Michelle Obama wears short shorts! Why? because its HOT! And so is the Grand Canyon!

So what’s all the fuss about? This historical first lady fashion statement captured obvious criticism that accompanies being in the public eye. Yet, as rightly deserved, the first lady has been offered the fashion seal of approval by over 13,000 people polled by the Huffington Post. The Results:

Michelle Obama has the right to bare legs and we could not agree more!

Get with the trend and order your pair, here: eModa.com

With unprecedented access, The September Issue, directed and produced by R.J. Cutler, tells the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion.

The September Issue won the Grand Jury Prize for Excellence in Cinematography at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and will make its theatrical debut on August 28th, 2009

The September 2007 issue of Vogue magazine weighed nearly five pounds, and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. With ad sales now dropping at a record rate, is this the begining of Anna Wintours grand exit strategy?

Serena French, an NY Post fashion editor reports; Wintour, allowed Cutler an extraordinary level of access for the closing of the most important issue of the year in 2007, which at 840 pages was the magazine’s biggest ever. Cutler followed Wintour and her team from the shows in February — when fall clothes are shown on world stages — from planning with editors and photographers, fashion shoots, meetings with retailers and designers, to closing in July, interspersed with interviews at her homes in Greenwich Village and Long Island.

If this really is the end, or only just the begining, Anna Wintour will forever be regarded by the Fashion industry as nothing sort of a Legacy.

For September, every major fashion magazine releases an Issue thick enough to be a Steven King Novel, but, that may be so last year. This years coveted September issue is expected to appear as skinny as the model on the cover.

In an attempt to save recession dollars, fashion marketers are turning to the web for a hopefully better place to spend their advertising budget. Already in effect, some September issues are showing up on the news stands, about a third slimmer than last year.

Ad pages in Vogue tumbled 36%, to 429. That’s a far cry from 2007, when Vogue trumpeted its September issue with a total of 840 pages.

As they spend less on magazine advertising, fashion marketers are testing lower cost and possibly more measurable outlets offered on the web. Included are YouTube, Twitter, DailyCandy.com and more to come. Re-allocating money to buy add space and on top web magazines may be money better spent now the people spend more time reading on the computer than out of magazine and newspapers.

Many designers resisted Internet marketing in the past, with the excuse that they could not properly display their product or message and that they would not be able to reach their real target audience. But with the times’a'changin technology can showcase almost anything on the computer as though you were looking at the real thing. We have Large High def screens on our desks that can watch beautiful video in real time.

WPP’s ad tracking firm TNS Media Intelligence reported that Louis Vuitton North America more than doubled its digital ad spending in 2008 to $286,000, from $107,000 in 2007, and Diane von Furstenberg boosted its Web spending from nothing to $43,000 last year. This data tracks spending on display ads but does not account for other types of digital ads, such as search and online video or the cost of creating a Web site.

Being online is now considered and investment, entire marketing campaigns are being launched digitally. Chanel used social media by posting a short film to YouTube, starring French actress Audrey Tautou, and promoted the video with search ads and other ads on the site.

To capture some of the dollars flowing to the Web, traditional magazine companies are introducing new features. The e-commerce initiative launching on Condé Nast’s Style.com in September lets users shop for trends they see on the runway. Net-A-Porter, Nine West, Neiman Marcus and New York & Co. all are advertising on the site at launch.

Believe it or not the the actress turned dancer is now turning fashion designer.

Teamed with her personal stylist Jeanne Yang, their new women’s wear will mimic Holmes’ own classic sense of style while an additional childrens line will be modeled after her super stylish daughter Suri.

Due to debut in the fall,  Holmes and Yangs’ new line with be sold exclusively at high-end boutique Maxfield in Los Angeles, reports WWD.

Katie holmes may be prvoing herself as more than a tripple threat. She can sing dance and act…tv, movies and boradway. She ran the new York City Marathon, appears on “So You Think You Can Dance” and dresses the cutest celebrity baby ever! Is there anything she can’t do?

