Our source says that StyleCaster's Laney Crowell (who now it appears I knew in college), was fired for "being on the phone with her new agent." Crowell (third from left in the picture seen here) is described as "distraught" and "can't figure out why her [ex] boyfriend is pissed at her."

Same goes for Brandon Davis, new husband of Dawn Spinner Davis, says the source. Apparently, having the entire world think his wife is a dissatisfied gold digger "isn't sitting too well" with him. (At least Dawn implied to the Times that she gets more sex in difficult times.)

We contacted the PR firm for StyleCaster — "the Web's first truly personalized, integrated fashion channel" — and they're confirming Crowell's departure. Here's the official statement:

"Laney played a part in helping to launch StyleCaster. She has a tremendous opportunity in front of her and we wish her success. At this time it was deemed best for Laney to pursue her opportunity while we bring on new talent that can focus all of their time and energy on making StyleCaster the ultimate fashion experience.”

Crowell's StyleCaster blog was updated yesterday, but no mention of the recent... unpleasantness.

Whether it's satire or not— and personally, I think the blog is a satire while the article and the quotes from the DABA meetup seem genuine — the consequences sound real enough.

Earlier: DABA Girls Ain't Messing With No Broke Bankers
Would A DABA Lie To You?

Related: It's The Economy, Girlfriend [NY Times]

NPR's Linda Holmes says the whole thing stinks. It's obviously a hoax, she says, put on by a few women who tapped into our "deep societal hatred of the recession and hatred of privileged women who get away with everything" and turned it into a book deal.

She cites several examples, including the fact that the dabagirls domain was registered on January 16 yet has posts backdated to September, as examples that the whole thing's a fake.

Is it possible? Did we get played by DABAs?

'Dating A Banker Anonymous': Did The New York Times Get Punked? [NPR]
Did The NYT Get Punk'd By The DABA Girls?

Fashionista reports that Laney Crowell, Megan Pertus, and Dawn Spinner (who, if we're playing that Sex and the City 'who's the Carrie' game, I'm totally claiming as my favorite DABA.) are teaming up to write a book, presumably based on their adventures in bankerdating.

Is it too early to start in on the vodka gimlets?

Dabas Get A Book Deal [Fashionista]

Earlier: DABA Girls "Aint Messing With No Broke Bankers"

Take Dawn Spinner Davis. The 26-year-old "beauty writer" — who, incidentally, has stolen my life's dream of confessing marital dissatisfaction to The New York Times while drinking hard liquor — says the bad economy has stressed her husband and strained their marriage: "One of [my husband's] best friends told me that my job is now to keep him calm and keep him from dying at the age of 35," she moans. "It isn't what I signed up for."

Le sigh. But Dawn and her friends aren't just complaining about high stress or tight finances. That would be petty. No. These poor, put-upon ladies have a deeper problem. You see, with the market in a tizzy, Lionel, or Richard, or Heathcliffe or whatever his name is, can't do the one thing a guy without money is good for: lay them right.

One frequent topic among the group is the link between the boardroom and the bedroom. “There’s actually the type of person who has a bad day on the trading floor and they want to have sex more,” Ms. Spinner Davis offered as she sipped a vodka gimlet (!), declining to say how she knew.

Not everyone is so lucky as braggy Ms. Davis. 27-year-old Megan Petrus implies, through pulls on her cocktail, that sex with her finance guy has been relegated to the weekends. This is sad and wrong and shameful for Ms. Petrus on many levels, but mostly because the weekends are when colleges kids and working class people have sex.

The article also quotes Raoul Felder, a Manhattan divorce lawyer, who says that he sees higher divorce rates in times of financial turmoil because “there aren’t funds or time for mistresses any more.” (One mistress writes on the daba blog that "when she pouted about not having been taken on a trip lately, her married man explained that, with money so tight, his wife had taken to checking up on his accounts.")

