trends

When we first heard about the existence of the world's tallest roses, with lush blooms sitting on stems that tower well over five feet above the ground, we immediately knew that they would be an in-demand item for Valentine's day. It turns out that the Washington Post thinks so, too. According to their latest article on the subject, "extreme roses" are growing in popularity faster than the flowers are blooming. They are turning up in celebrity homes and some were featured in the Rose Bowl Parade earlier this year.

Be warned, though: as with most excessively large things (SUVs, for example), these roses aren't inexpensive. Organic Bouquet, a company that specializes in the larger than life roses, charges $250 per dozen. On the plus side, they'll make a huge impact on your Valentine and, because the breed of rose is known as "Forever Young," one dozen should last quite a while.

In NYC, more and more restaurants are incorporating bar seating, whether to create a pleasant waiting area for diners or simply to add more seating options to allow them to cater to more casual eaters in addition to the prix fixe crowd. New York Magazine has the scoop on some of the poshest stools and where in the city you'll find them.

1. Designed by AvroKO and made of hot-rolled steel with a soft vinyl seat cover. Found at Quality Meats.
2. Birillo bar stool designed by Joe Colombo has an extra-wide seat and extra-small backrest. It retails for around $2,800. Found at Centovini.
3. Award-winning LEM Piston Stool from DWR, redone in silver calf leather. Retail is $700 each. found at Gilt.
4. Super comfy and almost shabby chic, these stools have soft cushions and multiple footrests. Found at Boqueria.
5. Designed by Pierre-Yves Rochon, these red leather and chrome stools are exclusive to L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon and other global Robuchon restaurants.

Designer dogs are growing in popularity in Australia, as are many different kinds of pedigreed puppies, marking a distinct chance from the standard of only a few years ago, when people were largely uninterested in the breed of their dog. Pets like the puggle and the Dandie Dinmont terrier, as well as pugs, bulldogs and "oodles," which include all the various types of good-natured and cute poodle crosses. There is no word on whether pit bulls are as popular there as they are in some other cities, but interest in well-bred pups isn't limited to the smaller breeds and more people are purchasing St Bernards and chocolate labs, as well.

To some new dog lovers, the price of the puppy is shocking, with pugs and bulldogs going for as much as $2,000-3,000 AUD each, but a recent international study found that dog owners spend an average of $53,000 over the course of their pet's lifetime.

One of the trends seen in many lines for Spring 2007 was the men's business suit with shorts, rather than pants. The Perry Ellis design, pictured, illustrates the idea. Designers love it and seem to be convinced that it is the wave of the future.

Not one to dash their hopes, but this is one trend that won't carry over once it is off the runway. Men don't want to wear them and the buyers for stores like Neiman Marcus and Saks know it; the suits are being passed over at almost every level. While the idea of being cool and comfortable in a professional environment is appealing, it doesn't seem like the business community is ready to embrace the business short look.

The two reasons that men can't wear the short suits are (1) a lack of appropriate footwear and (2) hairy legs.

• Did anyone else notice that the title character in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby wears a whole lot of Façonnable?
• I saw a 2007 Mercedes S 550 parked next to a Maybach 57 the other day at Ghost Bar and those two cars have quite a bit in common - the rear ends are almost (almost) identical.
• The men's fall shoe selection at Neiman's isn't really all too thrilling this year. No Tod's in anything but brown.
  

Neiman Marcus has identified what they feel are the top ten fall trends in women's fashion. They stuck with broad categories, rather than picking individual items, so it's easy to pick out items that will fit in with the trends and your personal tastes. Of course, a top ten list isn't going to cover every single fashionable item (they're missing bows and animal prints, for example), but it's a good place to start. The list includes:

• Black/Gold Handbags
• Red Accents
• Belts
• Tunics
• White Shirts
• Skinny Pants
• Gold Jewelry - and lots of it
• Black Leggings
• Booties and Boots

The only real question here is why they don't offer the same type of list to men, too.

The 20-year-old actress Lindsay Lohan thinks that the next hot celebrity trend is going to be tattoos -- as if plenty of celebrities don't have tattoos as it is -- and that they do not want to go to any old tattoo parlor to get theirs done. She is planning on opening a "classy, boutique-style" parlor of her own in Hollywood. Lohan's place will have a glass front, like a fashion shop, and will feature many of her own designs.

She also wants the shop and her designs to be a foundation for her own brand in the future.

While the iBar isn't something that many people are likely to have installed in their homes, it may just be the next big design trend for upscale eateries and nightclubs. iBar is an interactive surface system on which any visual content can be projected, including still images and videos. More interesting than that is the fact that the surface uses an intelligent tracking system to digitally keep track of objects on the bar and their position and movements can be tracked with colored lights. The virtual objects can even be interacted with, which would give bar patrons yet another way to entertain themselves.

[via MocoLoco]

Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece on how the Portuguese cork industry is keeping itself afloat as wine manufacturers increasingly turn to plastic stoppers and other alternative closures for their bottles. It seems that the manufacturers targeted companies that used eco-friendly production materials, from furniture makers to architects, promoting cork as a useful, under-utilized material. This led to cork floorings, couches and even wallpapers.

When fashion designers got wind of how versatile the tree bark was and how much less stiff it was than in the past, they began to incorporate it into their lines, adding novelty and an eco-friendly appeal. Instead of simply mimicking the time-honored trend of making cork heels, designers are now making cork clothing. The material, called "cork leather" or "cork fabric," is made of very thin, pliable cork, often coated with Scotchgard to protect it. It costs nearly half of what leather does, as well as offering a similar feel and longevity to the animal skin. It also can be machine washable.

Stuart Weitzman has natural cork pumps and DDC Lab features a cork leather jacket (pictured) for $2,400, as part of their fall lineup. As eco-consciousness is on the rise at the moment, it wouldn't be surprising to see more cork on the runway in the future.

Bows might just be the new black - or should I say that they might be the new padlock? It looks like there are many new handbags in the fall collections of various designers utilize bows. Valentino's Floral Applique Clutch ($1,080) may have black leather flowers, but it also has a huge bow on the strap. Be & D's Python Clutch ($3,200) is nothing more than a huge, red bow, though at least you get the sense that there is a bag behind it, unlike the Yves St Laurent Metallic Bow Bag (pictured, $845), which looks like a bow with a strap. The question is do you love it or hate it? It's pretty clear that the designers think we want more bows in our wardrobes, but I think that they might want to stick with the smaller, cuter bows in the future, rather than dressing everyone up like a doll without a sense of proportion.

In the Wall Street Journal, last week, they highlighted the trend of barefoot running. Running barefoot is gaining popularity as studies continue to show that heavily cushioned and structured shoes are not the best choice for athletes' feet because they don't allow the feel to gain the muscle they need to properly support the body. Already there are organizations that endorse this practice, but many people who run in high risk areas - cities where the streets are paved, uneven or littered with hazardous materials - might be reulctant to toss off their footwear so readily. There is a middle ground. Five Fingers footwear is meant to simulate barefoot running without actually putting foot to pavement, or foot to hot sand, sharp rocks or glass shards, for that matter. The "shoes" allow for extra grip on slippery surfaces and have individual toe pockets to enhance dexterity, stability and "deliver a more natural walking motion. Price: $70.