Indulge in art, craft and gourmet food

AN EVENING of high balls, high heels and high art will be a feature of Little Haven Palliative Care's A Christmas Affair this weekend.
Gympie region residents have been invited to Cocktails at 7 in the Gympie Civic Centre tomorrow night.
An indulgence of fine art, craft, collectables and gourmet food, A Christmas Affair runs from 9am-4pm tomorrow, with Friday night's cocktail hour from 7-8 o'clock featuring delicious food and drinks and followed by the official exhibition opening and an auction of donated fine pieces.
The entertainment and shopping opportunities will continue until 10pm.
The event will then continue from 9am-4pm on Saturday, with Kids' Art in the Park as an additional feature on Saturday morning beside the Civic Centre.
With lots of fun art and craft activities planned for the children, mum or dad can take it in turns to enjoy all the exhibition has to offer.
The Christmas Affair cafe will be open throughout the exhibition, serving fresh, home-baked delights.
Take the time to relax over a "real coffee" or Devonshire tea.
Choose lunch from an inviting menu or pre-arrange a special Christmas lunch or high tea. Group bookings are welcome.
A Christmas Affair will provide exhibitors and vendors the opportunity to showcase their works and products and to also give the community the opportunity to purchase gifts.

Small operation getting big results from filly On Fire Baby

In her 29 career outings, Ornate was a decidedly workmanlike performer for Anita Cauley, collecting seven wins for the longtime owner and breeder over three seasons.

While Ornate's on-track results might not have been the stuff that inspired joyful gasps from inside a winner's circle, her second career in the breeding shed has a pattern of doing just that.

For all the euphoria that came over Cauley after watching her homebred juvenile filly On Fire Baby record a 61/4-length victory in the Grade II Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs this past Saturday, the Louisville-based owner made sure to pay homage to the mare who was largely responsible for that moment in the first place.

On Fire Baby is now the second graded stakes winner to be produced by Ornate, the former $80,000 Fasig-Tipton July purchase who has become the star and main contributor to Cauley's four-horse broodmare band.

Campaigned by Cauley and her late husband, Barry Ebert, Ornate is also the dam of Grade II winner High Heels — who ran third in the 2007 Kentucky Oaks — as well as stakes winner French Kiss. Those three, along with another daughter of Ornate named Lustful, make up Cauley's entire breeding arsenal which currently resides at Lee McMillan's Amende Place in Paris.

When High Heels — the first foal out of Ornate — retired with earnings of $484,636, Cauley figured she had already experienced her once-in-a-lifetime horse.

Four starts and three wins into her career, On Fire Baby is forcing her owner to have second thoughts about that.

"I have been very lucky to have the fillies I've had out of Ornate. She's been very kind to me," beamed Cauley after the Golden Rod. "With High Heels I thought, 'Wow I've been in the business for 20 years and I finally get a good horse.' I just would say little prayers that I hope I get one more chance before I pass to experience that again. It's beyond words to think I've got another sister who can do something special."

One who can attest to how much Ornate and her daughters have meant to Cauley is Gary "Red Dog" Hartlage, a native of Louisville's Shively suburb who has trained for Cauley for more than 20 years — including Ornate and High Heels.

Like Cauley's operation, Hartlage's keeps the number of head in his barn to modest proportions. And just as a strong family has elevated Cauley's participation in racing, Hartlage maintains a kindred atmosphere in his shedrow as clients past and present always flood the winner's circle when one of Hartlage's runners end up there.

"That is exactly why my late husband and I hired him is because when you see the atmosphere around his barn, it is family through and through," Cauley said of Hartlage. "Everybody cheers for everybody else. We could all be very competitive, we all want to win but we all want everybody to do well. I feel as much a part of his family as his family."

High heels, low budget

If we take a look back at the past 100 years, there's always been a link between female fashion trends and the economy.

Traditionally, a down economy means shorter skirts and higher heels. However, IBM geniuses have been monitoring billions of social media posts, and they say a move to lower heels is on its way.

Ladies who love to rock the stilettos shouldn't throw out those Jimmy Choo's and Louboutin's just yet though; the study says high heels won't go away all together.

Designers will simply begin to offer more kitten heels and flats as an alternative. Whew!

