Alexander McQueen A/W 2010 | Source: alexandermcqueen.com

LONDON, United Kingdom — The passing of Alexander McQueen and the future of his namesake brand provided the defining background narrative of the Autumn/Winter 2010 collections. Everywhere a fashionista went, in every conversation, at every show, party and presentation, the ghost of Alexander McQueen seemed to linger as the industry struggled to come to terms with its most sudden loss of creative genius since Gianni Versace was gunned down in Miami in 1997.

But the shows had to go on. And, in a fitting tribute to Mr. McQueen’s futuristic fashion vision from last September, more brands than ever before experimented with live-streaming, digital innovations and new e-commerce models. And, while not all of the experiments were entirely successful, it was a great step forward nonetheless.

In our seasonal tradition, we give you a guide to the ins and outs, ups and downs, and random curveballs that kept fashion’s movers and shakers talking during Autumn/Winter 2010, the season that was.

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Tommy Hilfiger Spring/Summer 2010 | Source: Tommy Hilfiger

A big takeover brings cheer to gloomy fashion retailing (Economist)
“PVH’s acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger has aroused widespread interest, because it is a sign of life in an ailing industry. Analysts are predicting that more deals will follow this year. The cutbacks fashion companies have made in the past two years have left some of them with cash to spend on takeovers.”

Cost-cuts take shine off Bulgari (FT)
“Bulgari sank yesterday after the Italian watch and jewellery maker posted a €13.6m fourth-quarter loss in spite of an improving luxury goods sector. Analysts said the numbers were the result of poor fundamentals, adding that the company should expect downgrades.”

Moody’s lifts Saks outlook to stable (Business Week)
“Moody’s Investors Service lifted its outlook for Saks Inc. on Tuesday, saying the luxury retailer is likely to fatten operating income over the next two quarters.”

Retailer Liberty agrees sale of flagship store for £41.5m (Guardian)
“Liberty, the department store group, has agreed a sale and leaseback deal on its Tudor-style building in London’s West End… [the company] has exchanged contracts to sell the building for £41.5m to Sirosa Liberty, with the proceeds used to pay off its debt.”

Luxury Brands Declining Demand in Russia (Pravda)
“Decrease in demand for products of Luxury, Premium and Upper Middle segments in Russia in 2009 amounted to… 40-45% because of the exchange rate difference. Most luxury operators had stopped their expansion and focused on the development of their existing projects in large Russian cities.”

French Connection Spring/Summer 2010 Ads | Source: French Connection

For French Connection, a U-Turn, Nicole Farhi Brand Sold (WSJ)
“The British French Connection, known for its sassy and borderline-profane marketing, plans to close most of its U.S. stores and sell its Nicole Farhi brand, serving up a cautionary tale for Zeitgeist-chasing fashion retailers that fail to adjust to a rapidly changing market.”

House Of Fraser Set To Expand As Sales Jump 10% (WSJ)
“U.K. and Ireland department-store chain House of Fraser said sales have jumped over 10% since its Jan. 31 year-end as it confirmed new debt covenants that will allow the group to expand its own-brand lines and online sales.”

MCM’s Eastern Makeover (WSJ)
“Now MCM, rechristened Mode Creation Munich, is attempting a resurrection. At its helm is Sung Joo Kim, an outspoken Korean businesswoman who earned her fortune licensing European luxury lines in Asia—and who is now trying to make her country, a big consumer of luxury brand names, into a creative fashion force.”

John Galliano takes a seat for Fashion Fringe (Telegraph)
“John Galliano, the global fashion star and creative director of Christian Dior in Paris, will take over from the Italian designer, Donatella Versace, as the honorary chairman of the annual Fashion Fringe at Covent Garden talent quest – and he wants to find fashion rebels just like himself.”

Brand Recognition Is the Issue (IHT)
“What is the final assessment on the 321 collections shown over the last month in London, Milan, New York and Paris?… Brand recognition is the vital issue, especially now that collections go global and viral before buyers have even had a chance to get to the showroom and make a choice.”

