Paris S/S 09: Nina Ricci

When I was a kid, I'd somehow got the impression that Nina Ricci was for old people (yes, I got started into fashion very early). I am definitely much wiser now (either that or Olivier Theysken performed a miracle), because the Nina Ricci collection this season was anything but old.
There were lots of tulles and leggings. The color palette was a nuetral cream, pale and nude. The shape of the skirts, short and modern in the front, but soft and overflowing behind them, were beautiful. There was also a big shoulder silohoeutte thing going on that contrasted well with the soft flows of the dresses. I especially loved the white big shoulder leather jacket (left) over the super feminine dress.
The rest of the runway was interesting. There were lots of shorts and t-shirts, and leotard looking outfits (left), that looked more like day to day home wear (or ballet costumes) than ready-to-wear. Then there were super heroe inspired ball gowns. Perhaps this is an extension of Christina Ricci's gorgeous red super heroe dress for the Met Costume Institute Gala this year?

Image Source: Style.com

Ctrl BG: A Shortcut to Financial News 9/28

Since I enjoyed writing the last post so much, I've decided to continue to do so. It has proven to be a great way to help me put everything into perspective and it's been fascinating reading what everyone else thinks as well. Again, feel free to correct me and put in your two cents, as obviously, I am no expert. I'm just a girl who happens to be interested in the current state of the economy.

Last Sunday night, Goldman Sachs (GS) and Morgan Stanley (MS) were approved by the Fed to become bank holding firms, officially ending the era of the independent investment banking model on Wall Street. They will now be able to open their own commercial banking arms and take in deposits, which they can then use to back up their investment banking operations- as JP Morgan, Bank of America (BofA) etc already does- thus ending investor concerns about the sustainability of their business model model. They now also have permanent access to borrow federal money (instead of within the window temporarily opened for them) and can become a FDIC insured bank, which insures indivisuals up to $100,000 of bank deposits. The following day, MS announced that they were getting as much as $8.5 billion of cash injection from Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) in exchange for up to 20% equity stake in MS, further fortifying their position. I guess the deal with China fell through (or were the Chinese getting too greedy and the US govt didn't like that?). This is probably a better move anyway, since MUFG is the world's No. 2 bank by deposits, so surely it will help MS's transition into commercial banking go more smoothly. MS apparently already has about $36 billion in bank deposits from their private wealth management (PWM) business and are looking to expand into Asia. Or so, that's what CNBC said, but I didn't know PWM deposits count as bank deposits, but if they do, I guess this means that MS are looking to expand their PWM business in Asia. Or perhaps this $36 billion comes from their Utah-base industrial bank, which will be converting into a national banking association, names the Morgan Stanley Bank, National Association? Goldman Sachs' approach is must easier to understand (or so I think). They currently already have two deposit taking subsidiaries, with about $20 billion in deposits, and plan to create a new one called GS Bank USA, that will have more than $150 billion of assets.

This conversion is not all good and dandy though. Becoming a bank holding also puts both banks under more intense scrutiny and regulations from the Fed, which will probably limit their proprietary trading capacities (the division where they trade company assets like a hedge fund, taking on great risks), which happens to be one of their most lucrative divisions. I don't know about MS but personally I'm feeling quite optimistic about GS. On Tuesday, Warren Buffet invested $5 billion in GS preferred stocks and will also recieved warrants to purchase another $5 billion in common stock within the next 5 years- effectively give him about a 10% stake in GS. They also raised another $5 billion from a public stock offering, all within a few days. This and Buffet's approval, which in the investment world is the equivalent of getting Anna Wintour's approval in the fashion world, make me quite optimistic. Besides, I have always had great confidence in the power of brand image, Buffet just likes to call it "franchise."

On Thursday, Washington Mutual (WaMu), was seized by the FDIC, making it the biggest banking failure ever. Within 9 days, customers withdrew about $16.7 million in deposits from WaMu, literally breaking the bank. JP Morgan picked up WaMu's banking assets for only $1.9 billion. JP has had its eye on WaMu's operations in CA and FL for a while, and had offered for them in March, but was rejected in favor of a capital injection from TPG private equity (whoops!). It seems like JP got yet another bargain. JP is not the only one who got a sweet deal in all this however. It appears that Mr. Alan Fishman, WaMu's CEO for only 2 weeks, is eligible for $11.6 million in cash severance AND get's to keep his $7.5 million signing bonus. Not bad for two weeks worth of work.

It seems that the financial tsunami is expanding abroad too. Fortis, the largest Belgian financial-services firm, just received an $11.2 billion euro bailout from Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg in exchange for 49% stakes in the Fortis in their respective countries. It's almost like the European version of AIG.

The next bank on the chopping block is Wachovia- funny since a week ago they were in talks to merge with MS. Citigroup and Wells Fargo are currently in a bidding war over a possible emergency takeover of Wachovia, since it's stocks dropped dramatically on Friday.

While all this was going on, politicians were hard at "work" trying to get the $700 billion bailout bill to pass Congress. I'm not that into politics, but even I tuned in Wednesday morning to hear Paulson and Bernanke defend their case to the people at Congress. I'm not sure how politics usually go, but to my untrained ears, it sounded like a verbal merry-go-around, placing blames and trying to trick each other into saying something wrong. A members ask a simple yes/no question, Paulson/Bernanke would answer in a very roundabout way which prompts the member to ask, "so was that a yes or a no?" to which they'd repeat what they'd just said again. This would go on until the time is up or someone finally gives up from the frustration of it all. No wonder it takes them months to get a bill to past. I'd imagined it to be more diplomatic and sophisticated. Anyway, I think the gist was that people didn't think taxpayers should have to bailout Wall Street (and individual homeowners) for taking too on stupid risks. But they had to do something. So they moved onto putting clauses on the plan, for oversight to monitor the use of the money, a cap on CEO pays and for warrants in companies who will be using this plan, so taxpayers would at least get something back for the $700 billion they spent. There was a gliche, when a bunch of Republicans rejected the plan and proposed some other plan to privately insure mortgage backed securities (there was shouting involved!), but it sounds like they're back on track now and a bill will be voted on Monday.

