Saturday, September 12, 2009

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Tales From Lehman's Crypt: How Former Employees Are Faring Top
True, thousands of financial industry jobs have vanished and several of the country's best-known banks and brokerage firms have disappeared. Since a peak in 2007, the market valuation of the country's 29 biggest financial services firms has been cleaved by about half. But significant parts of Wall Street endure, and some firms are raking in handsome profits. Indeed, many bankers and traders are looking forward to big bonuses once again. Some of those Lehman alumni who didn't manage to hang on to Wall Street jobs are still angry, bitter and confused... More on Banks
 
NFL Sets Its Sights On China With Reality TV Show "NFL Blitz" Top
For years the NFL, which kicks off its regular season in full on Sunday, has been the most lucrative sports league in the world, generating an estimated $8 billion a year in revenue. But as technology improved, making it possible for American sports to be seen in more and more countries, the NFL has found itself in a dilemma, staring longingly at blossoming international markets yet with a game few outside of this country understand. More on Sports
 
Venezuela Earthquake Rattles Caracas, Measures 6.4 Top
CARACAS, Venezuela — An earthquake shook Venezuela's capital and nearby states Saturday, injuring 14 people and causing damage to a few buildings. The U.S. Geological Survey reported a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 for the quake, saying the epicenter was off Venezuela's Caribbean coast 65 miles (110 kilometers) west of Caracas. The head of Venezuela's seismological agency, Francisco Garces, put the quake at magnitude 6.2, followed by an aftershock registering 4.0. Two young people, ages 9 and 26, suffered serious leg injuries, and 12 other people had minor injuries, Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said. El Aissami said western Falcon state reported the most structural problems, with 17 houses and two other buildings damaged. Two houses were reported damaged in neighboring Lara state, where the wall of a medical clinic also collapsed, state civil protection director Hector Vargas told the state-run Bolivarian News Agency. Buildings swayed as the quake rocked Caracas about 3:40 p.m. local time (4:10 p.m. EDT, 20:10GMT). Only a few people evacuated buildings to stand outside as a rainstorm slowed traffic. No injured were reported in the capital, El Aissami said. Cities in nearby Carabobo and Aragua states were also jolted, but did not experience major problems. Infrastructure Minister Diosdado Cabello said there were no reports of major infrastructure damage. No problems were reported at oil refineries or other installations in Venezuela's key oil industry. More on Venezuela
 
Geoffrey Dunn: A Culture of Corruption--The Ghost of Sarah Palin Still Haunts Alaska Top
This past Tuesday, there was a revealing, and indeed, troubling exchange between political watchdog Andree McLeod and members of the Alaska Personnel Board, the government body charged with processing so-called ethics violations by the executive branch in the State of Alaska. Some of the interchange was reported in a blog in the Anchorage Daily News by its reporter Sean Cockerham, including profane language and threats directed at McLeod (a Republican who was once friends with Palin) by Personnel Board member Al Tamagni, Sr., a longtime Anchorage-based Republican. But the ensuing coverage has focused more on the "melodrama" of the encounter than on the serious issues about ethics and the democratic process that underlie the verbal jousting at the board this past week. During a public comment section of the meeting, McLeod, who has now brought six ethics complaints against Palin and members of her administration, forcefully addressed the board about its responsibilities and proper protocols: "Clearly you do not serve the public," she declared. When Chair Debra English attempted to silence her, McLeod refused to be quieted: You have allowed the governor's office to use state resources to malign and vilify. Why? You've allowed them carte blanche for their own personal agendas. Why? Who do you serve? I'm going to keep going back to that. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. You should resign like Palin has. You do not serve the public. You are charged by the Ethics Act and the Personnel Act. You take an oath. You have not served the public...What is the cost of corruption? What is the cost of the culture of corruption that you are now complicit in? It was an uncomfortable moment in the proceedings--and it was about to get worse. The board meets quarterly and has played a central role in the highly publicized ethics charges against Palin and her administration --including one of the reports that exonerated Palin in the Troopergate scandal--but there were only three members of the public at the meeting, held on the eighth floor of the Frontier Building in mid-town Anchorage. There