Free Republic

Inflation is still afflicting American consumers and that means that the elevated interest rates needed to fight it are going to keep afflicting borrowers and taxpayers. The Journal’s Nick Timiraos reports:

First Lady Jill Biden looked beautiful as she arrived for the White House’s state dinner with India on Thursday, June 22. The first lady, 72, always looks fantastic as she hosts public events, and she stunned as she and President Joe Biden welcomed officials from India for the event. The First Lady glowed in a sparkling sage green dress with a crisscross design over the chest and a floor length skirt and three-quarter length sleeves. She wore her hair in an elegant, softly curled updo and completed the look with matching dangling gemstone earrings and stackable yellow gold bangles....

Sen. Mitt Romney is adding some pep — and a mustache — to the upper chamber, debuting a "Ted Lasso"-inspired costume for Halloween. The Utah Republican posted an image of himself on Thursday dressed as the Apple TV show's earnest protagonist, complete with a Lasso-ism or two, and a little "Friday Night Lights":

Iris van Herpen’s collection for Paris Haute Couture Week consists of five gowns covered in intricate, elaborate lace. It’s hard to believe that the ethereal dresses are made entirely from trash. The Dutch designer has partnered, for a second time, with Parley for the Oceans, an organization that collects plastic waste from the ocean, then recycles it to create new materials. This time around, van Herpen pushes the boundaries of the recycled plastic fabric, hand- and laser-cutting it to create patterns that would not be possible with cotton or silk. The collection as a whole tells a larger story about...

A music video of the fashions worn by Melania Trump in 2019. After the intro, it's chronological. Music is Trumpet Concerto in D, I and III, by Torelli. Links to the previous 2 fashion videos will be in the first comment. The video can also be viewed, downloaded and saved from my website.

Why should women get to wear all the pretty dresses? Why can't men also flounce about in the feathers, lace or fine embroidery if they fancy? These are the questions being posed by the daring young Spanish label, Palomo Spain, whose flamboyant show kicked off the Paris men's fashion week late Tuesday.

NBC News starlet Megyn Kelly dressed like a hooker for her interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin that is scheduled to air on Sunday. A publicity photo shows Kelly interviewing Putin while wearing a low-cut, off the shoulder blue velvet dress that is slit to mid-thigh, accented by black open-toe shoes with stiletto heels. Kelly met with Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seen in the photo, at a state dinner in St. Petersburg. NBC’s Megyn Kelly Dresses Like High Class Hooker for Putin Interview Kristinn Taylor Jun 2nd, 2017 12:24 am 397 Comments NBC News starlet Megyn Kelly...

Despite his voiced desire to stay out of the political theater, former president Barack Obama returned again to defend his presidency and speak out against his successor Donald Trump. The former president has repeatedly spoken out against Republicans and their policies, facing a sharp reversal of his presidency. “I want to be quiet a little bit and not hear myself talk so darn much,” Obama said to reporters during the last press conference of his presidency. But it’s clear that the president has no intention of staying out of the public spotlight. On Sunday, the president urged members of Congress...

A five-year-old boy has been banned from an after-school club - because he keeps turning up in princess dresses and high heels. Romeo Clarke has a collection of 100 dresses and eight pairs of children’s high heels which he likes to wear every day after school. But the youngster, who has three older sisters, was accused by organisers of the church-run club of “confusing” the other children by his choice of clothes. His shocked mum Georgina, 36, has lodged a complaint with the playgroup, claiming it is discriminating against her son.

Every little girl dreams of her wedding day. So when a Chicago bridal shop burned to the ground yesterday, it was sheer mayhem. Every dress was lost, leaving mothers and daughters alike in tears. Chicago Breaking News Center reports one family's devastation: "I promised my daughter this wasn't going to happen to her wedding," Val Kuhl said as she held back sobs near the burned-out store. "I promised her her wedding would go off without a hitch." Some of the brides have enough time to scramble and find another one. But we feel pretty awful for the brides getting married...

Actress Nubia Esteban wears a chocolate outfit inside a chocolate cage at the 16th Salon du Chocolat in Paris. She was dressed by Bailey's and Carole Dichampt

Those of you, who love Lanvin, surely will like the house’s S/S ’09 ad campaign. It was shot by our favorite fashion photographer Steven Meisel and features model Iselin Steiro in breathtaking Lanvin dresses. Ahhh tres chic, our fashion appetite peaked, by Lanvin’s glamorous visual epoch and myriad usage of sensual stylings.

Paris Fashion Week was all about romance and sensuality. Designers played with proportions and introduced dresses that were swankly asymmetrical and stylishly playful. Short in the front, long in the back, and graceful all the way through. Olivier Theyskens of Nina Ricci completely incorporated the style into his show, as did Elie Saab, Kenzo, Blamain, YSl, Emanuel Ungaro and Sonia Rykiel. From the top: Nina Ricci, Emanual Ungaro, Kenzo, Balmain, YSL, Sonia Rykiel

Roberto Cavalli, Nina Ricci, Oscar de la Renta, Michael Kors F/W ‘09 From the freshest of spring lawns into winter gardens, florals are a trend that never die. Purple hues, nightfall shades of blues, russet browns, subtle grays in the form of lilacs and beaded poppies splashed on skirts, dresses, and chiffon blouses, florals are everywhere for the upcoming fall and winter seasons. And some designers are sending a more dramatic message by adding autumn leaves to their bouquets.

For those who want to add some romance to their summer wardrobe, there is an amazing draping trend. Lots of delicate chiffon and silk layers subtly cling from evening gowns to cocktail dresses and drive you to a flirty mood.

Some of the most memorable women in black entertainment have been played by men. This drag tradition with roots in minstrelsy harks back to '70s TV star Flip Wilson's sassy Geraldine character, and most recently has hoisted chitlin auteur Tyler Perry's Mabel Simmons, aka Madea, to superstardom. The sharp-tongued matriarch that Perry has portrayed in six hugely popular movies and a long-running TV show makes a cameo appearance in his new film, "Meet the Browns." Madea, the seemingly inimitable Aretha Franklin of faux femmes, has yet to inspire knockoffs, but similar drag acts continue to pop up -- the corpulent...

At long last, what the media wouldn't tell you about...BILL AND HILLARY'S 11TH-HOUR CRIME SPREE Final Days by Olson, Barbara "Disgraceful." That was former president Jimmy Carter's word for the final days of the Clinton administration. But as the late Barbara Olson shows in this riveting book, it was worse than disgraceful; it was well-nigh criminal. Here's the whole shocking story of a manic Clinton White House consumed with self-enrichment, gifts, pardons, federal land grabs, and an orgy of spending and regulating. If the Clinton administration was the most corrupt in American history, here was its most obscenely corrupt moment....