In one of the biggest raids in Los Angeles history, last week police seized counterfeit luxury items with a street value of $2.8-million.

Among the apparel items were “virtually every luxury designer — Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Cartier, Ed Hardy, Coach,” said a spokesperson for Los Angeles Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who chairs the Los Angeles Anti-Piracy Task Force. 

The items were confiscated from multiple locations in downtown Los Angeles and resulted in 28 arrests. It is the second-largest raid in L.A. history, trailing only the Santee Alley sweep last year that seized $14-million in counterfeits.

Since the formation of the task force, L.A. police have seized more than 1.7 million faked goods, with a combined street value of $49-million, and have arrested 300 people on charges of counterfeiting and fraud.

We just came across this interview that TheFashionTime.com scored with shoe god Matt Bernson, who designs gorgeous sandals for Zac Posen and Walter and recently started his eponymous brand.

His shoes grace the feet of Hollywood’s most fashionable stars (counting Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Alba, and Kate Hudson among them), who may have been attracted to the shoes’ serious eco-credentials as well as their style.

All of his sandals are made in Brazil by factory workers who earn high salaries and receive health care, vacation time, and other benefits, and the leather is soaked in nontoxic vegetable dyes to obtain their rich colors. Moreover, we can vouch for their incredible comfort and attention to detail — we have three pairs!

In the interview, Mr. Bernson offers up his thoughts on eco-fashion:

“The initiative is great and ultimately not a choice but a necessity. It is amazing how truly confounding the exercise is though to get it right. There are so many materials that are processed in such a myriad of ways that it can be difficult to figure out which ones are better for the planet. The first step is to try and improve, and as long as you strive to get better as time goes on, then I think that will make a tremendous difference down the road.”

You can check out his spring collection on the company’s website here.

Matt Bernson KM Gladiator in Gold, $170 at Piperlime.com.

If you’re so inclined to watch Wheel of Fortune with your grandmother (or, um, by yourself), you’ve probably seen those Cash4Gold commercials that offer to pay money for your unwanted jewelry.

With gold trading at $870 per ounce, it’s enough to make anyone take a second look into their jewelry box and question whether that tangle of chains is actually worth something. Or maybe you’ve read up on mining waste and want to recycle your precious stuff.

However, before you ship off your heirlooms to be melted down, you should be aware of a few things.

First, you don’t need to accept the first offer they give you. According to this website, one person tested the system and sent in an estimated $200 in 14 and 10 karat gold. Several weeks later, he received a check for $60. When he called to complain, they raised their offer to $178.

Second, you may be better off going to a pawn shop. ConsumerAffairs.com lists dozens of complaints from the past few months from people who believe they were swindled out of the true value of their gold, while Forbes and RipOffReport.com give Cash4Gold their seals of approval.

Is the company legit? The jury’s still out. But you can always trade your gold in to GreenKarat.com for store credit and put that money to good use immediately.

Racked NY has compiled the street-style images that earned the highest reader ratings on its site in 2008 into a handy overview of the hottest trends of the year.

The results? Skinny jeans remained everywhere, the pop of yellow was a must-have, and don’t leave home without a killer scarf.

Were they the most creative ensembles to roam the streets of New York? Perhaps not, and fans of The Sartorialist looking for high-end bags and statement jewels will likely be disappointed.

But we like these images precisely because the styles are so wearable — it’s an embodiment of your chic neighbor who always looks put together or your fab sister who never looks like she’s trying too hard.

Check out all of Racked NY’s Street Scenes from the past year here.

Here’s a 2009 prediction: You will be totally sick of hearing about Barbie come spring.

The controversial icon and fashion plate is about to turn 50, and Barbie talk is already happening on the daily:

• A Barbie fashion show, you may have heard, will take place at New York Fashion Week  in February, where life-sized dolls will model custom Louboutins and Jeremy Scott ensembles.
• Fashionista is already anticipating the new Barbie Jerry Oppenheimer book, which will hit the shelves the same month.
• Mattel stockholders are crossing their fingers that a new, edgier version of the doll will deliver a much-needed boost in sales.

And with all of this, of course: Let the airing of Barbie-related grievances begin.

Unrepentant Barbie bashing (and glorification) is already happening at The Guardian. Highlights from a recent face-off between Moira Redmond (pro-Barbie) and Julie Bindel (anti-Barbie) are after the jump.

