• Michelle Mismas of All Lacquered Up says the growing trend of rocking wild colors and pattens on your nails has to do with the bad economy. “In recent years, nail polish has replaced lipstick as an indicator of the economy. What Leonard Lauder coined the Lipstick Index, meaning the rise in cosmetic sales inversely correlated to economic health, is no more. Nail polish sales are growing in leaps and bounds, surpassing lipstick, due to its affordability.” Our obsession with celebrities is also a factor: “A single Twitpic of Katy Perry‘s flower patterned nails caused a run on Minx nail appliqués and a number of knock-offs for at-home use. Beyoncé wearing a turquoise Chanel nail polish in a music video sold out the shade.” Who knew being poor (never in style), superficial, and celeb-obsessed would start a trend! (NYT)
• Jamaican model Jeneil Williams models M Missoni dresses on Nordstrom.com, which is too bad for Missoni, as none of those dresses will sell since white people are so repulsed by seeing brown people modeling garments. Quelle horreur! (Beauty Is Diverse)
• California ain’t playin’. The state has proposed a law requiring online retailers to charge sales tax– and to turn those monies in to the state. Many online retailers will add sales taxes to your purchases, except they often keep the extra change for themselves. But the California legislature might have to think twice about this, as big wigs like Amazon.com are threatening to take their business elsewhere if the law goes into effect. (WWD)
• Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti is so into the interwebs. Discussing his most recent runway show featuring enormous, not so present audience- friendly arches resembling a “prehistoric creature,” he admits the setup was all for the internet viewers. “Formichetti knew it would look cool on the video live stream to all the fans watching from home on their computers. ‘I wanted all the younger generation out there to have better seats than Anna Wintour.’” Better seats than Anna? I faint. How could you betray Winnie for some internet-viewing commoners? Fetch me my smelling salts! (W)
• Willow Smith saw the Met’s Alexander McQueen exhibit, and is thoroughly inspired. She tweeted that the exhibit gave her “so many ideas for new outfits.” You, and everyone else, Willow. The Smith Kids: they’re just like us! (Fashin)
~Jihan
July 1, 2011 2:07 pm
and Im still going gaga over that pastel baby blue Chanel polish … gorg
July 1, 2011 2:38 pm
is mad at you for making me relive that dreadful outfit of willows….otherwise…funny and informative as usual….
July 1, 2011 3:00 pm
Well…. I have a different perspective. In the 80′s…….that is all you saw were nail designs. This is waaay b4 Asians took over the nail buz. White and black women had crazy fly designs. They even had magazines dedicated to nail art. But I think as that generation got older……the fad went away and was brought back recently by all the new nail polish and finishes.
July 1, 2011 4:56 pm
“l since white people are so repulsed by seeing brown people modeling garments.” -___- … What a huge generalization.
July 1, 2011 5:03 pm
I have to agree with Bronze!! when i was growing up women had fly nail designs for days! I wonder why there aren’t more black owned nail salons?…
July 1, 2011 5:41 pm
that’s totally true about the nail polish…when the economy is bad people turn to other facets(entertainment; beauty and alcohol-fashion history kent state u). Nail polish is the cheapest most inchangeable acessory every fashionista should have. Rihanna nails always look nice…
July 1, 2011 6:14 pm
This article is horribly written.. I really had to look up to see who it was written by b/c Claire would never write something like this!
July 1, 2011 6:25 pm
@andrea, These posts are meant to written in a snarky and sarcastic tone. If you have been reading the site recently, you will notice that there’s a lot of talk about the lack of black models in the industry, and one of the excuses some fashion insiders use for this is that white people are the main consumers of high-end fashion, and they do not want to see products modeled by people of color. (Silly excuse). I don’t actually think white people are repulsed by brown people!
hope this clears things up.
July 1, 2011 7:58 pm
i dnt get this post , ive always stayed w mhy nails done along w everything else . but i do wanna know what nail polish is in the first pic of michelle , thanks
July 2, 2011 8:32 pm
Varying nail colors is one thing but I cringe when I see women with tacky, multi-colored, acrylic nails. SO. HOOD.
PS Is it bad that I think that the Smith children always look so tacky and awkward. And, while I realize that Willow is pictured here, isn’t her brother a tad old to still look so ambiguous?!
July 3, 2011 1:24 pm
jihan, you are funny as hell. i love the snark and sarcasm you inject into your posts. i don’t know if i agree with michelle mismas and i remember always seeing people with crazy polish and long nails when i was growing up as a kid. i think nailpolish is recession proof, you can buy it whether you’re rich or poor it’s cheap. i hardly know what to say about willow’s outfit’s now…here’s hoping she does better with them in the future.
July 3, 2011 10:56 pm
Remember ladies. Nothing in fashion is new. NOTHING!!!!!!! Minx= 80s nail foil, lace front wigs=American Founding Father Wigs, Spanx=cheap girdles, platforms=platforms, Lee Press On Nails= Lee Press on Nails cured with gels and lights.
July 3, 2011 11:07 pm
^ Break it down!
July 4, 2011 2:03 am
I have to agree with poisionivy. Sorry Jihan…I understand that it’s supposed to be snarky and sarcastic but it just doesn’t work imo.
But others (and Claire) seem to like it so that’s all that matters I guess.
July 4, 2011 4:12 pm
hey!! it’s Kid Sister!!!
July 4, 2011 8:11 pm
why are ya’ll criticizing the writing? this is a fashion blog, not a life changing novel. geesh. oh willow…umm….let me see…she looks just like will!
July 6, 2011 3:28 pm
LOL… And if you all remember seeing funky loud colors in the 80′s,where were they? In the hood. LOL
July 6, 2011 3:28 pm
I wish they’d let Willow be a kid.
July 7, 2011 11:19 pm
Agreed! @Grace regarding the Smith kids. I hate to sound like I’m hating but lol I hate everything I see them in. I have a child myself that I let experiment with fashion, but it’s usually cute and not try so hard.
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