Jackie - I didn't know you!

I am too young to recall anything about Jackie Kennedy Onassis' halcyon days as a fashion icon. I do remember though as I grew up being somewhat bemused by the constant touting of her as a fashion icon. I just could not see it.

It is really only within the last year that the scales have fallen from my eyes and I realise what an extraordinary stylish woman she was. I now can't get enough of her.

I settled in to watch a two hour documentary on her life the other night and was astounded that within the many many MANY outfits that we saw Jackie in - sports wear, riding gear, shopping frock, formal wear, at home wear, walking down the road outfits ....there was not one single moment - not a minute - when she did not look exquisite.

I have talked about French chic before on the blog and I saw that French style all through Jackie in this documentary. She had a Euro sensibility that was so becoming.

Jackie - I am sorry I dissed you - now I totally get you!

Anna Wintour

Sorry for the few day absence - I have been crossing continents.

But here is Anna Wintour on 60 Minutes. Now I admire her lack of cosmetic surgery, but not so sure about the dodgy teeth.

And despite her support of fur and her nonsensical utterances in its defence ----- I admire her steeliness. As they used to say about Margaret Thatcher - you may not like her but you have to respect her.

Michelle Obama is not a great beauty: model

Could someone please explain to me why there has been a mini-furore about Iman saying that Michelle Obama is not a "great beauty," but will "just get better with age,".

Iman spoke with Parade magazine and spoke at length about how wonderful Michelle Obama is but the only thing that seems to have been picked up is that Iman - undoubtedly and indisputably beautiful - dared to pass comment on Michelle's looks.

And she tells the truth. Anyone who thinks Michelle Obama IS a great beauty better get themselves to the optometrist. She ain't. But that is the wonderful and exhilarating part of Michelle Obama - her brains, her style, her smile, the way she carries herself and obviously loves her husband and children and sincerely likes herself - WOW!

What Iman said was not rude, bitchy or inappropriate. Women are allowed to be honest commentators without being attacked. I doubt Michelle Obama is losing sleep over it. She will get better with age and she will always have true style.

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Cher, please! Cover it up!

Yes yes, I know that none of the rules........ NONE OF THE RULES ...... apply to 62 year old Cher, and thank god. You don't get to be a major gay icon by laying it safe and slipping into comfortable shoes at age 50.

But seriously you can do more favors for yourself by being er, judicious in your choice of showgirl costume than Cher is being in this getup - which she wore this week in Las Vegas.

But it truth I am torn. In a way she thrills me, in a way I think she should reconsider.

But whateverher choices, she is still undeniably Cher - a major gay and Kipstar icon!

Michelle and the Queen - just a couple of gossip girls!

Ah! The truth is out!

On The View, Barbara Walters has revealed what was said during that controversial moment when Michelle Obama touched the Queen of England (and yes, it caused a controversy and rules are silly, but truly she should have known better and I bet in her briefing she was told "do not touch the royal personage" .... and Michelle should have thought twice about that hairstyle as well) .....

....but we can forgive Michelle everything, because Barbara said (and Barbara knows everything!) that Michelle and the Queen were discussing ..... SHOES!

What more needs to be said ..... you gotta love a girl who cares about shoes.

CHANEL: Coco Chanel parle de la mode

Do you think that the darling and elegant Coco may have died from lung cancer?

The secret of the Cost Per Wear Ratio

Sometime, back in the days of my youth (sigh) I was told by a very savvy fashionista that one should always use the CPW ratio. That is Cost Per Wear Ratio. You buy a dress for $250 wear it twice, it cost you $125 per wear. You buy an expensive dress for $500 and wear it 100 times it costs $5 per wear. That's your value judgement right there.

This is an excellent little calculation you can do in your head. I wished I did it more often, because there is no doubt that the things I have paid a little bit more for (okay, A LOT MORE for) I generally love more, cherish more and yes, wear more.

I have a Bally handbag that I bought - on sale I hasten to add - for $550. It was reduced from $1250. I cannot for the life of me explain what possessed me to buy it because it put a serious dent on my budget and a burden on my credit card.

