Donatella to Hillary: Dresses Are OK

Their 'precarious' jobs aren't so 'glamorous' out of the spotlight, writes Ashley Mears

(NEWSER) - To most of us, Fashion Week is all glitz and glam—but behind the scenes, modeling is a “grueling” job, writes model-turned-professor Ashley Mears. It’s freelance work, so there are no benefits, and models “never know when their next job is coming.” It’s also grossly unfair: While some models may make thousands for a single show, others aren’t paid a dime to walk the same catwalk, Mears notes in the New York Times . More»

Penney's Brings Size 16 Back to NYC

(NEWSER) - JCPenney recently invaded Manhattan, “and the most frequent question on New York’s collective lips seems to be: Why?” writes Cintra Wilson in the Times. “Why would this dowdy Middle American entity waddle into Midtown in its big old shorts and flip-flops without even bothering to update its ancient Helvetica Light logo?” Plus, the store “has the most obese mannequins I have ever seen”—and herein lies the company’s genius. More»

Paris, Milan top Forbes list

(NEWSER) - Weighing everything from fashion to architecture to street life, Forbes rates the 10 most stylish cities in the world. The best of the best:

• It doesn’t get any more chic than Paris
• Milan: “flashy” fashion and cool contemporary design
• New York: a shopping spree from Brooklyn to 5th Avenue
• Rome: La Dolce Vita still says it all

As bankers fall out of fashion, so do their stodgy duds

(NEWSER) - To the list of casualties of the economic crisis, add the three-button power suit. And don't cry for the fashion industry—men are investing in replacements for their cookie-cutter wool security blankets, making men's clothing priced over $100 one of the few bright spots in the bleak retail landscape, reports the New York Times. "It’s the preppy chic these guys have been into, and they’re just refining it," says a Berdorf's exec. More»

In slump, simple pleasures are chic as traditional values gain

(NEWSER) - Reading about a Michigan family that shed modern excess in favor of a self-sufficient farm life didn't strike Peggy Noonan as shocking in these economic times. Her fellow New Yorkers have already begun responding to the same forces, causing Noonan to predict the rise of "a certain authenticity chic," she writes in the Wall Street Journal: More»