From Vanity Fair, pioneering animal prints on everything from leather to lamé, then putting Lycra in jeans, Roberto Cavalli made fashion ferociously sexy and fun, both for his celebrity clients (Beyonce, Bono, the Beckhams, et al.) and for himself; and with the house of Lacroix filing for bankruptcy, and Yves Saint Laurent gone, some fear that haute couture is finished — but Paris’s fashion phoenix has survived world war, cultural revolution, and economic meltdown, reshaped to fit the times. Valerie Steiker reviews Shocking Life: The Autobiography of Elsa Schiaparelli. A review of Glamour: A History by Stephen Gundle. Behind the gloss of Vogue: "The September Issue" is a revealing look at work, creativity and two strong women (and more and more). Lacoste of Living: After three-quarters of a century, a quintessential shirt picks up a lot of baggage — some good, some ironically so, all obsession-worthy. 50 years of pantyhose: Love them or hate them, the once-ubiquitous women’s accessory was a revolutionary invention that helped transform women’s fashion. The way world leaders dress — even when they are on vacation — does matter, and a politician's greatest holiday sartorial challenge is swimwear. Men’s trainers can be good, bad or decidedly ugly — sidestep the silly ones and hunt down some modern classics.

Philip Tetlock reviews The Fat Tail: The Power of Political Knowledge for Strategic Investing by Ian Bremmer and Preston Keat; The Predictioneer’s Game: Using the Logic of Brazen Self-Interest to See and Shape the Future by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita; and The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century by George Friedman. An interview with John Riordan and Kristen Becker, authors of The Good Office: Green Design on the Cutting Edge. Triumph and tragedy: Sean Wilentz on the seesaw life of Edward M. Kennedy; and Harold Meyerson on the keeper of the liberal flame (and more and more and more; and more from The Daily Beast). The punch that took two lives: Nearly 17 years ago, Joe Donovan initiated a tragic chain of events with a brutish act of machismo — but should he be in jail for life? Micronations of the World: Explore these mock sovereign states fueled by local disputes, utopian idealism and the imaginations of a few eccentric individuals.  High-tech, hard times fuel latest comeback: The yo-yo has had ups and downs, but it's far from end of its string. Is half a torture investigation better than none at all? Why economists love Meryl Streep: Her new film is sending cookware sales soaring, just as Mamma Mia! boosted Greece.

First, kill all the MBAs: An article on the role business schools played in the economic crisis. Experience is not enough: As long as business schools are overawed by real-world success, they will not offer the insights industry needs. A review of The Management Myth: Why the "Experts" Keep Getting it Wrong by Matthew Stewart (and more and an excerpt on how to become a management guru in five easy steps). Slaves of the bonus culture: The demise of the professions is having a profound impact, starting with the disappearance of integrity in public life. Erich Spangenberg makes a fortune suing major corporations for infringing on patents he owns; is he exploiting a legal loophole or is he a modern-day Robin Hood? Can business be ethical? Peter Singer investigates. What does financial capital owe society? Corporate social responsibility is a worthy goal, but it's no substitute for regulation, subsidy, and government sponsorship of social institutions. A review of The Education of an American Dreamer by Peter G. Peterson. More and more and more and more on To Serve God and Wal-Mart: The Making of Christian Free Enterprise by Bethany Moreton (and more by Maud Newton at Bookforum). John Allison, chairman of BB&T, leads his company with an Ayn Randian "commitment to reason".

Western Sahara's "Wall of Shame": How the longest active military wall continues to divide the Saharawi people. The fountain of knowledge: Femi Akomolafe on Nigerian election fraud, charms, and amulets. Who's behind those Nigerian email scams? Welcome to the Lagos suburb of Festac Town, the center of internet fraud. Does the "Congo" — a vast, mineral rich and war torn country — really exist as such? Why are Swiss banks giving millions of dollars back to the family of an African tyrant? Jennifer Howard reviews Blood River: A Journey to Africa’s Broken Heart by Tim Butcher. Line drawn: A border dispute in Southern Sudan is resolved. Ahmed Egal says it's time for the world to embrace Somaliland, and consider the country a base for addressing instability in the south. The Somalia crossroads: Piracy and an insurgency tempt Washington to get it wrong again. From FP, America brought Europe back to life a half-century ago — why not give Africa the same chance?; and a look at why Africa is in far better shape than most experts think. A review of The Challenge for Africa: A New Vision by Wangari Maathai. We Are All Africans: All non-African females are descendants of L3 line, and males have Y chromosome M-168. Mark Hannam and Jonathan Wolff help facilitate the understanding of legal positivism in Africa.