I’m not sure how I feel about these. Of course, I love the innovative design combined with whimsy and the characteristic Christian Louboutin sexiness, HOWEVER, I don’t want to wear shoes that make it seem like my, ehem, wide 9.5 feet (and cankles!) are being measured! What woman wants any sort of measuring tape on her person?

If you’re a glutton for being measured up, you may pre-order these Police shoes on the Christian Louboutin website.

Hello! Yes, we just skipped coverage of Milan Fashion Week. Not our fault: That damn John Galliano had to go and be all anti-Semitic and whatnot, distracting from the actual shows! Geez. We’ll still go back and summarize our fave looks, so please take your heads out of your ovens. Fashion Makes Me Horny will never let you kittens down!

Anywhoo, some Vogue editors already got some previews of Rochas and Dries Van Noten before their respective shows! Not fair to the rest of us vaunted fashion editors, but that’s a subject for another post. For now, enjoy a few images from two of the most anticipated designers who show at Paris Fashion Week, before the goods hit the runway.

Rochas

Rochas

Dries Van Noten

Dries Van Noten

 [via Vogue]

AT WWDMagic last week in Las Vegas, we chatted up Daniel Saynt, former editor-in-chief of FashionIndie.com and current CMO of Rebecca Minkoff, who was there as part of a Teen Vogue discussion panel on  blogger influence. Known for being one of the first “crossover” bloggers who went from the blog-side to the executive side of fashion, he’s engineered social media marketing programs like a Polyvore contest to style the Rebecca Minkoff show at NYFW and using crowdsourcing to actually design a Rebecca Minkoff bag. Because of Daniel, you, too, can design a bag or style a major NYFW fashion show!

Photo credit: Whitney Benjamin

Q: Tell me about the Polyvore contest to style looks at the Rebecca Minkoff show. How did that come about?
A: A big part about Rebecca Minkoff and the brand is embracing technology and not just settling for traditional social media like Facebook and Twitter. We’re expanding our horizons and Polyvore was a natural selection for us, so when we were working with them we wanted to do something individual and unique, something that would incorporate their members and showcase how well they style, which is something that they’re doing on Polyvore anyway. We selected our favorite one, the winner had a huge amount of votes from the readers.

Q: How many?
A: Close to 20,000 votes. So we flew them out, they helped style the show, picked out key pieces that we wanted to incorporate – with accessories and jewelry, shoes, etc. – and they put together the looks that we had in the show.

Q: Do you think that this type of crowdsourcing is the future of fashion marketing, and do you think other brands will follow suit?
A: Crowdsourcing’s going to become a major part of what we launch and programs we introduce. I think it is the age of crowdsourcing in fashion with so many people contributing to the fashion conversation, sharing their style, sharing what they’re doing, having blogs and we don’t want to miss that. We want to talk to our consumers and find out what they want, so that we can make the stuff that they actually want to buy.

Q: What do you think about crowdsourcing and the Gap logo fiasco?
A: I think we found out that just because a company has an amazing name and have been in the industry for so long and are established doesn’t mean that just because you pay someone 100K to design something for you doesn’t mean that they’re going to do a good job. I think Gap would have been smart after that happened, if they would’ve announced that they were going to use crowdsourcing for a new logo, instead of changing it, then changing it back.

Q: Tell me about the Dee bag that Rebecca Minkoff did using crowdsourcing.
A: Dee clutch, not Dee bag! (Laughs) We decided against Dee bag.

Q: That begs the question: Why would someone want a bag designed by their neighbor or Starbucks barista rather than a designer? People like to think they’re getting the expertise and artistic vision of real designer, no? Isn’t there a disconnect there?
A: We did it for one specific bag for one specific collection and we had guidelines established that they could work from, The bag doesn’t alienate itself from the collection, it actually fits really nicely into it. If you were to do crowdsourcing freely and without any control, you’re going to have a mess, and the majority of people probably don’t like they things you’d want to present. As long as you have guidelines. You’re leading the customer to what they want based on what you already offer.

Q: What’s next in the democratization of fashion?
A: I think what we’re going to see is these individuals coming from online, bloggers who’ve just started in blogging five years ago, started when they were 17 are building brands for themselves. They’re going to start taking a larger role in overall fashion. You’re going to see them in more executive positions, you’re going to see them in more editorial positions, you’re going to see them become more and more models in the industry. People are going to pursue that [blogging] rather than an editorial position at Vogue. More people are heading out of NYU Journalism School or Parsons are heading out with a blog in hand, then going into something else.

Q: Do you think that this will make big-time editors a little relevant?
A: No, not at all. We’re also seeing great collaborations between Conde Nast, who are saying that we realize the bloggers are there, we’re not ignoring them anymore, we want to embrace them and connect the to what we’re developing. It’s just another form of media. We’re at the point now that magazines are smarter with what’s happening online, in the same way that Teen Vogue is collaborating with bloggers, and Glamour and Lucky. You’re going to see more of that. I don’t think they see them as a threat anymore, they see them as a way to continue communicating about what’s happening in fashion.

Hello! We know that it’s Milan Fashion Week, that Paris Fashion Week will be starting, and hey, we’re still not over New York Fashion Week. Also, didn’t we posted stuff about San Diego trunk shows in between all of this? Well, fashion is an international language, and we’re self-styled style ambassadors (try saying that ten times fast).

Don’t fret: Just enjoy this video of highlights from London Fashion Week, including interview clips with insiders like Style.com’s Tim Blanks and celebs like M.I.A.) — all set to a hip beat! Dare we say, our fashion friends across the pond like to have more fun with fashion than we do, as evidenced by some of the daring pieces that made their way down the catwalk.

