If there’s one shoe I’ve avoided wearing like the plague then it’s a pair of clogs. In the past, clogs have never appealed to me; the chunky design along with an equally chunky heel makes me want to screw my face up and immediately look the other way.

Yet lately I’ve had a change of heart and of course it comes near the tail end of the trend Chanel sparked during its spring/summer 2010 runway show. Maybe it’s the constant bombardment of clogs I see in magazines, online stores and women wearing them on the street.

I can’t avoid clogs any longer and therefore for this week’s Shoe of the Moment I’ve chosen the astro slingback clogs by Via Spiga, they’re much more affordable than a pair of Chanel shoes.

Shoe specifications:

• Leather upper with stud detailing along the foot bed
• Colours, caramel or black
• Heel height, 10cm wooden heel and 2.54cm platform

Why I chose this shoe: I like this shoe because the design is more streamlined than the typical chunky clog. The slimming heel and platform are well balanced with the upper leather portions of the shoe, the leather foot covering and the strap at the heel.

This is the first among many blog entries called, “Fashion in the News” a collection of articles/blog posts online that catches my attention and (is in my humble opinion) worth reading. Enjoy!

John Galliano to start men's wear line (The Independent) – Galliano will be creating a men’s wear line which will be available for fall 2010. Its focus will be “contemporary-priced, an ‘urban casual’ sportswear line” targeting males between the ages of 18 and 35.

Grace Coddington: the Vogue visionary (Times) – In a rare interview Grace Coddington, creative director of Vogue talks shop and The September Issue.

Footwear Prices on the Rise (WWD) – The US Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index reports that the cost for “women’s shoes increased 1.6 per cent month-to-month and were up 3.6 per cent in 12-month comparisons.” This is every shoeaholic’s worst nightmare, I smell a government conspiracy.

Beyonce Discusses Launch of 'Heat' Fragrance (WWD) – She can sing, dance, act (passably), design (poorly) and now has her own fragrance line. Beyoncé will release a fragrance called Beyoncé Heat in February 2010. What an awful name, are we going to smell like her sweat? I like her music but another celebrity fragrance line we need not.

Chanel Workers Demonstrate (WWD) – All is not well at the house of Chanel. WWD reports approximately 200 Chanel employees demonstrated at its headquarters in France this past Thursday demanding a 2.4 per cent salary increase. In keeping with the Christmas spirit the company offered them a one per cent raise in return. Can you feel the holiday cheer?

Faltering Paris fashion house Emanuel Ungaro says president has stepped down (Canadian Press) – Mounir Moufarrige, president of the fashion house Ungaro and the man who so brilliantly appointed Lindsay Lohan as artistic adviser for its spring/summer 2010 show has stepped down. With critiques slamming the recent collection as “an embarrassment" and an “insult,” and Emanuel Ungaro himself calling it an “a disaster” it’s no wonder Moufarrige wasn’t let go sooner. However, he will be kept on an "as-needed basis" on Ungaro’s strategic committee.

Friday marked the end of fall/winter 2010 haute couture week in Paris. I’ve included footage and my reviews from the shows of some of my favourite houses: Chanel, Givenchy and Valentino. Have a read through and let me know what you think of these collections.

Chanel: Recession… What recession? The 2010 fall/winter collection for Chanel took place in the Grand Palais, Paris with towering white bottles of Chanel No.5. As you watch the video it appears Karl Lagerfeld is using the simplicity of these sculptural bottles to offset the richness and texture of this collection. His aim was “to combine extremely pure silhouettes, which evoke ‘unencumbered graphic effects and asymmetric lines’” in his garments (Chanel.com). Individually I think each outfit is beautiful, however as they appeared on the runway I couldn’t help but feel there was a lack of cohesion in the collection – the silhouettes seem to lose its purity with long trains and I found the lace hats distracting and out of place. Grade: B+

Givenchy: all I have to say about the Givenchy 2010 fall/winter collection, by Riccardo Tisci is WOW! I am completely floored by his work. It is one of the most dynamic, haunting,and captivating collections I’ve seen during this past week and most likely the whole year. Watch the accompanying video and you’ll see that the clothes speaks for itself. Suit me up Tisci! Grade: A+

Valentino: newly appointed designers to the House of Valentino, Pier Paolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiuri have received mixed reviews for their second collection for fall/winter 2010 (see New York Times and Associated Press articles). The duo is carving out their own niché and creating a different vision of the Valentino woman and being the house’s former accessories designers for years they have a personal and professional relationship with the company which can work for or against them. They present the evolution of the Valentino woman who is youthful with a little bit of an edge. I find this new vision for the house refreshing and sexy, but Piccioli and Chiuri need to be reminded the House of Valentino should be transformed in stages rather than in a wave of change so they don’t alienate their pre-existing audience and customers. Grade: B

(Videos from www.telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com)