Personally I don't know what to think about this bill. On one hand, I don't think tax payers should have to bail out people who took on unnecessary stupid risks and expect everyone else to wipe up their mess when things go down just because the mess is big enough. As if our future generations didn't already have a big enough debt to clear up already, with the war and the social security problem etc. but now we have this. On the other hand, just like a bad trend, someone has to step in and put a stop to it before it spreads through the population. With the newly added clauses, it's the next best step there is. By taking the distressed debts out of "weak" hands and into "strong" hands, they might even make money in the future when the housing prices go back up! Besides, if the likes of Paulson, Bernanke and Buffet, says this is a sound plan, who am I to gainsay the experts?

Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is milder form of NASH, in which the liver becomes enlarged and accumulates fat. Ready for a shocker? The prevalence of NAFLD is thought to be between 20 and 30 percent in the Western world, and rising. It's typically associated with insulin resistance and often with the metabolic syndrome. This has lead some researchers to believe it's caused by insulin resistance. It's a chicken and egg question, but I believe it's the other way around if anything.

There are certain animal models of human disease that are so informative I keep coming back to them again and again. One of my favorites is the LIRKO mouse, or liver-specific insulin receptor knockout mouse. The LIRKO mouse is missing its insulin receptor in the liver only, so it is a model of severe insulin resistance of the liver. It accumulates a small amount of fat in its liver in old age, but nothing that resembles NAFLD. So liver insulin resistance doesn't lead to NAFLD or NASH, at least in this model.

What else happens to the LIRKO mouse? It develops severe whole-body insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, high fasting blood glucose and hyperinsulinemia (chronically elevated insulin). So insulin resistance in the liver is sufficient to cause whole-body insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia and certain other hallmarks of the metabolic syndrome, while liver and whole-body insulin resistance are not sufficient to cause NAFLD or NASH. This is consistent with the fact that nearly everyone with NAFLD is insulin resistant, while many who are insulin resistant do not have NAFLD.

In all fairness, there are reasons why NAFLD is believed to be caused by insulin resistance. For example, insulin-sensitizing drugs improve NAFLD. However, that doesn't mean the initial metabolic 'hit' wasn't in the liver. One could imagine a scenario in which liver insulin resistance leads to insulin resistance in other tissues, which creates a positive feedback that aggravates NAFLD. Or perhaps NAFLD requires two 'hits', one to peripheral insulin sensitivity and another directly to the liver.

In any case, I feel that the most plausible mechanism for NAFLD goes something like this: too much n-6 from polyunsaturated vegetable oil (along with insufficient n-3), plus too much fructose from sweeteners, combine to cause NAFLD. The liver becomes insulin resistant at this point, leading to whole-body insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, impaired glucose tolerance and general metabolic havoc.

Claudine Pumps by Coach

My first reaction upon seeing this season's peep-toe winter booties was EW. That is just unnatural, completely against the laws and purpose of boots! Your toes will definitely freeze off if you wear this in winter! And so when I first saw these Coach Claudine pumps, I immediately put a no to it. Why would they ruin a perfectly nice pair of pumps and put a random peep-toe on it? I wasn't even swayed when I saw my favourite Gossip Girl, B, wearing them on the set. To be honest, this is not one of her best outfits. To begin with it doesn't look very flattering on her. Her waist looks big (even though it's belted) and the length of her skirt makes her look short (or is it this picture?). Her top looks summery while her scarf and skirt looks wintery. The shoes is just the child of both these looks.

But then I stared at the picture of these pumps some more and it really started to grow on me. The masculine Oxford style is made softened by the satin bow and the slim and elegant shape of the heel. The mini platform in the front makes these four inch pumps more comfortable and wearable (or so I hope!). The combination of suede, satin and patent leather is very clever. The patent is even neatly placed to wrap around the suede parts to protect it from dirt! The whole package is just very nice!

As for the peep toe, I guess in the world of fashion, there is no such thing as being weather appropriate. I can always wear colored stockings inside for warmth and some interesting color. And if you try to imagine these pumps without the peep toes, you must admit, it IS missing out something. Besides, it looks like peep-toe oxford booties are here to stay, judging from the S/S 09 Burberry Prorsum runway.

When it comes down to it, these are definitely trend shoes and not "investment" shoes. Personally, even though I'm coming around to it, I'm still not sure if they're not too weird for wear. What do you think? Is this an embraceable trend or should we shun it aside and hope it goes away?

Image Source: Coach.com

Agave Syrup

Anna brought up agave syrup in a comment on the last post, so I thought I'd put up a little mini-post so everyone can benefit from what she pointed out.

Agave syrup is made from the heart of the agave plant, which is pressed to release a juice rich in inulin. Inulin is a polymer made of fructose molecules. The inulin is then broken down either by heat or by enzymatic processing. The result is a sweet syrup that is rich in fructose.

Agave syrup is marketed as a healthy, alternative sweetener. In fact, it's probably as bad or worse than high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). They are both a refined and processed plant extract. Both are high in fructose, with agave syrup leading HFCS (estimates of agave syrup range up to 92% fructose by calories). Finally, agave syrup is expensive and inefficient to produce.

The high fructose content gives agave syrup a low glycemic index, because fructose does not raise blood glucose. Unfortunately, as some diabetics learned the hard way, using fructose as a substitute for sucrose (cane sugar) has negative long-term effects on insulin sensitivity.

In my opinion, sweeteners come with risks and there is no free lunch. The only solution is moderation.

Emmy Awards 2008

OK, honestly I wasn't interested in the Emmy's this year (because there is simply so many more interesting news right now, like the financial news and the China milk scandal.) But the one thing that I did want to know about the Emmy's was that Tina Fey, Alec Baldman and 30 Rock won four 'big' awards -so yay for them!

Image Credit: http://www.style.com/

Ctrl BG: A Shortcut to Financial News 9/22

It’s not about fashion, but the state of the economy is still something that concerns everyone and I just thought it would be interesting to have something a little bit different on this blog once in a while. I’m sure I’m not qualified to comment since I probably don’t have nor understand all the facts of the situation, but it never hurts to share some thoughts right? So here are some thoughts on the last tumultuous week.