It is plain, cream and beautifully lined. I have had it for nearly 9 years and it looks brand new. It is a clever piece of work, because although it's cream I use it summer and winter. It never fails to get at least one compliment every time I take it out (which sadly, is more than can be said for me).

So as far as CPW calculations go, that bag must have cost me ....um, let's see: Initial outlay $550, divided by 9 (years) = 61. That's $61 a year. Divided by 12 months a year = $5 a month.

$5 a month or less that $2 a week! Can't be happier than that now can we?

Any suggestions about investment dressing, or observations about Cost Per Wear?

Shoes and Elephants: what's not to like?

Now we know The Kipstar and all her friends (that means you, dear reader) LOVES shoes.

And The Kipstar also knows that you are good people who will be delighted to celebrate Christian Louboutin’s foray into saving the planet, one high heeled footstep at a time.

Christian (god bless his red soles) has created a special pink zippered Rodita sandal (price – eeek - $895). Only 50 pairs have been made and all proceeds go to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation which helps stop the cruel practice of using elephants as tourist attractions on the urban streets of Thailand.

Now I am not suggesting you rush out to actually buy these special edition shoes, (but you can if you want) but some people will only think about other living creatures when they also get something for themselves.

Of course if you don’t have $895 lying around the house, or the ability to carry off a pink zippered platform sandal, you can always gather a few pennies and give them as a donation to the Golden Triangle Elephant Foundation.

The most handsome man in the world - Nelson Mandela

Second post today - when The Kipstar pays tribute to true beauty through forgiveness and commitment.

Ladies and gentleman - Nelson Mandela!

Look at his face. Has there ever been a more beautiful expression of love and dignity and true belief in human rights?

That again is style.

This is TRUE style.

Yesterday's blog about Anna Wintour sparked a lot of twitter traffic and a few comments here ..... so today I thought we might concentrate on a couple of people who show the true essence of style.

First up. Aung San Suu Kyi. In Burma, she is simply known as The Lady, and you can see why. She has put up with the most extraordinary pressure, punishment and violation of her rights, for the sake of her country and her people.

Through it all she has maintained a dignity, poise and grace that many of us would find hard to maintain if we broke a nail.

Now she has been taken from her home (where she has been under house arrest for decades) and incarcerated for the flimsiest of excuses. And yet, she never ever is anything other than dignified and elegant.

True style.

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On the Town: Anna Wintour

Funny how these Vogue women just do not ever justify themselves and rarely grant interviews (see previous post about Carine Roitfeld).

But last night in NYC Anna Wintour stepped out for a public “conversation” with Jonathan Tisch. Anna spoke about how to “look good without spending a lot of money.” (I am wiping the tears of mirth away from my eyes, because quite frankly, I think Anna would know squat about this subject).

PETA - who stalk Anna and have a fury against US Vogue - were present having rallied troops before hand. "This woman skins animals alive!" they shouted from the audience. A groupie yelled out “I love you Anna.” In her crisp British cut glass accent Anna said “"Fur is still a part of fashion, so Vogue will continue to report on it…..fashion means different things to different people”, which is a widley disingenuous answer, given that Anna famously picks and chooses what she reports and has her favorite designers, models and stylists and a blacklist that sends shivers down the spines of the fashion mavens.

Your Honor, I submit for your consideration

And while we are the subject of fabulous designers, terrible hair........

Please see Sonia Rykiel.

No more need to be said.

Le francais je ne sais quoi

I once worked with a French woman who was, it has to be said, very plain. I know, because I used to sit opposite her and just stare. She was plain. Not ugly, just plain. But I had a big girly-crush on her, because she was oh so chic. I tortured myself trying to figure this out. How did she have that style? Why did ooze from every pore?

Was it her understated style, an offhanded French arrogance about her dress? Was she undone or under done.?What what WHAT was going on with Mme Plain Francais that had me tossing and turning during sleepless nights?

Well, the phrase je ne sais quoi was invited by the French for a reason. Stylists and commentators can bang on and on about the French loving elegant, expensive pieces, understated and beautifully styled, creating the perfect silhouette but it seems so much more than that. I mean, it obviously helps that the accent is a killer.

