Style & the Street

Those kids at Project Runway are at it again...

Learning how to cater to jet-setters, even as the number of real jet-setters may be dwindling... The show, now on Lifetime, recently had an episode in which Heidi Klum, host and supermodel, told the young designers to head to Rodeo Drive and get to see... on-and-off host Michael Kors. The contestants didn't look that thrilled, but alas, they were then put to the test to see if they could dress the pickiest of consumers... to some kind of cliche and not-so-inspired results... Looks like Palm Beach trophy wives won't be picking up any of these duds any time soon. 

If you don't have the money, have your avatar buy?

People are desperate to consume even when it's physically impossible to do so... Now there's a virtual game in which your avatar (always beautiful and thin and just like you'd like to be in real life, of course) can go on shopping sprees like you've never imagined before. On Second Life, a talk-show host named Angie Mornington speaks to you about the latest trends and then you're able to go shopping for clothes, shoes, furniture... And There.com and IMVU.com are two other sites where a person can spend $50,000 a month just for the fun of it -- without those icky credit cards bills or collection phone calls. Sounds pretty harmless?

Luxury Goes Casual...

Louis Vuitton is selling clogs. The kind you used to wear senior year from L.L. Bean clogs... what is the world coming to? It looks like the economic malaise keeps playing out on runways as it's been doing for the past two years... 

If all the economists think it's the end of the recession, when will the runways go back to being glitzy trade-shows, a fantasy world into which women and men projects their aspirations? I think not until more signs of stability are seen... some more jobs would be a good start. 

Amy Odell Podcast

Amy Odell, writer and editor of New York Magazine's The Cut, talks about fashion magazines, how print is dead and serious budget cuts during Fashion Week. Download Amy_odell_pod

Acne Jeans Isn't Just Jeans Anymore...

Acne Jeans, that high-end brand with the ugly name, might be thriving in the denim business, but they want to delve into the world of T.V. and video. Getting into the world of web isn't just a trend anymore, though, it's a method of survival. If you're not on the web, and aren't keeping up with technology, chances are that you're not going to make it very long, especially with those who grew up with a computer screen in their faces. 

"About 50 people work on the fashion brand, while another 50 work on film, commercials and special projects. One of them is a new collection of furniture, which includes a pink pastel denim couch based on a 1920s design, stretching it lengthwise so that it is less than a foot wide where you sit," wrote the New York Times about the brand. 

Times are tough and this is just another way to keep evolving in a meta world. 

Nate Koach Talks To Joan Magee On the Business of Fashion

Nate Koach - Suburban Riot

Last week, I interviewed Suburban Riot's Nate Koach about his vision, brand, and new store-in-progress in Soho... Video to be posted soon... 

Q&A: Pro Publica Reporter, Paul Kiel

Paul Kiel, Reporter for Pro Publica 
By Joan R. Magee
September 30, 2009

Paul has a hybrid role at Pro Publica, a reporter always, but a sometimes aggregator as well. He has worked in "new media," for many years before Pro Publica, for which he's worked since May 2008. 

Q: How did you get your start in journalism? Did you begin in traditional media? 

A: I began as an intern for Harper's Magazine and then worked as a stringer for them. Then I blogged for TPMmuckraker, Talking Points Memo’s investigative reporting blog, from 2006 to 2008. [TPM’s coverage of the firings of U.S. attorneys and politicization of the Department of Justice won a George Polk Award for legal reporting.                                                                                                                          

Q: How can graphics online work in a way that text alone can't? How do you think certain new technology can help the reader understand complicated topics in a way which wasn't possible previously?

A: Certain stories work better with different types of media. For example, right now on the site we have a database detailing the trail of bailout money. You are able to see where [a lot] of TARP (Troubled Asset Rescue Plan) money is going. It helps to understand how it works and just how much money is out there. 

Q: Pro Publica is purely web, and according to Mike Webb, your director of communications, there are no plans in the near future to transition to print or have any print representation [like Politico has done]. You do, however, work with a lot of "traditional" media outlets in what Pro Publica calls "partnerships." Can you give some examples of these partnerships, and how you think they benefit both you and the outlet with which you're working at the time? 

A: I just completed a two-part series with Marketplace [a radio program put out by American Public Media - check]. It was good for us, and it was good for Marketplace. They get a deep investigation and we get a national media platform and more access to people [in high places.] If I'm working with The Washington Post on a story, it gives me certain access to national politicians who might otherwise not talk to me. It is easier to find politicians if they think they can reach a national audience
Kiel uses platforms like VodPod to talk more about his reporting, and reach a larger audience. 
http://vodpod.com/watch/1511808-simon-johnson-paul-kiel-talk-about-bank-bailouts

What was the crux of the Marketplace (and text) story? 

We were investing companies that were extracting fees from people in hopes of foreclosure rescue, but company doesn't end up helping after taking a couple grand from these people who are already trying to avoid foreclosure. 

Q: Where do you see video on the web going? I notice that Pro Publica is making use of video, but it isn't permeated throughout the site yet. Webb (director of communications for the site) said that you are looking to up your video presence. 

A: Often we'll link to a piece that was aired on 60 Minutes or ABC News, but we're not partners [yet.] We are definitely open to video. As an organization, we're not opppsed to it.
His colleague, Sheri Fink, has a prominent video on the site about her piece on questionable practices in hospitals during Hurricane Katrina. Here's the link to it:

http://www.propublica.org/feature/the-deadly-choices-at-memorial-826

Pro Publica is a 501c3, and gets most of its funding from the Sandler Foundation. They are based in New York.