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Gorgeous, large 2 bedroom, 2 bath flat in Corona Heights! (castro / upper market) $249 2bd

Gorgeous, large 2 bedroom, 2 bath flat in Corona Heights! It's the perfect San Francisco vacation rental! Gorgeous, large 2nd floor Corona Heights flat for rent. Great location, between the Castro and Buena Vista Park. Can comfortably sleep up to six adults*. Approx 1,450 square feet of space, including Master Suite with private bath plus second Bedroom with hall bath. Both bedrooms feature large closets. There is a smaller room that makes an ideal office. *The $249 rent is based on four occupants. For a fifth or sixth person, there is a surcharge of $25 per person per night. Large family room with wood-burning fireplace. Formal dining room. Both bathrooms are elegantly refurbished. Beautiful Brazilian hardwood floors throughout. Fully equipped kitchen with long eat-in counter completely renovated in 2004. Marble countertops and all-stainless steel appliances complete the stylish look (wine chiller, fridge, oven, cooktop, dishwasher, microwave). Other highlights of this flat include: • Furnished with linens, blankets, towels, TVs, VCR, DVD player, and kitchenware • Wireless Internet service available • Central heat • Elegant silk window treatments • Shared use of large, terraced sunny back yard on four levels • Washer and dryer in laundry room shared with owner who lives on lower level of flat (separated by a privacy door) • Good public transit… 37 bus runs in front of the building and stops at the Church Street and Castro Street Muni Metro stations. You can also walk to Castro and Market Streets in 6 minutes and catch the historic “F” line streetcar to downtown and Fisherman’s Wharf. Or take an underground train to the Giants of 49ers stadiums • From either Muni Metro station, you’re just two stops from the BART transit system which goes to and from SFO and OAK airports • Walk in 1 minute to either Buena Vista Park or Corona Heights Park • Space in shared garage for 1 car with garage door opener available at $10 per day • Owners live on the premises for easy access This flat is AVAILABLE FOR VACATION RENTALS NOW. $249/night for the first four nights + $75 cleaning fee (includes all utilities). For stays longer than four nights, no additional cleaning fee. For each six nights you stay, get the seventh night free! Owners are flexible to negotiate for longer stays. The $249 rent is based on four occupants. See the footnote above. Payment by PayPal or personal check (received at least 3 weeks in advance of your arrival. You will need to sign our vacation rental agreement available in advance as a PDF. This is a non-smoking building. Call Doug at 415-641-5211 or Loren at 917-930-7607. Or, write to dougsf@gmail.com Thanks. Roosevelt Way at Museum Way

Exquisite Jewelbox Garden Flat in 1893 Victorian Mansion/Sleeps 2-4 (san rafael) $1300 1bd