Personally I was shocked by the events of last Sunday. I knew that Lehman Brothers was in troubled waters, but I thought it was only going to be bought out like Bear Stearns was, by Bank of America or Barclays. Never in a million years did I think that it would go bankrupt (perhaps a strategy by Barclays so then they can buy the Lehman assets they want on the cheap, as they are doing now?). Instead of bailing Lehman out, BofA bought Merrill Lynch instead that night. At that point, I was vaguely aware that ML was not doing so well, but I didn’t know it had reached this stage yet. Apparently a sudden “evaporation of liquidity” (whatever that means), does that to banks. Who knew BofA was so strong? As I recall, they were the first to be hit by the Credit Crunch last year, with their takeover of Countrywide (another Fannie/Freddie-esque home loan bank) and huge write downs and lay-offs. As it turns out, Countrywide might be a good buy after all now that the competition has been weeded out somewhat and BofA is as strong as ever with the financial backing of their commercial banking side. With ML joining their team, their investment banking side is also going to strengthen up- by a lot. All in all, it was quite a traumatizing Sunday. It was like saying that Gucci went bankrupt and Prada got bought out and merged with Coach- all in one day.

Everything went down like dominos after that. The stock markets worldwide went down. AIG and Washington Mutual struggled to stay afloat. It was a good thing that the government stepped in with an 85 billion dollar loan in exchange for 79.9% of AIG, when they did (after Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan balked at the idea). With their wide range of businesses (mutual funds, insurances etc) worldwide, it would’ve been devastating. It would be as if LVMH declared they were in trouble! I’m not sure how I feel about the government using tax payer’s money to save a private institution, but I guess somehow had to do it. Can’t let LVMH fall! As for Washington Mutual (a.k.a. WaMu), I don’t feel too much for them, since they’re not exactly a household name (for me anyway, a bit like not everyone knows who Bottega Veneta is), but they’re currently trying to auction off some parts of itself.

The two remaining independent investment banks, Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs, were also under attack against their business model this week, even though both posted higher than expected earnings (yes, I mean profits!). It appears that many people now believe that an investment bank cannot survive without a steady cash flow from a commercial banking arm. Throughout the week, both banks said that they were committed to remaining independent, repeating that it is not the business model but the execution that counts. However, Morgan Stanley has been under pressure the most. It is as if because people believe it will fall, they are making it fall by shorting their stock, pushing down their stock prices (and thus the SEC ban on the short selling of selected stocks for two weeks). They are currently in talks with the Chinese government for a large capital infusion (they are going to need a BIG one) and with Wachovia to merge. I think a merger between these two would more aptly epitomize, “Target acquiring Neiman Marcus,” as Leveraged Sellout had used for the BofA and ML merger.

On the other hand, I am a sucker for brand image and I cannot begin to fathom the possibility of GS giving into market pressure and merging with a commercial bank. It’s not as if they are doing very badly. They’ve consistently reported profits throughout the economic turmoil so far- even if it IS less so then years before. At least it’s not a loss! I’m sure that there may be write downs cleverly hidden in their balance sheet (for both banks!), but it cannot be nearly as bad as Lehman and ML right? Yes, I do realize I am beginning to sound a bit naive, but it would be like Hermes giving into market pressure and start mass producing Birkin bags with machines! Besides, shouldn’t it be innocent until proven guilty?

Towards the end of the week, the SEC finally stepped in to temporarily ban the short selling of selected stocks for two weeks (to stop the prices from tumbling down) and the government came up with a plan to deal with this whole toxic debt problem. I’m not sure exactly how this plan is supposed to work but it sounds like they’re going to use $700 billion to buy back all the toxic debts and give financial institutions a fresh start. Sounds like a good idea, they can't bail companies out one at a time as they fall after all, better to target the root of the problem. Not that I know where the government is getting that kind of money from (aren’t they already in debt from the war?) and what they’re going to DO with those bad debt once they buy it. Surely they cannot just dissolve it and let everyone who did not meet their mortgage payments off the hook? Why were people lending money to people who clearly cannot repay the loan to begin with?

Ok, now I’m heading into territory where I really do not have a good grasp on. So I’m going to shut up now and go back to admiring the runways of Milan fashion week. Just thought I’d give financial journalism/blogging a hand.

****
Scratch that. It seems that Target is not acquiring Neiman Marcus anymore but Hermes is going to start mass producing Birkin bags- in their own way. MS and GS both just got approval from the Fed to switch from being an investment bank to a bank-holding firm i.e. they are now allowed to open up their own commercial banks and take in deposits. MS will probably not need the Chinese capital infusion anymore either. There are now officially no more major independent investment banks in the US. What is it with Sundays and groundbreaking news?

Top Shop A/W08 Lookbook

Top Shop's A/W08 Lookbook is out! While you may not be able to actually shop at Top Shop, you should definitely check the looks out. They're really great streetwear inspiration (albeit a bit too well-styled). The Wonderland collection is a bit too Miu Miu SS08-esque and the Punk Couture collection looks like they just piled all the plaid clothes into a group, but the Bandstand and Boudoir collections are definitely worth looking.

My favourite is the Boudoir collection -Casual, luxurious looks in a cute way.

These two looks are equally cute in a darker, edgier way.

Image Credit: www.topshop.com

A New Toy

I bought a new toy the other day: a blood glucose meter. I was curious about my post-meal blood glucose after my HbA1c reading came back higher than I was expecting. A blood glucose meter is the only way to know what your blood sugar is doing in your normal setting.

"Glucose intolerance" is the inability to effectively control blood glucose as it enters the bloodstream from the digestive system. It results in elevated blood sugar after eating carbohydrate, which is not a good thing. In someone with normal glucose tolerance, insulin is secreted in sufficient amounts, and the tissues are sufficiently sensitive to it, that blood glucose is kept within a fairly tight range of concentrations.

Glucose tolerance is typically the first thing to deteriorate in the process leading to type II diabetes. By the time fasting glucose is elevated, glucose intolerance is usually well established. Jenny Ruhl talks about this in her wonderful book Blood Sugar 101. Unfortunately, fasting glucose is the most commonly administered glucose test. That's because the more telling one, the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), is more involved and more expensive.

An OGTT involves drinking a concentrated solution of glucose and monitoring blood glucose at one and two hours. Values of >140 mg/dL at one hour and >120 mg/dL at two hours are considered "normal". If you have access to a blood glucose meter, you can give yourself a makeshift OGTT. You eat 60-70 grams of quickly-digesting carbohydrate with no fat to slow down absorption and monitor your glucose.

