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Fredrick’s of Hollywood

According to HRWorld, the gambling industry is one of the top 25 best professions to be in during a recession. Why? Because people don’t give up their vices.

People are going to drink until armageddon, so if you are serving, marketing or distributing alcohol, you’re pretty safe. The alkie biz comes in at #14 of 25.$39.

Frederick’s of Hollywood Posts Big Losses – Underwear Economics

Recession-Proof Lingerie?

OK, so the current recession has a lot of us tightening our belts and cutting down on unnecessary spending — but since when is cheap lingerie unnecessary? Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, depending on how you look at it, Frederick’s of Hollywood appears to be a victim of this downturn, losing $5.3M in the last financial quarter.

Even during a recession, people refuse to give up the simple pleasures in life. Erotic Services came in at #22 on the list of recession-proof careers. $19

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

Though, sadly, the downturn has hurt Frederick’s enough to cause them to layoff 15 of their personnel. Bummer. On the bright side, it looks like the company is going to be in good shape according to the porn/beer scale.

According to HRWorld, Health Care is probably the best place to be during an economic recession. People are always going to get sick, just something to keep in mind.
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Fredrick’s of Hollywood

Not only is the military always hiring, we’re still involved in two wars. So the military is definitely a fairly recession-proof career.
$39.99

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

We could easily see people staying away from the high-priced stuff, but as we slide into what looks like a protracted recession, we’re predicting a definite spike in cheap-chic. Possibly even trashy-chic. So, maybe the people at Frederick’s really do know what they’re doing. Their sales are actually still up over last year.

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

Fredrick’s of Hollywood

We were under the impression, however, that alcohol, gambling, and porn were practically recession-proof. How can there be no overlap into tacky lingerie?

Apparently, most of their loss came as a byproduct of the company’s merger with Movie Star Inc., an even tackier lingerie company. But in spite of that setback, the merger should definitely make Fredrick’s well-positioned for the low-priced porn/alcohol trend that economists are predicting.

Public safety is apparently a really safe place to be during a recession. If you’re keeping the streets safe, your job isn’t going anywhere.
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Hey, dudes! Kiehl’s really wants you to ditch that rusty can of 99-cent shaving foam and try its super soothing, skin softening Ultimate Brushless Shave Cream. To make the transition effortless, from May 29 – June 7, the stores are doing a shave swap!

All you have to do is bring your old shaving cream can (4 oz. or more) — you know the one that’s leaving a permanent ring on the side of the tub — to a freestanding Kiehl’s store (find locations here), where you can trade it in for a free 5 oz. tube of the awesome cream. Talk about a free upgrade!

Plus, you’ll get three skin care samples suited to your skin type. Kiehl’s samples are larger than most and ideal for traveling, so it’s a pretty sweet deal all around.

P.S. Ladies, you can swipe your man’s can and trade it in on his behalf. (Getting him to shave, that’s all you!)
Free Kiehl’s Shave Cream! Run, Don’t Walk
Shaving cream of the crop. Photo courtesy of Kiehl’s

French Elle Unveils Special Plus-Size Issue
The cover of French Elle’s new Plus-Size Issue starring model Tara Lynn.

Inside, the size 16 Lynn rocks her curves in a sexy swimsuit and figure-flattering frocks for the lengthy editorial photographed by David Oldham.

French women are notorious for being skinny (the red wine?), but they clearly “get” curves.

Maybe it’s time for Anna Wintour to book it to Paris for a course in “getting real,” Gallic-style?

Just check out French Elle, which today launched its April issue devoted to plus-size women, Runway Revolution reports.

The issue also includes fashion tips for larger women courtesy of plus-size style bloggers.
Meanwhile, read about a new study claiming curvy models in ads cause low self-esteem. But on this side of the Atlantic, our sister site PopEater reports that Vogue would allegedly never consider including plus-size starlet Gabourey Sidibe within its pages because of her large size.
This isn’t the first time the fashion magazine has gone against convention. Last April they featured a bevy of beauties sans makeup and retouching.

Plus-size model Tara Lynn — last seen in V Magazine’s Size Issue — stars on the “Special Rondes” issue’s cover, clad in a white Hermès jumpsuit with a plunging V-neck, according to the site.

Fashion Week has an Official Coffee – It’s McCafe

Move over Starbucks, your star is reentering the Earth’s atmosphere at a perilously steep angle and your heat shield just got another crack — McCafe just bought out Fashion Week. That’s right, the “official” upper of this year’s Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week will be none other than McDonald’s own upscale espresso selection. Three months before McCafe’s official North American debut, the fast food empire is trying to get fashion elites and opinion makers hooked on their triple, non-fat, two Splenda, caramel lattes.

Except for those of us who still enjoy a Happy Meal every now and again, we’re all probably thinking the same thing: what the hell is happening to Fashion Week? With multiple stars of the fashion world scaling back their shows, and now a heavy McDonald’s presence, this really feels like a recession-era FW.

On the upside, everybody backstage will be sucking down all the free McCafe coffee drinks they can stand (or otherwise sending out their gophers for Starbucks).Sure, it’s free, close by, filled with caffeine, and it probably tastes the same as Starbucks — but it’s McDonalds.

If they can manage to pry the Starbucks out of Anna Wintour’s hand and replace it with a McCafe, this whole marketing concept might be more diabolically genius than we’ve imagined. We’re just not sure A-list egos will cooperate.