was similarly scant public attendance at its meeting in May and at those that preceded it. Given what had been at stake--and what remains at stake--in Alaska government, the lack of public participation is conspicuous. McLeod was not done with her charges. She chastised the board for providing the governor's Chief of Staff, Michael Nizich, with a copy of a confidential board report before it was to be released. (Nizich has publicly called for a "backlash" against those who have brought complaints.) The board, according to McLeod, did nothing to address the leak to Nizich nor his calls for retaliation against those who file ethics charges with the board. McLeod also asserted that the board had "maligned" another complainant for leaking a confidential board report without sufficient evidence. "What a joke you guys are," McLeod intoned. She grew more intense as she progressed. McLeod was then interrupted by chair English with an admonishment: "I don't think that's professional..." "Unprofessional?," McLeod responded. "Give me a break, would you? Unprofessional is the way you've allowed all this to go on." That's when board member Tamagni, who owns a pension service in his day job, interceded in a threatening tone: Just keep bitching , Andrée. Just keep bitching ...until you're all through...just keep bitching . Remarkably, neither the board chair nor any member of the staff admonished Tamagni for using these vulgarities. McLeod responded with an emphatic "How dare you?," engaged in more heated back-and-forth with Tamagni, before declaring, "I can't sit here when I'm trying to hold my public officials accountable to allow a member of the personnel board to vilify and malign my motive." Things deteriorated from there. Chair English then called for "security," indicating that it was being called to stop McLeod's "unprofessional" behavior. McLeod moved away from the table in order to diffuse the situation Then Tamagni got into the act again. He charged McLeod with having a "personal vendetta," though against whom, he did not say. He referenced his comment about McLeod "bitching" by stating "I think that my references to you...I would not change them as I've made them." English beckoned McLeod back to the table. McLeod charged the board with defending a "culture of corruption." Then Tamagni attacked again. Although not quite Beckett, it made for grand political theater, even if it didn't pack the house. Tamagni: You'd better retract that because there's complaints to be filed against you, too. McLeod : For what? Tamagni : Civil. McLeod : For what? Tamagni : Civil cases. McLeod : Civil cases for what? Tamagni : You just said I was corrupt. McLeod : As a body. Tamagni : No. You referred to me personally. McLeod : Are you intimidating ...Are you threatening me with a lawsuit? Tamagni : Are you calling me corrupt? McLeod : Are you threatening me with a lawsuit? Tamagni : Are you calling me corrupt? McLeod : Wow. And that's how the sausage gets made before the Personnel Board in the State of Alaska. Protocols are broken. Reports leaked. Complainants vilified and threatened by staff and members of the board. The process oozes with open bias and partisan politics. It's apparent the board's intent is not to root out ethics violators, in particular Palin, but to protect the status quo. "We are still reeling from the damage caused by Palin's actions as these findings set precedence," McLeod said in an interview. "The bar has greatly been lowered and the standards for a more honest and ethical government has shifted away from the public's best interests towards protecting and defending the interests of public officials." Indeed, the Act requires that "not more than two members of the board may be members of the same political party." But the board's web site does not state which party its members belong to, utterly obfuscating what was clearly an intention of the act: making the process open and transparent. (Tamagni's son, for instance, has served on the campaigns of Republican state senator Kevin Meyer, a political association not disclosed on the board's web site.) Moreover, the three members sit at the pleasure of the governor for six-year terms, meaning that the governor ultimately controls the make-up of the board. All three were originally appointed by Republican governor Frank Murkowski and in of 2008, Palin reappointed chair English. So it is hardly a neutral body; it's bubbling with biases and hidden agendas. McLeod , now in her mid-50s, is of Armenian descent by way of Lebanon, but she was raised in New York (her family immigrated to the U.S. in 1963) and you can still catch the trace of a Long Island accent in her voice. Energetic, spunky and uniquely tenacious (she makes Palin's infamous barracuda persona look more like that of a goldfish), McLeod arrived in Sitka in 1978. She began working in Alaska government in 1984, serving in a variety of positions for the departments of Fish and Game, Education, Administration, Health and Social Services, Transportation