(TrendHunter.com) Not sure when black became synonymous with minimalism? Neither are we, but Marie Claire Italy sure is — they’re preaching basic black thoughts in their October 2009 fashion feature, ‘Pensiero Minimal’ (in English: ‘Minimal Thought’).

Photographed by Thomas Krappitz and styled by Monik Kropfitsch, this editorial features a lot of basic black and sharply sculptural shoulders with onyx-shaded attire from Nina Ricci (yes, those crazy Fall 2009 platforms make yet another editorial appearance), La Perla, Maxmara, Alexander Wang and Blumarine.

(TrendHunter.com) The Dolce and Gabbana shoes for Spring 2010 are sexy, rock-n-roll-inspired stilettos. The design duo are known for almost always being over the top and presenting sexually charged collections. For Spring 2010 the Dolce and Gabbana shoes use black lace and fishnet material to cage the feet inside strapy peep-toe sandals or burlap pumps to achieve an almost bondage-like look.

The Dolce and Gabbana shoes have an unfinished, unpolished look that usually extends to the sole of the shoe. The lace and fishnet addition give the footwear an edge that has been the domain of metal studs in other seasons. Metallic or red animal-print leather straps can be seen on the more colorful selections while texturized black on black pervades the more gothic pieces.

(TrendHunter.com) Flashy sneakers are the bomb, no matter which way you go, you always get noticed. BAPE is back with their line of Foil Roadstas that are the best thing ever.

Bringing the funk with tons of colors to choose from, the Foil Roadstas are unequivocally awesome to the max. All feature the BAPE star on the side and have a perforated front toe are for easy ventilation. Oh—and they look really cool

Sep 30 – British luxury brand Jimmy Choo is teaming up with high street retailer H&M creating a capsule collection which will be sold in around 200 stores around the world.

Wyclef Jean and The Timberland Co. are teaming up to sell eco-friendly footwear and support reforestation of the singer’s native Haiti.

Jean, who achieved fame with The Fugees before going solo, collaborated with the New Hampshire-based footwear and apparel company on a 16-boot collection going on sale in November. Timberland also will sell T-shirts designed by Haitian children, and a new line of organic shirts and hats will be sold at Jean’s concerts, with a cut of the profits going to Jean’s Yele Haiti foundation.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Jean says he hopes the partnership will inspire children and put a new face on his homeland. The partnership is part of Timberland’s Earthkeepers program, which promotes environmental and social activism.

Generic Events is pleased to announce today the addition of sports brand Saucony to the prestigious sponsor list for the Lexus Santa Monica 5000. Joining sponsors Ed Hardy Sport and Lexus, Saucony brings the running world to Southern California with the Elite West Coast Invitational featuring top athletes from around the globe. The addition of this elite division expands the race to include a 5k, 10k and 2.5k dash. The events all take place on October 11, 2009 with proceeds benefiting Saint John’s Health Center.

“We at Saucony are loyal to the sport of running. Part of our mission is to support local running communities, by joining forces with the Lexus Santa Monica 5000 we hold true to our company’s mission,” states Kirk Antonson, West Coast Tech Representative, Saucony.

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Protecting your computer from hackers, malware, viruses and evil web sites is a full time job. For the solo professional, ensuring you are fully protected is not easy. This is why its important to install security software that can keep your computer as secure as possible.

There are MANY security solutions on the market. Four popular ones are Symantec, TrendMicro, McAfee and AVG. AVG has a free anti-virus program.

Yesterday Microsoft launched Microsoft Security Essentials, which is geared toward home computer protection. I’m sure it will work just as well for business computers in very small offices. (Larger offices might want protection that is easier to manage from a central network)

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(TrendHunter.com) Sneakers are only cool if they are flashy and the PUMA Winner Pack is dropping a fresh, tasty offering in the color of metallic silver that isn’t shy.

Featuring a solid silver or a toned down burnished black version, the PUMA Winner Pack are going to be the go-to sneaker for every hipster around. The best part is inside, the soles look like they are hardwood floors, a throwback to PUMA’s basketball court beginnings.

Silk scarves, statement belts, chic flat shoes and jewelled hair pieces add a stylish flourish to outfits this season.

There’s a wonderfully intimate scene in Rodolphe Marconi’s 2007 film Lagerfeld Confidential, in which Kaiser Karl muses over his collection of accessories as he gets dressed. There are pots filled to the brim with his chunky Chrome Hearts rings and stacks of crisp, white collars. Lagerfeld has more signature accessories than most, including dark glasses and fans from his heavyweight days.

Fashion people know the power of a signature accessory. For Coco Chanel, it was strands of pearls and wristfuls of costume jewellery. For Anna Wintour, it’s her dark glasses – she even mocked her own signature recently by walking onto the Late Show with David Letterman wearing them.

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(TrendHunter.com) Apparently after all the practice that women have had with stilettos, there are no limits for the height or concept behind these shoes. Would you dare to wear a 16-inch stiletto? Or — if you’re a man—try some male stilettos on? How about slapping some wings on your stiletto-loving feet and flying off?

Either way, these stare-worthy stilettos are hard to take your eyes off of!