I gave myself an OGTT tonight. I ate a medium-sized boiled potato and a large slice of white bread, totaling about 60g of carbohydrate. Potatoes and bread digest very quickly, resulting in a blood glucose spike similar to drinking concentrated glucose! You can see that in the graph below. I ate at time zero. By 15 minutes, my blood glucose had reached its peak at 106 mg/dL.


My numbers were 97 mg/dL at one hour, and 80 mg/dL at two hours; far below the cutoff for impaired glucose tolerance. I completely cleared the glucose by an hour and 45 minutes. My maximum value was 106 mg/dL, also quite good. That's despite the fact that I used more carbohydrate for the OGTT than I would typically eat in a sitting. I hope you like the graph; I had to prick my fingers 10 times to make it! I thought it would look good with a lot of data points.

I'm going to have fun with this glucose meter. I've already gotten some valuable information. For example, just as I suspected, fast-digesting carbohydrate is not a problem for someone with a well-functioning pancreas and insulin-sensitive tissues. This is consistent with what we see in the Kitavans, who eat a high-carbohydrate, high glycemic load diet, yet are extremely healthy. Of course, for someone with impaired glucose tolerance (very common in industrial societies), fast-digesting carbohydrates could be the kiss of death. The big question is, what causes the pancreas to deteriorate and the tissues to become insulin resistant? Considering certain non-industrial societies were eating plenty of carbohydrate with no problems, it must be something about the modern lifestyle: industrially processed grains (particularly wheat), industrial vegetable oils, refined sugar, lack of fat-soluble vitamins, toxic pollutants and inactivity come to mind. One could make a case for any of those factors contributing to the problem.

London S/S 09: Luella

I'm the first to admit, London fashion week is too fashion forward most of the time for me to understand. Luella is the exception. Mostly because she is quirky in a preppy way, which I can appreciate. Her runway gives me ideas on how I can twist and tweak the preppy pieces I already own to become more quirky and "new". This season, she doesn't disappoint.
I absolutely detest orange. But somehow Luella makes it work by clashing it with hot pink and a vibrant blue on the runway. The outfits actually look cute and girly, instead of pumpkin-esque! Hmm...maybe I'll get something orange next season. I already have a pair of black plastic rimmed glasses!

The other innovation on the runway was the asymmetrical tiered skirt. I'm not quite sure how I feel about that yet, I've always been a fan of symmetry. But it is definitely quirky and different, it could even be cute and fun (there is an even more asymmetrical skirt than the one shown here on the runway- this is the less adventurous version). And of course, there was the usual Luella floral prints all over the runway- I love how she somehow makes it appear edgy instead of old fashioned.
Another thing I love about the Luella show is how she mix and matches prints. That soft pink floral top totally works with the bold pink stripe pants! And that lavender floral dress is just adorable. In fact, the poofy skirt and the tulles even gives it a prom-like quality (not that you would not look completely darling and perfect wearing this to a more sophisticated occasion!). Anyone need an updated prom dress?

Image Source: Style.com

New York S/S09: Project Runway

Is it just me, or did Project Runway pick up a bit this season? It was kind of interesting to see what kind of crazy, wild creations this set of designers put onto the runway (consistent perfection is so *yawn*). But anyway, this post is not a review of the designs on the runway (well maybe a tiny bit), but more of a rant on the way the show is ran.

One of the main goals of this show (besides the Saturn, the money and the publicity) is getting to show at Bryant Park. How many times have we heard the designers on the show say that they WILL make it to Bryant Park? Only the top three is supposed to make it there. But because the show started late this season (for whatever reasons), SIX designers made it to Bryant Park as a decoy so the viewers won't know who made it to the final three in the show. Personally I feel like this kind of undermines the show. What is the point of elimination and survival of the fittest when 6 instead of 3 designers get to share one of the most coveted prizes? What is the point of a "limited edition" bag if everyone on the streets own one too?
Back to the show, I think it's obvious who is in the top two. Korto and Leanne have been consistently good. And they have good taste (which is a big plus, given the "taste" level of the show thus far). Personally I am vouching for Leanne. Her designs are always very simple but interesting and flattering.
My second favourite is actually Kenley. I just love the whole pin-up girl look she has going. But I must say, she's made quite a few wrong turns and it is unsure whether she'd make it to top three.
But then again, I certainly hope none of these looks make it to top three..........

Image Source: Kansas City Star

London S/S09: Top Shop Unique

I have to admit that I've never been hip enough to like or understand Top Shop Unique's collections. But this is the first time I've seen stuff on its runway that I've wanted.

I'm a fan of mini-dresses in general. These both look colourful and young -the one on the left great for a night out and the one on the right good for a fun daytime look.


I really like these two looks too. The dress on the left is classy yet still cute. And the look on the right is a bit too 80's for me, but still looks cool.


Image Credit: www.vogue.co.uk

New York S/S09: Marchesa

Marchesa has always produced pretty dresses on the runway, but this collection blew me away. It is every girl's dream wardrobe! There were sweet and cute cocktail dresses that are youthful and glamorous. I love how even though the shapes are so simple, the designs are so unique- in a good way. The silhouette is familiar, but I've definitely not seen these dresses before! There were elegant evening gowns, complimented by heavy oriental embroideries. I've never liked the whole fringe thing, because I think it looks creepy- like Cousin "It." But this black dress is definitely an exception to the rule. It looks more like a black waterfall flowing down her legs.
Then there were exquisitely beautiful pieces that just makes you want to stop and stare. And admire. They are more like pieces of art than ready-to-wear, further perpetuated by their method of presentation- with the models standing atop white cubes like sculptures (must be tiring for the models!). Indeed, I believe that most of these pieces are one of a kind. I wonder what they'd sell in their store then...
This dress is my absolute favourite. I love the barely there lilac shade. I love the orchids strewn artistically down the dress (it is apparently made of feathers!). I love the artistic folds of the top, contrasted with the frothing lilac waterfall that is the bottom. Everything. I can just stare at it all day!
And this comes in a close second. The sharp contrasting black and white color with the soft layers of the skirt creates the perfect balance that is absolutely striking!