and Public Facilities, Military and Veterans Affairs, and Labor and Workforce Development. She also worked as an aide for a couple of Alaska legislators and completed a degree in economics at the University of Alaska at Anchorage. During the 1990s, she tried selling falafels in downtown Anchorage. While hot dog vendors and the like were welcomed downtown, faire made out of spiced chickpeas was deemed too exotic for the City of Lights. McLeod was suddenly awoken to the power of government--and thus began her entree into Alaska politics. She ran for mayor of Anchorage--unsuccessfully--in 1997. In both 2002 and 2004, McLeod ran unsuccessfully for the Alaska house of representatives. Her campaign slogan in 2004 was "Integrity and Ethics Do Matter." Prominently displayed on her campaign brochure was a supportive quote from the former mayor of Wasilla: Like many of us, Andrée wants good government. She's not afraid to stand up for what's right. Though she ruffles a feather or two now and then, this intelligent Alaskan is exactly what we need during these times. -- Sarah Palin McLeod had made friends with Palin after she lost bid for Lt. Governor and before before Palin served as the chair and ethics officer of the Alaska Oil & Gas Conservation Commission. They worked closely together during Palin's highly publicized battle with Republican Party Chair Randy Reudrich. McLeod has a thick file of emails from Palin both thanking her and praising her for her efforts. One of them sent by Palin in 2004 had this to say about McLeod: That was a great letter to the ed. this week Andree. I haven't had time to call but wanted to tell you it was, again, insightful & educational & good writing. I'm still disenchanted with the whole issue of RR and state politics and am not even very optimistic about the call for an independent investigation. We'll see. I guess I'll believe it when I see it. Hope you're doing well, staying warm & staying on top of all these state issues I'm hearing about on the news! Love, SP Other Palin emails to McLeod refer to her as "intelligent," "bold," "powerful" and "encouraging." In another email Palin wrote: "Ugh! I know you must get so frustrated because you're all about accountability!" During the State Republican Convention in March of 2008, McLeod observed two top Palin officials-- Frank Bailey and Ivy Frye--closely involved in an effort to oust Reudrich as head of the Republican Party. That's when McLeod first became concerned that Palin's administration was crossing the line in terms of the state's ethics act. Shortly thereafter, she requested Bailey's and Frye's emails, text messages and telephone records from February to April of 2008. One turbulent year-and-a-half later, McLeod remains the most public and vociferous of those Alaskans, irate with Sarah Palin and her administration, who have filed as many as twenty (the exact number is unknown) ethics acts complaints against her. Palin referenced "frivolous ethics violations" in her resignation speech as one of the principal reasons of resigning her office. Palin and her supporters have incessantly put out the spin that her opponents have cost Alaska " two million" dollars (a figure disputed by Cockerham at the ADN,) and that she "has won" every single complaint. It's a serious bending of the truth (even with the tilted makeup of the board)--but it has caught traction in the mainstream media and on the streets of Alaska, where McLeod, in particular, has been viciously demonized for her actions. Some of the assaults on McLeod's persona are so vulgar, even pornographic, that they are beyond detailed account. Suffice it to say that she has taken considerable abuse. Contrary to a myth being spun by Palin and her supporters, McLeod is hardly a tool of outside "Democratic Party operatives" who have infiltrated her state. In fact, because she's a registered Republican and has run against Democratic opponents, McLeod is not welcomed by Alaska Democrats and is kept at arm's length by progressive activists and organizations. While it's true that most of the ethics charges against Palin have been dismissed by a three-member board who serves at the pleasure of the governor, there actually have been several critical findings against Palin in the process. Indeed, McLeod's first ethics complaint brought against Palin--long before she chosen to be John McCain's nominee-- was directed at the governor's office for hiring a political crony. It resulted in the finding that a key member of Palin's staff, Frank Bailey, get "training and counseling" on the Alaska Personnel Act to "prevent the potential for future violations of the act." It was also McLeod's initial Records Act request that led to the discovery that Palin and several members of her administration were conducting state business on private email systems--a rogue government communications network with Palin at the helm. She also exposed the fact that Palin was using state funds for her family travels and collected a per diem for living at her home in