Here is an example of one of duo’s previous collaborations that Katie wore last year to the Broadway permiere of “All My Sons.”

German couture brand, Escada, will seek court protection.  The company in supposed to file for insolvency at a court in Munich today.  

After 46 percent of bondholders backed an offer to exchange old debt for new notes, Escada still fell short of the 80 percent threshold that would have enabled it to obtain a bank loan, the Munich-based clothier said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The brands $10,000 robes are worn by stars including Demi Moore. More than 2,200 employees are affected by the insolvency which follows the failure of fashion companies including IT Holding SpA, owner of the Gianfranco Ferre label, and Christian Lacroix SNC.

The company’s CEO was Bruno Saelzer, a former CEO of Hugo Boss AG,  brought in by Escada investors including German billionaire brothers Wolfgang and Michael Herz.

But fear not eModa fans, OUR German website is still going strong, feel free to seek out retail therapy at: http://www.emoda.de/

The first family was listed on Vanity Fair’s International Best-Dressed List, edging out a few Hollywood stars like Angelina Jolie.

Although his wife has been named twice before, the president made the list for his first time.

Other stars honored for their sense of style are Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz, Anne Hathaway, Tiki Barber and Daniel Craig.

Political winners included French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his companion, Diana Taylor.

We recently reported that Scott Morrison, formerly of Paper Denim &Cloth and Ernest Sewn Jeans was appointed CEO of Evisu. Well we couldn’t be more excited here at eModa and we want to share all of our knowledge with you. We recently found an interview with Scott Morrison conducted by the people over at denimology (special thanks you guys).

He talks about his plans for evolving the image of Evisu but also staying true to what makes it the collectors brand that it is. What’s most important is he reassures the quality and integrity that has always been synonymous with his name and with Evisu.  Here are some tid bits for you to read:

Q) With Paper Denim & Cloth and Earnest Sewn you were involved from the beginning, whereas with Evisu you are taking over an existing company. What challenges do you think there will be working with an existing brand rather than starting from scratch?

A) Undoubtedly there are challenges within every organization, and taking on an existing concept has it’s pros and cons, there’s no doubt. Evisu is an amazing brand however, with 20 years of history and being the pioneer of men’s premium denim gives me a lot of positives to work with. There’s an iconic brand story, a heritage identity and one of the most recognizable logos in the world. On the flip side, one of the obvious challenges will be managing the expectations of our existing customer. We’re going to be evolving the brand concept and pushing Evisu in a new direction, which will be very exciting for most, but might leave some consumers on the sidelines.

Q) When Evisu first launched they were really the only men’s premium brand around (in the UK at least). Now many years later the competition has become fierce - could you describe what plans you have to get Evisu noticed in a very crowded marketplace.

A) I first found Evisu in the late 90’s when it had started to come into it’s own outside of Japan … and yes, it was the first real premium denim brand in my opinion (although Diesel and Replay were making pretty amazing jeans for years), and Evisu in many respects paved the way for people like myself to create brands like Paper Denim & Cloth or Earnest Sewn. When it comes to our approach for today’s market I maintain the same principles I’ve subscribed to since I started my first company in 1999; focus our efforts on product quality, innovation and brand integrity, everything else will speak for itself.

Q) When Evisu first emerged it was seen as a fashion brand, then it seemed to become more of streetwear label. Any plans to change the way the brand is perceived and if so how will you go about that?

A) Absolutely. The unique thing about Evisu is that brand perception is different in every market. In the UK it has more of a streetwear presence, in Asia it’s very much a collectors brand. We’re going to consolidate those perceptions by speaking from one point of view going forward. This is a denim company at heart, it is a Japanese icon, and we will redirect our efforts on making some of the best denim and clothing products in the world.

Q) Evisu is known for its distinctive branding, whilst Earnest Sewn used a far more subtle approach. Do you think you will tone down Evisu’s branding?