Please note: The rate listed above is the weekly rate, NOT the four-week rate. The four-week rate is the equivalent of ONE WEEK FREE. Pay for three weeks, stay for four! Additional rate information is at the end of the ad. Thanks for reading all the way through. Get a huge apartment in a grand Victorian mansion for less than the cost of a hotel room! Live graciously in this charming 1200 square foot garden flat in a spectacular 1893 Victorian mansion, fully furnished with beautiful period antiques. The four spacious, elegant rooms -- 1 bedroom/1 bath -- feature hardwood floors, a working fireplace, and three bay windows. Built on a level lot backing up to acres of park-like woodland, the mansion combines sophisticated city elegance with the pleasures of a country estate. The gardens feature wisteria climbing to the second story, a rose-covered gate, a clematis arbor, huge hydrangeas, century-old camellias, dozens of roses, rosemary, honeysuckle, lavender, and flowers all year round. You get a very large, very comfortable apartment with a private garden and patio for less than most hotels charge for an ordinary room! Do the math -- it's the best value for money in the San Francisco Bay Area. • The front parlor or living room features hardwood floors, elaborate original moldings, pocket doors, and two bay windows overlooking two different flower-filled gardens. It's furnished with a down-filled camelback sofa (makes into a queen-size bed), silk-upholstered wingback armchair, lyre-base game table, a magnificent antique oval partners' desk plus an Eastlake cameo desk chair, and an Aubusson carpet. • The back parlor/ formal dining room offers one bay window, a working fireplace, built-in cabinets, hardwood floors, all original moldings, and a wonderful antique hand-painted ceiling mural. It's furnished with a vintage oval walnut table (seats 4-6), an intricately- carved Victorian armchair, a comfortable sofa, and an Aubusson carpet. • The eat-in kitchen features a professional-style stainless steel gas range, microwave, toaster, coffeemaker, full-size refrigerator, dishwasher, and garbage disposal plus a huge pantry. It's furnished with a table and chairs, three sets of dishes, flatware, and stainless steel cookware. One kitchen door opens onto a large, flower-filled, hedge-enclosed brick patio; the other opens onto a view into acres of sun-dappled woodland and a winter waterfall • The quiet bedroom has a large walk-in closet, a 6-drawer dresser, a separate shoe closet that would delight the heart of Imelda Marcos, and pale plush carpet. It's furnished with a highly romantic queen-size cast-iron-and-brass bed and a charming pair of antique French balloon-back boudoir chairs. • The split bath has his-and-hers mirrors, full tub and shower, and a sit-down vanity with a triple mirror. Oversize luxury towels provided. FREE OFF-STREET PARKING • FREE WI-FI HIGH SPEED INTERNET ACCESS • FREE CABLE TV/VCR/DVD • FREE WASHER/DRYER • FREE TELEPHONE CALLS •GARDENER INCLUDED • EASY ACCESS: PARK AT THE DOOR, NO STAIRS, LEVEL LOT • The landscape includes roses, apple trees, Japanese maples, a fountain, and seasonal stream with waterfall; the property backs up to 15 acres of private park-like woodland, your own personal open space. Hummingbirds, songbirds, and native deer frequent the grounds. Take a look for yourself: http://sentinelcourt.googlepages.com/ Scroll to the bottom of the cover page and click on 'Mama Bear' This property is tucked into a nearly-hidden little neighborhood enclave between Gerstle Park and San Anselmo. It's conveniently located AND it's in Marin's best weather area. It’s only 3 minutes to 101, 3 minutes to the village of San Anselmo (great cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and bookshops), and 5 minutes to Ross hiking trails and Phoenix Lake. Easy, comfortable, fast access to San Francisco via either Golden Gate Transit or the Larkspur Ferry. It's 20 minutes to San Francisco, 20 minutes to Mount Tamalpais or Golden Gate National Recreation Area, 30 minutes to Point Reyes National Seashore, and 35 minutes to the Wine Country. Rates are $650 per 3-night booking (= $217 per night); $1300 per week ( = ONE NIGHT FREE; $186 per night). Book four weeks and get ONE WEEK FREE = $140 per night. This extraordinary private apartment costs less per day than a very ordinary hotel room. For two people for a week , it's $93 per person per night! Sleeps 2-4 comfortably. We look forward to welcoming you to the grand Victorian mansion in San Rafael. This is a one-of-a-kind property; there's nothing else like it ! Available January 2, 2008. Inquire via e-mail or call 415/454-7272 or 415/819-7273 to book.

Gorgeous 2000 sf Penthouse w/Antiques in 1893 Grand Victorian/slps 6-8 (san rafael) $2000 3bd