Wasilla. Since then, Palin has also had to repay the state for travel expenses and to pay back income taxes on thousands of dollars in expense money she received while living at her Wasilla home. In a preliminary finding issued by Personnel Board investigator Thomas Daniel, "there is probable cause to believe that Governor Palin used, or attempted to use, her official position for personal gain" in violation of Alaska statutes in respect to the establishment of the Alaska Trust Fund--which is being used to pay Palin's legal fees. It's uncertain if and when those final findings will be issued. By far, the most expensive ethics complaint against Palin was the one she brought against herself as a way of trying to sidestep the so-called Troopergate charges levied against her by the bipartisan Alaska Legislative Council. That investigation, conducted by a former Republican prosecutor Steve Branchflower, resulted in the finding "that Governor Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act." It was clear and unequivocal. Even the Petumenos Report, processed by the Personel Board, while exonerating Palin for abuse of power, also came to a rather startling conclusion: Limitation on the Evidence Reviewed in Support of These Conclusions A cautionary note must be made with respect to the investigation conducted. Efforts to locate and secure all relevant e-mails have been exceedingly difficult in this case... We are concerned about the use by the Governor and some of her staff of private e-mail accounts for government business. This is not illegal. But the practice, along with what we found to be bad advice that was apparently received within the Governor's Office, does not give us the assurance that we were able to locate all of the e-mails. In particular, the Governor and Frank Bailey conducted government business on private accounts...Both Governor Palin and Frank Bailey testified that they had been told there was not a document retention policy that applied to e-mails in the Governor's Office. Our investigation revealed that if they received this advice, it was mistaken. We found document retention schedules for the Governor's Office and for the Director of Boards and Commissions that were specific and readily available at the Office of State Archives. The Governor and Frank Bailey deleted e-mails without consulting this schedule. So it's not as if Palin has been cast as Snow White by either the Personnel Board or the Alaska Legislature. Even with the balance of justice tilted heavily in her favor, Palin and her administration have been found add odds with the spirit, if not necessarily the letter, of the ethics act in several cases. A "perfect record"? Hardly. And there may be more on the way. For her part, McLeod says that she has violated no laws in filing these complaints and is merely trying to expose what she sees as a persistent culture of corruption in the Palin/Parnell
 
Tea Party Protester: "We Think The Muslims Are Moving In And Taking Over" (VIDEO) Top
UPDATE (8:43 p.m. EST): NBC has replaced this woman's comment about Muslims with a less inflammatory comment: "I'm scared to death for my country. I believe Obama is running this country into the ground." This appears to be the only edit made to this online video. Footage of her previous comment does not appear to be posted. The original video was broadcast Saturday evening, Sept. 12, 2009, on NBC Nightly News. ------------------------------- A protester at Saturday's Tea Party on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. made clear that she was afraid, saying "We are losing our country, we think the Muslim's are moving in and taking over." NBC Nightly News interviewed the woman, who was surrounded by fellow protesters as she made the remarks. Her name was not used. Participants at the event, billed "March on Washington" by its organizers, rallied against President Obama's health care plan and what they say is out-of-control spending. WATCH Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News , World News , and News about the Economy More on Health Care
 
Rachel Strugatz: Reem Acra's Office: See What's Inside (PHOTOS) Top
Reem Acra is the Beirut-born designer responsible for the striking red strapless dress Jill Biden wore to the Inaugural Balls. Since launching her eponymous label in 1996, Acra's bridal gowns and evening wear have become perennial favorites with celebrities such as Halle Berry, Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Olivia Wilde, Katherine Heigl, and Eva Longoria. Reem Acra in her office Photos by Brandon Perlman With the help of a live-in seamstress that helped bring her designs to fruition, Acra has been designing dresses since she was a little girl. After relocating to the United States in 1983, she studied at both the Fashion Institute of Technology and then at ESMOD International Fashion University Group in Paris before returning back to New York to open her own design house. Her gowns are both lavish and glamorous without being over the top, and