Female deer hunters run from rookie to veteran

It's taken 22 years, but Wayne Krystek has found a deer hunting partner.

He and Linda Krystek have four daughters, and the youngest, 12-year-old Lauren Krystek, has taken the hunter safety course and is ready to get out in the woods first thing Monday.

"I like the anticipation of waiting on the deer," Lauren said. "Winter is my favorite time of year, and each day I learn something from my dad. I like listening to all the different sounds in the woods, and each time you hear a twig snap, you think it might be a deer. I like learning patience, too."

Wayne said he took Lauren out in 2010 just to do some scouting and determine if it was a genuine interest before they invested time and money into the hunter safety course, hunting license and deer tags.

"I saw a deer the first time we went out, and that sparked a fever," Lauren said. "Some of my friends might hunt, but I can also see they'd get cold and say they're ready to go back to the house."

To help Lauren stave off the cold, the family went shopping recently at Woodbury Outfitters on South Second Street.

Sales Associate Pam Brightly helped Lauren select overalls and a jacket that not only are warm and water-resistant, but also tear-resistant. She knew she had to have hunter orange, and selected a cap and vest.

Lauren will use an heirloom of sorts to hunt with, a 20-gauge shotgun Wayne bought when he was 18.

"The first time I shot it, I had no idea what it was going to feel like," said the 95-pound sixth-grade student at Union Elementary. "It pushed me back, and it was loud.

"But I'm more of a tomboy," Lauren said.
Not afraid of the hunt

Facing down a bear on a hunting trip would be daunting for a man or a woman.

Tina Williams, of Killbuck, has done that and more in her eight years as an avid hunter. She got into hunting to spend more time with her husband, she said.

It worked, as she said the two not only hunt white-tail deer locally but have taken trips to tackle such game as antelope, wild boar, mule deer and bears.

"I was really nervous. It was kind of scary, especially the one day when I came back and there were fresh claw marks in the tree where I had been sitting," she said of bear hunting. "That was scary, but nine times out of 10 they're more afraid of you than you are of them."

High heels out of fashion: Social media

The 1920s notion of a "hemline index," in which the economist George Taylor posited that skirt lengths rise and fall in relation to the economy, suggests that fashion is socially determined.

In a modern twist, a report about the direction of high heels, issued by IBM, proposes that fashion can now be determined through social media. To promote its software and consulting services, IBM announced that its computer analysis of "billions of social media posts" pointed to a downward trend in heel heights.

This was surprising, the company said, because heels usually go up during an economic downturn.While an intriguing thesis, it bears some fact-checking.

First, IBM's case: By mapping the most influential participants in online conversations about shoes, the company was then able to eavesdrop on a dozen key bloggers. It found that the median heel heights mentioned on those sites dropped to two inches this year from seven inches in 2009. But did women really wear seven-inch heels in 2009? Is that physically possible?

Trevor Davis, who led the IBM survey, argued: "The absolute number is not really what is of great interest here. It is the relevant movement." There is, indeed, anecdotal evidence of a decline in heel height, but mixed opinions about whether that has anything to do with the economy. Colleen Sherin, the senior fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue, wasn't buying it. Yes, flats are going to be big for spring, but so are wedges.

"I know that people like to take an economic read from heel heights, skirt lengths and selling red lipsticks," she said, "but it is just the cycle of fashion." Elizabeth Semmelhack, the senior curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, has proposed that heels grow higher in a bad economy, citing the introduction of platforms during the Great Depression and their reappearance during the oil crisis in the 1970s and again during the dot-com bust.

But even that was a "casual observation," not gospel, she said. Valerie Steele, the chief curator at the Museum at FIT, said the evidence does not hold up, even if people are talking about it online. "You can have absolutely vertiginous heels and, at the same time, sell billions of ballet flats," Ms Steele said. "It all goes back to that Mark Twain quote: 'Lies, damned lies and statistics.' "

High Heel Economy

A girl needs to feel good about herself and apparently high heels are the way to do it.

A new report shows that even through the rough economy women are still splurging on high heels.

In the economic downturn...consumers turn to fantacy and escape.

From what has been seen on the runway for Spring 2012 the report showed that heels point to a rebound.