Please note: The rate listed above is the weekly rate. Book a week and get ONE NIGHT FREE! Pay for six nights, and stay for seven! Additional rate information is at the end of the ad. Thanks for reading all the way through. FEATURED IN THREE POTTERY BARN CATALOGS! Live like the turn-of-the-century lumber baron who gave his daughter this magnificent grand Victorian mansion as her wedding present. This 8-room 2,000 square-foot, 2-story penthouse in a spectacular 1893 Victorian mansion is located in sunny Marin's best weather area. Perfect for houseguests, family reunions, or wedding guests : It's gorgeous, it's huge, it's beautifully furnished with superb antiques, and fully equipped with everything you need -- all at a far better price than any Bay Area hotel! Relocating or remodeling? Do it in style! This is the answer to your prayers . The spacious, gracious rooms -- 3+ bedrooms/1.5 baths -- feature original period detail including 12' ceilings, hardwood floors, 3 bay windows, elaborate original moldings, and a working fireplace. Built on a level lot backing up to 15 acres of park-like woodland, this beautiful mansion combines sophisticated city elegance with the pleasures of a country estate. The gardens feature wisteria climbing to the second story, a rose-covered gate, a clematis arbor, apple and pear trees, huge hydrangeas, century-old camellias, dozens of roses, rosemary, lavender, and flowers all year round. • The bright, airy sunroom offers a myriad of multi-paned windows -- 100 panes of glass in all-- and it's furnished with white wicker complete with fresh chintz cushions. It's the perfect place for sipping a cup of tea in the morning or a tall icy lemonade on a summer afternoon . • The front parlor features hardwood floors, 12' coved ceilings, elaborate original moldings, pocket doors, and two bay windows overlooking two different flower-filled gardens. It's furnished with a classic Oriental carpet, damask camelback sofa, a vintage French fruitwood ormolu table, silk-upholstered armchair, and an antique game table plus TV/VCR/DVD. • The back parlor offers one bay window with a cushioned window seat, a working fireplace, hardwood floors, high ceilings, and all original moldings. It's furnished with an Oriental carpet, damask loveseat, and a pair of matched Victorian armchairs, perfect for pleasant conversations. • The large, sunny kitchen with stainless steel appliances features a gourmet Wolf gas range, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, and garbage disposal plus a beautiful cherrywood floor, huge pantry, and loads of storage. It's furnished with a table that seats four for casual meals. • The serene library has floor-to-ceiling exotic hardwood bookshelves, and multipaned windows that look out into acres of native woods. The furnishings include a handsome library table and a beautifully carved silk-upholstered club chair that's ideal for settling down to a good read. The library shelves are stocked with hundreds of fascinating books. • The European-style split bath has a clawfoot tub with a magnificent antique brass three-head shower (the Victorian version of the luxury spa experience), teak floor, and a handsome 1890s mahogany-and-marble dresser with cheval mirror. Huge, thick towels await your pleasure. • The master bedroom has two arched windows, hardwood floors, high ceilings, original moldings, and a double-height closet. It's beautifully furnished with a queen-size walnut four-poster bed, a marble-top Eastlake princess dresser, and a handsome damask and gilt armchair. • The East bedroom upstairs offers lovely morning light through three arched windows, a hardwood floor, and his-and-her closets. It is charmingly furnished with a queen-size cast-iron-and-brass scrollwork bed, a beautiful antique dresser with wing mirrors, and a delightful red velvet chaise. • The West bedroom upstairs features a queen-size bed and a magnificent antique French triple wardrobe. The bedroom gets lovely afternoon light through the arched windows, and offers his-and-hers closets, as well as a hardwood floor. There's a cedar chest that doubles as a windowseat and toy box. • The half-bath upstairs has antique fixtures and a Victorian stained glass window • The generously-sized laundry room has a large-capacity Maytag washer and dryer and a large linen closet, plus ample storage. • The large private redwood deck -- with a table that seats six comfortably -- is perfect for al fresco meals. • Views include the gardens, private woodlands and San Rafael's city lights, including the San Rafael Mission • FREE OFF-STREET PARKING • FREE WI-FI HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ACCESS •FREE CABLE TV/VCR/DVD • FREE WASHER/DRYER • FREE TELEPHONE CALLS • ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED • GARDENER INCLUDED • The landscape features apple trees, Japanese maples, a fountain, and a seasonal stream with waterfall; the property backs up to 15 acres of private park-like woodland, your own personal open space. Hummingbirds, songbirds, and deer frequent the grounds. Take a look at our website: http://sentinelcourt.googlepages.com/ Go to the bottom of the page and click on 'Papa Bear'. This property is located in a nearly-hidden little neighborhood enclave between Gerstle Park and San Anselmo. It’s 3 minutes to 101, 3 minutes to the village of San Anselmo (great cafes, restaurants, boutiques, and bookshops), and 5 minutes to Ross hiking trails and Phoenix Lake. It's also three minutes from the Rafael Theatre which screens foreign, art, and indie films all year round as well as for the Mill Valley Film Festival. There are two excellent nearby Farmers' Markets. Easy, comfortable, fast commute to the Financial District via either Golden Gate Transit or the Larkspur Ferry. It is 10 minutes to Mount Tamalpais, 15 minutes to Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge, 20 minutes to San Francisco, 35 minutes to Muir Beach, Stinson Beach, Bolinas, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Point Reyes National Seashore, and the Wine Country. Rates are year-round, not seasonal. There is no surcharge for weekends or holidays. Rates are $1000 for 3 nights (minimum booking @ $335 per night); $2000 per week (= ONE NIGHT FREE!) @ $285 per night. Book four weeks and get ONE WEEK FREE (= $200 per night!) You get a huge, luxurious, antiques furnished, fully equipped, private penthouse (larger than a lot of houses!) for less than you'd pay for a hotel room! This is a one-of-a-kind property. Available December 5, 2008. To book, please click reply or call 415/454-7272 or 415/819-7273.