Limp husbands who can't afford Per Se? Mistresses who have to endure movie nights and staycations? Wives forced to sort through their husband's big, heavy numbers?!

It's almost like Almighty God is smiting the worst people in the goddamned universe.

It's The Economy, Girlfriend [NY Times]

Gretchen has all the makings of a classic gold digger. She's gorgeous, young, and engaged to a very much older wealthy man who has a terminal illness who is financially supporting her. But even though she isn't working, she does take care of him, gives him injections, and sits in the hospital with him. It might seem callous, but she should look out for herself and what lies ahead, so when Vicki was telling her to make sure she gets a percentage of his life insurance policy, it made sense, since Gretchen's fiancé wanted her to leave her job to take care of him.

The money/beauty tradeoff is nothing new — the thing is, there are just as many lovely women, apparently vying for an ever-shrinking number of big spenders. "There's much more competition,'" says one self-described golddigger. Adds another: "'When we go out there are usually four guys buying us drinks. Now there is only one...Guys just aren't going out as much. Plus, men aren't buying bottle service so there are no tables to invite women back to.'" Ted Morgan, co-author of How to Marry a Multi-Millionaire: The Ultimate Guide to High Net Worth Dating, says, rather distastefully, "There is an increased sense of desperation among women about dating, and men can sense this." As to less permanent relationships, a piece in today's Telegraph says that wealthy men are cutting back on mistress-associated costs, too: "More than three-quarters of the adulterous multi-millionaire men surveyed said they planned to spend less money on gifts and treats for their lovers, and 82 per cent planned to cut their regular payments."

Of course, it goes both ways: "Will I knowingly date somebody who is in the sh—ter right now? Probably not," says "Sammy." Basically, it's a straightforward barter system and everyone needs to pull his weight. What's weird is that none of the women seem prepared to rearrange their social lives: they'd rather vie with more competition at the same pricey bars each weekend than maybe take up a hobby or date the way the rest of us do. The thing is, all the women quoted in the piece are employed — real estate brokers, models, even women who themselves work in finance. And yet the goal of marrying — or at least dating — up seems so entrenched that even as they're fully pragmatically aware of the situation, they can't break out of it. If that's a dream to someone, it's depressing enough — finding everlasting love with a Mr. Big who — whoops! — also happens to be a gazillionaire is unlikely. But the pragmatism is more dismaying still. If there's an upside to this financial devastation, hopefully it's that some people will be forced to reevaluate, get lives that have nothing to do with Carrie Bradshaw and, maybe, be the happier for it.

Desperately Seeking Sugar Daddies [Page Six Magazine]
Wealthy men cut gifts to mistresses during financial crisis [Telegraph]

The Times tells the sad tale of two other immaculately groomed women from the Tokyo suburbs who waited dispiritedly at Heartland's bar for some still-employed Goldman Sachs flunky to whisk them away. Much to their horror, the only men who hit on them were wearing polyester suits and were possibly IT consultants. But even a nice suit might not have sealed the deal: "They don't trust us any more," Noel, an American fund manager tells the Times. "We've still got the nice suits and the job in finance - just about - but these chicks are smart. They know we don't carry the financial guarantees we used to.”

According to an article in the Mainichi Daily News, the result of this economic crash and burn is that the so-called "Roppongi Hills Tribe" may have to seek gainful employment. "In an age when it is no longer possible to associate sweet dreams with marriage, what will be necessary is the resolve to be self-reliant and to not have to depend on others," says the News.

And that's what these former banker-baggers are doing, the Times of London concurs. “Maybe Lehman was the final victim,” says one of the women unsuccessfully trolling the Heartland for a wealthy mate. “I'll just go out in Kawasaki from now on. No rich princes to buy me champagne, but at least I can afford the first drink there on my own.”

Japanese Say Goodbye To Western Playboys [Times of London]
Women And Men Now Looking For Mates With Qualities To Sustain 'Survival Marriages' [Mainichi Daily News]

[People, Perez, People]