High heels may be hazardous to your health

Luz Vargas says the higher the heel on her shoe, the better she feels, but after a bad spin on the dance floor while wearing high heel boots a few months ago, Vargas was side lined.

Her foot was so swollen and bruised she ended up in a brace and at physical therapy for months.

"The doctor actually said it would have been better if I had broken it because it would have healed quicker," she said.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Neufeld says he's seeing more and more women like Vargas who end up in his office post-weekend party with foot problems, and it's not just sprains and breaks.

"I'm seeing people with a lot more pain on the ball of their foot," he said. "I'm seeing a lot more bunions and a lot more hammer toes, a lot more nerve pain, calluses that are becoming a problem, corns are becoming a problem."

Neufeld says shoes with a heel more than two inches high puts anywhere from five to eight times your body weight on the ball of your foot, so when women wear these shoes for extended periods of time they can end up with some pretty serious injuries.

Neufeld advises if you can't give up your heels, at least wear a shoe with an open toe. It gives your toes room to move around and it takes some of the pressure off the ball of the foot.

Luz Vargas says her sprained ankle is still healing, but she's already back in her high heels and she says she's not giving them up any time soon.

"Who knows if it's ever going to fully be the same again, but you get used to it," she says.

One study from the American Podiatric Medical Association found that 42 percent of women admitted wearing a shoe they liked even though it was uncomfortable.

Another 73 percent said they had suffered some sort of shoe-related injury in their lifetime.

Heels get lower, economy heading higher?

A new study suggests women are choosing lower heeled shoes and those high heels may soon be tossed in the back of the closet.

IBM says they've been monitoring billions of social media posts and heel heights are about to decline. Researchers say usually when the economy is bad, skirts get shorter and heels get higher.

That's because people turn to them as a means of fantasy and escape. Over the last 100 years, high heels soared during the worst recessions.

So if times are tough, why are heel heights getting lower? IBM says the move to a lower heel may indicate a mood of "long term austerity" that's evolving among consumers.

The study says high heels won't disappear altogether, but even high-end shoe designers like Jimmy Choo and Christian Louboutin are beginning to offer more kitten heels and flats.

High heels: the new economic indicator?

What do shoes say about the economy? Perhaps a lot.

In the 1920s, low-heeled flapper shoes gave way to high-heel pumps and platforms during the Great Depression.

 In the 1970s oil crisis, platforms came back en vogue as the low-heeled sandals of the late 1960s were cast aside.

In the 1990s, the low, thick heels of the “grunge” period were replaced by “Sex and the City”-inspired stilettos just as the dot-com bubble burst.

 “Usually, in an economic downturn, heels go up and stay up — as consumers turn to a more flamboyant fashions as a means of fantasy and escape,” says Trevor Davis, a consumer product expert with International Business Machines' Global Business Services unit, in a press release.

 IBM conducted a study of social media posts and is predicting that women's heel heights, which are currently in nosebleed territory, are poised to come back down to Earth.

 Perhaps the shift signals a change in the economic outlook, or maybe it's a sign of resignation.

 “This time, something different is happening — perhaps a mood of long-term austerity is evolving among consumers sparking a desire to reduce ostentation in everyday settings,” Davis says.

 IBM came to its conclusion by using special software to sort through social media posts about footwear trends. Several separate sorts were made, first broadly, and then narrowing down to bloggers who are passionate about footwear and have large followings. The result is one you won't find in the shoe store. Right now, stores are still carrying sky-high heels, but the shift to flatter shoes is on the way.

High Heels for a Down Economy?

When the economy heads south, women's heels go north.

A look back at decades of shoe fashion research reveals that high heels soared during the worst recessions. “Usually in an economic downturn, heels go up and stay up as consumers turn to more flamboyant fashions as a means of fantasy and escape,” says Dr. Trevor Davis, a consumer products expert with IBM Global Services.

The average heel height today is six inches, more than double what it was the 1970s.

From the depression in the 1930′s to the oil crisis in the 70′s, and the dot com crash in 2000, high heels replaced flats and low, thick heels.

But once again this recession is different.