I still haven’t cracked the code. Is it about proportion, tailoring, attention to detail? Sophistication and appropriateness? Lack of bling? (oh yes, we might be onto something there!!)

Do you think the French are stylish? No? Yes? Couldn’t care less?

Viva Catherine!

Inspired by writing Carine Roitfeld yesterday I seem to have gotten in a very Francais mood. This may have to do with wanting to eat a huge plate of French fries but maybe it has more to do with me coveting that French je ne sais quoi.

My next few blogs are going to be en francais. Well, not en francais but more like francais sur la chic.

Let me start with Catherine Deneuve. That woman is 66 years old! That woman has just gotten better with age!

Better yet – she doesn’t hide her age; she doesn’t deny have surgery (see previous post about Nicole Kidman). She says she eats a lot (and she sure ain’t no waif), she smokes (oh Catherine!), but she does love walking.

But you know, if I walked forever I would not have the chic style of la Deneuve.

Nicole, your pants are on fire!

Like Joan Rivers, I find people who lie about their cosmetic surgery just ...well, liars! At least Madonna has said "I may have, I may not have, but I am hardly going to call a press conference about it."

So why oh why (she says, yowling at the moon) does Nicole Kidman insistently demand that we actually are idiots enough to believe her when she says - not once, but repeatedly, "I have had nothing done, what you see is 100% natural".

Some of us with longer memories (and the google search engine) will recall what a younger Nicole looked like. No nose job Nic? No lip surgery? And no botox?

If what you have is "100% natural" Nicole, then your cellular regeneration abilities are so astounding, that you should be used for atomic research and the eventual curing of cancer.

Ooh la la Carine, j'adore!

One of my absolute style icons is Carine Roitfeld, editor of French Vogue. The French edition of Vogue is so different from any other edition – highly stylized, and so fanciful that it hardly ever bothers to do anything about makeovers, or editing your look……that would be far too déclassé.

Carine has that jolie laid look much loved by the fashion elite, and ahem, much loved by moi. Yes, she looks like Iggy Pop but so what, this woman rocks.

For someone who rarely gives interviews, this year, we’ve seen Carine at her most vocal, pronouncing on all manner of essentials. Carine would not be seen dead in jeans. Or mini skirts. She always wears heels in Paris. Always. She likes people rail thin but she doesn’t have a weight policy at Vogue.

In this months Acne paper, Carine said she is “quite classic with an edge.” Oooh j’adore her definition of classic. “It’s more the way you mix the clothes and how you move, how you open your bag, how you cross your legs – just little things that make a difference.”

Oh Carine, you speak the truth, you speak with the essence of Francais.

Excuse me, but what's with the hair?

I love Diane von Furstenberg, I really do. That wrap dress (created almost 40 years ago) never goes out of style and can be worn by ANYONE. Seriously, anyone. And she gives the best advice to ladies of a certain age (I look forward to being a lady of a certain age so I can follow her advice).

She is a star and we love her. But...(and there had to be a but....) what is with the hair?

I'm sorry but if anyone else turned up with that bull's wool we would deem them too much like Susan Boyle and ship them off to Kim Vo for a makeover. (You know Kim Vo. He's always turning up on Oprah letting women live their best lives by cutting their hair and turning them into cougars).

Why why why Diane, are you hanging onto the hair? it looks like it needs a good conditioning pack, a serious trim, a color retouch (and rethink) and a serious session under the lawn mower.

PS : I love you regardless.

Some Trends for the Fall: I'm Not Buying

New York magazine has let us know that they have just divined the essential trends for fall and I tell you, some of them are just plain scary.

Velvet (the fabric) for everything, especially evening wear.
80’s disco garishness
The boyfriend jacket
Thigh high boots
Brick red
Leather
Leggings
A highly defined waist

Velvet always reminds me of Agatha Christie novels – grand dames with two much face powder and very old velvet frocks. And seriously, much of the other hardly screams “recession investment pieces” because girls, I am telling you, you wear thigh high boots for one season and you are sick sick sick of them. Not to mention sick sick sick of getting them on your legs every day. And those babies are not cheap. (Not that we are about cheap but you get where I am going with this ????)

