Family

There was a bit of a surreal feeling to the morning's messages.

A friend from college was expecting her second child, and she and her husband both feared at least one of their jobs was about to be whacked, if not both of them.

And apparently the 3-year-old is too short to wait tables.

"I have no clue what we'll do. I know people say that, but I really have no clue."

Not two seconds after the conversation ends, about $15,000 worth of style lands on the desk with a thump in the form a two-inch-thick magazine heralding "value-conscious chic." This thing is so heavy, its 798-page heft rattles the computer keyboard when it's dropped.

The fall fashion Vogue. A little escapism from the real world, that nasty environment where families struggle to pay their bills and even people who thought they were rock-solid employed calculate just how much money they've squirreled away in case the HR department comes knocking.

Usually the styles and prices of the Vogue set bring some snickers and smugness: Who would wear that? And it costs what?

In this instance, looking at Vogue's excess brings to mind more of a nightmare than an escape to see how the top sliver of society lives. The cover is graced by Keira Knightley, and in the In This Issue section, we learn she's wearing $15,425 in a shirt, pants, bracelets and a necklace.

Remember that this is the "value-conscious" effort from the rarified air of the Vogue staff.

That cover shot fashion and bling would float an unemployed family for a little while. The only "bargains" in the lineup are a $70 sleeveless shirt, and a belt for $395.

It would be too easy — and predictable — to set up the contrast between a soon-to-be unemployed mother and the people (whoever they are) who can or will drop $500 on a pair of shoes.

Nothing is easy.

Like explaining to a friend that jobs aren't bloomin' in your neck of the woods either, and silently realizing that, nope, there's probably nothing you can do to help beyond boxing up clothes and mailing them north.

Guilt stirs in your gut. You remember the gymnastics classes you're about to sign your own daughter up for. Or the babysitter coming next week for a night out.

Apparently Vogue shoppers aren't the only ones with excess income lying around.

Calls to charities find that requests for help are on the rise — a climb that will become steeper as the year grinds on. It makes one wonder what will happen when the people filling those requests reach the end of their rope and are forced to dial back the support they give to others who've been on the ropes too long.

In this economic climate, the family that collects groceries for the food pantry one week may be needing them in a few months.

Who knows? Maybe a few of Vogue's shoppers can spare a necklace.