it's clear why Acra's designs have become red carpet mainstays at the Emmy's, the Golden Globes, and the Oscars. Her fashion-forward take on traditional style results in dresses appropriate for twenty-something starlets to politicians' wives. In the midst of frantically preparing for her upcoming Spring 2010 show, which takes place on Sunday, Reem sat down and shared her inspirations, her philosophy on dressing from day to night, and even sketched a dress on the spot. Rachel Strugatz: Describe your personal style Reem Acra: My personal style is a mixture of classical and modern. My style definitely has a sense of humor and I like to always be dressed from the office and ready to go out. I wear pieces that can be casual and then dressed up for an event. RS: Tell us what you're wearing from head-to-toe RA: I'm wearing a new skirt from my Spring 2010 collection, a Jil Sander t-shirt, a black draped cropped sweater, and a red patent belt from my collection. A touch of color - like this red belt - is always good. I'm also wearing Sergio Rossi satin peep-toe platform pumps - they are black with a navy blue platform and heel. RS: What are your must-have items? RA: Necklaces and the belts from my collections - I have to have belts. There are patent, fabric, and some of the belts are beaded too. Another must-have for me is always being neat and organized. I also can't live without Altoid Smalls and my Sony Cyber Shot digital camera, and my dog Loulou goes everywhere with me. RS: What inspires you? RA: I'm inspired by everything from fabric swatches, to people, to cities, to traveling, to art, to architecture - anything still or moving. The city is filled with things that are inspiring, but it really starts with the fabric. My fall collection is Greek Goddess inspired, but in a modern way. It came about because I was having dinner with a friend, talking about a Greek statue that he owned. I had him email me a picture of the sculpture and I asked if I could use it as my muse. The trick is how you translate and the fabrics worked well because they were muted. 5 Things About Reem... 1. Her favorite movie is Slumdog Millionaire 2. She takes ballroom dancing lessons four times a week 3. The last book she read was Madame Bovary 4. She is an accomplished painter (but gave it up a long time ago) and has a passion for interior decorating 5. She is fluent in three languages In Reem's Office... Pink Alessi Timer -- "In case people stay too long in my office during meetings." Framed Photo of Her Mother -- "This is from the 40's. It's one of the only ones we can find. She influenced me and taught me how to buy fabrics. She was always well dressed." Butler and Chef Wine Holders -- " I keep my brushes in here because I like to keep my girl things in here." Black Lacquered Wood Desk -- "My brother Max made my desk. It's a masterpiece like a piano. Everybody who comes in my office loves my desk." Writing Instrument Holder -- "I use black felt pens and Sharpie's when I'm sketching something larger. Never leave a pen around me -- It will be gone." Red Chinese Box -- "This is a very interesting box, it's so unusual." Roger Vivier Flats -- "These are one of my favorite pairs of shoes." Lulu Guinness "Don't Forget" Satin Bag -- "I love bags and little bags within bags. Everything is contained." Little Girl's Dress -- "I designed this when I was eight." Altoid Smalls -- "They are small and have a better effect than the bigger ones." Prada Tortoiseshell Sunglasses -- "I can't go out without them." Red Boxes -- "They are essential. It's archives of pictures, videos, and CD's. After every collection, anything related to the show - the program, show DVD, and the invitation-- goes in a box." Rachel Strugatz can be contacted at rachel.strugatz@gmail.com. Follow HuffPost Style on Twitter and become a fan of HuffPost Style on Facebook ! More on Fashion Week
 
Annie Le: Bloody Clothes Found In Search For Yale Grad Student, According to Reports Top
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP/Huffington Post)-- Potential evidence has been seized from the building where a Yale University graduate student was last seen before she vanished days ahead of her wedding, authorities said Saturday. Items that could be evidence are being analyzed but none has yet been associated with Annie Le, FBI spokeswoman Kim Mertz said at a news conference. "I will categorically say a body has not been found," Mertz said. "Items that could potentially be evidence have been seized. None have yet been associated with Annie Le at this time." Reports from NBC News and others indicated that bloody clothes had been found. Mertz would not confirm reports that items found included bloody clothing. MSNBC : A police source told NBC News that investigators had recovered bloody clothes from a laboratory building in which Le was last seen on Tuesday. The New Haven Register and the Yale Daily News reported on their Web sites that the clothes were found in a ceiling space. Le was last seen Tuesday at a university laboratory. She