A) Yes. I will definitely tone down the branding element and by that I mean specifically the use of the logo and its frequency. In recent years it’s been too heavily relied upon and I think it’s overshadowed the design of some of our products. This won’t be the case going forward and you can expect some examples to be found in the SS10 range as well as the complete collection come AW10. That being said, Evisu is not Earnest Sewn, and the logo itself is one of the things I love about this brand …

Q) Earnest Sewn had very strong collections for both men and women, whereas Evisu is probably better known for its men’s denim. Can we expect to see an increased focus on the women’s side of the business.

A) Absolutely. One of the most exciting things for me about the opportunity at Evisu was the chance to inject a women’s denim component into the company. We’ve had a women’s range for a number of years but it was primarily sold only thru our retail stores. We will be launching a new women’s capsule for SS10 and a complete collection for AW10, both to be sold at wholesale which will be exciting for everyone.

Q) Evisu were one of the first brands to make Japanese denim available outside of Japan. You have stated that you intend to focus on the heritage of the brand, can we expect to see the jeans continue being manufactured there?

A) We will make Evisu products in a number of places (USA and Italy included), and my hope is that we’ll bring some production back to Japan very soon. We’ve been invited to work with a couple of amazing factories and laundries there, and obviously Evisu and I both have an affinity for Japanese denim so I’d expect to see it happen in the coming seasons.

Q) What is the relationship between the Japanese part of the company and the Global operation?

A) Evisu Japan owns the Evisu trademark for the Japanese market. We own the Evisu trademark for the rest of the world (everything outside of Japan). With regards to the relationship between the two companies, we have tremendous respect for Yamane and what he’s built in Japan. He’s a true inspiration and although we operate completely independent of Evisu Japan, both companies have the same philosophy and appreciation of quality and product integrity.

Q) With Earnest Sewn you had your uber-premium An Earnest Cut & Sew label - can we expect you see you doing something similar for Evisu?

A) What we’re doing with Evisu is actually reducing the number of collections, eliminating collections like Deluxe, EEE, Mainline, Heritage, etc. and redefining two: EVISU and Evisu Genes. Within the Evisu collection you’ll find a couple of smaller capsules however and those will be pretty amazing. The first being STYLECRAFT and the second being LABOUR. Stylecraft is a fashion capsule and Labour being more workwear inspired.

Q) Do you look to a particular scene or person for inspiration when designing a pair of jeans?

A) I’m always inspired by a number of things - fashion, people, architecture, a lifestyle; anything really. I do usually try to envision someone, a muse if you will, who would or could wear what I’m making though - my girlfriend perhaps, or a someone in a specific context (ie. hanging at the Smile Cafe in NYC or dancing at the Jane).

Q) What trends in denim do you see for Spring/Summer 2010?

A) For Evisu we’re re-envisioning our roots … resetting the clock and dialing it back to 1991. We’re loveing raw denim (of course) and a number of really amazing vintage inspired washes in our core selvege fabrics. We’ve updating the collection with four new low rise fits for men and reintroducing some old Evisu iconography such as original ‘Stylecraft’ hangtags and the ‘Labour’ workwear label as two examples.

Q) Is the myth true that Hidehiko Yamane bought an old Levis loom to weave the first pairs of Evisu?

I’m pretty sure that’s urban legend, but then again I have seen one …

Oh wow oh wow oh wow. Diesel has done it, yet again!

Do you have a purpose for all of your jeans? I do. I have the comfy jeans, the big dinner jeans (stretchy), the date jeans the party jeans, the summer jeans and even a pair for that certain time of the month. As a denim lover I have a pair (or 2 or 3) for just about everything.

And,  leave it to Diesel to create a new line so perfect I can only define them as my soon to be clubbing jeans.

