According to a research study by resale marketplace Baghunter, you’d do better putting your money in a (Birkin) bag than in the stock market or gold.

The study looked at returns from the S&P 500, gold and Hermès Birkin bags from 1980, when the Birkin bag was released, to 2015. At its highest point, the S&P 500 offered a 37.5% return on investment, gold offered a 14.3% return and Birkin bags offered a 25% return. Market fluctuations bring the average returns down quite a bit however. While stocks and gold hit lows that brought their average return down to an 11.66% nominal rate and 1.9% respectively, the Birkin bag hasn’t decreased in value since its launch.

At price points that put it in the ultra-luxury category, Baghunter founder Evelyn Fox suggests that the stability of returns aren’t subject to the same market fluctuations of other commodities.

“There is a difference between luxury and ultra-luxury. While the luxury market suffers during worse economic times the ultra-luxury market is impervious to economic factors that can affect other industries such as high-street retail and stock markets,” she says. {Luxury Daily}

While that’s certainly a positive indicator for bag collectors, Hermes typically announces Q4 sales results in February so those who still prefer to stick with stocks will have to wait to see if the company can match the returns of its most famous product. The most recent investor release for Q1-Q3 2015 reported 9% growth at adjusted exchange rates, with leather goods and gold jewelry growing fastest year over year.

With such heavy promotion, it’s not clear how long items will stay in stock, so do try to wake up as early as your interest allows. Check back for updates on worthwhile deals throughout the day.

Tech Deals

7:50am PST/10:50am EST. This is when some of the teased (and in our humble opinion, most worthwhile) deals drop.

Among the not-too-early morning deals? More than 50% off the Nikon Coolpix P600 16.1MP camera, though it’s not specified if that’s off of the list price or the current Amazon price. Other worthwhile products with deals launching at this time are the Ausdom M05 Bluetooth Wireless Headphones, IMNEED Mini 3200mAh External Battery Charger and the Securifi Almond Long Range Touchscreen Wireless Router/Range Extender. While there are a handful of tech products launching earlier, they’re primarily phone cases, USB cords and other items that you shouldn’t lose sleep over.

Men’s Fashion & Style Deals

7:30am PST/10:50am EST. This Baume & Mercier 8485 Classima watch, currently priced at $1309, is slated for a 7:30am deal start time along with several other watches. Everything before are things you may need (underwear, socks), but nothing you’d want badly enough to justify an earlier wakeup.

Women’s Fashion & Style Deals

7:30am PST/10:50am EST. This women’s Dior watch, currently priced at $4895 (list price, $8900) is certainly worth keeping an eye on, as is this silver Baume & Mercier. While there are other nice enough jewelry items that make an earlier appearance, it looks like the deals to get excited about won’t be making an appearance until later in the day.

Food, Drink and Home Deals

Go back to sleep. Nothing earth shattering or early alarm setting to see here before 8am.

Amazon box arch image by Ed Hunsinger via Flickr

Claiming $12 million in sales in 2010, Sternberg took on an undisclosed amount of money from investors in 2013 for “a really important expansion phase.” {WWD} That coincided with the opening of a standalone store in Tokyo the same year.

Rumors of trouble emerged in February when the brand canceled their Fall 2015 show at New York Fashion Week, but a spokeswoman specifically denied that business or financial issues were behind the move.

“According to several people who have worked at, or with, the company, Band of Outsiders has laid off the majority of its staff, and canceled all fall wholesale orders. The brand was low on funds and chose not to produce its next collection.” {Fashionista}

Band of Outsiders has not commented.

Blue and black (and better looking off the hanger).

Tumblr user swiked posted a photo of the dress, worn by a friend’s mother, and ignited a color debate. A lot of people saw white and gold, others argued blue and black. Others argued that the dress in question was too ugly to even think about.

Sorry white and gold crowd – we were fervently with you after looking at the picture above in a brightly lit room from the top down. But after a few minutes in a darker area, and looking again from the bottom up, it seemingly changed color entirely and stuck. We’ve seen the lack of light, can’t unsee it, and are firmly entrenched in the blue and black camp.

Don’t take our word for it, there’s a scientific explanation for why your eyes may be playing color tricks on you.