At right, the product of much to much vintage Barbie browsing online: Vintage Gay Parisienne (which, we are told, is a collector’s “holy grail”).

(more…)

SHOWstudio readers will probably be familiar with this story, but yesterday’s Independent had a write-up on Helen Storey and Tony Ryan’s “Wonderland” project.

In an unusual combination of eco-textile innovation,  fashion-as-art, and political statement, Profs Storey and Ryan have created the world’s first intentionally disposable fashion. Rachel Shields reports:

The team created plastic dresses — made out of a similar material to washing capsules — that disappear on contact with water, with the aim of drawing attention to the problem of waste plastic. “It is about getting different disciplines together to solve a global problem,” Professor Storey said…

The brainchild of a fashion designer, associated with a famous photographer and fronted by a socialite, the project was guaranteed coverage in glossy magazines, but ran the risk of being dismissed by the scientific community as a publicity stunt. However, “fashion has the power to reach across boundaries”, said Hannah Teare, the fashion editor of Tatler magazine. “It can create a buzz and awareness.”

And many scientists are pleased the exhibition is drawing attention to valuable research that often goes unacknowledged. “It will have scientific value, in a way that is quite unusual” said Dr Mark Moloney, fellow and tutor in organic chemistry at St Peter’s College, Oxford.

Now, the concept of the whole project is impressive and of course we’re into the the whole ‘raising awareness’ dimension as well. But this is the point in the article where things get pretty mind-blowing:

Collaborations of this kind could signal the beginning of a new era of co-operation between fashion and science. A Centre for Fashion Science recently opened at the London College of Fashion, alongside a new MA course in fashion and the environment.

Professor Storey added: “When I started working across fashion and science 10 years ago, fashion people would say ‘if you can’t buy it in Harvey Nicks, we’re not interested’, and scientists said ‘it’s about dresses, why do we care?’. Now that’s not the case.”

Apparently Prof Storey’s next project is clothing that can help purify the air. Really. Stay tuned.

A little ghastly humor for those of you stuck at work this week: Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Craig Alan Bittner is on the run from the police after it was discovered that he’s been fueling his SUV with fat removed from his liposuction patients. We kid you not.

The process of turning tummy flab into gas is easier than you’d think, experts say. Forbes has the full story:

Greenies like the fact that waste, such as coffee grounds and french-fry grease, can be turned into power. “The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel–and I have more fat than I can use,” Bittner wrote on lipodiesel.com. “Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly but they get to take part in saving the Earth.”

Dr. Bittner’s website is down, and in November the good doctor closed up shop in a hurry following recent lawsuits from former patients who claimed he was a little too zealous in removing their fat, leaving them disfigured. He’s now reportedly running a volunteer clinic somewhere in South America.

(via Racked LA)

Nimli has marked down Azuri’s gorgeous cashmere and silk scarves from $125 to just $29!

These scarves contain no synthetic materials — the featherweight weave is 50 percent cashmere and 50 percent silk — and wraps up at a decadent 80 inches long. They make a great accessory choice to pair with any number of tee-and-jeans combinations, over dresses, and under collars of heavy overcoats.

Plus, you can use the code HOLIDAY08 to get an additional 20 percent off your order. With a deal like that, we’re tempted to buy them in every one of the 110 color selections, all with delicious names like Butter, Vetiver, and Spearmint.

Azuri Feather Pashmina Shawl in Pearl, $29 at Nimli.com.

Best holiday wishes everyone! We’ll see you on Monday.

Image: Set of vintage pinup postcards, $15 on Etsy

If you live in Belgium or England — or you’re planning to vacation there this spring — mark your calendars: An art exhibition on disposable paper clothes is coming to town.

From WWD:

DISPOSABLE CLOTHES: How about disposable paper frocks during the credit crunch? That’s the subject of an upcoming exhibition at Antwerp’s Musée de la Mode de la Province museum. The show — dubbed Paper Fashion and conceived in collaboration with Atopos Cultural Organization, an Athens-based design and fashion organization — studies the role of paper and similar materials in contemporary fashion, spanning designs by the likes of Hussein Chalayan, Issey Miyake and John Galliano. Running Mar. 6 to Aug. 16, the exhibition will then travel to London’s Design Museum. 

Sounds amazing, especially with that lineup of designers. If anyone has plans to go, send us photos!