We have all at some time in our lives (maybe every weekend) spent hours getting ready to go out dancing in a nearly pitch black club with little way to see the person your dancing with if not for the random, strobing black lights and so many other people you couldn’t find your best friend if they were standing right next to you.

Problem solver: Diesel, just swooped down and gave us the hottest new solution, glow-in-the-dark Jeans! Diesel’s new ‘Flash For Fun’ collection is nothing short of stylish and oh so fun.

The collection features Diesel’s jeans, t-shirts, sneakers and intimates in glow-in-the-dark detail for the Fall-Winter 2009 season. The collection has been conceived for those who play hard day and night without taking the time to change in between. The Flash for Fun pieces are discreet during the day and only reveal their bright details and stitches at night. Talk about recession savvy!

Hidden graphics, like dragons and earphones, are disguised on the pockets of some denim and are only revealed when exposed to black lights.

RockStar denim is finally getting the recognition we always knew it deserved. The brand which is carried here at eModa was recently spotted on two twilight hotties at the MTV awards, Peter Facinelli and Kelan Lutz. The styles are super trendy and definitely affordable. Pick up your pair at www.emoda.com

Our fave, Rock & Republic, has created a new look for the basics; they are calling it Plain Wrap and we are calling it AMAZING! With fall 09 quickly approaching, we absolutely had to snatch some of these great basics for our customers which you can expect to appear on eModa.com.

There is so much to look forward to from this brand including T-shirts, jeans, hoodies and Windbreakers for men and women as well as leggings and a tank top for just the women. Plain Wrap’s head-to-toe look will be completed with his-and-hers sneakers and stilettos.

Here’s what you can expect it to look like: each article of clothing is labeled with it’s name in capital letters. For instance, a screen print of “LEGGINGS” spans from the calf to the mid-thigh, and the hoodies simply have the word “HOODIE” across the back.

But the best part has got to be the recession-friendly price of these designs. Plain Wrap retails for between $35 and $198 and to make the picking easy, the only available colors will be black, white and blue.

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What could possibly undo the unfortunate financial burden of shopping in this economy? How about lower prices on our favorite clothing?

New Legislation has been introduced to the Senate to lower the tariffs on apparel imports from 14 of the world’s least-developed countries worldwide.  The Tariff Relief Assistance for Developing Economies Act of 2009, also known as the Trade Act of 2009 will not only create more jobs leading to better health care and living conditions for the people in these struggling countries but it will also help reduce manufacturing costs at a time when consumers are in need of lower prices.

The 14 countries include: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, East Timor, Kiribati, Laos, Maldives, Nepal, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Yemen. Sri Lanka would receive limited duty-free benefits.

Currently, Bangladesh is the No. 3 provider of clothing to the United States, making up 6.6% of all U.S. apparel imports. China is No. 1, with 34%, and Vietnam is No. 2, with 7%.

This adjustment will not take place for quite sometime seeing as the Trade Act of 2009 has yet to reach the House and Congress has a number of more pressing issues to tend to first.

We’re crossing our fingers it will be through Congress by the end of this year.

Big things are happening for one of our fave denim and sportswear brands, Evisu! It looks like Scott Morrison has signed on as global chief executive officer operating everywhere except for the brands home country, Japan. “This is a completely unique and different challenge for me, in that I’m taking on an established brand rather than launching something new,” said Morrison who is credited as the co-founder of denim hot-shots, Paper Denim & Cloth in 1999 and Earnest Sewn in 2004.

Evisu was launched way back in 1991 but is organized under a different company in Japan thus Morrison is faced with the task of globally energizing a company that was one of the earliest innovators in the premium denim field. Evisu has yet to really make its mark on the U.S market but we at eModa already see its hidden potential!

“I think the opportunity is to dial back to our iconic heritage, when it was really about the denim,” explains Morrison. “The product has become too heavily branded and it’s sort of taken on a life of its own as a streetwear-identified label. I’d like to see it become a little more contemporary, worldly, and perhaps, European.”