A computer based analysis of the last four years of social media posts shows discussions of increasing heel height peeked near the end of 2009, and declined after that. “Key trend-watching bloggers between 2008 and 2009 wrote consistently about heels from five to eight inches,” says an IBM summary of its research. “By mid 2011 they were writing about the return of the kitchen heel and the perfect flat from Jimmy Choo and Louboutin.”

While heels on many women's shoes are still high, the social networking analysis suggests a change in trend.

“This time something different is happening,” says Dr. Davis about the current economic problems many shoppers face. “Perhaps a mood of long term austerity is evolving among consumers sparking a desire to reduce ostentation in everyday settings.”

IBM says its new research “highlights the predictive capacities of social media analysis as a source of valuable insights” for businesses interested in market trends and planning future products.

Feet suffer for high-heel fashion

Women will suffer for fashion and images of them walking barefoot with high heels in hand from Melbourne Cup and Perth Racing events are testament to the price our feet can pay for looking fabulous.

Even style icon Sarah Jessica Parker - the woman famous for her Manolo Blahnik stilettos in Sex and the City - reportedly advised fashion followers going to the Melbourne Cup to "slip the heels off under the table" whenever the chance arose because "heels are not our friend".

Yet apart from the 1970s when some women shunned heels along with bras, high heels have survived the generations to come out even higher as a fashion necessity.

Head of the famous Italian fashion house Donatella Versace reportedly was more concerned about giving up her high heels as required while undergoing rehabilitation for a cocaine addiction in 2004 than she was about the withdrawing from the drug.

"She said 'I can give up anything but not my high heels'," Italian Vogue editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani told Newsweek magazine.

And as fashion outlets spruik the beginning of the party season and the need for heels as an accessory that will, among other claims, "lengthen legs and enhance height", podiatrists are pointing out the perils.

Wearing high heels for extended periods of time could contribute to multiple foot complications, said University of WA's Associate Professor of podiatric medicine Virginia Bower.

The big problem created by wearing high-heel shoes was abnormal weight distribution, she said.

Instead of the foot bearing the weight of the body in the heel and the ball of the foot, all the weight fell on to the ball of the foot when wearing high heels, especially narrow, pointy-toed shoes.

The increased pressure could make corns and callouses develop on the ball of the foot, increase the likelihood of developing ingrown toenails, bunions and hammertoes and contribute to neuroma, a painful thickening of the nerve between the toe bones.

Acute injuries, such as sprained ankles from falls could be another risk, Professor Bower said.

In some habitual heel wearers the calf and Achilles muscles could shorten into a tighter position leading to strain and an increased risk of tendonitis or tendon rupture when reverting to walking in a flat shoe or barefoot. Foot problems typically started to present for women in their 40s, with pain limiting their ability to function, she said.

She rarely sees younger women with foot problems. Although they were still likely to experience soreness, corns and blisters from ill-fitting fashionably high heels, their younger bodies were more resilient and able to repair.

"Most foot conditions are chronic and develop over a period of time," Professor Bower said.

As we age our joints, ligaments and tendons loosen and the foot will lengthen slightly and incrementally because it is no longer toned. The fat pad under the heel and ball of the foot that cushions the foot from birth declines and the bones and joints become more prominent.

The older foot, with less naturally occurring support and padding, was therefore at an increased risk of problems from wearing high heels, she said.

She warned parents to resist pleas from their young daughters to buy from a growing range of high- heeled children's shoes marketed specifically to young girls.

Forcing a young foot into the unnatural position created by a heel could change the way the bones and joints developed, she said, likening it to Chinese foot binding that permanently altered the anatomy of the foot.

Heels could also put stress and strain on the lower part of the spine because body weight was thrown forward.

Churchlands Regenerate physiotherapist Adam Floyd said the position of the foot in high-heel users forced the pelvis into an anterior tilt that was the same as standing bending backwards and as such compressed the lower joints of the spine. In the long term this might encourage slackening of the tummy muscles and compromise core stability, he said.

Mr Floyd said high heels could also potentially contribute to problems further up the spine and into the neck and cause headaches.

According to Professor Bower, although we all know heels are not ideal footwear, as long as they remain fashionable women would continue to wear them. The lesson to be learnt was about getting the balance right between fashion and function.

