up on the latest trends, just not loving any of them.

Instead, I wonder what kinds of trends civilians out of the fashion industry would have to say about what THEY want to see, or even predict for upcoming seasons. Some trends are very predictable, of course, but others are really diamonds in the rough. Those are the ones we don’t frequently see – is it because the people defining the trends are so embedded in the industry that they cannot step into the shoes of normal everyday women who liken themselves to modern day fashionistas?

As a handbag designer, I like to incorporate elements that other designers are NOT incorporating, and then find that my audience LOVES them. For instance, I love structured bags. I am well-aware that the market trend is leaning towards “boho” and “slouchy”. But I don’t want my bags to get lost in the shuffle. So, I followed my instincts with structure. And do you know what? People LOVE them!

That is why I come back to learning what everyday women would want to see more of in the marketplace. Do they buy “boho” because: 1. They love it, 2. Others love it, or 3. There are no other alternatives???

Help me out here! I would love to hear your thoughts on this!!!