I am seriously on the edge of my seat waiting to see what he has in store for this already awesome brand!

Looks like lil’ Ri-Ri is bouncing back quite nicely from getting steamrolled by Wuss Brown…sorry, um, Chris. The Barbadian singer was apparently cuddled up with Canadian former child-actor Aubrey Graham, now known by his stage (and middle) name, Drake. He’s been appearing on mixtapes galore and currently has a hot single out entitled “Best I Ever Had”. Hmm…could he be referring to Rihanna, perhaps? If so, awesome for the two of them…it’s about time she had someone who knows how to appreciate (not depreciate, Chris) a lady.

Here’s what the NY Post’s Page Six gossip section had to say about the lovebirds:

The Barbadian beauty showed up with a group of friends Monday at Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge on West 42nd Street, but spent most of the night locking lips with [Drake]. “She was drinking whiskey and apple juice and making out with him all night,” says a spy. “They were really cute together.” Rihanna…peeled off with Drake at about midnight.

Jealous yet, Mr. Brown?

Paulina Porizkova made an intriguing confession during her appearance last week on CBS’ The Late Late Show, hosted by Craig Ferguson. Apparently the Czech-born actress/model, who appeared on the panel of judges for cycle 12 of the CW’s America’s Next Top Model, was recently fired from her position on the show. Porizkova, who replaced former model Twiggy, had this to say about her split with ANTM:

“Just to be fair here, the reason I was told I was fired was because … it seemed that `America’s Next Top Model’ had gotten too fat and they needed to cut some fat — and the fat was me.”

Um, ouch! We are in the midst of a recession, but unless Tyra and the gang plan to carry on with only a trio of judges (the other two being J Alexander and Nigel Barker, of course), cycling through former-model afer former-model seems a bit unnecessary.

Though Porizkova described the firing as having taken place over the phone on her birthday (of all days!), she was still in pretty good spirits when talking about it on The Late Late Show, even joking that her “gigantic huge ego” may have played a part in her untimely departure from the program, prompting Ferguson to question the possibility of some sort of rivalry between her and Tyra. Porizkova had only this to say in response:

“I really believe that they just felt like they didn’t need me, which, of course, they don’t.”

Double-ouch.

Most of you will remember that we recently interviewed coke-rapper Rick Ross for the eModa Lifestyle Magazine, during which we talked to him about his style preferences. Well, we may have spoken too soon…Rick Ross has recently been called out by the legal team of Louis Vuitton for wearing knock-off shades on the cover of the June issue of XXL Magazine. The following is an excerpt from the luxury goods purveyors sent to the editors of the mag:

“…the sunglasses Mr. Ross is wearing were not made by Louis Vuitton and, in fact, are counterfeit. Louis Vuitton did not grant permission to Mr. Ross or to whoever did make the sunglasses to use our trademarks. The second is that no affiliation, sponsorship or association exists between Rick Ross or XXL and Louis Vuitton. The third is that counterfeiting is illegal.”

How could this be? Ross is very well known for bragging incessantly about the fortune he’s (allegedly) acquired as a former narcotics boss. His explanation for the fashion faux-pas comes from Jacob Bernstein a/k/a “The Sunglasses Pimp”, who claims the glasses in question are genuine and have simply been augmented with custom details:

“It’s the same thing as buying a Rolls-Royce and having it tricked out,” Bernstein explained to the Web site. “Just because the product has been customized by me doesn’t take away from the fact that the frames are authentic Louis Vuitton Millionaires.”

Is it really the same, though? I mean, at $1200 per pair, the Louis Vuitton Millionare Sunglasses come pretty tricked out already…why the need to alter them? Also, it’s pretty interesting that the main thing Ross had done to the glasses was the addition of a bar with the company’s name engraved on the side…maybe he wants everyone to know he’s rockin’ LVs. Above right is a picture of the actual Millionaire glasses…we’ll let you be the judge.