 Future:Standard, an online ethical boutique that only sells ethical, sustainable and friendly-to-the-environment fashion is having a trunk show in San Diego tomorrow to showcase some of the amazing lines they carry, such as:  

Alex and Ani

Ashley Watson

Bleu Feather

Clary Sage

Covet

Dace

Dogeared

Groceries

Lena Bernard

LTR Brands

PACT

PI Organic

Pray For Mother Nature

Toggery by KD

Threads For Thought

Topo Ranch

Vicarious By Nature

RSVP here!

If you’re in San Diego, you should definitely check out the Jennafer Grace spring 2011 trunk show at Cecilia Boutique! Known for her forward thinking, yet retro sillhouettes, Jennafer Grace is fast garnering attention in and out of San Diego.

New York Fashion Week has come and gone — the models having pouted, the champagne having been drunk and the zzzzs having been lost. Anyway, here are the rest of our faves from the plethora of shows. We didn’t post as soon as the shows were over, because we obviously don’t believe in fashion immediacy — first, because we kind of have other jobs and second, because seriously, what are the chances that we will end up buying something that we saw on the runway, unless it’s from, say, Charlotte Ronson or Adam Lippes or from a diffusion line OR at a sample sale two seasons later? There’s probably a 2.7% chance that we’ll buy anything from the premier designers (sigh, not that we don’t want to, but rent prevents us from buying a four-figure Jason Wu skirt).

 We (and almost everyone else we know) will end up buying something inspired by what was on the runway (and at a lower price point) AND when the season actually arrives in six months from now. But, fellow fashion lovers, let’s take a look at what else we liked from New York Fashion Week!

ADAM

We saw a lot of lace and sheer on the runway this season. ADAM does it perfectly with a frothy slit-up-to-there confection. We especially love the casual-ization (fake word) of the look with the pushed down socks.

Badgley Mischka

The Badgley Mischka boys mixed in their contemporary line, Mark + James with their award show-worthy repertoire of fancy-ladies-who-may-or-may-not act dresses. We luurve this look and if you don’t, you may need to get LASIK. Check out the delicately sequined knit sweater, the over-the-elbow leather gloves and the completely glamorous sequined skirt that glitters more brightly than Lady Liberty’s torch.

Charlotte Ronson

 We kind of love this. It just looks so, well, cozy! The mixing of prints and textures, with a grungy-esque feel makes us feel like we’re back in junior high school.

Diane von Furstenberg

 The epitome of glamour, this head-to-toe sequined showstopper from DVF is a no-brainer for any starlet. Bet you five bucks we see it on the red carpet in the few months.

Halston

 This dress totally popped out at us! The unusual draping that probably required double-sided tape on the shoulder is what drew us in. One word of advice: Don’t get caught in any kind of wind tunnel while wearing this dress.

Marc Jacobs

 Marc melded throwback silhouettes with space age fabrics and detailing. How does he come up with this? This is the sign of fashion genius: creating worlds of fashion in the imagination.

Jeremy Laing

We love this putty mock turtleneck with wide-leg pants that are also a skirt at the back! There’s a rumpled carelessness that we can definitely get on board with.

Prabal Gurung

The Prabal Gurung woman is always lady-like and this collection was a little more world-weary than past Gurung collections. No matter: We adore the slightly undone feel of this look, especially.

Check back here for LIVE STREAMING from London Fashion Week!

 New York Fashion Week is up and running (along with the fasherati – we just made that word up) and designers are giving us a look or livestream into what will be in stores, come fall. Here are our top picks from various collections that have shown so far:

 We love the length of this skirt, and while the outfit vaguely hearkens back to the grungy 90s, the preppy blazer gives it an updated feel. No one’s listening to Nirvana in this outfit!

BCBG Max Azria

 While Max and Lubov Azria didn’t show anything that was a huge departure from previous collections, we loved the easy, fluid simplicity of this look, with neutral color-blocking.

Mara Hoffman

We love that Mara Hoffman maintains her global nomad aesthetic through every collection, and this one is no exception. Braid, tassles, ethnic patterns and swooping fabric delight our usually cold hearts. (Plus, Mara’s one of our Facebook friends! What up, Mara?)

Hyden Yoo

Gosh, we wish we could live the lifestyle emulated by the models in the Hyden Yoo show. What would one do in a Yoo Edwardian-esque outfit? We don’t know; all we know is that we need it.

Jason Wu

Jason Wu’s collection flourishes, embellishments and lace reminded us of that of past haute couture collections of Chanel and Givenchy, but atop classic staples like knee-length skirts, blouses and sheath dresses.

Doo.Ri

We love Doo.Ri’s stark and edgy collection. No color to freak us out, rather, longer draped skirts, jersey dresses and a minimum of added detail to a neckline or a cut-away to reveal a bit of skin.

More favorites to come! (We thought about spelling “favorites” as “favourites,” you know, to curry favor with our British and Canadian readers, but then changed our minds at the last minute, thinking it was a little snobby and high brow.)

Olivier Theyskens’s collection for Theory has taken the fashion world by storm ever since the Nina Ricci and Rochas veteran became the artistic director of the contemporary label, churning out sleek and utterly fabulous pieces that are quietly glamorous.

Nordstrom features the Sorga slub-silk maxi skirt and the Kory cashmere silk pullover on its February catalog cover, both of which are available in-store only. The skirt is sold out on Theory’s site, but we found it on Net-a-Porter and the pullover on the Theory site. Not that we’re obsessed or anything.

Though gorgeous on the cover of the March 2011 issue of Vogue China, shot by Inez & Vinoodh, Lara Stone seems to have lost some of her sex appeal. Maybe because she’s inexplicably covered up by her dress’s double ruffle or because she really is thinner, which gives her face angles that make her look almost like (gasp) Gwyneth Paltrow, aka The Most Popular Woman in America.

[via Fashion Gone Rogue]