When it appeared on the runway at the Louis Vuitton show in October, who could have believed that the fantastical footwear — selling at €1,250 to €2,250 (about $1,650 to $3,000) a pair — could be the hottest item for summer 2009? No wonder that the designer Marc Jacobs baptized it the “Spicy,” giving a name to the shoe, as had previously been the custom with the now-fading It bags. To spice up this footwear, the designer added everything but the kitchen sink — as long as it was out of Africa.
”"Out of Africa" Suzy Menkes for the International Herald Tribune.
If the economy keeps going the way it is we may all be going native and thankfully should that happen both Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior are making sure that you have the ultimate in tribal totems for all your angry god appeasement needs. Whether its Louis Vuitton Frafra warrior mask or a fertility goddess Spring 2009s shoes are all about asking for protection against forces beyond our control. We wonder if they help out with credit card debt? Or maybe that is more a remover of obstacles sort of task in which case we want to know where are the Ganesha elephant shoes. Either way don't hold it against us if we start humming "I told the witch doctor I was in LV with you!"
It is a curious feeling to have so strongly weighed in on both the accessories and the beauty of a show and yet have so little to say about the actual clothing, but that is the predicament we are in for Christian Dior's Spring 2009 collection. We have long been aggravated by John Galliano's half baked attempts at intellectualizing his inspirations when clearly the mish mash of ideas that combines to create his genius final product has very little to do with any concrete or linear thought process. Literalism has never been his strong suit.
So the vague inklings of tribalism that found their way into the accessories is only the barest hint at a coherent theme for us. Aside from the bizarrely impractical 80s sheer throwbacks, the collection was largely cinched waist dresses, halter top minis, and selectwild prints, indeed they were garments that never went over the edge. In fact, if we hadn't had the distraction of the hair and accessories we might not have noticed that this collection was fairly prosaic. And that is an adjective we haven't associated with John Galliano in a long time.
It is a curious feeling to have so strongly weighed in on both 
So the vague inklings of 
Brian Atwood
T-Bags
Dolce & Gabbana
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