the NYT understands FASHION on a BUDGET

In this article they pretty much outdo themselves in terms of looking completely out of touch.

A Label for a Pleather Economy

IN an economic climate in which buying a handbag with a four- or five-digit price tag is starting to seem gauche, the free-spending style hounds formerly known as “fashionistas” are rebranding themselves.

Yes, buying a handbag with a four- or five-digit price tag is only just now STARTING to seem gauche!

Welcome to “recession chic” and its personification, the “recessionista,” the new name for the style maven on a budget. That the word represents the times could explain why Sarah Palin’s new wardrobe ($75,000 at Neiman Marcus and nearly $50,000 at Saks) struck some as distasteful.

Before the financial meltdown nobody would have thought spending $150k on a wardrobe in a day was excessive!

Jesus, it's like they're actively trying to reinforce public perception of the fashion world and press.

And I thought they jumped the shark with that "band-aids are the must-have".

i know ive said this before, but being a style writer strikes me as the easiest job in the entire world

lol!

you'd think they could have found some more stylish looking clothes for 150k...

oh, yeah nothing like the features that are 'fashion on a budget' which apparently is still in the hundreds of dollars for every single thing..

uh aren't a lot of 4-digit handbags not really all that well made? i wouldn't buy one even if i could afford it, but.. remember being @ some relatively nice department store and looking at a chloe bag just because it happened to be sitting on the counter & it seemed really badly sewn and not that great of quality leather etc.

the two big ticket-ish bags i have are both very well-made/constructed, which was part of the appeal for me, but i'm sure it varies from brand to brand.

Oh dude Max being a style writer ain't easy (to do well). Lots of wrangling over access to interview subjects and marketing-as-journalism, so if you can't stand up to that shit to get a story, don't bother.

yeah, if you want some practice, you can do some unpaid style writing for my website.... or if you know anyone who wants to, lemme know.

yeah max, step back

yeah the 'marketing-as-journalism' bit is what makes it look easy. i figure for any given article i either have to just a) copy a press release w/ some key words changed or b) make up a trend and interview my friends about why they're wearing socks over their shoes or whatever

fwiw music journalism comes across as basically the same thing

okay mr. writer

in fact in a lot of cases i bet i could copy a fashion press release and just change the name of the label to the name of a band and itd function as an OK write-up

i just want one of those cushy jobs where i get to write 800-wd pieces on 'trends' every week

ILX is like that, but the pieces are only 8 words.

ilx is also not a "job"

maybe not for you

max if you don't take ILX seriously we can't expect you to take your role as a fashion writer seriously.

uh aren't a lot of 4-digit handbags not really all that well made?

Frankly, the 4-digit clothes aren't that well made either.

While growing up in NYC, The Fleet Foxes saw both the challenges and rewards of pursuing a life doing what they love: "creating". At the tender age of 10 they began making and selling their music: it was then the Foxes realized that this passion could become their lives.

Working only when they are truly inspired, The Fleet Foxes' music reflect an inner beauty. Having the ability to foresee their creations before turning on their amps or plucking an E string is what makes them such gifted and talented artists.

What makes the Fleet Foxes different from the rest is that there truly something for everyone. From simple more classical pieces, to youthful and urban sounds, the band transcends generation barriers and offers one-of-a-kind pieces to satisfy the most varied of tastes.

All of the band's music is handmade in their Westchester "crash pad". The Fleet Foxes' signature style includes classic rock and a variety of more modern pieces which have been reviewed in magazines such as NME, Q, and Dazed and Confused. But the Fleet Foxes don’t end there, they are also known for their fabulous cocktail music. To The Fleet Foxes' music you can log on to their website, www.fleetfoxes.com.

^JESUS FUCKING CHRIST TRACER that press release makes me want to CHUNK.

In thread-related news, the charity shop came OMFG good again and I am going to wear the resulting £5 black MARGIELA jacket to election party funtimes.

haha that was originally a fashion press release, i just changed a few words!