Apparently, McCafe’s strategy here is to “talk to key influencers and trendsetters,” and hopefully get the paparazzi to snap pictures of them holding McCafe, so they can get to who they really want: “tabloid-reading young women.”

[via Gawker]

Fox Anchor Liz Claman Defends ‘Business-Sexy’ On-Air Wardrobe

It isn’t all business for Liz Claman — at least as far as her wardrobe is concerned.

The Fox Business Network anchor tells Forbes she prefers to go “business sexy” instead of the usual dullsville you would expect of someone with her job.

Her goal, she tells the source, is to “attract, not distract.” And attract she does with her “confident, camera-friendly blend of body-conscious knits and tailored separates, minimal jewelry — and the occasional leopard-print shoe,” reports Forbes.

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Claman, who each afternoon anchors an hour of news followed by “Countdown to the Closing Bell” and “Fox Business Bulls & Bears,” tells Forbes about the time she had to make a stealth style decision.

She was covering the election last November in Chicago and the weather turned out to be too mild to wear anything she packed, so she made like a seasoned fashionista and threw on her sleeping T-shirt and paired it with an Hermes scarf.

Shame on all of us who thought Fox News was a black hole of style.

For more anchor-related fashion news, tune into this style story.

Get the look: Vena Cava

OMG! Designers Lisa Mayock and Sophia Buhai of Vena Cava totally understand us and our weird obsession with Egypt. The one that we liked to keep our little secret – until now! Their collection, which the pair call “Egyptomania,” was full of ethnic influence and 70′s style. At first glance, all we could think about is Bianca Jagger in all of her 70′s glory, when the King Tut craze was at its peak. If she was an “It Girl” today, we think she would definitely be wearing some of the long skirts, transparent tops, and neck pieces that VC showcased.

Though the influences come from decades and centuries ago, the looks were anything but dated. They incorporated some of the week’s biggest trends like shimmer, shine, and plunging necklines. We were also absolutely smitten with the long maxi skirts and dresses as well as the soft, dusty colors.

So make like Cleopatra and get the look via our gallery.

The Vena Cava Look

(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Get the look: Miss Sixty style accessories
If you wanna pull off some of the daring looks at Miss Sixty this spring, you’d better get your stems and chest in shape! The collection was brimming with plunging halter necklines, transparent tops and up-to-there hemlines. Although the shapes were showy, there was also a lot of comfort present in billowing lantern sleeves, playful jumpsuits and maxi length t-shirt dresses (which we’re obviously going to need come spring).

In true Miss Sixty spirit, the real fun came in with the accessories. Hats of all kinds – beanies, crochet, visors, newboys – accompanied stripped knee socks, scarves, giant cuffs, black belts galore, and huge round sunglasses.

In our humble opinion, the Miss Sixty show was a perfect contemporary take on the bold, beautiful Mod look of the 60′s. And we love it!

Get the look with some affordable accessories.

The Miss Sixty Girl

(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Get the Sandra Bullock Look

We absolutely love the way Sandra Bullock looked last night at the 2008 Golden Globe Awards. Love. Read on for a closer examination and tips on how to look as fresh and fabulous as she does above.

Being the absolute goddess that she is, Sandra Bullock has totally pulled off the long white dress without looking like she’s getting married. And that’s not always an easy task. The secret? Relaxed hair, bright accessories, and playing up glamor over innocence in her poses. You can do it, too:Sandra Bullock Lovefest

(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Falls Five Favorite Coats – Tip of the day!

This fall coats are very lighthearted and roomy with a touch of 60s mod thrown in for good measure. Choose something trendy in a pop of color and really go for it or get one in a classic color and keep it forever.

Mod swing coat

This playful trend harks back to the days when Twiggy ran free. Fun colors really do this wild child style justice.

Funnel neck

The funnel elongates your neck and helps decreases the chill factor more so than other open styles.

Double breasted

These are the chicest of the bunch and are probably your best bet for a timeless investment piece.
Fur collar

Some women have difficulty pulling off such a strong statement. Opt for the full fur’s cousin, which just has a sprinkling of furry fabric at the collar.

Bomber

After company’s like Members Only brought 80′s style back into the public eye, the bomber is more popular than ever.

Falls five favorite coats

(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Fashion Week Online

New York Fashion Week is rolling along nicely, and if you’re not there, thanks to the internet these days, you might as well be!

If you’re just into Fashion Week for the hot male models, then drool away. If your thing is reading about the crazy behind the designer facade, you’ll chuckle when you hear what Karl Lagerfeld has to say about Americans and pasta sauce.

Some of the coolest online coverage has come from The Moment’s interactive look at the Marc Jacobs models before and after they go through hair and makeup. And while we’re on the topic of MJ, another fashionista compares his show to having sex in an elevator. Hmmm.

We couldn’t help but laugh while the Fug Girls point out that Eva Longoria’s taste in fashion is being continuously shot down.

As for the clothes, Couture Carrie tells us pales, nudes and peaches are still in this year. FabSugar gives us the lowdown on Jill Stuart and the Hilton sisters while Fashion Indie takes us behind the scenes.

Browse through the links and you’ll feel like you were at New York Fashion Week 2009 — except without the freezing cold, the waiting in horrendously long lines and the being shoved out of the way when the photogs see a celebrity. See? Internet is even better than real life!