Thanksgiving Special: Penthouse in 1885 Dominican Victorian/Sleeps 2-6 (san rafael) $1100 1bd

Whoops, we just got a last minute cancellation from now through Thanksgiving. If you have family coming for the holidays, this is the perfect place to put them up. We're offering a special rate for the holiday: Just $1100 per week, a $300 savings. It works out to $157 per night. The Penthouse sleeps 3-6 people. With three people it works out to $52 per person per night; with six it's only $26 per person per night. This is the biggest housing bargain in Marin! Regular rates are listed below. Please Note: The rate listed above is the weekly rate. The rate for 3 nights is $700; the weekly rate gives you ONE NIGHT FREE. Book three weeks and stay for four -- you get ONE WEEK FREE! There is more information on rates at the end of the ad. Thanks for reading all the way through. N.B. You'll LOVE the baby elephant in the front yard -- It makes the Dominican Victorian so easy to find! Walk up the front steps of this historic Victorian on a tree-lined street in the exclusive Dominican District to the classic wrap-around verandah. From the formal entry, you open the door and walk up the staircase to your own private Penthouse. The radiant and romantic bedroom features high ceilings, tall windows, and an decadently pale wool carpet ( leave your shoes in the antique armoire in the entry, please!). Luxurious linens entice you to the queen-size bed (sleeps 2), but a silk-upholstered armchair and simply fabulous silk sofa are equally seductive. A huge, carpeted closet -- over 12 feet long -- is by itself a good reason to take the Penthouse. The airy, open-plan living room features a pair of tall windows, thick pale blue carpet, and a big, comfortable sleeper sofa to curl up on (sleeps 2). A black mirror glass table with custom-designed chairs seats four easily. A charming separate alcove offers an inviting daybed (can be a double bed -- sleeps 1 or 2) with its own window on the world, and a 32" flat screen HDTV/DVD. The kitchen features snazzy fire-engine red cabinets and butcher block counters. It's fully-equipped with a Jenn-Air gas range and oven, a full-size refrigerator with ice-maker, dishwasher, garbage disposal, stainless steel sink, microwave, coffee-maker, and toaster. The kitchen island provides additional butcher block work space plus seating for two, and a large pantry offers plenty of storage. All dishes, glassware, and cutlery are supplied as well as gourmet cookware and kitchen utensils. Two skylights fill the calm, tranquil bath with light. Ice-blue glass tiles surround a luxuriously large shower; thick, fluffy bath sheets and towels await your pleasure. In the garden, fragrant flowers, fruit trees, and a fountain. White gravel paths lead to a huge deck with a sunny glass-topped table that seats four or to the gazebo on the brick patio with a shaded glass-top table that also seats four comfortably. White roses, pink hydrangeas, an enormous bright pink oleander, an angel trumpet covered with flowers 12 inches long -- you could sit for hours in the California sun .... And there's more: FREE high-speed wireless access, FREE phone calls throughout the continental US and Canada, FREE cable HDTV, and FREE off-street parking. To see the Dominican Victorian, please click on the link below: http://DominicanVictorian.googlepages.com Scroll to the bottom of the first page and click on 'Cottontail' to see more photos. RATES: The rates are year-round and all-inclusive. There are no surcharges for weekends, holidays, or by season. 3 nights @ $700 = $235 per night Week @ $1400 = $200 per night 4 Weeks @ $4200 = $150 per night Available now. To book, please call 415/454-7272 or 415/819-7273. One more thing: In a moment of inexplicable whimsey, we decided to name all of the apartments in the Dominican Victorian after the characters in Beatrix Potter's 'Tales of Peter Rabbit'. It will help me answer your questions more quickly if you will tell me which apartment you are interested in. This one is Cottontail.