What are your fall trends? I’m sticking with classics this year (and a few new pairs of shoes).

Natalia - All Class, All the Time

CNN is currently running, on rotation, a wonderful little documentary about Natalia Vodianova and Moscow.

Natalia - who was discovered selling fruit and vegetables in a Moscow market - has become the favorite of Anna Wintour who adores her, and many designers. In this documentary you can see why. She is classy, sweet, sooooooo photogenic and passionate. What's not to love?

You can see Part One of the Natalia special here. Watch Part Two here.

Help! I have a leopard print issue.

Call me old fashioned, call me muddle headed but I need your help.

What’s with the leopard print pump? Like the 'classic trench’ (see previous post) the leopard print pump appears on so many must have lists that we are all in danger of looking like a guerrilla (gorilla?) army if we all ran out and bought a pair and wore them at once. Isaac Mizrahi in ‘How to Have Style’ says the leopard print pump is as essential as the black pump and the Mary Jane.

Now I don’t wish to offend, but to me they kinda look cheap. Not exactly street-walking cheap, but sheesh, not a good look. I just don’t wanna look like Pamela Anderson (god love her and I do too) when I step out the door in the morning to go to work.

And what do you wear your leopard print pumps with? If you wear all black, surely a black shoe would be better? A all white pant suit? Head to toe animal prints? I am soooo confused. And in the winter months, what tights? Surely not black?

But I am lost. Help me here. I'm all ears!!!!! Are they really attractive? Or do you really look like a hooker when you wear them?

An It Girl to the last!

Ah, how often we forget that we didn’t invent the ‘it’ girl. Maxime de La Falaise who has died at age 87 was an “it” girl 1950s. Even the name oozes cool (actually she was born plain old Maxine Birley – give this girl credit for reinvention).

She was Cecil Beaton's muse – the star photographer of his day. He called her the “only truly chic Englishwoman” of her generation.

She was a model, a food writer and stared in an Andy Warhol film. She was born in London but lived in Paris and New York. She designed exquisite clothes, furniture, rugs and bags.

She had wonderful affairs, often with ‘playboys’ as they called the idle rich in the 1940s and 1950s. She also had serious romances -with Louis Malle and the surrealist painter Max Ernst and later, John Paul Getty III. She was married to John McKendry, curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

And of course she was the mother of the exquisite model Loulou de la Falaise who was an “it” girl of the 1980’s.

Vale Maxime! What a wonderful life!
Maxime De La Falaise, 1922-2009

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Slumdog blingionnaire .....

This week the first Versace accessory boutique opened in Mumbai India. There’s something so fitting about Versace opening in Mumbai. The brand is crass, ugly, full of bling and so nouveau-riche. It lacks taste and class. Subtlety? Forget it. The point of buying Versace is so that people know you are wearing Versace. It is to show off your wealth. It is not for the discreet or the elegant.

The Versace boutique is within spitting distance of the Mumbai slums – so shockingly and starkly portrayed in Slumdog Millionaire. I am not the sort who believes that we only have one choice in our lives and we all must wear hair shirts because others are living in penury. But I do know that when India’s elite spend $250 on a tee shirt and that money could school ten children for a year, then something is surely wrong.

Versace International announced “our strong commitment to the Indian market.” Substitute “our strong commitment to donating part of our profits to alleviate poverty in Mumbai” and I might start listening.

She speaks! She walks! She er, writes!

Kate Moss is writing her autobiography. I can’t imagine that Kate is ACTUALLY writing it, but she no doubt will be telling someone what happened and they’ll be writing it for her. Kate has been paid a million quid for the book, and I bet many people will want to read it.

There’s been a few Kate books released – mainly coffee table photo books but Fred Vermerol did an unauthorized biography few years back – Addicted to Love - which was pretty good. Vermerol – a veteran celebrity writer – was a little perplexed by cries of “genius!” “brilliant” “gifted!”