The SS09 collection was definitely a feast for the eye!

Image Source: Style.com

New York S/S09: Marc by Marc Jacobs

Yay! The Marc by Marc Jacobs S/S09 collection is bright in a tasteful and fun way -just like it was a few collections back. After a few seasons of dark and murky colours, it's good to see lighter colours. It's just so much easier to buy the light-coloured pieces when they hit stores.
Marc's signature cute, girly dresses! Loves them! Look at the layers -this collection's dresses seem to have another layer under the skirt. And I'm so glad the dresses aren't long because maybe I've been corupted by The Hills, but shorter (-not indecently short of course,) dresses seem so much easier to wear and buy now!
Simple layering. The styling is great as usual. There are so many young, stylish pieces in these outfits. Don't they make you just wish it would be spring again?

Image Credit: www.style.com

Inactivity and Weight Gain

Most of the papers I read in the field pay lip-service to some familiar stories: thrifty genes; calories in, calories out; energy density; fat intake; gluttony and sloth.

It may sound counterintuitive, but how do we know that inactivity causes overweight and not the other way around?  In other words, isn't it possible that metabolic deregulation could cause both overweight and a reduced activity level? The answer is clearly yes. There are a number of hormones and other factors that influence activity level in animals and humans. For example, the "Zucker fatty" rat, a genetic model of severe leptin resistance, is obese and hypoactive (I wrote about it here). It's actually a remarkable facsimile of the metabolic syndrome. Since leptin resistance typically comes before insulin resistance and predicts the metabolic syndrome, modern humans may be going through a process similar to the Zucker rat.

Back to the paper. Dr. Nicholas Wareham and his group followed 393 healthy white men for 5.6 years. They took baseline measurements of body composition (weight, BMI and waist circumference) and activity level, and then measured the same things after 5.6 years. In a nutshell, here's what they found:

• Sedentary time associates with overweight at any given timepoint. This is consistent with other studies.


• Overweight at the beginning of the study predicted inactivity after 5.6 years.
  


• Inactivity at the beginning of the study was not associated with overweight at the end.

In other words, overweight predicts inactivity but inactivity does not predict overweight. With the usual caveat that these are just associations, this is not consistent with the idea that inactivity causes overweight. It is consistent with the idea that overweight causes inactivity, or they are both caused by something else.

NY Fashion Week SS09 Wrap Up II

Proenza Schouler
The designers of all those super pretty and cute dresses last season (and that of the model silhouette of this blog's FW08 banner!) did a 180 this season and went hardcore on us, and maybe a little bit punk.
The one thing that stood out from this collection though was the silhouette. It is definitely unique and edgy. It is not an immediately ew. But it sort of looks like the models are pinned onto a wall with by their sleeves. Or like those flying chipmunks (or whatever they are) we see in cartoons. The model in the cream suit jacket looks like her left arm is disjointed. I highly doubt this unique silhouette will be as well received as the pretty dresses last season (or I hope not!).

Cynthia Steffe
The Cynthia Steffe collection on the other hand is very wearable and pretty (as usual). I've always had a liking for them ever since I picked up something from this brand during Thanksgiving sale at Neiman Marcus.
Two things I love about this collection. First, it is very put together and neat, like this very chic dress here (left). This black/white circular print is is interesting and very versatile (it was used very prominently on the runway). Second, I love how wearable every piece is. Not only is this all white outfit (right) gorgeous in it's own right, but individually these pieces are incredibly versatile. Besides the neat and the structured, they also offered the flowy and the floral. Ok, I probably wouldn't pair the blue floral outfit (right) as it is, but I'd definitely wear those two pieces seperately. And I'm simply LOVING those genie capris!

Jill Stuart

The Jill Stuart collection is not exactly the most original or fashion forward show on the runway this season. Admittedly certain looks even reminds one of the Marc by Marc Jacobs runway a few years back (remember the long sleeved ribbed thermals layered with a very colorful array of other ballerina-esque items?). But this collection has its charm.Mostly because I am a sucker for flowy, flirty, girly ballerina-esque looks, which this collection is the epitome of. That simple white dress is gorgeous. And I love those genie pants. They are like the pant version of a pretty flowy skirt.

Image Source: Style.com

A Practical Approach to Omega Fats

Hunter-gatherers and healthy non-industrial cultures didn't know what omega-6 and omega-3 fats were. They didn't balance nutrients precisely; they stayed healthy by eating foods that they knew were available and nourishing. Therefore, I don't think it's necessary to bean count omega fats, and I don't think there's likely to be a single ideal ratio of n-6 to n-3. However, I do think there's evidence for an optimal range. To find out what it is, let's look at what's been done by healthy cultures in the past:

• Hunter-gatherers living mostly on land animals: 2:1 to 4:1


• Pacific islanders getting most of their fat from coconut and fish: 1:2


• Inuit and other Pacific coast Americans: 1:4 or less


• Dairy-based cultures: 1:1 to 2:1


• Cultures eating fish and grains: 1:2 or less

It looks like a healthy ratio is between 4:1 and 1:4 n-6 to n-3. Some of these cultures ate a good amount of n-3 polyunsaturated fat, but none of them ate much n-6 [One rare exception is the !Kung. SJG 2011]. There are three basic patterns that I've seen: 1) low fat with low total n-6 and n-3, and a ratio of less than 2:1; 2) high fat with low total n-6 and n-3 and a ratio of 2:1 or less; 3) high fat with low n-6 and high n-3, and a low carbohydrate intake.

I think there's a simple way to interpret all this. Number one, don't eat vegetable oils high in n-6 fats. They are mostly industrial creations that have never supported human health. Number two, find a source of n-3 fats that can approximately balance your n-6 intake. In practical terms, this means minimizing sources of n-6 and eating modest amounts of n-3 to balance it. Some foods are naturally balanced, such as grass-fed dairy and pastured lamb. Others, like coconut oil, have so little n-6 it doesn't take much n-3 to create a proper balance.