Spiders' secrets unwoven at Isis

Their silk is stronger than steel, so how do spiders spin it? The new Isis 2 target station will help scientists solve the riddle.

Christmas shopping weekends

Six writers reveal where to go and what to buy - from Estonian amber and Turkish silk to a cheap pair of Clarks

Rarely Silky, Never Smooth

I got out of bed this morning, as I manage to do most days. And, after the requisite creaking and grumbling and scratching of various unmentionables, I made my way to the shower. As is my custom on Wednesdays. Most Wednesdays. According to my New Years resolution, at least. Anyway, once I was squeaky cleaned and toweled dry, I ventured off to find clean underpants. They're the foundation of a healthy winter ensemble. But I found, to my still-dripping dismay, that there were no clean underpants in the drawer. Socks, yes. T-shirts, sure. Some sort of weird multicolored fuzzy thing that might be a scarf -- or a month-old sub sandwich? Check. But underpants were conspicuously and troublingly absent. "Somehow -- was it my darting eyes, the nervous tics, or the periodic dancing-Elaine-Benes-esque kicks I used to subtly extract my underwear from up my netherhole? -- people seemed clued in to my silky little secret." That is to say, normal underpants were absent. The only crotch-covering clothing in the underwear drawer -- just sitting there, waiting, smirking at me -- was the pair of emergency boxers. Silk boxers. Red silk boxers, with little hearts and "I LOVE YOU!"s printed all over. Clearly, I faced a dilemma. Would I don the cartoonish monstrosities, normally reserved for a ten-minute annual Valentine's Day stint? (Note: Don't ask about the stint. Just... don't.) Or would I choose one of the other, even less attractive, options? Wearing dirty undies? Going without altogether? Walking downstairs to the basement and fishing fresh underpants out of the dryer? Jesus. I'd already gotten out of bed and showered. What do I look like over here, fricking Superman? So I took what I thought was the easy way out, jumped legs-first into those novelty boxers, and crammed clothes on over top. It wasn't my finest moment -- and I had no delusions about what I was getting myself into. When a woman slinks herself into a set of silky undies, she feels sexy, and pretty, and self-confident. When I yank a flimsy set of love pants around my waist, all I feel is drafty. And bunchy. And self-conscious, to boot. The whole rest of the day, as I mingled at work and outside with the normals, I could swear that they knew. Somehow -- was it my darting eyes, the nervous tics, or the periodic dancing-Elaine-Benes-esque kicks I used to subtly extract my underwear from up my netherhole? -- people seemed clued in to my silky little secret. I couldn't get out of the office fast enough tonight, so I could race home and get out of those damned telltale pants. Now I'm finally, mercifully home, and free of their heart-encrusted clutches. Still, I put in a full day today. And I'm a lazy guy. So it's not like I'm going to bother to walk all the way down to the basement for fresh reinforcements. That's crazy talk. But the missus won't let me into the bed without underpants -- I mean, it's not Valentine's Day yet, now, is it? What's a sorry, slothful silkophobe to do? It's getting awfully drafty 'round these parts, and the dog is starting to give me funny looks. Good thing there's a brand new roll of paper towels on the holder in the kitchen. I'll wrap a few dozen of those around me toga-style and bluff my way into bed. And maybe by morning I'll have mustered the energy to swap out my Bounty boxers for something more conventional. Either that, or I'll be the most absorbent son of a bitch in the office tomorrow. At least they won't catch me sweating during another long staff meeting. And that's the sort of 'silky smooth' I can snuggle up next to.

Lean times and hemlines: As the financial crisis bites, how will it affect what we wear?