Yes, I figured that, now worship my mighty thriftin' skills innit...

i love writing press releases. ridiculousness is actively encouraged.

post a photo of the jacket if you get a chance!

writing releases is my favorite part of the job, its like an hour of making as many dad jokes/puns/alliterative phrases as i can think of

yes!

will post photo from election partay, am working the jacket now.

lauren r u in PR?

i also love writing releases!

Sorry guys I am speaking from the perspective of 15+ years journalism, many trees died for the sins of PRs who are not either of you.

writing ad/PR/promo/catalog copy was the easiest job i ever had, fyi, and max is otm

not anymore, max, save for the odd freelance thingy. i ended up specializing in digital/online - save the trees!

we waste so much paper in my office :/

ha, of course everything i did had to be printed out in quadruplicate for filing and "presentations."

i know ive said this before, but being a style writer strikes me as the easiest job in the entire world

― max, Monday, October 27, 2008 10:50 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

this was my job on our school newspaper that lasted one issue

its not easy explaining style to people who wear uniforms every day

IN THE 80s

examples, please!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/fashion/24APPEAL.html

“We may like Lady Gaga, but in this day and age, women aren’t rushing out to look like her,” said Sam Shahid, the art director behind the provocative advertising campaigns of Abercrombie & Fitch.

So true! Remember years ago, when most women ran around looking like Lady Gaga?

9/11 changed everything

http://www.spectator.co.uk/blogs/media/8.91/Image/orly-taitz1.jpg

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/04/garden/04cheap.html

How to redecorate a whole apartment with only $8,000 (and upwards of $20k in free professional services solicited by the NYT)

Speaking as someone who's looking to rent a similar sort of apartment in the same neighborhood, reading about a 28-y-o tax layer OWNING ONE and getting hi-style help for free is almost intolerable.

No, what really makes it intolerable is shit like this: "“If I pick everything by myself, things will look very conventional,” he said. “I’m a tax lawyer, but I’m more interesting than that would suggest. You need to make me get that something cool.” YOU'RE NOT MORE INTERESTING. YOU NEED HELP TO PICK A SOFA, FOR CHRISSAKE.

and this: "Mr. Rolston assured him that he was providing valuable information. “You have more personal taste than you realize,” he insisted." Flatter the client much? Jesus Christ, what a bunch of parasites.

haha I love that "you have more personal taste than you realize", a conspicuous way of NOT saying "you have better taste than you realize".

Indeed.

this is why the 'real america' is resentful of 'elites' at the NYT: they write headlines prefacing $8K with 'only'

Yes. I pointed that out to someone else already today and filed the whole story under "People I Would Happily Stab."

i mean i know, i know, decorating a place is expensive, but..

$8,000 IS very cheap for replacing everything in a large room, in addition to professional design services, paint, and construction work. There's nothing on the list of what they did that even approaches average prices at Crate & Barrel, they just got a lot of stuff.

What's amazing to me is that this douche figured that 1.5% of the purchase price of the condo was a totally appropriate budget for a great makeover, it's like buying an $800 suit and then saying "oh I can only possibly spend $12 to get it tailored and re-lined."

College Offers Quirky Shirts Designed by Students

Oh my god this article is so sloppy.

- To begin with, these aren't quirky shirts, these are standard t-shirts with graphics on them. Comme des Garçons makes quirky shirts.

- "Forget the standard college sweatshirt. At Oberlin College, not many students wear college-logo clothes anyway."

Right on! I'm sure a look at all the top-selling items at the Oberlin bookstore will drive home just how unpopular standard branded college gear is.
http://i47.tinypic.com/30wxh1l.jpg

- "One features a “womb chair,” a cushy, orange, orb-like chair that decades of Oberlin library users have crawled into to read or nap."

It's a Ball Chair, designed by Eero Aarnio in 1966. The Womb Chair was designed by Eero Saarinen in 1948 and is very different.

better attuned to the Oberlin sensibility.

THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE

wait I thought that was the "men in black" chair

that picture they ran is pretty appalling too - the girl on the left looks like she's being sucked into a black hole

Good call -- her head is looking rather "infinitely long".

but yeah, this sentence

“I am completely excited to see my work bought and worn,” said Karl Orozco, the freshman who designed the womb chair.

is pretty...conflicted.