swiped her identification card to enter the building Tuesday morning, but authorities have found no record of her leaving, despite some 75 surveillance cameras that cover the complex. Authorities said they still have not determined whether Le's disappearance is a criminal case. "We don't know where she is. We don't know what happened to her," Yale spokesman Tom Conroy said. "We don't know if a crime was committed or not." Investigators, having already gone through the videos once, continued to review the surveillance tapes frame-by-frame Saturday to see if they overlooked Le, who could have changed into a laboratory coat or other clothes before leaving the building. Mertz said the review included video enhancement being conducted by state police. "I do not know that it's definitive that she has left the building at this point," Mertz said. On Saturday, investigators took what appeared to be blueprints to the building. FBI agents were also spotted questioning a man outside the lab. When they finished talking, the man got in the front seat of the unmarked car and an FBI agent got in the back seat. The car then drove away. Yale is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to Le's whereabouts. Le, who's of Asian descent, stands 4-foot-11 and weighs 90 pounds. Her purse, cell phone, credit cards and money were found in her office. Officials say there's no evidence of foul play. Le, originally from Placerville, Calif., was set to get married Sunday at the North Ritz Club in Syosset, N.Y., on the north shore of Long Island. Workers at the club say the wedding was canceled Friday. Police say Le's fiance, Jonathan Widawsky, a Columbia University graduate student, is not a suspect and is assisting with the investigation. At Le's apartment building across town, hopes for Le's safe return waned. "I feel bad what happened to her," said Anna Beth Funk, who lives across the street from Le's apartment. "It broke my heart hearing she was about to get married because I love being married and it must be so hard for her fiance." Wesleyan University professor Charles Lemert, who also lives across the street, said Le always took time to talk to his 11-year-old daughter. "I wish more than anything this could be solved and turn into some kind of misunderstanding, but it seems bleak," he said. More on Crime
 
Designers Respond To Recession With Comfy Clothes Top
NEW YORK — Since the economic downturn began, fashion designers have brought us plenty of hard-edged looks: rock-star leather, gladiator shoes, '80s-style shoulder pads. The message was clear enough – fashion was preparing us for battle. But for spring 2010, designers seem to be asking instead: Who wants a hug? A softer, easier look dominated as New York Fashion Week entered its third day on Saturday. The look was, if not comfortable, at least less armor-like. At Adam, the soothing cream-and-beige palette was jazzed up just a bit with copper discs and seashells, and the heart of the Lacoste collection were easy, breezy apres-beach styles. There were also several vibrant and optimistic looks: Lacoste sent models out for a finale in bright, sunshine yellow, from sunglasses to slip-on flats. Georges Chakra presented a series of candy-colored dresses. But such a sunny disposition seemed a little out of place at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week tents, where the audience was still in almost all black, shod in gladiator sandals or studded boots. Lay down your armor? The crowd says, not yet. ALEXANDER WANG OK, so it's not a conventional a love story, but the Alexander Wang tough-chick muse has found herself a jock. On the runway, that plot thickened into sweatshirt-leather combos that surely will be considered among the most trendsetting looks at New York Fashion Week. Wang is considered a bellwether for style. His message for spring was softer than last season, but his girl clearly still has an edge. On her time, she wears a lace-up, cognac-colored corset attached to a gray, rainy-Sunday sweatshirt and oversized army-green capes with a bra top underneath. That athletic influence creeps into her look with a varsity sweater, quilted leather baseball shorts and a skintight black referee dress with white trim. The bare-belly tops that have emerged as a popular look on the runways were well represented here – some skirts had the midriff cut out – and plenty of skin, with super-short shorts and see-through tinsel dresses that served as his finale. LACOSTE Fashion Week is all about what's new, what's next, but that doesn't mean the basics should get bashed. Lacoste creative director Christophe Lemaire sent out a spring collection that was cheerful, youthful and wearable – nothing wrong with that. Starting off with tennis whites (with the distinctive sound of balls being hit on a court as the soundtrack), most styles were cut long and lean, including the polo shirts, but there was an adorable bouncy white skirt that easily could go from the court to cocktails. The heart of the collection was the