Net-a-Porter features Utility Chic | Source: Net-a-Porter

Net-a-Porter is being acquired for up to £350m by Richemont (Telegraph)
“The deal, expected to be completed this week, will see founder Natalie Massenet, a former fashion journalist, become at least £50m richer as Richemont acquires the remaining 70pc of the company it doesn’t already own.”

Phillips-Van Heusen Acquires Hilfiger for $3 Billion (NY Times)
“Phillips-Van Heusen, the clothing conglomerate that owns Calvin Klein, announced Monday that it would buy Tommy Hilfiger, once a leading purveyor of colorful preppy clothing, for about 2.2 billion euros, or $3 billion.”

Prada accused of maltreatment (Japan Times)
“A senior manager at Prada Japan has filed a legal complaint against the Italian fashion label, accusing the company of harassment and discrimination based on appearance and alleging it maltreated other employees in the past.”

Liberty back in fashion as store weighs up bid approaches (FT)
“Liberty, the listed upmarket London retailer, is in take-over talks with Marco Capello, the former managing director of Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity , in a deal that could value the group at about £40m.”

Gen Y Will End Luxury Drought — In ‘20 (Media Post)
“The last two years have permanently altered America’s relationship with the luxe life, says Pamela Danziger… While Gen Y definitely has champagne tastes, they won’t be able to back it up with real bucks for another decade or so.”

Womanity Mosaic screenshot | Source: Clarins Fragrance Group

PARIS, France — Last week, Thierry Mugler and Clarins Fragrance Group launched a major campaign under the banner “Womanity.” They have also registered the “Womanity” trademark in a number of product categories. There’s just one thing missing: there’s no product. At least, not yet.

At the center of the initiative is womanity.com, a content site “powered by Thierry Mugler” and deployed in collaboration with Microsoft’s MSN, who is handling online media and editorial strategy. The site features an interactive “mosaic” of tiles, each containing an article, video or other piece of content designed to inspire women, respond to their current mood — and importantly, invite them to share their thoughts on femininity and what it means to be a woman today. Indeed, throughout the site, users are prompted to add their own text, images or videos to the mosaic, in response to the omnipresent question: “What does womanity mean to you?”

Clarins describes the site as a “creative commons for expression and exchange.” But it’s also a massively multi-player focus group for gathering insights and ideas that will no doubt help drive the development of the Womanity brand and Womanity products yet to come. In luxury fragrance, a category that traditionally elevates the status of the “creator” and employs top-down, command and control style marketing, this represents a remarkable shift in thinking. BoF recently had a sneak preview of the site in the brand’s Paris offices, and afterwards, caught up by e-mail with Joel Palix, President of Clarins Fragrance Group, to find out more.

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Roger Vivier Miss Viv | Source: Holt Renfrew

What The Rich Are Buying Now (Forbes)
“While most consumers aren’t returning to their pre-recession shopping patterns, there has been a rebound in luxury spending lately. Ultra affluent shoppers … have started to come out of hiding”

Miuccia and Me (WSJ)
“Bertelli, is the mastermind behind a label most people associate with his wife, Miuccia Prada, the avant-garde designer who has created global sensations out of industrial nylon black backpacks, wallpaper-motif pleated skirts, tiedyed dresses and thick high-heeled wedge shoes, to name just a few.”

Italy’s Della Valle ups stake in Saks to 7.1 pct (CNN Money)
“Italian businessman Diego Della Valle increased his stake in Saks Inc with a series of stock purchases this week, strengthening his position as the second-largest investor in the U.S. upscale department store operator.”

Fashion to hit Tokyo’s runways (Independent)
“Japan has produced some of the world’s most famous designers – from Issey Miyake to Rei Kawakubo, Yohji Yamamoto and Hanae Mori – and the Japan Fashion Week Organization is aiming to build on their reputations for a new generation of fashion geniuses at the same time as enhancing Tokyo’s reputation as the center of the fashion business in Asia.”

