Cycle Wear -- Get On Your Bikes And Ride

Motorcycle USA

Ho, ho, ho… I’m not a Grinch, really, but there’s stuff about X-mas I can do without. Like for instance shopping, running the mall parking lot gauntlet, standing in line while listening to Mannheim Steamroller. Oh, man, once those synthesizers start up with the Little Drummer Boy… Shoot me now.

Fortunately, I, like the real Santa, have long since abandoned brick-and-mortar retail for the convenience of online shopping. Maybe you see where I’m going with this. Yes, my friends, it’s time for my top editorial picks from the motorcycle holiday gear bag.

Motorcycle Helmets
Forget those sickening Zales commercials, it’s a motorcycle helmet, not jewelry, that truly says I love you. A helmet is love, surrounded by energy-absorbing EPS foam and a resilient polymer shell. But what lids top my Christmas List this year? I got two of them:

Shoei RF-1100
MSRP: $400-450 Solid, $499 Graphics
My favorite this year is the Shoei RF-1100 helmet. A 2010 replacement for the RF-1000, the RF-1100 delivers high quality fit and finish, is incredibly quiet and conforms to the new Snell M2010 standard. For full-face protection it has been my go-to helmet since I scored a test unit this summer. How much do I like it? I keep it locked in my car so my boss, Kenny, won’t steal it! The only downside, and it’s a big one, is the sheik MSRP.

HJC IS-MAX Modular
MSRP: $200-215
I’ve sample three flip-up helmets this riding season, but feel the HJC IS-MAX delivers the best value, which at $200-215 is one of the more affordable entries into the modular market. It feels quite light and features an extremely easy opening face shield design. Wearing earplugs, it’s quiet enough for prolonged stints in the saddle and we found the venting more than effective, the top venting being particularly good. A retractable integrated sun visor is a nice touch, all but eliminating the need for swapping out shields or wearing sunglasses, though we wouldn’t want to crash with it down as it scuffed the bridge of our nose more than once… DOT certified with a comfortable and washable liner, the IS-MAX is my default helmet when headed out on a long-distance ride or crave the convenience of a modular.

Motorcycle Jackets
Joe Rocket Alter Ego
Why get more than one jacket, when a versatile jacket like the Alter Ego delivers warm and cold weather protection?

Joe Rocket Alter Ego Jacket
MSRP: $260-275
I’ve been fortunate to sample some great jackets in 2009, but the Joe Rocket Alter Ego I reviewed last year is still my top recommendation. The reason? Versatility. With its numerous removable panels the Alter Ego can transform from fully ventilated mesh design to waterproof rain jacket. At the moment it is my favorite warm weather jacket, and I’ve found it performs admirably in colder weather too. While it lacks the wind/rain uber protection of a purpose-built touring jacket, by wearing a couple extra layers underneath with the wind/waterproof liner I’ve made plenty of chilly rides in the Alter Ego without any complaint. Like most riding jackets, the Joe Rocket Jacket MSRP is more expensive than I think necessary, but it really can be used year round. Look, you can specialize and buy various jackets that do one thing exceptional, but I prefer the one jacket that does everything well enough – the Alter Ego.

Motorcycle Boots
TCX Airtech XCR Boots
MSRP: $250
There’s two major reasons why I love my TCX Airtech XCR Boots. First, the TXC Airtechs are lightweight. Sure, protection is paramount but I like boots that feel light enough to wear comfortably off the bike too. Second, the TCX are waterproof. I ride in the rain quite often, so I can tell you that dry feet and warm hands are the difference between utter misery and sheer indifference to the cold. I prefer the latter and have had warm feet after every ride using the Airtechs. The boots deliver a comfy fit and sure-footed sole on wet ground. The Velcro sidestrap and zipper opening is simple to use. I can’t profess to being much of a fashionista but the TCX aren’t too flashy, with a low-key style that I prefer (and I imagine a lot of touring riders would agree). But there is the matter of their $250 MSRP. Yes, it stings, I know, but you will have purchased a quality pair of boots for many, many riding seasons.

Singer Snags Six Easy Pieces At Madoff Auction

National Jeweler Network

The Singer Collection, an expert in antique and 20th-century jewelry, has acquired six pieces that once belonged to infamous Wall Street swindler Bernie Madoff.

Madoff, who is serving a 150-year sentence after pleading guilty to a multi-billion fraud that burned thousands of investors, and his wife, Ruth, had a number of their possessions put up for auction on Nov. 14 in New York City.

