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When The Shoe Fits
Nick Foulkes 5/23/2009 12:00:00 AM
The psychology of the shoe is a fascinating field of study. In the female pantheon, the shoe's quasi-magical ability to empower and embolden is well rehearsed. For women, just hearing the name Jimmy Choo or Manolo Blahnik can cause a quickening of the heart and awaken the sort of devotion that most men experience only in the context of football teams or Scotch.
SPECIAL REPORT: LUXURY
A Few Good Shirts
Jonathan Tepperman 3/28/2009 12:00:00 AM
This story starts with a confession: I own too many clothes. I can give you all sorts of rationalizations—they're a way to celebrate and console myself, they reflect my keen sense of esthetics, they're cheaper than therapy, a victimless crime—but I might as well admit the truth. A working man like me, who goes to an office every day and usually wears a tie, needs about 10 dress shirts—maybe 15, if he's not punctual about dry cleaning. Yet when, on a nervous hunch, I recently counted those in my closet, I hit … well, I won't tell you, because it's too embarrassing. But the figure is several times too high. Opening another wardrobe, I found more bad news: ranks of suits, 12 pairs of corduroys (including three in the same shade of chocolate brown), enough khakis for a frat house, and a gang's worth of jeans.
THE GOOD LIFE
Travel: Tours With a Slice Of Sugar and Spice
Elisa Mala 12/6/2008 12:00:00 AM
For holidaymakers, everything's coming up roses—and every other scent imaginable. When quick drops into fragrance shops seem too fleeting, perfume tours allow connoisseurs to really stop and smell the lavender.
Fashion
Branded For Success
Dana Thomas
James Galanos has long been known as America's couturier. His relaxed yet elegant designs defined American fashion for more than half a century, and his customers have included Hollywood stars like Judy Garland and Rosalind Russell, American socialites such as Betsy Bloomingdale, and former American first lady Nancy Reagan, who wore his clothes with great panache. Last month Reagan presented the 83-year-old designer with the Rodeo Walk of Style award in Beverly Hills, California, remarking, "Jimmy deserved this a long time ago." His designs for her—including two White House Inaugural gowns—go on display this month in "Nancy Reagan: A First Lady's Style," a yearlong exhibit at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Museum in California. Galanos recently spoke with NEWSWEEK's Dana Thomas about the state of American fashion today. Excerpts:
Fashion: L.A. Style Is Ready For Prime Time

L.A. style may still conjure up visions of Pamela Anderson in "Baywatch" red. But from the high glamour of the Oscars to the casual chic of Melrose Avenue, the Los Angeles look now rivals New York, Paris and Milan. An ever-growing community of high-end designers is recycling the metaphors of Left Coast life into clothes that everyone else wants. Joining pioneers Richard Tyler and BCBG Max Azria are some new scene stealers: Katayone Adeli, with her skinny pants fit for ingenues; Pamela Dennis, who creates sleek gowns that evoke Hollywood's golden age; Trina Turk, with a hip take on a preppy look that's straight from "Friends," and Imitation of Christ, whose offbeat esthetic has an indie-movie eccentricity.
The Rainbow Coalition

Some of the clothes make specific references to American black culture-like the commercialized, hip-hop designs of Los Angeles-based Cross Colours, a partnership of Watts native Carl Jones, 37, and Thomas Walker, 34. Or, in a more vein, the flamboyant evening dresses of C. D. Greene, 36, inspired by the stage gowns of black musical stars of the '40s. But others have wholly idiosyncratic and unexpected influences. The second-skin pantsuit designed by 27-year-old rising star Byron Lars was inspired by a photograph of the pioneering (white) American aviator Amelia Earhart. And unless you happened to know that Eric Gaskins is black, you certainly couldn't tell it from his $2,500 silk evening suits on sale at Bergdorf Goodman. Gaskins, 34, creates elegant clothes that reflect the Old World tailoring and classic sensibility he learned when he apprenticed at Givenchy nearly a decade ago.