She advised wearing appropriate footwear for the occasion and reserving heels for special occasions. If heels were necessary for the office, she suggested changing to a flat shoe when sitting at a desk or when commuting to and from work.
"Ultimately, if they are part of your daily wardrobe for long periods of time, that's when they become a problem. If you save them for just going out of an evening, then it is not such a critical issue," Professor Bower said.

Pervert-pleasing high-heeled mice stompers convicted of cruelty

Two women who stepped on mice while wearing high heels to give a man perverse sexual kicks have been convicted of animal cruelty by a court in central Germany.

The women, aged 29 and 25, made a film of their “animal crushing” exploits, as the disturbing practice is known, having been promised what the court in Darmstadt heard was a considerable amount of money by a man for the video.

More about the man could not be released as he is charged in a different case, the Süddeutsche Zeitung reported on Tuesday.

The women did not only step on mice, but also two lizards and three geckos, and ran over 12 mice in a car on the video, the court heard on Tuesday. They also filmed themselves burning mice with lit cigarettes.

The prosecutor said the “animal crushing” perversion was a rare kind of foot fetishism. “Customers who watch films with such content, satisfy themselves according to our information, by watching pretty women slowly step on the animals, while wearing socks, high heels or while barefoot,” she added.

The authorities used the video made by the women as evidence in the case. The 29-year-old woman was sentenced to a suspended sentence of nine months, and told to pay €500 to an animal protection organisation. Her 25-year-old friend is missing and could not be sentenced on Tuesday.

The defence lawyer criticised the sentence as particularly harsh. “One has to see that my client did not torture the animals for fun, rather that she needed the money that she had been promised in advance,” he said. He complained that the conditions of her sentence wrecked her plans to move to the United States to study business as she would no longer be allowed in the country.

The Perfect: high heels

High heels don't get more perfect than those by the German-born designer Nicholas Kirkwood. His sculptural creations, with signature platform and striking heel, were seen on the catwalks at Erdem, Peter Pilotto, Meadham Kirchhoff and, our favourite, Roksanda Ilincic (pictured). Now Kirkwood's fans can collaborate with Kirkwood himself at his flagship store on Mount Street in London. The brand's made-to-order service allows clients to customise their favourite style using different materials, skins and colours.

Going way beyond the call of duty, the store can even create a pair of Nicholas Kirkwood shoes using fabric that you provide, for example to match a wedding dress. Or if you, like us, feel you can't beat Ilincic's s/s 12 design, you can request they are made to order and ready for Christmas Day (the deadline for Christmas orders is November 18). Made-to-order clients can have the whole store to themselves as appointments are available out of hours.

Delivery time is usually six to eight weeks. From ￡600, Nicholas Kirkwood, 5 Mount Street, London W1.

The high heels from Christian Louboutin online store are..

"If your Mother told me that christian louboutin sale courtesy, that I can not happy, I have to say thing to keep your mother to discuss it?"

See her mother get the money the people are relaxed, with Shen also thought to mention the way with her mother to follow his brother on brother-sister thing to learn, Lee's latest morrow one will go home, if she do not raised, such as Hu Youxuan to the house when the time came, the family's quiet was suddenly broken, I'm afraid her mother will be unhappy with the younger brother.

"Something to speak with children, so no need to see a man outside."

Of Lee, the sink can be offered with her family to chip in an emergency, is contrary to her surprise, and now with a Shen is difficult to see that things with their deliberations, and that she can not even listen to the total do not listen, they refused!

"Mother told me just mention, that is the sister of that brother-brother David Villa after the case, you want to learn along with younger brother, also hopes to acquire a fame."

Heard this, Lee's face suddenly appeared a little hesitant, as if my heart was what to hit next, blocking was , which is to take accurate afford their own are asking them, did not have refused to make such a conditions for it? But she repressed living, if for the weekdays, she heard this news, is set apart from anything else would be a straight face.

Firewood can be read to the children to study now so has been very easy, the bad conditions at home, now have to call a character carefully even strangers do not know, how can this be assured? Affect the children in the future if the future of firewood, that's a lifetime thing!