The Singer Collection entered winning bids for six items, according to a press release from the New York-based company.

They include Art Deco-style platinum, diamond and onyx link bracelets, ebony and gold loop earrings by designer David Webb, Chaumet Paris bangles and a Victorian tassel lariat chain.

"Oftentimes, a notorious provenance will create a greater buzz than other celebrity pieces," Singer Collection President Stuart Singer said in the release. "So I am very excited to have purchased pieces that will certainly add 'spice' to our estate jewelry collections!"

The Singer Collection wasn't the only company to walk away from the auction with a few of Bernie's baubles.

According to The Associated Press, two pairs of Ruth Madoff's diamond dangle earrings sold for $70,000 each at the auction, well exceeding pre-sale estimates of $9,800 and $21,400.

Another buyer paid $65,000 for Madoff's Rolex, which was below estimates of $80,000.

In addition, the AP reports that Madoff's blue satin New York Mets baseball jacket with his surname stitched on the back was valued at only $720 but snagged a whopping $14,500 at auction.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit Madoff's victims, according to the AP.

Brangelina-Designed Snake Jewelry

National Jeweler Network

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are famous for juggling their film schedules with philanthropic efforts that take them around the globe, all while playing parents to six kids, but the Hollywood power couple has lately gotten even busier: They've dipped into jewelry design.

British jewelry brand Asprey recently announced the launch of the "Protector Collection," featuring limited-edition fine jewels and silver objects designed in collaboration with Jolie and Pitt.

Each piece in the collection features a snake motif, one that Asprey said Jolie chose for its symbolism as an iconic guardian, particularly over family protection and fertility.

According to Asprey, during Jolie's first pregnancy, she was given a snake ring, intended to guard her and her unborn child. The snake symbol - not sea turtle jewelry -  has become a family guardian to the Jolie-Pitts, and in the Protector Collection, it appears in everything from fine jeweled bracelets to rings, earrings and pendants available for both children and adults.

The motif can also be found in three sterling silver objects: a tooth box featuring an animated snake that stands above the circular box; an eggcup replete with a coiled snake wrapped around the cup's base; and a spoon whose handle takes serpentine form.

Each piece in the collection was handcrafted at Asprey's London flagship store, and the designs are available now.

Given that this is a Jolie-Pitt venture, the collection also has a philanthropic bent. All net proceeds will be donated to the Education Partnership for Children of Conflict, a nonprofit organization that seeks out donors and identifies new and innovative projects to provide education for children affected by conflict, violence, war or natural disaster.

Vionnet Label To Be Revived (Again)

Wall Street Journal

As "Rocky VII" proves, it's hard to live up to the original but harder yet to abandon an established brand. This is true of fashion houses, too, which is why we're essentially up to "Dior V," "Givenchy V" and "Halston VI: The Designer Strikes Back."

Now another former haute couture house is seeking ready-to-wear immortality with new backers and a fresh designer. Testing the limits of the strategy, the brand in question is Vionnet, a masterful label that you probably have never heard of.

Its founding designer, Madeleine Vionnet shuttered her business in 1939, and it stayed shut for six decades. So while the name is venerated in fashion circles, it's not as if every high-school girl is dying to own a Vionnet bag.

Yet earlier this year, Matteo Marzotto bought the rights to the Vionnet brand with his friend Gianni Castiglioni, chief executive of Marni. Mr. Marzotto is the sixth-generation scion of an Italian textile family and the former chief executive of Valentino (now "Valentino III"). "We have to re-interpret a bright past, but not reproduce it," he says.

The reintroduction of Vionnet comes just in time to take advantage of the first-ever Vionnet retrospective at the Louvre's Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. The exhibit of 130 dresses, with interactive explanations of Vionnet's techniques, runs through Jan. 31. The show also may remind the public that Coco Chanel was not the only designer who pioneered today's modern, comfortable clothing.

Madeleine Vionnet popularized the forgiving bias cut and dispensed with buttons, zippers and hooks in favor of draping and wrapping fabric in comfortable forms; she dressed both Garbo and Dietrich. She created packable clothing for women who traveled, and her designs were so modern and so influential that you can find bits of them—wrap looks and drop-waist dresses, for instance—in almost any store today. Her work is studied in fashion schools with a reverence akin to aviation's regard for Charles Lindbergh.

