Sameer Reddy is a Special Correspondent for Newsweek International, to which he contributes two columns - Top Shelf, which deals with luxury, and Tendencies, a survey of trends in culture. He also contributes features on fashion, lifestyle and luxury to Newsweek, Departures, T, and Vogue India, among others. Based out of Berlin, he edits a recently launched blog about aesthetics, www.the-comment.com, while consuming large amounts of sausage and gluten-free pretzels.

Not everyone’s cutting back these days. Now more than ever, the wealthy are springing for megayachts, private jets, and $30,000 designer gowns. Sameer Reddy reports.

Department stores may be hurting, but Sameer Reddy reports that high-end e-commerce sites such as the Outnet, Yoox, and Vente Privee are packed with customers looking for a steal.

This season, more models of color are walking the runways than ever. Is this sea change truly a product of the Obama Effect? Sameer Reddy reports.

The big question at this year’s Paris Fashion Week: will the economic collapse kill haute couture? From the lavish designs sent down the runways by Valentino, Galliano, and Lagerfeld, it seems that made-to-order garments are safe…for now.