Versace

During "recessionary" times, the rich must do their shopping in private--at hotel suites, private residences, and showrooms; loading hefty bags in the back of their chauffeured cars along Fifth Avenue might come across as vulgar or insensitive. [NY Times]

Hair stylists are outraged over Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich's 'do. “There’s no name for that,” sniffed Calvin Klein’s hairstylist Roberto Novo. “Ugh” [WWD]

Designer Stefano Gabbana, who likes his strawberries red and in the summer time, doesn't understand why fur coats are in store windows in July and chiffon blouses in November. [WWD]  read more »

Call it the Year of the Tortoise: the year that New York women—speedy, combative, bargain-driven shoppers—finally slowed their credit card use to a crawl; and tortoiseshell, named for a lumbering, dwindling beast, bled downward from our sunglasses to color the rest of our wardrobes.

Late last week, the city’s beleaguered retail stores were awash in this mottled-honey hue. Designer Shoe Warehouse was selling tortoise ankle boots by Sergio Zelcer for $179.95. The popular boutique Poppy on Mott Street offered Nicole Romano tortoiseshell earrings for $182. Tory Burch had sold out of tortoiseshell clutches at $425. Fashion Web site Style.com was pushing a Sonya Rykiel leather belt with tortoiseshell bow ($217) as a holiday gift.  read more »

The Plaza and 15 Central Park West better watch out, because a new ultra-luxe condo is coming to town and its developers are already claiming they will have the edge with an emergent, but increasingly lucrative, segment of the residential market: the Russians.

Earlier this week, Lev Leviev's Africa Israel Investments announced that it had contracted Versace to spearhead the interior redesign of the Clock Tower Building and convert the former MetLife headquarters at 5 Madison Avenue into a 55-unit condo.

Versace, of course, ranks high on the list of residential amenities, but we couldn’t help but feel a brief pang of déjà vu.  read more »