Fashion: Walters' fascinating people include Kim Kardashian, Pippa Middleton

Kim Kardashian and Pippa Middleton -- who often make fashion news -- also made Barbara Walters' list of the most fascinating people of 2011. Kardashian, who won the honor along with the whole Kardashian clan, made the list despite Walters' pointing out in her ABC special on the topic Wednesday that the reality star and product-promoter has no apparent talent. Middleton rather surprisingly made the list while sister Catherine (the presumed future Queen of England) did not. At the top was Steve Jobs, Walters' first-ever posthumous pick. [Reuters.com]

But the former Kate Middleton, now Duchess of Cambridge, was a runner-up in Time magazine's Person of the Year (who ended up being a type, not an individual: The Protester occupied the magazine's top spot). [Time]

Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian did display one of her abilities this week -- acquiring bling. She attended the second day of Christie's record-breaking auction of Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry, art and clothing and paid $64,900 for three jade and diamond Lorraine Schwartz bangles. [The Cut]

Reebok plans to bring back its toning shoes, unfazed by having to pay a $25 million judgment earlier this year when the company lost a case the Federal Trade Commission brought over its claims about the shoes' effectiveness. The shoes apparently will have some new features (though I don't know if that will make them more effective at helping women tone up or if Reebok will simply tone down its advertising campaign). [WWD] (Subscription required.)

Abercrombie & Fitch has asked a judge to throw out the Situation's trademark infringement lawsuit -- you know, the one in which he contends that A&F ripped off his patented phrases and plastered them on T-shirts. But the retailer says the "Jersey Shores" star doesn't have trademarks on the phrases -- he has only applied for them. [TMZ]

Designer Donna Karan has done a lot of charity work in Haiti, but she is being criticized in some quarters for her spring/summer 2012 advertising campaign, which was shot there. The campaign features glamorous Brazilian model Adrian Lima, and one photo includes a couple of Haitians in the shadows  -- or "minorities in the background," as one offended observer put it. Others are defending the campaign, saying it shines a light on poverty in the island nation. [Styleite] [Telegraph]

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--Susan Denley

Photo: Kim Kardashian, shot earlier this year. Credit: Ali Haider / EPA

Eighties Redux: The Reebok Freestyle melds vintage looks with modern technology

It's finally happened. Those puffy, aerobic high-top Reebok Freestyle sneakers every fitness queen wore in the 1980s are back — and, more alarmingly, we're actually starting to think they're cute.

But the shoe's new incarnation is no flat-soled, old-school tennie.

The brand-new Reebok Freestyle is cashing in on the "toning" shoe craze — which promises to help sculpt and tone legs and bums through specially shaped soles.

Still, these rehashed kicks look miles more stylish than the oddball, boat-bottom toning shoes that are all the rage right now. 

Reebok claims that the shoe's "secret, hidden EasyTone technology" tones butt and leg muscles "without the gym" by using balance pods designed to create natural instability in a woman's step. This "micro-instability," so the story goes, forces muscles to adapt and work harder. 

That's all well and good, but we're more into the shoe's retro looks than its fitness potential. Though the Freestyle is also available in black and brown (all colors include a zebra-striped lining), we're loving the unapologetic flashiness of the all-silver model.  

Eager to revert to the "Jane Fonda Workout" days?  Snag the sneaks for $110 at Foot Action.

But don't even think about rocking them with legwarmers, a la 1985.

--Emili Vesilind

Photo: The new-and-improved Reebok Freestyle. Credit: Reebok.

Armani teams up with Reebok for dual sport collections

Designer brand Giorgio Armani has always boasted a clean, sporty vibe. Think of tan, toned Jennifer Aniston walking countless red carpets in those sinewy sheaths created by the Italian house.

Now, Armani's lower-priced collection, Emporio Armani, is getting downright athletic — by teaming up with Reebok, one of the most iconic sportswear brands in existence.

The Reebok x Armani collaboration, which launches in August in Emporio Armani stores and on Reebok.com, includes two collections: Reebok x Emporio Armani — four futuristic athletic-shoe styles ranging from $275 to $450 — and Reebox X EA7, which is made up of two footwear styles and a range of spiffy, fashion-forward active wear (shoes are priced from $150 to $165; apparel from $65 to $195).

The dual-gender collections fuse Reebok's athletic technology with Emporio Armani's chic, oft-minimalist aesthetics.

The resulting pieces are super stylish and slightly futuristic-feeling; these are workout clothes for discerning dressers. Standout pieces include a kimono-wrapped gray hoodie jacket, pegged "sweatpants" that drape harem-style around the calves and spacey black trainers featuring exposed "shocks" at the heels and subtle tone-on-tone embossing.

"Today sportswear and active wear have become really important parts of our wardrobes," said Giorgio Armani in a news release.

"My new alliance with Reebok is a natural consequence of this philosophy." That much is clear.

-- Emili Vesilind

Photo: Pieces from the forthcoming Reebok x Armani collaboration. Credit: Emporio Armani