It seems like there is a shoe battle between Christian Louboutin and YSL(Yves Saint Laurent). The battle is over Louboutin's signature red bottom soles which Louboution claims is theirs and theirs alone, thoug I have seen a plenty of knockoffs on some bargain brand shoes... A Manhattan Federal judge nixed a permanent injunction against footwear rival Yves Saint Laurent that would have prevented the French couturier from selling scarlet-soled shoes as part of its 2011 cruise collection. The judge made it clear that even though Louboutin had trademarked the red sole in 2008, he'd have trouble proving that the vivid soles were legally his and his alone to use. YSL says it has featured red soles all the way back to the 1970s. They even said the idea of red soles is "copied from King Louis XIV's red-heeled dancing shoes or Dorothy's famous ruby slippers in 'The Wizard of Oz." Back in April, Louboutin sued Yves Saint Laurent, charging the fashion house ripped off his famous red-sole trademark. Louboutin declared that he pioneered the eye-catching sole in 1992 when he first put red nail polish on the bottom of one pair, per the lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court.The judge wrote, "Because in the fashion industry color serves ornamental and aesthetic functions vital to robust competition, the court finds that Louboutin i
s unlikely to be able to prove that its red outsole brand is entitled to trademark protection, even if it has gained enough public recognition in the market to have acquired secondary meaning." Louboutin sells about 240,000 pairs each year in the United States alone, with revenues of about $135 million a year. I find this somewhat funny. Whenever someone thinks of red soles you automatically think of Louboutins, unless you do not know fashion. If you look at the 2 shoes together one is bright red and the other is scarlet red. Though I understand the fight, I do not think Louboutin has anything to worry about at all. I am giving them a Digit Don for losing and for fighting a pointless fight.
Who is Thylane Blondeau? She is the daughter of a former soccer player and a fashion editor, she is a model, she is also 10 year old. She graces the pages of French Vogue and now she is at the center of controversy. Apparently the pictures she took have people wondering is she too young to be posing the way she was. Honestly I saw the pictures and I do not see the sex at all. The media is going crazy and reading WAY too much into this. I am a lover of fashion and I know that in Europe they have girls age 12 and up walking runways and posing for magazines all of the time. Mainly because they are naturally thin and can fit into the double zero clothes. As you watch the video below do think about this as well, are her pictures any more suggestive than those pageants that little girls compete in? Girls as young as 3 walking around in bathing suits and dancing in a way that is not so sweet and innocent. There is even a show about it that gets a lot of ratings. So how dare the media go after this little girl who could possibly have a huge career as a model. He pictures are fashionable and I think anyone who sees anything beyond that i
s creepy and pervy. I am giving Thylane Blondeau 2 Digits Up!
Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana A.K.A Dolce and Gabbana could be going to prison for a very long time. They have been under investigation for some time for for tax evasion for more than $1 billion in income.
"The inquiry was begun by the Guardia di Finanza, the Italian police force specialized in fiscal crimes, which is affiliated with the finance ministry. The unit investigated the 2004 sale of the Dolce & Gabbana and D&G brands to Gado, a holding company based in Luxembourg, which was in turn owned by a company that belonged to the group headed by the designers.
Prosecutors contend that the Italian revenue service was duped out of taxes on the sale of the brands, which they claim were sold well below market value, and on the income from royalties, which were taxed in Luxembourg at a much lower rate than they would have been in Italy. The brands were sold for €360 million, or $508 million - an amount that investigators say was just under a third of their actual value, according to their own calculations." -New York Times
Apparently this is a common thing in Italy and the Italian fashion world. In the 1990s, several designers were swept up in the so-called Clean Hands investigation into corruption among Italian politicians and business executives. Some agreed to plea-bargain settlements, including Giorgio Armani, who was accused in a tax-bribery case. He was fined $64,000 and given a nine-month suspended sentence. I fine tax evasion to be a bad thing. No matter how much you have to pay, you made a lot more. If convicted these guys could face up to 5 years in prison each. I doubt they will, they play hardball and they play it well. I am going to give them a Digit Down even though they are my 2nd favorite fas
hion designers, behind Versace. The law is the law.
Kirstie Alley walked the runway at fashion week and turned heads with her shocking weight loss. This was a good shock though. She recently told Entertainment Tonight that she lost 100 pounds and now wears a size 4. She said, "I feel like I'm back in my element. I honestly didn't even realize what I looked like." At 60 years old she looks great! She credits Dancing with the Stars for her weight loss, but she also continued after the show was over. She added, "Before Dancing with the Stars, I bought these dresses from size 14 to 4. [They were] all the same dress, and I said, 'You know what I really want? I really wanna be in this dress in a 4!'" I am sure she will be ready to date again as well, or something like that. "This is what I think about sex. I think its fun to hookup every night for six months... Then it's time to move on!" I may not approve of her views on sex, but I do approve of her weight loss and that is why I am giving her 2 Digits Up.
