Book Club

Karl Lagerfeld is as quotable as he is prolific--whether he's criticizing the wardrobe of the German Chancellor or dissing social media, we dutifully document every word he says. Which is why we're kind of in love with the new book titled The World According to Karl.

Clothes line rope has been flying off the shelves at New York City hardware stores recently--but this isn't related to any green, eco-friendly, retro-ironic-hipster initiative against using dryers. No, it's a little more... grey than that. Fifty Shades of Grey, to be precise. According to the New York Post, local ladies are going crazy for the easy to access "accessories" used in the soft-core bestseller, including (but definitely not limited to) soft cotton clothes line rope, riding crops, hand cuffs, and of course, silver-grey menswear ties. Adult retailer Babeland has seen a 30% sales spike in 'kinky products' over the past few months, with an 81% increase in visits to its website's Bondage page since the book's popularity skyrocketed. Maybe the best reaction of all has come from the generally conservative Brooks Brothers, which sent out a cheeky PR blast stating, "We may not have Fifty Shades of Grey Ties, but we do have Eight Shades of Grey Ties." Whoever came up with that zinger, bravo.