Light enters the eye through the lens—different wavelengths corresponding to different colors….Without you having to worry about it, your brain figures out what color light is bouncing off the thing your eyes are looking at, and essentially subtracts that color from the “real” color of the object….Usually that system works just fine. This image, though, hits some kind of perceptual boundary. {Wired}

In a completely unscientific explanation, what color you see tends to vary depending on where you first look. Starting at the top, the first panel in the middle does indeed appear to be a dull gold, and the blue tones seem to be a poorly lit white. If you look at the photo from the bottom up, the first portion of the middle panel appears to have a more clear bluish tone.

If you’re still not convinced, here’s a color balanced photo, in all its true blue and black glory, from the retailer who sells it.

That dress, and the pictured jacket, are available at UK retailer Roman for £50 (approximately $77 at current exchange rates), in a variety of more clearly defined colors. Pick your favorite Instagram filter, try them all and see how much of an internet debate you can ignite.

Have you ever wondered if “Flawless” singer Beyoncé is actually human? A fan site recently nearly triggered a fan clash when they published unretouched images that seemingly confirm she is.

Quickly removed, the photos are outtakes from a photo shoot for L’Oreal which show the singer with visible pores, smile lines and heavy makeup.

“Due to the disdain of the BeyHive, we have removed the photos. We don’t want to cause any drama, nor do we wish to start fan wars. Some of the things we have seen posted were just horrible, and we don’t want any parts of it. We were just posting the photos to share the fact that our queen is naturally beautiful, at the same time she is just a regular woman.”

{The Beyonce World via Complex}

There are undoubtedly times when Photoshop goes overboard – altering body shapes and parts, significantly changing skin tone are both instances that meet with deserved criticism and examination. This is not one of those times.

Studio lighting is harsh and generally unforgiving, and close up professional photography will capture every tiny characteristic of human skin. Add on multiple layers of makeup which make for strong colors in a photo, and in the real world you have a magnifying glass for any bump, line or crevice.

At left, an unretouched outtake photo, and retouched advertisement at right.

While she may not have the rubber-like skin that results from a few Photoshop layers in real life, it appears that the Beyonce of unretouched photos is actually starting with a relatively smooth base. That’s not to mention the entire eye area, which is remarkably bagless and bright for someone who seems to work quite a bit.

If the singer ever had 99 problems, her pre-Photoshop appearance definitely isn’t one.

Oscar de la Renta in September 2014 at the close of his Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show

At 82, it’s difficult to describe a death as surprising. Yet that was the feeling after it was announced that fashion designer Oscar de la Renta had died.

Just over a month ago, de la Renta made his appearance at the close of his Spring/Summer 2015 fashion show, looking as vibrant as the dresses which preceded him. In an even more recent photo with Amal Alamuddin, who wore an Oscar de la Renta bridal gown to marry George Clooney, the designer sits at a workbench while the bride’s dress is fitted. Though he isn’t the primary subject of the photo, his presence can’t be missed.

An active designer for more than 60 years, de la Renta’s namesake label has existed for almost 50. Long associated with “ladies who lunch,” (a term the designer reportedly disliked) and first ladies on both sides of the aisle, one of the most remarkable aspects of the brand is the way it resonates with the selfie generation. An Instagram picture posted by Karlie Kloss with the designer in September garnered more than 38,000 likes, and de la Renta’s collections were often some of the most organically shared on social media.

While his credentials as a creative were well established through couture shows in Paris, and decades of patronage from socialites and celebrities, it’s the continued relevance and inspiration for a generation which sets de la Renta apart. The internet and social media have pushed fashion to go at a pace unlike any in its history, and it’s no small task just to keep up.

It’s no longer enough to impress a select group of editors and buyers, because now consumers have the same level of access. Fashion houses established well before de la Renta’s have struggled to adapt, often bearing heritage as a hindrance to progress.

At 82, Oscar de la Renta battled cancer for 8 years, was a design legend and still very relevant to an industry that saw numerous changes from the time he started in it. Surviving cancer is no small feat, but accomplishing the latter two couldn’t have been much easier.

“Yes, I had cancer. Right now, I am totally clean. The only realities in life are that you are born, and that you die. We always think we are going to live forever. The dying aspect we will never accept. The one thing about having this kind of warning is how you appreciate every single day of life.” – Oscar de la Renta in 2013

As someone who defied the odds and challenged the norms until the very end, perhaps that’s why it’s a loss that still feels a bit unexpected, even if not a surprise.