It was well after 9pm on Monday September 15 this year when Gordon Brown made an appearance at the Downing Street reception being hosted by his wife, Sarah, to mark London Fashion Week. His tardiness surprised no one; after all, Lehman Brothers had filed for bankruptcy that morning. While the fashion editors, retailers and models in the room had gone from a marquee by the Serpentine and Luella Bartley's avant-garde party dresses to Paul Smith's catwalk show at Claridge's on their way to Downing Street, Brown had spent the day dealing with an unfolding financial crisis. He had made his way home from the Canary Wharf offices of Citigroup, where he had attempted to broker a deal with Sir Victor Blank, chairman of Lloyds TSB, to take over HBOS. If Brown looked a little tired and distracted as he made a swift circuit of the cashmere-clad, champagne-fuelled crowd and made a quiet exit, it was understandable. During this autumn's catwalk show season, not even the most determined fashionista could live in a bubble. There have been other fashion weeks over which the shadow of bad times has fallen, but this time show season collided head-on with financial meltdown. Crisis segued into catastrophe. The clothes on the catwalk had been conceived, in large part, during the early summer, when the talk was of whether we were headed for recession or mere downturn. But now, in early autumn, the world's fashion buyers had the unenviable task of committing to chequebook their judgment of what women will want to spend their money on next spring, at a time when a global run on the banks was not inconceivable, and recession looked certain. The question they grappled with was what, in these circumstances, would women want to wear?The oldest adage about fashion and the economy is that hemlines rise and fall with the stock market. In the boom times of the 20s and the 60s, skirts were short; in the 30s and 40s, they fell. Except that, on closer inspection, even this most famous theory fails to hold water. During the wartime years, arguably the period of greatest privation in modern history, hemlines were shorter than before or after the war; in the recession of the early 90s, hemlines fell. We cannot rely on skirt length alone to track the economy through fashion. "Fashion is in the sky, in the street. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening," said Coco Chanel. Arguably, the most compelling fashion designers have long been those who engage with the zeitgeist. In early September, Cathy Horyn, the fashion editor of the New York Times, saw a direct link between the tunics layered over trousers at Marc Jacobs' catwalk show and the pop-over aprons of the Depression era. Weeks later, as investors from London to New York scrambled to buy gold bullion, Miuccia Prada in Milan brought a new meaning to investment dressing by pronouncing that what women really care about "at a primitive level" is gold, dressing her models in Mad Men-esque skirt suits but in metallic gold linen. The December issue of American Vogue will focus on how to be stylish in a difficult economic climate, with editor Anna Wintour challenging designers to produce credit-crunch-friendly party dresses. (Phillip Lim's answer - a £405 full-length, limited-edition black ruffled silk gown dubbed the "Recessionista" dress - goes on sale at Selfridges this month.) The autumn 1930 Sears catalogue declared that "thrift is the spirit of the day. Reckless spending is a thing of the past." It's clear economic slowdown affects fashion in the most basic way - customers have less cash to spend. (Those in the luxury industry who like to insist that recession won't affect the top end of the market might be disquieted to hear that haute couture, which in 1925 was France's second largest export, had fallen to 27th by 1930.) In the 30s, the slowdown in spending was matched by a new down-to-earth attitude. The mannered, boyish silhouette of the 20s was jettisoned; by the early 30s "curves were admitted to exist and allowed to be seen... Fashions were easy, graceful, rather softly shaped, even to the point of limpness," writes Elizabeth Ewing in her History Of 20th Century Fashion. In the 70s and in the early 90s, recession once again appeared to effect a softening of the silhouette, a retreat into nostalgia, after the bold, angular shapes and futuristic aspirations of the 60s and 80s. Jo Hooper, head of womenswear at John Lewis, believes we are experiencing a similar change now. "What we're calling the 'fear factor' is causing a slowdown in what has been a rapidly changing silhouette." If she is right, the angular, armoured-looking torso shape - stiff jacket, and exaggerated shoulders - which has dominated the Paris catwalks for several years may be forced to beat a retreat. But the relationship between fashion and the economy is not a simple one. A change in economic fortunes can exert a directional pull, but in opposite directions. As Hooper says, anything that affects us on an emotional level - as the current level of economic uncertainty does - matters to retailers, because "you