In this edition of Around the World, EJ takes on the mainstream fashion media for their backlash against bloggers. Does fashion’s youth obsession fuel the Tavi worship? She also bursts holes in the “Project Runway” myth and muses on why snooty-types don’t take fashion seriously as an art form. All this at the FashionStake Blog.

Highlights on the DDG news wire include Britney Spears’ feminist stance on shoes & cellulite, and the (corporate) art world’s lack of interest in Kate Moss.

Next, hop over the the Pinkertons Shoppe blog and check out Nicole Richie’s style evolution, a wrap on Spring 2010 shoe trends, and read up on a great movie playlist for fashion cult followers.

From the forthcoming Shopparel shopping platform, EJ examines the Spring 2010 military trend and gives tips on what to wear on those rainy spring days.

Finally, stop by NKOTB GlamChix to get educated on the 2010 CFDA nominees. Stick around the brand new site to discovery luxury brands that you probably don’t know, but should!

CLICK THE BOXES ABOVE TO READ…

Loyal followers may have noticed a dearth of posts on the Cult lately, and for that we apologize. Eighty Jane, your resident mistress of ceremonies is in high demand these days, lending her expertise to those in need. But don’t fret! The Fashion Cult team is growing and we’re bringing some exciting new features your way soon. In the mean, enjoy this dose of EJ’s fashion news and discussion from around the world (wide web).

Barbie is getting a Betty Draper makeover	Gap is going down under	Women’s History Month: Celebrate Female Designers
Get the Look: Rachel Bilson	The Top Ten Fashion Websites	Blogs Move Fashion from Dictatorship to Democracy
Slingbacks! + more SS10 Men’s Shoe Trends	Menswear Red Trend: SS10	Augmented Reality – Rock Paper Scissor with T-post Magazine

The latest news in the suicide death of Lee Alexander McQueen is that the designer’s namesake label will continue despite his death. Additionally, the McQueen Fall/Winter 2010-11 collection will be shown in Paris next month.

From The Baltimore Sun:

Alexander McQueen’s namesake label will continue despite the death of the designer, the parent company PPR SA said Thursday.

Robert Polet, chief of the Gucci Group subsidiary, said the collection McQueen was working on before his death will be shown at Paris fashion week next month…

[Polet] said he spoke with McQueen a few weeks ago when the two men decided that “we have transitioned from being the name of a designer to putting in place the building blocks of a brand.”

“That means that will be my legacy,” McQueen had said, according to Polet. “That’s something I will always leave behind.”

Other sources also confirm that a note was found at the scene of McQueen’s death. The contents of that note have not been released.

To every Cult there is a dark side, and the Fashion Cult is no different. I remember stories in the 90s of kids getting shot on the street for their high-priced sneakers. Are a pair of Jordans really worth your soul? Crazy. Now it’s denim that inspiring folks to a life of crime. The boom of premium denim has sparked an epidemic in the Atlanta area – of thieves ganking blue jeans like they were diamonds and pearls. Sure, we drool over Loewe handbags and Proenza Schouler boots, but followers the bottom line is that style comes from within. So if you think you have to steal or buy stolen merchandise to be fashionable, think again. You can’t shine with that sort of blood on your hands.

From WWD:

Thieves drove a stolen van into a Nordstrom store at Perimeter Mall near Atlanta early Monday and fled with armloads of premium denim valued at $13,000, police said.

It was the second time in recent months that the mall — owned by General Growth Properties Inc. and located in Dunwoody, Ga., about 20 miles north of Atlanta — has been victimized by denim thieves. In October, robbers took an estimated $17,000 in premium denim from Bloomingdale’s.

The Dodge Caravan crashed into one of the store’s exterior entrances about 6 a.m., and three men grabbed 87 pairs of jeans. They left the van behind and escaped on foot.

It was unclear whether the latest robbery could be linked to the Blue Jean Bandits, a gang that has stolen more than $1.5 million in premium denim from some 70 Atlanta-area stores since 2007, said Detective Robert Bentivegna of the Dunwoody Police Department. The heists began as after-hours smash-and-grabs and escalated to brazen armed robberies during the day.

photos: theoffside.com, webblogseize.com

Last Wednesday shots of an H&M spring 2010 Garden collection hit the netwaves. The line is being billed as the store’s Organic and Sustainable line, and in a case of unbelievably bad timing, a story caught fire the same day that a Manhattan H&M store has been mutiliating unworn, unsold merchandise and dumping them in the garbage. Hmm…

What a perfect illustration of how companies are using the “green” trend as just another marketing ploy. Certainly, any company whose values are authentically in line with sustainability would never allow this to happen. I do understand why they did (do) it: can’t have every Tom, Dick, and Harry Homeless sporting the same gear you want some enthusiastic fashionista to pay 100 bucks for come next season. They have to protect their Brand Integrity. However, the NYT story that began the firestorm also reported that Wal-Mart in Manhattan was doing the same thing. That bit was less suprising to hear, but more ridiculous. What integrity was Wal-Mart have to protect ?!?