Image via Style.com

Current Chloé creative director Clare Waight Keller poses with founder Gaby Aghion in 2013

Credited with coining the phrase “prêt-à-porter,” and building a business on it at a time when haute couture and custom made fashion dominated, Chloé founder Gaby Aghion died in Paris on September 27th at the age of 93.

Just one day away from the Spring/Summer 2015 runway collection, scheduled for September 28th, the French fashion house announced that the show will be dedicated to her memory. {Fashionista}

Born in Egypt, Aghion moved to Paris in 1945 and launched Chloé seven years later in 1952. At the time, luxury fashion typically existed only through made-to-order haute couture creations. Aghion provided “nicely sewn, accessible” dresses as a modern alternative to time consuming salon appointments and fittings.

The brand, originally launched for Aghion’s friends, “not grandes dames more suited to rarefied designs peddled by 1950s couture salons,” is rooted in simplicity. Through multiple creative directors, and many decades, it remains one of the most recognizable hallmarks of the label.

Her reputation as a champion of other designers also helped cement her place as a fashion legend. One of the first to employ a young Karl Lagerfeld, Chloé has been a launch pad for the careers of notable designers like Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo.

Image credit: WWD

Today at Ohne Titel, however, milliner Gigi Burris created bows made of horsehair that mane master Jordan M fastened beneath undone knots. {Style.com}

Described as “something very simple,” our first impression was actually something very dead. While the effect is striking to be sure, it’s hard to imagine a cluster of hair creepily brushing against the back of your neck – or sticking to it, should a heat wave hit, to be as comfortable as an out of the way updo.

If anyone mistakes your hair accessory for a wounded animal clasping at the back of your neck, having to reattach it after good samaritans try to beat it off will probably get a bit cumbersome as well.

You’re looking at $250 worth of nail color

Christian Louboutin will be launching a full, 30-color range of nail polishes on August 31st, but kicked things off with Rouge Louboutin, a red that closely matches the signature soles of the designer’s shoes.

The bottle is pretty striking. The Rouge Louboutin cap measures in at an impressive eight inches, the same length of the heel on the Louboutin Ballerina Ultima shoe, which was featured in a David Lynch collaboration. {Fashionista}

The glass bottle is definitely closer in appearance to a perfume bottle, where $50 wouldn’t get a second look, but at $50, everything about the polish should be striking. Since it’s a recent release, there’s no word on the staying power, but the Nordstrom product page claims that two coats will give the finish of 20. The polish also claims to be “long wearing,” though there’s no specific timeframe included.

Most luxury products aren’t entirely about the quality or value of a product though, so leaving any questions around those two things aside, the price is still attention grabbing when you compare it to other luxury beauty brands. Tom Ford previously had one of the most expensive nail polish lines on the market, and even those shades topped out at $32. Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Dior and Yves Saint Laurent all hover in the $25-27 range.

Entirely nail focused brands, including salon favorites OPI and Essie, are usually $8-9.

Louboutin’s shoe customers can easily drop 20 times as much on a pair of shoes, so despite the high price tag, we can see a few people buying a bottle. While it’s not what we’d classify as affordable, it is something that fans who can’t buy into $1000 shoes will be able to afford.

Only success and time will tell if this is the first sign of nail polish prices following the upward trend of other luxury items.

In a study by psychologists at the University of North Carolina, Duke and Carnegie Mellon, researchers found that overly coordinated outfits weren’t deemed fashionable. While Google translate has let us down on an exact translation, we believe that “compositus compositus” is the Latin form of “matchy matchy.” You’re welcome, scientific fashion community.

In a new study, psychologists asked 239 subjects from Amazon’s Mechanical Turk service to rate drawings of men and women’s clothing based on how fashionable they were. The subjects saw 30 different color combinations of outfits that were either “matchy-matchy,” “clashing,” or somewhere in between. The researchers found that the Goldilocks Principle, which says people prefer to strike a balance between too [sic] extremes, applies to matching our clothes, too. {Fast Company Design}

While 239 people aren’t the broadest representative sample, the art of the clash (colors, patterns) is a somewhat recent hallmark of fashion or style. While Susie Bubble and Leandra Medine capture reader and advertiser interest based (in part) on their stylish mixing abilities, it wasn’t that long ago when the arbiters of style practiced and preached extreme coordination.

Diana Vreeland counters with Compositus Compositus perfection

At least according to this somewhat scientific observation though, a healthy mix of complimentary (but not exactly coordinated) colors is the modern height of style.

Top photo via Awkward Family Photos