Your guide to winter fashion
March 29, 2009The moral for the savvy shopper? A few appropriately outstanding pieces will add the necessary pop to your otherwise unchanged wardrobe.
Julia Seidl, creative director of Stylehog.com, “your online guide to runway fashion on a budget,” suggests that investing in a few key pieces can sufficiently update nearly any wardrobe.
“Thanks to Michelle Obama, the structured and tailored shift dress has quickly replaced the power suit as the Âgo-to piece’ for working women everywhere,” Seidl wrote in an email.
And when it comes to footwear, Seidl says, there’s only one choice.
“The bootie (the hybrid between shoes and boots) has become the hottest footwear of the season. Whether worn with pants for the day or tights and a skirt for a night out, the bootie is the only shoe/boot you need this season,” Seidl wrote.
It’s tough to talk boots without uttering the dreaded three-letter word that is still making little dollar signs pop up in eyes of shoe salesmen everywhere: UGG.
“The UGGboots have continued to be popular,” said Bob Scanlon of Oneonta’s Sport Tech. “They keep coming back for them.”
Seidl, among others, would just as soon this wasn’t the case. “UGGs are like an ex-boyfriend we seem to bump into everywhere we go,” she wrote. “We would have thought this trend would have disappeared into the fashion abyss a long time ago. But judging by what we see on the street, this trend is as popular as ever.”
Before picking up your own pair, however, consider the possible backlash. There is an Anti-UGG Boots League on Facebook, an anti-UGG petition circulating on the Internet, anti-UGG T-shirts and even an anti-UGG public service announcement on YouTube (created “as a mock campaign against the UGG boot trend within our pop culture”).
Accessories offer an affordable means of updating your look, and this season’s picks are anything but mild. The usual standards of purses and jewelry have been joined by brooches, gloves and even hats (yes, ladies: hats) as the season’s smart sartorial choices.
Ugg or Ugh!
March 20, 2009It doesn’t matter whether you love or hate the ubiquitous sheepskin boots beloved of all those Aussie sheepshearers out in the Outback. Ugg boots have got their foot firmly in fashion’s door.
The first UK Ugg store opened in the
One of the ‘Ugg-oholics’ who was not at the opening party, however, was Rolling Stone, Ronnie Wood, who is rarely seen without a pair on his feet.
He loves them so much, his estranged wife Jo, bought him pairs in orange, green and yellow, to go with the many he already owns in cream and black. Apparently he even wears them on the beach. The words ‘hot’, ‘smelly’ and ‘sandy’ spring to mind.
Quite why a fully paid-up member of the lucky-to-be-alive ageing rockers club would want to wear something that looks like pair of old lady’s slippers is baffling.
Yet Wood is not alone in his fondness for Uggs. Bruce Willis, Leonardo Di Caprio, Brad Pitt, Justin Timberlake, Ben Affleck, Peter O’Toole and Rhys Ifans are just some of the male stars and celebrities who have fallen in love with this fad for fluffy footwear. In fact, they are now almost as serious about them as the girls.
Kate Moss and Sienna Miller gave Uggs instant street-cred when they began wearing them in the early 2000s. The likes of Jennifer Aniston, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Alba, Hilary Duff and Eva Longoria were quick to follow.
The craze spread, spawning thousands of cheaper imitations, from as little as £8, and even the deeply unfashionable Geri Halliwell was spotted in a pair. Earlier this year, a thief ram-raided a supermarket to get some cigarettes dressed only in a sheet and his girlfriend’s Uggboots. One could argue this was as much a serious fashion crime as anything else.
Social ‘teen-angels’ like Alice Dellal, Peaches and Pixie Geldof and Daisy Lowe might prefer stompin’ biker boots and Kate Moss has moved on to wearing over-the-knee, ‘principal boy’ boots over her skinny jeans.
But the genuine Ugg, despite a price-tag of at least £140, continues to be good, bad - and ugly, the word from whence its name derives.
Are you an Ugg-oholic? Let us know what you think of the Ugg boot…
Isla Fisher admits
March 5, 2009Sexy actress Isla Fisher has admitted she detests shopping despite her role in the Confessions of a Shopaholic.
The movie, based on Sophie Kinsella’s famous novel, follows a designer label addict around
Isla, 33, plays giddy character Becky Bloomwood, but says she’d rather slob about in pyjamas and ugg boots then splash the cash on flashy clobber.
The Wedding Crashers star prefers to snub glitzy parties in favour of a quiet night in front of the TV with funnyman husband Sascha Baren Cohen.
Isla insists she is a far cry from her shoe-addicted alter ego Becky: “I dont really like shopping, its a bit of a drag to be honest.’
“I dont feel any pressure to own all the bright and shiny objects in the film.
“I’m nothing like that character and I couldn’t keep that up.
“The character unfortunately focuses too much of her attention on appearences and what’s on the outside.
“I am quite the opposite. I’m definitely not a fashionista!
“I couldn’t stay long in heels, I would rather be at home in my pyjamas and uggs .
When Fads Unravel
March 4, 2009When investing, it can be difficult to determine whether the fired-up growth stock you’re eyeing is actually just a fad. People who invested in Crocs at the stock’s crazy highs have learned the perils of such a situation. The shoe company’s fourth-quarter results provide little reason for anybody to believe that Crocs shares can regain their former overpriced glory.
Crocs did beat analysts’ expectations. However, it reported a net loss of $33.2 million, or $0.40 per share, compared to a profit of $38.3 million, or $0.45 per share, during the same period last year. The fourth-quarter net loss included major foreign exchange rate losses; without those, the company still would have reported a net loss of $17.1 million, or $0.20 per share. Revenue plunged 43.9% to $126.1 million.
Crocs also forecast a net loss for the first quarter, guiding in the range of $0.32 to $0.17 per share.
The company emphasized its improved cash position, accounts receivable, and inventory levels, and these are of course important elements. Cash is king these days, and Crocs’ major inventory buildup and mounting accounts receivables hinted at big trouble on the way when the stock first began its downward spiral. However, Crocs’ constant emphasis on the poor economy’s negative impact may be a bit misleading. Although I have no doubt that the consumer spending slowdown is taking a bite out of Crocs, it’s also been clear that the fad element of the company’s shoes is rapidly unraveling. That implies that the heady growth of yesteryear is over, even when consumer spending revives.
Faddish stocks like Crocs and Heelys are dangerous for investors, even if Microsoft founder Bill Gates apparently believes that Crocs is a good stock.
Navigating the dire economy won’t be easy for discretionary stocks like Crocs. Fellow footwear maker Skechers recently got trampled. On the other hand, these tough times could provide investing opportunities. I’ve wanted to take a deeper look at Deckers lately; its UGG boots may be a fad, but they’ve shown remarkable staying power for years now, remaining hot even through last year’s holiday shopping season.
But in Crocs’ case, I continue to firmly advise investors to steer clear. Even though it may look cheap trading in penny stock territory, I don’t believe it will ever come near its former growth rates. Buyer, beware.
I love uggs .
Buy cheap ugg boots .
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