easy, beachy clothes that were inspired by 1920s photos of Jacques-Henri Lartigue, who "captured a generation of leisure for whom life was simple, sporty and chic." CYNTHIA ROWLEY The "show" began at Cynthia Rowley's spring collection preview before the first model was seen. Just seconds before the "abandoned ballroom"-themed outfits began their parade on Friday, a giant drop-cloth was released from above and floated down to cover the runway. That set the stage for an ivory tank dress with a shredded canvas belt and a neckline dotted with "bleeding" black paint, a slashed-ribbon dress made of a similar ivory canvas, and a nubby double-breasted linen jacket with matte-sequin evening tap pants. Two duos of peplum tops that protrude from the hip, paired with too-pouffy evening shorts and silk trousers, were just too much fabric. That attention to the hip seems to be an emerging trend at New York Fashion Week, as is unconventional, tweaked floral prints, which Rowley also offered. Instead of cutesy, precious flowers, the prints here were blurred like they were caught in the rain. ADAM Adam Lippes' spring collection continued the season's move toward an easier, more elegant silhouette. The clothes also had a feeling of luxury – even if it was understated – something that had largely been missing from fashion the last season or two. The cream ostrich feather skirt with wood and shell embroidery certainly made a statement, but paired with a simple linen tank, struck the right balance. A gray silk trench oozed sophistication. An interpretation of a floral print had sharper lines than one typically expects from girlie flowers, but that gave it a modern feel and kept with the idea of a season of transition. Lippes adopted the draped pants and shorts that are emerging as a trend, but their ability to appeal to women who don't want to draw attention to their hips is still up for debate. With a slouchy blazer, it might work; with a crinkly tunic, it's just too much fabric bunched around the middle. CHRISTIAN SIRIANO Designers from "Project Runway" have come and gone – sadly, mostly gone. But Christian Siriano has shown he plans to stay. Siriano's spring 2010 collection was his third following his stint on the reality show, and in that time he's made his way to the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue and to the shoe aisles of Payless. The collection was a lush take on Mediterranean travel, concluding with three intricate ball gowns that elicited spontaneous applause from a crowd that included actresses Mena Suvari and Tori Spelling and model Alessandra Ambrosio. "I feel like a proud dad," said Tim Gunn, the "Project Runway" mentor. He said he knew Siriano would be a standout from the competition, and thinks he's evolved into something more: "I believe he's this generation's Marc Jacobs. I do." Some of Siriano's most striking pieces were made from a fabric print created using an aerial photograph of the Italian coast line – "flipped, modified, repeated and saturated with Volcanic and Oceanic colors," as Siriano described in his notes. The result was a richly intricate pattern that looked almost animalistic rendered in reds and orange and like a deep ocean cartography in blues. GEORGES CHAKRA Georges Chakra's starlet fans don't want downer dresses, so he doesn't put them on the runway. The spring collection of his ready-to-wear Edition label has splash, flash and color. Gown after gown was embellished with jeweled necklines, elaborate pleating details and skinny silver belts. The silhouettes alternated between flowing, draped frocks that would glide down a red carpet, or fitted dresses that would show off a tiny waist. Chakra occasionally showed restraint, and that paid off with a sophisticated, body-hugging black dress with insets of satin and tulle, and a white chiffon dress with vertical waves of fabric creating an even longer, leaner shape. The candy-colored dresses, especially the pink ones, seemed a little out of place. So far the season has resisted anything too showy or flamboyant – until now. ERIN WASSON They say you should do what you know, and model-turned-fashion designer Erin Wasson knows what tall, slim young women wear. The catwalkers that dart in and out of the Bryant Park tents are often in jeans, micro shorts, tissuelike T-shirts and leather jackets, and that's just what Wasson, for the line Wasson X RVCA, put on the runway Friday night. Wasson, best known as a face of Maybelline, sent out a parade of shirts that alternately bared the midriff or the back, jeans with cutout sides, T-shirt dresses and studded minis. Almost everything seemed to hug the body and bare quite a bit of leg. Some of the pieces seemed inspired by Native Americans, complete with fringe, and others had a harder-edged vibe – think a loose sweater with strategic holes or a mesh top-and-bottom ensemble with slashes in the fabric. ___ Associated Press writer Lisa Tolin contributed to this report. More on Fashion Week
 

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