Young married woman is thought to play from the heart to help themselves to help the family, did not think that would be, also ... ... their own fear, are a different family names, they are naturally not a pro-Shen, which made her heart toward her parents and then how are people, mother and what of it? Here she can barely think of a smile out.

"Then I go home to begin with firewood Kota hello, on the first obsessed with it, I could help nature is good."

"Thank you, Mother, late to join us to get out to see if there is no need, your along with your mother bought back."

Heard Lee's heart could not help but Leng Heng, flatly refused and said: "No, after dinner a while back before I go, this money is more anxious to get my heart, and would like to go back to the early Yuan side of the mouth blocked, the heart can be a real comfortable. Besides, I never leave the firewood brother for so long, you know, he has always been my care, I really worry that we can go eat his food. "

See Lee insisted, Shen said she is worried about the heart with son, and probably do not want to make their stay here to see some of the embarrassing thing, what is not good and then persuade, and Lee nodded and then went to the hall for dinner.

After dinner break, Shen Lee sent down to the door with it, Chen Shiyi let son go down the street looking for relatives chair, while Fang is polite manner to retain: "You just said relatives one night longer follow the rest , how suddenly left the rush? "

"Oh, it's the worry out of most of the day the son of a tight, do not cheap christian louboutin shoes go back and really do not trust."

These are parents who, coupled with the Zhao Xi Qiao although normally not heard how his deeds, but it is the only scholar radius of several town, which is naturally linked to the mother heart, thought of this side s not to say anything, just a few homely cackle, a pedestrian standing Dongjiekou other chair.

Sutton to get his chance

Dominique Sutton walked away from the SJG Greater NC Pro-Am as co-MVP of the summer basketball league with former North Carolina star Rasheed Wallace. Along with that recognition, he earned a reputation for exuberant defense and high-rising dunks.

After a few games, everyone who had come out to N.C. Central's McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium to watch summer-league games knew about the Durham school's 6-foot-5 transfer who battled Tar Heels sophomore Harrison Barnes and NBA pros.

"I've put that to the side," Sutton said. "That's summer league. It's not structured. It's just going out having fun, competing and giving the crowd something to cheer about."

Sutton's more concerned about the start of his final collegiate season. There's much more at stake tonight for the senior forward when the Eagles travel to Halton Arena to face Charlotte in the team's season-opener.

"Now it's different," he said. "Now it's about leading a team. Can I win? Can I take a team like Central to the (NCAA) tournament? It's a lot of different 'ifs' in there."

Sutton transferred to N.C. Central in 2010 but had to sit out a season because of NCAA rules after leaving Kansas State. He played three seasons there, serving as a role player known for rebounding, defensive prowess and athleticism.

Sutton was raised in Durham and returned home for an opportunity to shake that role player moniker.

"It was a business move," he said.

It's a chance for Sutton to play before a home crowd - including his grandmother, mother and daughters - as he did while attending Durham Jordan as a junior in high school. He transferred from there to The Patterson School before going off to college.

At Kansas State, he started in 36 games as a junior, averaging 7.2 points and 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game. The Wildcats reached the NCAA West Regional Final that season, and Sutton played - in six-minute stretches - in 78 consecutive games during his time at Kansas State.

Sutton brings that experience to an N.C. Central team entering its first official season of NCAA Division I basketball and its third season under coach LeVelle Moton. The Eagles play a full Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule for the first time and are eligible now to play in the postseason.

"We've made strides," said Moton, whose team jumped from a 7-22 record in 2009 to 15-15 last season, finishing 10-5 against conference opponents.

The Eagles expect more this season. Moton has appointed Sutton the team's leader, saying their progress will mirror his standout forward's development throughout the season.

Moton called Sutton the nation's "best athlete" and said there haven't been many players at the school with his ability - including the coach who starred at the school from 1992 to 1996.

"He's in a category of his own," Moton said. "He has physical gifts the good Lord didn't give everyone else."

Sutton plays the game with a nonstop physicality, hustling for rebounds and chasing down steals like a safety on a football field.

Versace adds its splashy, flashy signatures to collection for H&M

From her ultra-blond hair to her super-high heels, Donatella Versace uses every inch of her being to embrace glamour, and she wasn't going to put the Versace name on anything — and certainly not a collection for global fast-fashion retailer H&M — that didn't do the same.