Via Ecouterre
Photos: the Pipeline

20-year old Korean model Daul Kim was found dead in Paris today, reports NY Mag fashion blog, the Cut. As the news spreads a few sources are report suicide theories, but the cause of death has not yet been confirmed by authorities.

Daul broke onto the scene in 2007 and her star was still rising fast. She was also a photographer and painter and maintained a blog called I Like to Fork Myself. Her final post was titled “say hi to forever” and was published yesterday. This track by Jim Rivers has gained some new infamy thanks to the untimely death of a young model.

She had an authentic sense of style:

She was very popular for SS 2010:

Here she is in a fashion film for Richard Nicoll SS ’10:

NEW YORK — Irving Penn, the master photographer whose fashion images in Vogue magazine for more than six decades bridged the gap between commercial photography and fine art, died Wednesday morning at his home in New York City. He was 92.

Beginning in 1943, Penn had a long career with Vogue, where he revolutionized the way fashion was presented to a mass audience. He shot more than 150 covers, more than any other single photographer, and was consistently showcased in the magazine’s pages.

“In my career, I have met no one else who worked with the level of imaginative intensity and economy of Irving Penn,” said Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour. “His photographs were as exquisite and electrifying in the last year of his life as they were in 1943, when he started contributing to Vogue. To have been a colleague and friend of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century is a privilege greater than I could have ever imagined.”

Karl Lagerfeld told WWD his most treasured Penn print is a photo of his wife, Lisa Fonssagrives, in a look from the winter 1950 collection of Cristobal Balenciaga. “He was the kindest man on earth. His work was exquisite,” said Lagerfeld. “We used to spend hours chatting together. He used to speak about Paris in the Fifties.”

Read the rest here.

photos: lindacrispell.blogspot.com, carolelieff.com, wwd.com

Christian Lacroix Fall Couture 2009

PARIS — Workers at Christian Lacroix, which is in administration, breathed a sigh of relief Thursday as an Ajman sheikh tabled a formal offer to purchase the troubled couture house.

The offer from Al Hassan Bin Ali Al Nuaimi, in cooperation with the couturier, must still meet the approval of the commercial court here. However, the Paris administrator told Agence France Press it is “likely” to meet approval because it would preserve jobs and pay third-party debts. A date for a hearing has yet to be fixed, but is expected around Oct. 20. It is understood Bernard Krief Consulting and Financière Saint-Germain also have submitted bids.

If the sheikh’s offer prevails, it would see ownership pass from Florida’s Falic Group to a nephew of the ruling emir of Ajman, the smallest of the seven emirates comprising the United Arab Emirates.

According to sources, the sheikh is involved in a variety of business, including finance, real estate, resort development and yachting.

Read the rest here

Out of frustration, empire:

Donald G. Fisher, who with his wife Doris founded Gap Inc. and revolutionized global specialty store retailing, died Sunday at his home in San Francisco after a long battle with cancer. He was 81.

Fisher stepped down as chairman of the company in 2003, to be succeeded by his son Bob, but continued as chairman emeritus and a director until his death.

Fisher’s demise comes just more than a month after the 40th anniversary of when he and his wife founded the company, named for the “generation gap” between Baby Boomers and their parents. Then 41 — and with no retailing experience — he abandoned a well-established career in real estate development to become the clothier to his sons’ generation just weeks after Woodstock and a month after man landed on the moon. The company recently introduced 1969 brand jeans to great fanfare in commemoration of the anniversary.

The entire enterprise grew out of a frustrating shopping experience. The Fishers made their midlife career move after they had difficulty exchanging an ill-fitting pair of jeans and failed to find an adequate denim size assortment at local department stores. They raised $63,000 to launch the first store in their hometown in 1969, and sales reached $2 million the following year, when a second unit opened in nearby San Jose, Calif.

Read the rest at WWD.com

September 17, 2009 – Atlanta, GA. On Thursday, Sept 24 at 7pm, silver screen and TV actress, Terri J. Vaughn (The Steve Harvey Show, Soul Food, All of Us, Tyler Perry drama Daddy’s Little Girls) hosts SMART; a series of eco-conscious brand experiences benefitting the Decatur-based greenspace destination and community resource – Wonderland Gardens. Anne Fontaine Paris, one of the fashion industry’s most respected designer houses, serves as the backdrop for the launch event and welcomes Atlanta’s elite for an intimate shopping experience and champagne toast 3500 Peachtree Rd NE Atlanta, GA 30326 Partial proceeds benefit Wonderland Gardens.

Click HERE for details on the event.

The Cult will be in attendance at the event with a eye out of good style. Stay tuned for the pics! In the meantime, didn’t Terry J. Vaughn look fabulous on the BET Awards red carpet?