Animal sources of n-3 are the best because they provide pre-formed long-chain fats like DHA, which some people have difficulty producing themselves. Flax oil may have some benefits as well. Fish oil and cod liver oil can be a convenient source of n-3; take them in doses of one teaspoon or less. As usual, whole foods are probably better than isolated oils. Weston Price noted that cultures throughout the world went to great lengths to obtain fresh and dried marine foods. Choose shellfish and wild fish that are low on the food chain so they aren't excessively polluted.

I don't think adding gobs of fish oil on top of the standard American diet to correct a poor n-6:n-3 ratio is optimal. It may be better than no fish oil, but it's probably not the best approach. I just read a study, hot off the presses, that examines this very issue in young pigs. Pigs are similar to humans in many ways, including aspects of their fat metabolism. They were fed three diets: a "deficient" diet containing some n-6 but very little n-3; a "contemporary" diet containing a lot of n-6 and some n-3; an "evolutionary" diet containing a modest, balanced amount of n-6 and n-3; and a "supplemented" diet, which is the contemporary diet plus DHA and arachidonic acid (AA).

Using the evolutionary diet as a benchmark, none of the other diets were able to achieve the same fatty acid profile in the young pigs' brains, blood, liver or heart. They also showed that neurons in culture require DHA for proper development, and excess n-6 interferes with the process.

With that said, here are a few graphs of the proportion of n-6 in common foods. These numbers all come from nutrition data. They reflect the percentage n-6 out of the total fat content. First, animal fats:


Except salmon oil, these are traditional fats suitable for cooking. Except schmaltz (chicken fat), they are relatively low in n-6. Next, vegetable oils:


These range from very low in n-6 to very high. Most of the modern, industrially processed oils are on the right, while most traditional oils are on the left. I don't recommend using anything to the right of olive oil on a regular basis. "HO" sunflower oil is high-oleic, which means it has been bred for a high monounsaturated fat content at the expense of n-6. Here are the meats and eggs:

n-3 eggs are from hens fed flax or seaweed, while the other bar refers to conventional eggs.

A few of these foods are good sources of n-3. At the top of the list is fish oil, followed by n-3 eggs, grass-fed butter, and the fat of grass-fed ruminants. It is possible to keep a good balance without seafood, it just requires keeping n-6 fats to an absolute minimum. It's also possible to overdo n-3 fats. The traditional Inuit, despite their good overall health, did not clot well. They commonly developed nosebleeds that would last for three days, for example. This is thought to be due to the effect of n-3 on blood clotting. But keep in mind that their n-3 intake was so high it would be difficult to achieve today without drinking wine glasses full of fish oil.

NY Fashion Week SS09 Wrap Up I

Who knew Victoria Beckham had a dress collection showing at Fashion Week? Where does the women get the time between her reality TV show, pedicures, designing jeans and sunglasses, whipping up a perfume and being a wife and a mom? But anyway, back to the collection. Despite her having graced Blackwell's Worst Dressed List many times and indeed having a questionable sense of style on occasions, I am still very much want to like her collection. At the back of my mind, I guess my love for the Spice Girl era still lingers, making me want to love everything about them. And Posh has always been my favourite Spice.

However, despite my best efforts to want to be wow-ed, I was not blown away. It was a small and simple collection, to put it nicely. The entire collection could be summed up by a few looks. It was basically a collection that contained a few versions of the same dresses. They were all slimming pencil skirts of the same slightly longer length (which I think is great for more sophistication and class). It was definitely cohesive!
There was the simple round neck dress in blue. The clean cut strapless dress in black (perhaps a reminiscent of the little black Gucci dress? Turns out it wasn't even by Gucci!). I believe they also showed this dress in white on the runway.There was the crochet (I think?) topped dress. They also have this in white. Then the dress shirt dress, which we've been seeing in the stores a lot lately. She has this in black with chiffon and silk, and of course, in white and black.
Finally there was this silhouette, which is my favourite. I think this silhouette is very clever and very flattering to the female body. It curves at all the right places. I can totally see Victoria in it. This was possibly the most inspiring thing about the whole collection and of course she has this silhouette in many different styles. In black, in white, a casual less emphatic version and a more dressed up version. Although personally I'm not sure it'll look very good on me, since I'm shorter (and definitely not as lithe as the models!), so the skirt will probably cut my legs exactly where it shouldn't!

All in all, it was not a very inspiring (besides that shape of course) nor wow-ing collection. To give Victoria her credit though, it was indeed a very simple and classic collection. They are definitely not dated, which was her aim. And I'm sure they are very well made and tailored given the $1500-$3600 price range. Plus, at 15 looks, she did not try to overdo the collection with more unnecessary looks. It is always quality over quantity after all. Though I think 4 looks would've suffice to get the creative message across. But then, that wouldn't be a very good show, would it?

Image Source: Style.com

Omega Fats and Cardiovascular Disease

I noticed something strange when I was poring over data about the Inuit last month. Modern Inuit who have adopted Western food habits get fat, they get diabetes... but they don't get heart attacks. This was a paradox to me at the time, because heart disease mortality typically comes along with the cluster of modern, non-communicable diseases I call the "diseases of civilization".

One of the interesting things about the modern Inuit diet is it's most often a combination of Western and traditional foods. For example, they typically use white flour and sugar, but continue to eat seal oil and fish. Both seal oil and fish are a concentrated source of long-chain omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids.The 'paradox' makes much more sense to me now that I've seen this:

It's from the same paper as the graphs in the last post. Note that it doesn't take much n-3 to get you to the asymptote. Here's another one that might interest you:

The finding in this graph is supported by the Lyon diet heart study, which I'll describe below. One more graph from a presentation by Dr. Lands, since I began by talking about the Inuit:


Cardiovascular disease mortality tracks well with the n-6 content of blood plasma, both across populations and within them. You can see modern Quebec Inuit have the same low rate of CVD mortality as the Japanese. The five red triangles are from MRFIT, a large American intervention trial. They represent the study participants divided into five groups based on their plasma n-6. Note that the average percentage of n-6 fatty acids is very high, even though the trial occurred in the 1970s! Since n-3 and n-6 fats compete for space in human tissue, it makes sense that the Inuit are protected from CVD by their high n-3 intake.  [Update: I don't read too much into this graph because there are so may confounding variables.  It's an interesting observation, but take it with a grain of salt.. SJG 2011].