The clothes that debuted Tuesday night on the catwalk lived up to the hype surrounding the limited-edition collection as well as Versace's own glitzy standards: There was a metallic disco dress, a studded leather bomber jacket and an animal-print-meets-tropical-sunset tank dress for women; and a hot-pink suit, studded tuxedo-style shorts and a palm-tree, second-skirt T-shirt for men.

The runway at the huge and historic Pier 57 in Manhattan's Meatpacking District attracted a crowd that included Blake Lively, Uma Thurman and Jessica Alba. Nicki Minaj and Prince took their front row seats just before the show started, and then emerged on stage at the after-party that recreated a Miami nightclub. Minaj did swap the green feather fascinator she wore to the show for a crystal-covered trucker hat when it came time to perform.

Swedish fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz AB has partnered with big names before, including Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Lanvin designer Alber Elbaz, and Target Corp.'s joint line with the Italian knitwear brand Missoni earlier this fall caused a frenzy, causing its website to crash the first day items were offered. None had a launch quite like this, though.

Versace said in a backstage interview that she thinks it's this sort of production, coupled with clothes embellished with sequins, studs, leather and lace, that will serve as the antidote for the struggling economy. “It was done totally wrong the last time the economy failed," she said. “Everyone said, ‘Let's do safe clothes of a good quality that people will invest in and wear year after year.' That couldn't be more wrong. The companies that survived the most were the ones that were recognizable, that stuck to their DNA, and our DNA is glamour."

She added: “This is a very joyful collection."

Tropical floral patterns were splashed on tight leggings and tunic tops, and heart-print dresses were covered with beaded fringe. Many models wore hot-pink strappy sandals and carried printed handbags with the South Beach motif and Versace's Medusa logo.

Many of the styles were updated (and, with top prices of $299, less expensive) interpretations of signature looks of the house as it was first designed by the late Gianni Versace and for the last 14 years by his sister Donatella. “I really wanted iconic moments of Versace," she said. There even was a black dress with gold hardware reminiscent of the label's safety-pin gown made famous by Elizabeth Hurley.

Versace said she thinks these head-turning styles are the right introduction to the next-generation shoppers — the ones who know how to mix top-tier designer labels with inexpensive trendy pieces.

“Young people like to dress up and look cool." Versace said.

With 20-somethings as children, Versace said she has done her fair share of shopping with them at stores such as H&M. “I know this customer. I know what they want. They follow music, fashion. For the new generation, it's all pop culture."

She pays attention to it, too, she said, and she mines it for inspiration. “Creativity comes from quantity and quality of information. I want to know everything: politics, music, movies. Only this way can you come up with each new collection."

High heels 'magic formula' for making you look a dress size slimmer

If you want to drop a dress size in seconds without dieting, just slip into a pair of high heels.

A new slimming formula says a mere pair of shoes if chosen carefully can have a dramatic slimming effect on the wearer – creating the illusion of having dropped a dress size.

So dramatic is the effect that when asked to guess the dress size of the same model in two images, people shown the image of her wearing the slimming shoes gave an average of one size smaller than those shown a picture of her without the “magic” shoes on.

The 'winning formula' appears to be a nude shoe with a platform heel, department store Debenhams revealed.

“If followed to the letter, this formula gives women the chance to walk in the shoes of the famous tricksters of our time – creating a slimmer silhouette in an instant,” the Daily Mail quoted the Head of accessories for Debenhams Natelle Baddeley as saying.

Technologists created the formula when they noticed an onslaught of celebrity women, including Kate Middleton, Victoria Beckham and most recently Ed Miliband's wife Justine wearing similar nude high heels.

The formula combines a combination of tricks that give the impression of lengthened legs and tighter thighs while encouraging the torso to be pushed out, in turn flattening the stomach.

“This is a diet in a shoe! Once you have found the perfect pair all you need to do is slip on your shoes to instantly transform your silhouette. It's the perfect party cheat,” Baddeley added.