Ms. Vionnet was paranoid when it came to copies—she pioneered dress-design copyrighting methods, cutting down on knock-offs. And in 1952, she donated her entire archive of dress samples, patterns and photographs to what is now the Musée des Arts Decoratifs.

Curator Pamela Golbin grins at her museum's fortune. "We've got the goods," she says. "She gave us the entire memory of her house."

The donation meant something different for Vionnet's new designer, Rodolfo Paglialunga: He lacked the benefit of an archive, bringing a whole new meaning to "inspired by." He worked from textbooks, photographs and anything else he could get his hands on.

Ms. Golbin says she toured Mr. Marzotto, Mr. Castiglioni and his wife (Marni designer Consuelo Castiglioni), and even Mr. Marzotto's mother through the exhibit. But Mr. Paglialunga says he was too shy to request a special tour. "I just went very quietly myself," he says.

"After I saw that, I was very scared … she's influenced everything," the designer says of Ms. Vionnet's work.

Thirteen years of designing women's wear for Miuccia Prada have given him a background in independent women, though. The resort/spring collection he created for Vionnet will arrive at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Net-a-porter.com, Holt Renfrew and other stores later this month.

The spring 2010 collection shown in Paris last month walks a fine line between homage and modern life. Largely created from squares of fabric (right out of Vionnet textbooks), long tunics can also be worn as short dresses and can even be worn backward or thrown over gaucho-type slacks. Sleeves are tied like scarves at shoulders, and the scarf becomes a motif in shoes.

These are intriguing, attractive clothes that could be tossed in a suitcase. But because they're labeled Vionnet, they must be compared with the originals. The new Vionnet is heavier and less elegant, without the cutting-edge magic of the original.

Of course, the current dark Givenchy under Riccardo Tisci bears no resemblance to the former label of Hubert de Givenchy. It's just a brand—and a successful one. Brands like Nina Ricci, Halston and Rochas have recently been revolving doors for designers who set aside their artistic druthers to channel someone else's. Sometimes, as in the case of Balenciaga with designer Nicolas Ghesquière, investors hit gold.

This isn't the first attempt to revive Vionnet. Previous investors tried it in 2006 and 2007. So we're really talking here about "Vionnet IV." Mr. Marzotto, too, worries about missteps; as he details his plans, he adds, "I'm still crossing fingers every morning for Vionnet—crossing fingers with both hands."

Women Bent Out Of Shape By Shapewear

Wall Street Journal

Before Jessica Kraus put on a tight-fitting frock one recent evening, she wriggled into a $76 piece of flesh-toned underwear that extended from the bottom of her bra to mid-thigh. She felt confident and svelte as she left her apartment to meet friends for cocktails.

Then a few hours later, the 25-year-old Boston event planner was faced with what she says was a "horrific situation." As she was embracing a man she had met that night, Ms. Kraus got to thinking about what lurked beneath her sleek exterior.

"There's no graceful way of taking the thing off," she says.

Sales of "shapewear"—undergarments for women who want a flawless, bulge-free silhouette while wearing tight clothes—have taken off since 2000. That's when Oprah Winfrey declared a brand called Spanx, with its bright packaging and product names like Bod-a-Bing! and Hide & Sleek, one of her "favorite things." The size of the market has tripled over that time, to $750 million in annual sales through the end of 2008, according to market-research firm NPD Group.

As one of the stars of the TV drama series "Melrose Place" said in a recent episode: "Perfection is as easy as a good pushup bra and some Spanx."

But the practicalities of actually wearing the undergarments are somewhat more complicated.

Brittany Bohn, 27, a lawyer in Chicago, locked herself in the bathroom at a local bar to wriggle out of what she calls a "girdle/long-underwear contraption" that was rolling down her rib cage and making her bulges look bigger than they actually are.

So what's driving sales of these garments? "It's like this competitive thing we have with other women," says Mary Pantier, a 40-year-old yoga instructor in Erie, Colo., who accidentally flashed her Spanx, worn under her workout ensemble, while in a downward-dog pose in class.

Ms. Pantier's husband, Hank, 35, doesn't get it. "If you stuff five pounds into a two-pound container, it doesn't make the five pounds smaller. It just makes it stranger-looking and uncomfortable," says Mr. Pantier, who has told his wife she feels "like a tire" in Spanx.

Then there's the bathroom issue. The garments, which can be difficult to remove, often come with a "double gusset" opening that wearers say can be hard to negotiate. Last summer, in response to a deluge of emails citing mortifying experiences, a shapewear maker called Yummie Tummie decided to sponsor a "tell us your shapewear nightmares" competition.