Now for a little mechanism. Dr. Lands' hypothesis is that a high n-6 intake promotes a general state of inflammation in the body. The term 'inflammation' refers to the chronic activation of the innate immune system. The reason is that n-3 and n-6 fats are precursors to longer-chain signaling molecules called eicosanoids. In a nutshell, eicosanoids produced from n-6 fatty acids are more inflammatory and promote thrombosis (clotting) more than those produced from n-3 fatty acids. Dr. Lands is in a position to know this, since he was one of the main researchers involved in discovering these mechanisms. He points out that taking aspirin to 'thin' the blood and reduce inflammation (by inhibiting inflammatory eicosanoids) basically puts a band-aid over the problem caused by excess n-6 fats to begin with.  [Update- this mechanism turns out not to be so straightforward. SJG 2011]

The Lyon Diet Heart Study assessed the effect of n-3 fat supplementation on CVD risk. The four-year intervention involved a number of diet changes designed to mimic the American Heart Association's concept of a "Mediterranean diet". The participants were counseled to eat a special margarine that was high in n-3 from alpha-linolenic acid. Overall PUFA intake decreased, mostly due to n-6 reduction, and n-3 intake increased relative to controls. The intervention caused a 70% reduction in cardiac mortality and a large reduction in all-cause mortality, a smashing success by any measure.

In a large five-year intervention trial in Japan, JELIS, patients who took EPA (a long-chain n-3 fatty acid) plus statins had 19% fewer cardiac events than patients taking statins alone. I don't know why you would give EPA by itself when it occurs with DHA and alpha-linolenic acid in nature, but it did nevertheless have a significant effect. Keep in mind that this trial was in Japan, where they already have a much better n-6/n-3 ratio than in Western nations.

In my opinion, what all the data (including a lot that I haven't included) point to is that a good n-6 to n-3 ratio may be important for vibrant health and proper development. In the next post, I'll talk about practical considerations for achieving a good ratio.

Omega-3 Fats and Brain Development

Another interesting study that Dr. Hibbeln sent me is about the link between maternal seafood consumption and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children. The study is about as powerful as epidemiology gets, with an enrollment of 11,875 mothers.

The bottom line is short and sweet: compared to the children of mothers who ate 340 grams or more of fish per week, children whose mothers ate very little fish had an increased risk of low verbal intelligence, poor social behavior, poor motor skills, poor communication skills, and poor social development. These associations remained after adjusting for 28 potential confounders, including social status, level of education, stressful life events, smoking, alcohol, and several others.

In support of this association, in another study the four-year-old children of mothers who were given DHA and arachidonic acid supplements had higher IQs than those given "placebo" (corn oil). There have been a number of trials of varying quality that have shown varying results with n-3 supplementation, so I'll leave you to decide what you think of this. A 2007 review I found on n-3 supplementation and brain development states that "the evidence for potential benefits of LCPUFA [long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid] supplementation is promising but yet inconclusive".

I do think it's interesting to note that the brain has the highest concentration of long-chain n-3 fats of any organ, and eating n-3 fats in the form of fish, fish oil or cod liver oil increases the amount in tissues. Eating too much n-6 depletes the brain of DHA and adversely affects neuron development in piglets. n-3 deficiency affects the release of serotonin (a neurotransmitter) in rat brains.

Put it all together, including the data from the last two posts, and I think there's some evidence that a good balance of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids is important for optimal brain function and perhaps development.

Serious Rainboots

In the pass I've blogged about pretty, rainbow colored rainboots that you can play matchy, matchy with and have a lot of fun. But after a particularly bad day yesterday, braving the pouring rain for half a hour (even though it is usually only a 15 minute walk!), squeezing onto the bus and getting my jeans soaked even though I have an umbrella, I am thinking that I should really invest in a serious pair of rainboots. Something that will just keep my feet (and hopefully half my jeans) nice, dry and CLEAN. Something I can wear so then I would NOT have to avoid puddles or worry about slipping. Something that is simple, versatile but of good quality.
Something like the classic Hunter rainboots. I'm not sure how it warrants the $115 price tag, but I guess it is an assurance of quality? They are the rainboots of rainboots after all. If you want to buy a trench coat, you got to go to Burberry. If you must buy trunk-like sheepskin snow boots, you have to buy Uggs. And if you want to buy rainboots, then you should get Hunter rainboots.

The style itself is simple and as sleek as rainboots can get. It is sturdy and definitely slip-proof. While the buckle makes the boots not so plain looking, it is also functional. These are serious no nonsense rainboots. Just what I need. They also come in many different colors, to add a bit of color to a dreary day. I'm considering this iris color. Black is just a bit too dark and yellow reminds me too much of those yellow wellington boots that cartoon bear wore. Now the only thing is convincing myself to make the splurge. Just that it's hard when it is all I want on a rainy day, but the furthest thing in my mind on a sunny (good for shopping) day!

Image Source: Saks

Looking for short hairstyles?

Short Hair Styles

Last year we were talking about getting hair extensions for beautiful long hairstyles. This year we are talking about short hair styles.

Great things about short hairstyles

1. They are very easy to style and maintain

2. They are cooler to wear than long hairstyles

3. They are very stylish and trendy

If you want your hairstyle to be IN STYLE, then you need to start looking at short hairstyles for examples of how to cut your hair.

See Editor's pick for the HOTTEST Short hairstyles today

90210 Is Strangely High School

Tuesday night's premiere of CW's 90210 was... okay. It wasn't particularly boring but we didn't exactly love it. Throughout the show, something felt off to us, something we couldn't really name until it suddenly occured to us that the show felt SO high school!

The show is about high school, you say, so obviously it's supposed to feel high school. But the characters in the past few 'high school' dramas that I've watched have been so un-high-school, 90210's characters and enviornment seemed relatively young and teensy. Think back: While The OC was also about spoilt kids who go to a rich, Californian school, Marissa (Mischa Barton) and Summer (Rachel Bilson) seemed to deal with more non-school-related issues and the only time we see them at school was to see them talk by their lockers. Veronica Mars was so mature and smart that I never really thought of her as a dumb teenager. As for Gossip Girl, Blair, Serena and sometimes even Jenny seem so worldly and glamorous that it just doesn't seem like normal high school to us.