Breaking: High Heels Make Your Legs Look Good

You'd better sit down for this one. No, actually you're going to want to stand up, because sitting and getting comfortable in general makes you look like a fatty. The Daily Mail continued its record of journalistic excellence today with a stunning revelation: Wearing high heels makes you look slightly slimmer! We thought women were just wearing them because they enjoy having difficulty walking, but according to the paper heels will make you drop a full dress size — particularly if they're "nude," and you're light-skinned.

The paper supplies some undeniable photographic evidence of this shocking phenomenon. With the help of some high heels (and a different pose, airbrushing, and possibly a smaller size dress) their model looks somewhat thinner. This incredible new "diet in a shoe" is even more popular than chugging cayenne pepper and maple syrup right now. Kate Middleton, Victoria Beckham, and Sarah Jessica Parker have all tried it, and it's even been named one of Lucky magazine's "The Next Big Things '09." We salute the paper for always bringing us the latest fashion trends.

Men Wearing High Heels For Fundraiser In Downtown El Paso Tomorrow

It'll be an interesting sight to say the least. A fundraiser in downtown El Paso will have gentlemen leaving their nice, flat comfy shoes behind and trading them in for some heels.

"Walk a mile in her shoes" drew up to 200 men last year and organizers are hoping more will man up this year and take part.  "It takes a real man to wear red, patent leather high heels but that's the whole point and that's the fun part of walking a mile in her shoes," said Erik Baray, who participated last year.

The fun fundraiser for a serious subject is headed to downtown El Paso for the second year in a row.  "The purpose of the event is to raise awareness about sexual assault and gender violence," said YWCA El Paso Del Norte Region CEO Dr. Sandra Braham.

The YWCA El Paso Del Norte Region is behind the fundraiser. Dr. Sandra Braham says last year up to 200 men showed up with plenty of company.

"To see them put on three-inch stilettos and walk is great. And their family, their wives, their children come out and cheer them on," said Dr. Braham.

Erik Baray participated in the event last year and he says he plans to walk again this year.  "It's really not that bad. You go around the block. You have your buddies with you, prominent men in the community. So you're all doing it as a team together," said Baray.

The four-block walk, which starts in front of The Garden, is expected to take 15 minutes.  "We don't' want any cheaters to have any sandals, flip flops. It does have to be an elevated women's shoe," said Baray.

Of course there are a few men down during the event.  "Of course when a guy's down, you wanna help him up. It's really fun," said Baray.

And the event doesn't end after the walk.  "We're going to have a fantastic after party. We're going to have a reception at The Garden. Fun, music and entertainment, foot massage for you guys out there who are walking," said Baray.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes starts off at The Garden. It's located at 511 Western. Registration and check in is at 5:00 p.m. The walk begins at 5:30. The party starts after the block and is expected to last until 7:30 p.m. The cost to register is $20 and you have to provide your own shoes.

Donatella's Only Gripe With Rehab Was The Lack Of High Heels

You may know Donatella Versace​ as the very tanned, very blonde creative director of her brother's eponymous fashion house, but you may not have known these tidbits — the designer has a particular disdain for a fellow fashion insider, she used to have a serious cocaine problem that drove her to rehab, and she's way more business savvy than you'd think. Check out my three favorite quotes from her interview with Newsweek below --

On her cocaine addiction -
 The turning point came in 2004, when a party thrown for the 18th birthday of her daughter Allegra became an intervention for Donatella, who flew to rehab that night with minimal fuss. “The only thing she complained about," Sozzani says, “was not being able to wear high heels. She said, ‘I can give up anything, but not my high heels.’ She’s totally ironic and self-aware."

On her not-so-fondess of Roberto Cavalli -
She’s not so kind about Cavalli, the Italian designer who’s become a favorite among the Euro set, largely by combing the Versace archive for endless inspiration. “I think that to do a collection—how do you say—as an homage to Versace, this is fine. But when you do a lot of collections as an homage to Versace—why? What’s the point?" She sees a look of concern on the face of her PR person, who’s sitting across from her. “Was I a beetch?" Donatella asks. Then she bursts out laughing.

On designing with the consumer in mind -
"When the 2008 financial crisis happened, everyone did safe clothes thinking people would invest money in an outfit they could wear again and again and again," she says. “Well, nothing could be wronger than that. It turned out to be the opposite. People with money were looking for special pieces. They want something recognizable, so I captured this feeling very early."