"It's like this competitive thing we have with other women,"

The winner, who received a style consultation and $500 to spend on clothes, was 31-year-old New York college student Amanda Davis, whose story involved a bodysuit so tight that it pressed on her bladder. As she ran to the bathroom at her school, she debated, "Do I squeeze out of the Spanx or do I try to pee through the crotchless thingy?" After soaking herself, she had to skip class and go home to change.

Body-shapers have long played a supporting role in fashion trends. The great-grandmother of shapewear, the corset, was "the most controversial garment in the history of fashion," says Valerie Steele, director and chief curator at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, who wrote a book about the rigid, uncomfortable garment. The more-flexible girdle grew popular in the early 20th century, eventually becoming a key component of Christian Dior's nipped-waist "New Look," unveiled in 1947. Control-top pantyhose replaced girdles when women began heading to the gym en masse in the 1970s.

Then, in 1998, an office copy-machine saleswoman named Sara Blakely cut the feet off a pair of sheer control-top pantyhose so she could wear cream-colored pants to a party. Two years later, she founded Spanx, which became a staple red-carpet undergarment for already-slim celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Alba.

"What's the point of spending £500 on a dress if you don't have a straight tummy?" asks 26-year-old Frances Kinloch, who works at an investment bank in London and wears Spanx with everything except jeans. The problem is "you do look a bit like a granny in them," admits Ms. Kinloch, who removes her Spanx in the bathroom and spirits it away into her handbag when she's on a hot date.

High-end designer Roland Mouret has railed against Spanx, calling the process of secretly slipping out of the undergarments "sad."

Shapewear manufacturers are responding to consumers' concerns by trying to boost the aesthetic appeal of their utilitarian undergarments. This year, Spanx introduced an upscale collection called Haute Contour, with items like a lace thong with waist reinforcements that comes in colors like pink. "I said, 'Let's make it beautiful ... like shapewear in disguise,' " Ms. Blakely says.

Lingerie designer Bruno Schiavi launched a line in 2007 called Dr. Rey's Shapewear in collaboration with Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey. Sold at Sears and on the HSN cable network, it features bodysuits and waist cinchers in bold prints like leopard and—arriving in stores later this season—snakeskin. "I always thought shapewear was so boring," says Mr. Schiavi.

Other companies are developing apparel with built-in body shapewear. A brand called Not Your Daughter's Jeans features a patented "Lift & Tuck" technology that the company says will make wearers drop a size, and is also introducing shaper tops in V- and cowl-neck styles in bright colors that are intended to be worn as a regular shirt. Yummie Tummie (tagline: "Show it off") has become known for its shapewear-camisole hybrids, which can be worn alone or peeking out from a blazer.

"I wanted to break down these barriers, so that you don't have to be confined to a sea of embarrassing bottoms," says Heather Thomson, founder of Yummie Tummie. It plans to begin selling a line of shapewear dresses early next year.

New Dana Davis Shop Attracting Foot Traffic

LA Times

Stores may be closing all over town, but last night Melrose Place got a little love with the opening of Dana Davis’ pop-up store.  The store, which took over the old Lambertson Truex spot, right next to Frederic Fekkai’s new salon, will be open until Dec. 3, selling shoes from Davis’ fall-winter collection.

Celebrities and socialites, including Anjelica Huston, Paris Hilton, Crystal Lourd, Jerry Bruckheimer, Liane Weintraub and Jamie Tisch, came to support their designer pal and fellow social fixture.  Davis’ mother Barbara was also in attendance before dashing out to attend a concert.

Davis was inspired to create her line of ultra-comfortable shoes when she was having trouble standing for long periods of time due to foot pain caused by her diabetes.  She and  her family  have raised over $75 million for diabetes research, with the Carousel of Hope ball fund-raiser being founded in her honor. She developed a shoe with custom orthotics that’s as cushion-y as any Easy Spirit, but far more fashionable.  In fact, Davis has figured out how to increase the heels on pumps to almost 6 inches, while still maintaining the comfort of the built-in orthotic.  Those heels will be offered for spring and are sure to be seen on any celebrity who cares about comfort while walking the red carpet.

The Dana Davis pop-up store is open now until Dec. 3 at 8459 Melrose Place, L.A.
Hours: 11am – 5pm. Closed Sundays and Thanksgiving, Nov. 25 – 29.