Why Buy a Bag You Can Rent?

Former handbag designers find new creative outlets

(NEWSER) - Whether it’s reimagining J. Crew, foraying into winemaking, or cutting their daughter’s sandwiches into little hearts, Kate and Andy Spade stay busy—just not with the businesses that still bear their name. “Someone said to me, what about your legacy?” Andy tells New York of the 2006 sale of iconic fashion brands Kate Spade and Jack Spade, “and I said, what about my life? You know, there are a lot of interesting things going on in the world.” More»

$290 for the silver Mighty Eagle Ring

(NEWSER) - The gigantically popular app Angry Birds is extending its brand into ... luxury jewelry? After hitting 1 billion downloads in May and launching successful lines of toys and clothes, game-maker Rovio is testing its merchandise appeal with a more upscale clientele, reports Forbes . The launch item is a $290 silver ring, designed by a prominent Finnish jeweler, and depicting the Mighty Eagle character from the mobile game. 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»

But only if it's obvious you're wearing a designer logo

(NEWSER) - It's true: Wearing designer fashion will very likely improve your life. But not because the clothes are so attractive, oh no: It's the label that matters. A new study shows that designer logos bring benefits including more cooperation, job recommendations, and even money from others. In one experiment, when presented with pictures of a man wearing a polo shirt, volunteers rated him as having higher status and more wealth when the shirt had a designer logo than when it didn't. In another, volunteers rated a man as more suitable for a job—and recommended a higher salary—when he was sporting a designer logo. More»

Not interested in fashion? Check out the falling models

(NEWSER) - Wondering what you’ve missed so far from Fashion Week? We’ve rounded up five trends to keep your eye on—check out examples of each in the gallery:

• Wearability: Designers from Derek Lam and Vera Wang to, yes, even Marc Jacobs and Rodarte are offering clothes the average person might actually wear, reports the Wall Street Journal .
• Comedic interlude: Models are falling.