She shows up, has her picture taken, and knows her job, writes Fred. That makes her professional doesn’t it, not Albert Einstein?

I can’t imagine how Kate will explain her life, but you can bet that the book will be a best seller.

Patti Smith: She Put the Rock in Chic

This week came the announcement that Patti Smith’s son, Jackson is going to marry White Stripes drummer Meg White on May 22.

Now this just gives me the ideal platform to discuss Patti. Ah Patti! The woman with the girl-next-door name and the stunning androgynous looks. Her album Horse – with photography by Robert Mapplethorpe – set a very high bar for musical high priestesses.

I stared at her photo for hours and yes, I wanted to be her.

But hello, excuse me? Has Patti had botox? A makeover? Recently she’s been stepping out in NYC looking well…….coiffured and er, glamorous.

You know I’m not a big one for telling people they have to keep to my idea of what they should look like, and Horses was released over 30 years ago. Salut Patti, whatever you choose to do!

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Afghanistan's President Karzai - elegant and ethnic.

This week I seem to have Washington on my mind (see previous post about Mr. Gunn going to Washington). Also in DC this week was the man once labeled by Tom Ford as "the most chic man in the world.”

While trying to figure out how to bring peace to Afghanistan, Mr. Karzai generally disappointed with his attire – going for what suspiciously looked like a turtle neck-and-blazer effect, rather than his usual ethnic chic.

Usually he does turn out in good style. Single-breasted suits, accessorized with ethnic emblems of his country, layered on shawls and scarves. Tajik, Hazara and Pashtun fabrics all get a look in; in Afghanistan it would cause a headache but when worn on the international stage – with that terribly chic Afghan wool hat – it just looks stunning and terribly elegant.

Now, ahem. Back to business. What is your game plan for ridding your country of the Taliban, Mr. Karzai?

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Vote 1 Tim Gunn!

What’s not to love about Tim Gunn? He reminds me of a kinder gentler age, and the idea of a gentleman. Tim has been in DC this week, lobbying Congress about intellectual property rights legislation.

Apparently, when he met with Rep Lamar Smith on the issue, Smith asked him to give fashion critique for his staff. Who knew that the Republican from Texas with the very bad hair would plump for a private session with Tim?

According to Ann Schroeder on Politico:

The staff fared pretty well. "Small tweaks" were made -- a shorter skirt was one -- and the congressman replied, "Two inches?!" in shock. Gunn replied, "no just one." Another lucky female staffer was complimented on her grey skirt and sweater paired with a light brown belt. Gunn said, "This outfit is all about the belt and it works."

However, not everyone could receive high marks. One female staffer, sadly, was wearing capris and was told they are out of style. A male staffer was scolded and told to buy a properly fitting suit jacket. (Tsk!)

Tim also spoke with Politics Daily about (zzzzz) Michelle Obama's fashion sense among other things. You can see the video here.

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Yes doctor, I would like to look cheap and fake please.

Now I never think of my self as an old fashioned girl, even though I am fond of washing my bras (please see previous post, but do it on an empty stomach)….but it seems I am old fashioned when it comes matters orthodontic.

I wore braces quite late in life because I wanted good straight teeth; it makes you face better and generally gives you a better bite and less jaw ache.

But can we stop with the freshly painted picket fences that people are going for? I can no longer watch the Tyra show without wearing dark glasses and dimming the lights and a night watching American Idol inspires a migraine and a touch of the vapors.

ALL of the judges seem to have gone to the same fake teeth school. I remember Kara DioGuardi never looked so, er white clean and straight as she did before joining the panel. Simon Cowell probably had some very bad teeth (well, he is British and it’s almost illegal there to have good teeth) and needed work but did he have to end up looking so – well, so much like a freshly erected picket fence?

It’s not a good look. It looks fake, it looks bought and it looks kind of cheap.

Ewww Viv, that is SO gross!

This week’s most revolting news comes from England where it seems, they are not at all keen on getting rid of the less that attractive reputation of being dirty buggers.

Vivienne Westwood (that would be Dame Vivienne Westwood to you) has admitted that she never, ever, ever washes her bras. Occasionally she says, she slightly dusts them with talcum powder.