So watching the kids on 90210 actually doing high school things like playing lacrose, messing up the rival school, copying a friend's homework, being grounded, participating in school plays and boys beating each other up. Obviously high school's not supposed to be sophisticated but we're just not used to it! And yes, of course we noticed the clothes!

The main character whose name was so forgetable I had to look up, is Annie. In the first episode, she wore very basic high school clothes, like a camisole with denim skirt.

And look, jeans with basic tops. Nothing fancy!

Silver (yes, that's the character's name,) whose supposed to dress hipster/ hippie/ edgy is my favourite 'fashion character' on the show so far. (She looks way cooler in the show than in this photo. I couldn't find a better one.)

The popular girl, Naomi dresses only ok. As you can see from her ugly outfit here, she's no Marissa Cooper. And she's really into wearing designer-flashing things, like Chanel logo accessories.

As for the party outfit, Annie got to wear an expensive dress (because Naomi bought it for her.) Silver looks so cool with a simple ballerina-looking American Apparel dress with long necklaces. I'm looking foward to more of Silver's outfits!

So you can obviously tell I am not impressed with the girls' outfits -but that is one of the things that is making this show seem so 'high school' to me. Hopefully the drama will get more interesting in the next few episodes. How much did you like the new 90210?

The Omega Ratio

The theory advanced by Dr. Lands and Hibbeln is that the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in the diet is the crucial factor for mental and physical health, rather than the absolute amount of each. Omega-6 and -3 fats are essential long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids. The number refers to the position of the double bond near the methyl end of the carbon chain.

The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 (hereafter, n-6 and n-3) in the diet determines the ratio in tissues. Since these molecules have many cellular roles, it doesn't stretch the imagination that they could have an effect on health. Hunter-gatherer and healthy non-industrial cultures typically have a favorable ratio of n-6 to n-3, 2:1 or less. In the US, the ratio is currently about 17:1 due to modern vegetable oils.

DHA, a long-chain n-3 fatty acid, is concentrated in neuronal synapses (the connections between neurons) and is required for the normal functioning of neurons. n-6 fats compete with n-3 fats for space in cellular membranes (which have a fixed amount of total polyunsaturated fat), so a high intake of n-6 fats, particularly linoleic acid, displaces n-3 fatty acids. Lower tissue levels of DHA and total n-3 correlate with measures of hostility in cocaine addicts. Feeding mice a diet high in linoleic acid increases aggressive behavior, and increses the likelihood of rats to kill mice.

If the ratio of n-6 to n-3 in the diet predicts psychiatric problems, we'd expect to see an association with n-3 intake as well. Let's take a look:

This is homicide mortality vs. n-3 intake for 24 countries, published here. The association is significant (p> 0.001) even without correcting for n-6 intake. Of course, one could see this as a cloud of points with a few well-placed outliers. Here are some closer associations from the same paper:

It's clear that both a high n-6 intake and a low n-3 intake correlate with negative psychiatric outcomes. Together, the data are consistent with the hypothesis that the ratio of n-6 to n-3 impacts brain function. Dr. Hibbeln and Dr. Lands do not claim that this ratio is the sole determinant of psychiatric problems, only that it is a factor.

Now to address the big criticism that was brought up by very astute readers of the last post, namely, that the data were purely correlative. Believe me, I wouldn't even have posted on this topic if I didn't have intervention data to back it up. In addition to the animal data I mentioned above, here are more studies that support a causal role of fatty acid balance in psychiatric problems:

• EPA supplementation (a long-chain n-3 fatty acid) reduced aggression and depression in a group of women with borderline personality disorder.
• DHA supplementation improved aggression in young Thai students.
• n-3 supplementation improved symptoms of bipolar disorder.
• EPA supplementation improved symptoms of unipolar depression.
• n-3 supplementation improved perinatal depression.
• n-3 supplementation improved symptoms of major depression.
• DHA and EPA supplementation reduced suicidal behaviors and improved markers of well-being in patients with recurrent self-harm.
• n-3 supplementation decreased anger and anxiety in substance abusers.
  

Most of those were placebo-controlled trials. If we can see a significant effect of n-3 supplementation in short-term trials, imagine how well it would work as a long-term preventive measure.

Vegetable Oil and Homicide

One of the major dietary changes that has accompanied the downward slide of American health is the replacement of animal fats with industrially processed vegetable oils. Soybean oil, corn oil, cottonseed oil and other industrial creations have replaced milk and meat fat in our diet, while total fat consumption has remained relatively constant. The result is that we're eating a lot more polyunsaturated fat than we were just 30 years ago, most of it linoleic acid (omega-6). Corn oil may taste so bad it inspires you to violence, but its insidiousness goes beyond the flavor. Take a look:


This figure is from a paper that Dr. Joe Hibbeln sent me recently, of which he is the first author. This followed an interesting e-mail conversation with Robert Brown, author of Omega Six: the Devil's Fat. He put me in touch with Dr. Hibbeln and Dr. William Lands (NIH, NIAAA), both of whom warn of the dangers of excessive linoleic acid consumption from modern vegetable oils. Dr. Lands has been researching the relationship between dietary fat and inflammation since the 1970s, and has been a critic of modern vegetable oils for just as long. Both Dr. Hibbeln and Dr. Lands were very generous in sending me a number of their papers. The figure above shows the homicide rate vs. linoleic acid consumption of five countries over the course of 40 years. Each point represents one year in one country. The U.S. has the distinction of being in the upper right.

I asked Dr. Hibbeln how he selected the five countries, and he told me the selection criteria were 1) available homicide and linoleic acid consumption statistics, 2) "first world" countries, and 3) countries representing a diversity of linoleic acid intakes. I'm satisfied that there was probably not a significant selection bias.

What's interesting about the graph is that not only does the homicide rate track with linoleic acid consumption across countries, but it also tracks within countries over time. For example, here is the same graph of the US alone:


And here is the UK, which doesn't suffer as much from the confounding factor of firearm availability:


I don't think we can draw any solid conclusions from this, but it is worth noting that epidemiological associations don't get much better. In the next few posts, I'll explore the data from intervention trials that support the hypothesis that excessive omega-6 consumption, and insufficient omega-3 consumption, cause serious problems for psychiatric and physical health.