For Spring, Optimism Is In

'Runway to Win' fashion sale skirting campaign finance laws, GOP says

(NEWSER) - President Obama's re-election campaign launched a high-fashion fundraising initiative last night to grousing from Republicans. The "Runway to Win" effort—spearheaded by Vogue editor Anna Wintour—is selling clothing and accessories by prominent designers at prices far below what their work usually sells for, making the GOP suspect campaign finance laws are being broken, reports the Wall Street Journal . More»

And Lana Del Rey has a lot of implants, says fashion designer

(NEWSER) - It's always fun when Karl Lagerfeld opens his mouth , which he did quite a bit during a recent stint as guest editor of Metro . His most buzz-generating quote is about Adele: "The thing at the moment is Adele," he says. "She is a little too fat, but she has a beautiful face and a divine voice." More of his thoughts:

• On Lana Del Rey : "She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She's not alone with implants."

German designer makes eco-friendly clothes from drink

(NEWSER) - For the fashion industry, cows provide more than just leather. Combining her knowledge of biochemistry and clothing design, a German designer has begun making clothes from a textile that’s made of pure milk, the AP reports. It feels like silk, is as washable as cotton, and is good for the environment—and on top of that, it’s great for those with sensitive skin. Anke Domaske aims to start mass-producing the material, called Qmilch, next year. (The process involves reducing milk to a protein powder that gets boiled and pressed into strands that are woven into fabric, writes Melissa Eddy.) More»

Apparently ridiculously expensive luxury items perform well in a recession

(NEWSER) - The solution to America's endless economic woes is apparently the Olsen twins' $39,000 backpack. In a Women's Wear Daily interview from last week just getting some attention , Ashley explains why she and her sister thought extreme luxury might sell: "During our last economic crisis in the US, the only thing that went up was Hermès." And their plan worked: The alligator backpack, part of The Row handbag collection, "was the first thing that sold off the shelf," Ashley says. Gawker has a picture, and snarks that it is "made exclusively from the skin of the mysterious fourth Olsen sister, who lives in a cage in their basement." More»

Melissa McCarthy is the latest to make the leap

(NEWSER) - Melissa McCarthy is on top of the world, and now that she's won an Emmy and won over SNL viewers , what's next? The Bridesmaids star, who wanted to be a fashion designer before she ended up in comedy, is launching her own plus-size fashion line. "Trying to find stuff that's still fashion-forward in my size is damn near impossible," McCarthy, who designed her own dress for the Emmys, tells the Hollywood Reporter . "It's either for like a 98-year-old woman or a 14-year-old hooker, and there is nothing in the middle." More»