Now if you’re like me and feel like reaching for the barf bowl…… wait there’s more! This revelation sent researchers off on a quest to find out how often British women washed their bras.

It seems that British women like to wear them on average seven times, over an eight-week period, before washing them.

That is so gross. I am now ready for a full-blown stomach evacuation.

Imelda Marcos calling Rhianna ... I need my clothes back!

Can you believe that some people are interpreting the Rihanna tuxedo from this week’s Met Ball as a “provocative fashion statement of female empowerment.”
More like a provocative fashion statement of “I Have no clue, but one day I could become President of the Philippines.”
Looking horribly like Imelda Marcos, Rhianna wore a Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo with gi-normous puffed sleeves and short cigarette pants.
She apparently sang up a storm. Good for her. Now could you send that tux to Manila? Someone must be missing it.

Beauty is in the eyebrow of the beholder

Sukaina al-Zayer is Saudi Arabia's current pageant queen – she holds the tile of the "Miss Beautiful Morals.” Qualifications? “Devotion and respect for her parents and commitment to Islamic morals.”

You can scoff at the Middle Eastern modesty but look at this girl. I imagine that by saying she is incredibly sexy, I am mortally offending her, but look at those eyebrows, look at those eyes! Now that’s sexy.

Whenever I see those women in complete hijab I always look closely – a peep of beautifully pedicured toe here, and exquisitely made up eye there, beautifully kept nails. It can be just a delight looking at the glimpses of skin.

Within the confines of what Ms al-Zayer is allowed to do – and granted, that’s hardly very much at all – she looks absolutely fabulous. And truly, I don’t give a damn about her morals.

The classic trench - are you kidding me?

Why is that every fashion guru - from Tim Gunn to Isaac Mizrahi (and I do love both those gentlemen to bits) always say, "Ladies, your wardrobe needs a classic trench!" ?

Now firstly, there's the very obvious point that if we all put on our classic trenches we would look like something out of Children of the Corn or a sci-fi plot set in the not-to-distant future when we all wear uniforms and bad bowl hair cuts.

White shirts? Yes. Black trousers? Sure. Black skirt? Got it. LBD? Couldn't live without it. Classic trench? Give me a break.

This trench does not suit everyone and beige can positively be deathly to people of a certain coloring. Pale with dark hair - forget it. Pale with blond hair - not so great either.

And the trench might look divine of Kate, Christy, Agyness or Irina (by the way doncha love Irina?). For someone not like a tent pole there are no favors at all. Can we drop the charade of the classic trench? Please?

Tyra - what is that on your head?

Tyra Banks stopped talking for long enough to turn up at NY's Met Ball on Monday night. Looked like she had a pile of manure pinned to her head.

She's a great looking woman though in the flesh her head is very out of proportion to her body which is a little disconcerting.

My bet is that it looks great when Tyra is striking a pose, but about an hour later - ewww! Hair disaster emergency?

But what do you think? Did she pull this look off?

Christiane, Christiane .... let the scissors be with you!

What's not to love about Chrisitiane Amanpour? She is such a respected presence on CNN, such a steady hand at reporting. Love her love her love her.

Christiane could do with a serious makeover in the hair department - peer closely at that woman and she is BEAUTIFUL. Maybe she thinks the shag-and-bangs look is a good wash-and-wear look for war zones. No fuss, no muss, works anywhere anytime, nothing but a bar of soap needed to get it clean. She may well be right.

But the color - oh, the color. Beauty 101 - the older we get the lighter our hair should get. That dark all one color look is no good for anyone and for Christiane it is doing her no favors at all.

Am I shallow for suggesting Christiane needs some hair advice? No, I just would like to see this wonderful woman make the absolute best of what she has.

Hideous hair alert!!!!!!! Warning! Warning!

Tom Hanks, Nicholas Cage, Christian Slater, John Travolta. All of them have very bad hair made worse by very bad transplants.

It’s that holding steady transplant that looks just awful. Like nothing is ever moving on the head but that it is sort of stuck, semi-balding, semi-receding in a no-man’s land of hideousness.