want to feel good about a purchase - after all, that's why you're doing it, really". Some retailers believe their customers are drawn to an aesthetic of restraint and comfort during lean times: Hooper identifies in the current vogue for round-shouldered shapes a desire for "cocooning, which is the feeling of wrapping up, of hunkering down. It's a basic human instinct."On the other hand, some observers point to the lure of escapism in straitened eras. As George Orwell wrote in 1937, "the girl who leaves school and gets a dead-end job can still look like a fashion-plate for a pittance. You may have pennies in your pocket and not a prospect in the world, and only the corner of a leaky bedroom to go home to; but in your new clothes, you can stand on a street corner, indulging in a private daydream of yourself as Marlene Dietrich." After 9/11, upscale New York boutiques reported a surge in demand for lower-heeled shoes: on the shopfloor, they said, women were explaining they wanted shoes they could run in if necessary. The financial crisis has not had the same effect: heel heights have been rising steadily for several years, and look set to continue their skyward trajectory next season. A downbeat stockmarket is not necessarily reflected in downbeat clothes. Indeed, according to fashion historian Valerie Steele, "this whole idea that fashion is a 'reflection' of the economy is a misnomer. It would be more accurate to say that fashion and art are as much a part of living history as the economy is." What happens on Wall Street, says Steele, "is mediated through the manners and mores of the time" before influencing the fashion aesthetic. In the 60s, for instance, what impacted on fashion was not so much a booming economy as "the anti-conventional youth movement" which flourished in a booming economy. "The hemlines theory was invented back in the 1920s. But it just doesn't hold up. Take the 20s - hemlines actually began to fall in 1927, two years before the crash. They were falling by 1969, two years before the downturn of 1971," says Steele. In many cases, fashion designers appear to have an ability to read the writing on the wall, without waiting for the newspaper headlines. Between 1936 and 1939 fashion began to pick up on the rumble of warmongering, with military-inspired square shoulders teamed with lower heels. Even nightgowns sported three-inch shoulder pads. At other times, we may misinterpret clothes in retrospect in the light of world events. Christian Dior is usually credited with grasping the mood of the moment with his joyous, full-skirted Corolle collection of 1947, which launched Dior's New Look - but in 1939, before the outbreak of war, the Paris collections of Chanel and Mainbocher were both modelled on a full skirt and a wasp waist. With the war came a dampener on fashion, and the trend did not catch on until Dior revisited it. Rosemary Harden, curator of the Fashion Museum in Bath, agrees that the notion of a catwalk aesthetic which straightforwardly reflects the economy "feels quite glib. It's much more complex than that, and I think it's important to unpack it a bit. The 20s and 60s were a time not just of boom but of liberation. The short skirts of the 20s were driven as much by the rise of sportswear as by the stockmarket. The sense of liberation cut across the social spectrum - there are photos of my grandma in south-east London wearing short knitted skirts. The 20s, like the 60s, was a time of opportunity, a time of people not feeling shackled. Opportunity led to newness and experimentation. It is connected to a buoyant economy, but the link is not as direct as people imagine."Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys department store in New York and author of the memoir Beautiful People, is rather more blunt. The notion of fashion design reflecting the economic mood is "a total fallacy. Fashion people live in a creative hermetic bubble, and are rarely so tuned in to the political or financial vicissitudes of the world. The idea that they might have a Dr Strangelove conclave where they confer about hemlines and the economy is hilarious." Nonetheless, he says, "there is one certainty about recession, which is that fashionistas will buy less - by which I mean one pair of Louboutins instead of three."Those expecting to find Grapes Of Wrath chic in the stores - dungarees and grubby faces as the hot new look come spring - will be disappointed. Next season's clothes are, if anything, rather more upbeat than those on sale this winter. At John Lewis, recent weeks have seen an upturn in sales of miniskirts and opaque tights, rather than catwalk-led trouser styles. It seems we are in tune with Doonan, whose advice to customers "is always to dress up rather than down, in tough times. You owe it to your pals, family and colleagues to present yourself in an optimistic and fabulous way. Remember what Quentin Crisp said? 'When war broke out, I bought five pounds of henna.' "Fashionguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2008 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds