In the current economic state, women who barely thought twice about charging a $1,200 designer purse are now skipping these luxuries and settling for their lower-priced counterparts. According to the NY Times, the movement of purchasing thriftier fashions has been coined recession chic. Women like price-conscious shopper Mary Hall have added a spin on the term and proudly declare themselves recessionistas. Hall has even founded the Recessionista blog, cataloging all the smart buys she comes across.

While the term ‘recession’ is considered unfavorable, embracing recessionista instead is seen as a way to embrace the economic downturn (and to keep on shopping in the process.) Though women are throwing around recessionista in casual banter, lexiconographer Grant Barret is warning us that “it’s kind of permitting consumers to have justification for their spending habits.” In a way, he’s reminding us that there’s something very off-putting about shopping for piles of clothing we don’t need in a shaky economy. Writer Lauren Sandler asks “Do women in today’s economy want to confront pages of $1,000 shoes when they are struggling to pay the rent?” Yet, without shopping, many designers and retailers will falter.

In the meantime, The NY Times reminds us that as catchy as recessionista seems, if the economy worsens, it may be replaced with…depressionista.

Now that Sarah Palin’s designer-laden $150,000 wardrobe expenditure has been confirmed, the Rebuplican party has pushed into overdrive with defensive responses. In the past few days, the McCain camp affirmed that she did none of the shopping herself and that once the campaigning is over, all of the clothing will be donated to charity.

The reason this expenditure raises so much worry is because Palin was billed as a working mom of five with blue-collar roots. This sudden shift to designer labels, whether it was her decision or not, was called out by Joy Behar, a cohost on ABC’s The View. “I don’t think Joe the Plumber wears Manolo Blahniks,” she said.

These expenditures have the ability to further alienate Palin from the working-class Republicans she has courted, since many of them are suffering so much in the weakening economy. Whether this will cause a permanent rift between Palin and the legions of “Joe Six-Packs” remains to be seen.

NubbyTwiglet.com: An Art Retrospective

Nemo Design is very excited to present NubbyTwiglet.com: An Art Retrospective by Nemo’s own Shauna Haider, opening on Friday, October 03, 2008. The show will run through Monday November 03, 2008 at Nemo Design: 1875 SE Belmont Street in Portland, OR.

Stripes, shoes and letter forms are collaged into tight, slick pop art on wood and ceramic that are sealed in epoxy resin.

These sturdy and fashion-conscious collages are produced by hand in single editions. Personal photos are edited and combined with fashion magazine cut-outs to create graphically-charged collages that blur the lines between fine art and design.

The Black & White Graphic Insight series is an ode to my love of graphic design. Stark lines and a heavy mix of a mostly black and white palette are a bold contrast to the natural surfaces.

The largest and most complex series yet, Black & White Graphic Insight aims to spark a new-found appreciation for collage as a fine art form.

For further information, please visit http://www.nubbytwiglet.com.

Laura and Kate Mulleavy, the sister duo behind three-year-old high fashion label Rodarte are not your typical designers. Most noticeably, they don’t drape themselves in fancy designer goods (some of their dresses can cost upwards of $20,000.00). They instead stick with the basics, preferring gray Hanes t-shirts paired with jeans and sneakers. And, an existence in suburban California is preferred in lieu of the fashion mecca of New York City.

Their foray into the esteemed fashion world wasn’t done in the standard way, either. They didn’t secure initial backing for their label from a financier or a fashion conglomerate. Instead, Kate sold off her entire collection of rare records while Laura waitressed until recently. Both still live at home with their parents in Pasadena, California and remain humble despite establishing a critically acclaimed label in three years’ time.

Part of Mulleavys’ success can be attributed to an unwavering work ethic coupled with a wild imagination. The draw inspiration in unlikely places ranging from electronics stores to motorcycle rallies. Perhaps the most amazing part of their story is that neither went to school for fashion design (instead settling on degrees in art history and english). Their design skills are completely self-taught.

Currently, the Rodarte clothing line is sold in 42 stores worldwide and the Mulleavy sisters are regarded around the world as a fashion fairy-tale story. But, behind the scenes, they work relentlessly to innovate and push the envelope with layering and colors.

Some fashion critics bag Rodarte as being too art and concept driven instead of producing wearable clothing. I disagree. Their unwavering vision and dedication to design and innovation makes them stand tall among their peers. The concept of clothing as art should be embraced in this brave new world.

The current Rodarte collection can be viewed on Style.com.

Anna Wintour, Marc Jacobs, Patrick Robinson and Patricia Field make the cut

The Daily News just released its list of the 50 most powerful people in fashion. Do you agree with their choices? Do you think they missed anyone?

Images courtesy of Style.com

For Fall 2008 ready-to-wear, designers are pulling out all the stops when it comes to shoes. Some are so beyond what would even be considered footwear on this planet (and that’s part of the fun). Fashion and the process of experimentation that goes along with it shouldn’t be taken too seriously. But, I have one question: can you actually walk in these sculptural masterpieces?