Tom is currently on a film tour and looks alarmed at himself. Nicholas Cage hasn’t looked good for years and Christian Slater is definitely in hair hell. John Travolta I cannot even talk about (and only some of that have got to do with his hair).

Lads! Close cut, shaved and bald – all very sexy looks that you might want to consider.

That friggin' fatty...KATE MOSS

Kate's been carrying a few extra pounds of late. Is she pregnant or is she just 35 and fed up with eating like gerbil and feeling kind of faint all the time? Around 35 it gets soooooooo hard to keep the weight off. You might have eaten deep fried Mars bars all the way through your 20s but there does come a time when it doesn't disappear into thin air anymore.

Has Kate got a recession body? We are all supposed to whack of a few pounds when the economy sucks. Belt tightening doesn't just mean watching the wallet, it also means expanding waistlines.

She is gorgeous. She really is. She looks fabulous from any angle (bad British teeth and all). And even though there doesn't seem to be a lot of personality going on, she is definitely an icon.

So the jury is out - but you can be the jury too. Kate Moss? Too fat to remain an icon? You decide.

Michelle Obama's shoe bumble

Michelle Obama got a touch defensive about her shoes this week. When asked about her foot wear by an eagle-eyed reporter, she grumpily replied "They're shoes".

No Michelle, they are not "shoes". They are especially not "shoes" when you are wearing them to a volunteer D.C. food bank, and they cost $540.

Much has been made about the humble suede sneakers ; they were finessed with grosgrain ribbon laces and had metallic pink toe caps. They are as ugly as sin, look utterly Eurotrash tasteless . I wouldn't be caught dead in them - and neither should she - but that's beside the point.

What in the hell was she thinking strolling into a food bank in such shoes? Surely she knew that someone would do the usual fashion forensics on her and realise that he clodhoppers were wildly over-priced and wildly inappropriate? Yes, wear a nice frock to your state ocassions, your international hob nobbing and your important meet-and-greets. But Michelle. Please also realise who you are dealing with and where you are doing it and have a little more class.

A portrait in selfishness - SJP and Matthew Broderick

Sarah Jessica Parker and her husband Matthew Broderick are "delighted" that they have a surrogate delivering twin girls for them. SJP is now 44 and no doubt, fertility was - and is - an issue in this decision.

But I ask you? What makes people so sure they have a RIGHT to have a baby merely because they desire one?

This seems to be a classic sense of western entitlement to have what you desire, be it a new house, gas guzzling car, freshly killed animal to eat or a baby.

When can we practice some discipline, some sense of context, some sense of global outlook so that we realize that the world does not have to deliver what we want, merely because we want it, that because we are obscenely wealthy (and that means you SJP) we can have what ever we want. When will learn that enough is enough?

Shoes????? It's all in the length!

Yesterday, an American breakfast show did a road test. Christian Louboutin black leather 4" heel pumps ($600) vs. Payless black leather 4" heel pumps ($20). There were three tests applied -

1. Did people see the difference when looking at both pairs? (answer - nope).
2. Were they comfortable on a one mile walk round Central Park? (nope - both new pairs hurt)
3. What were there insides made of. (Payless - cardboard and plastic. Laboutin's leather, leather, leather).

All shoes look pretty neat when they are new. But the issue is that after one month, one year, ten years they are gonna look at lot different. If indeed the Payless shoes survive that long. It's true, the Payless are going to look cheap and nasty, and are going to be falling apart. The CL's on the other hand will look good, and have a dignified worn in look. In short, they will still look cool.

I love shoes. I like a mid price range shoe and they are mostly comfortable. I do like to splurge and have some lovely, eye wateringly expensive shoes. And I do honestly believe that a pricier shoe just does look better.

BUT - here's the thing. The three most expensive pairs of shoes I ever bought - a simple but elegant Bally sandal, a classic black Gucci pump and a Prada black sandal - were also the three most uncomfortable pairs I have ever owned. They hurt like hell and make me miserable. They have never stopped hurting and I have never stopped perservering.

How in the hell do you explain that?