Good reads from our feeds...

In case you missed it (does anyone actually watch this pageant anymore?), Miss Venezuela Stefania Fernandez was crowned Miss Universe 2009 yesterday, via the Shopping Blog. It was the second win in a row for Venezuela.

Could rising manty sales (that’s sales of men’s undies for those unfamiliar with the terminology) signal the end of the recession? Alan Greenspan apparently thinks so. We hope he’s right. Via The Cut.

Luxist ponders the fate of Hermes post Jean Paul Gaultier, who’s rumored to be exiting the company this fall.

Grrr. Academy of Art’s Fashion School Daily features a pair of black leather shoes you may want to get your paws on.

In behind-the-scenes Vogue documentary The September Issue, Grace Coddington emerges as the unsung hero behind the magazine. If Anna Wintour is the brain, then Coddington’s the heart, reports the AP.

And another one down…Escada declares bankruptcy, via Fashion Orbit.

We are definitely diggin' the new arrivals at Bell Jar, and we think you will, too.

Are sweats finally getting off the couch? Refinery 29 surveys the fashionable sweats trend that may be this year’s answer to comfy chic. 

The Daily Cookie is obsessed with the new mineral makeup collection from Laura Mercier.