It bags are back as luxury brand sales soar by 60% (Daily Mail)
“Fashion insiders have long been predicting its death. But it seems there is still life in the old ‘It bag’ yet. Selfridges says that it has seen a 60 per cent increase in the past year in sales of ‘must-have’ luxury handbags.”

Olivier Zahm by Terry Richardson | Source: purple DIARY

The Future Of Fashion: Olivier Zahm (Style.com)
“The French editor and founder of the twice-yearly independent publication Purple Fashion has many other passions… but in an increasingly conformist world, Zahm offers an original, entertaining, and astute voice.”

Abercrombie Will Keep Discounting (WSJ)
“Abercrombie & Fitch said… it will continue its uncharacteristically high levels of discounting through the spring in order to boost store sales… it is willing to sacrifice margins if necessary to improve sales.”

Burberry accuses TJX of selling counterfeit goods (Reuters)
“Burberry Group… has sued TJX, accusing the operator of the off-price TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods stores of selling counterfeit goods.”

Céline starts from clean slate (Wealth Bulletin)
“After struggling for years to forge an identity, the label is finding influential retailers including Barneys New York, Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman are clamoring to carry its collection, even as they cut back their portfolios to focus on best sellers.”

Paris: A Rounder Season (NY Times)
“Louis Vuitton seemed to provide the perfect bookend to the Milan-Paris ready-to-wear season… Between Miuccia Prada in Milan and Marc Jacobs at Vuitton we saw the return of the lush, full-hipped woman, her breasts served up like ripe fruit.”

NEW YORK, United States — For decades, a quick route to fashion world prominence involved a designer turning a youth culture trend into a runway-ready collection. Calvin Klein made heroin chic, Jean Paul Gaultier sampled from club culture, Marc Jacobs glammed-up grunge and Hedi Slimane turned Berlin punks into fashion plates.

The concept was simple, even if the design work wasn’t: find a scruffy outsider style that remained untapped, then spruce it up for the luxury market. But today, as high fashion becomes increasingly accessible, this approach may no longer work. Today’s internet-empowered youth have the tools, access and information to create and promote their own fashion culture.

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Alexander McQueen Autumn/Winter 2010 | Source: Style.com

A light in the darkness (Style.com)
“In Alexander McQueen’s final collection, medieval influences transformed into calm, poetic beauty.”

Phillips-Van Heusen May Gain From Buying Hilfiger (Bloomberg)
“Phillips-Van Heusen would gain extra profit within a year of a reported potential acquisition of Tommy Hilfiger Corp.”

Neiman Marcus posts profit as sales start improving (Reuters)
“Neiman Marcus reported a quarterly profit on Tuesday as shoppers returned to its upscale department stores over the holidays and the retailer avoided profit-devouring discounts by keeping inventories low.”

2010 landmark year as online ad spending overtakes print (Biz Report)
“New figures released by research firm Outsell show that, for the first time ever, businesses plan to spend more this year on digital and online advertising and marketing than on print.”

Can Sackcloth Have Fur Trim? (NY Times)
“Perhaps sensing that fashion editors, at this point, did not need to see another plain camel coat, Karl Lagerfeld showed a Chanel collection on Tuesday that combined seven or eight ideas in a single outfit.”

Hublot Platinum Watch Detail | Source: Hublot

LVMH Must Watch It (WSJ)
“LVMH should do more to fill out its lack of presence in the ‘hard’ luxury segments of jewelry and high-end watches. High operating leverage at jewelers and watch makers, especially smaller outfits, has left them economically vulnerable and a potential hunting ground to scale up LVMH’s business.”

Giambattista Valli to Sew His Own Clothes (WSJ)
“Mr. Valli said that, starting today, he ‘ceases any contractual deal with Mariella Burani Fashion Group,’… [the group] is in bankruptcy proceedings which were announced last week during Milan fashion week. Mr. Valli had just signed on with the firm last year.”

Reaching Affluents on Social Nets (e-Marketer)
“Most wealthy Internet users in the US are optimistic about the economy going forward… that should make them attractive to retailers, which are increasingly turning to social networks to attract customers.”

McCartney minimalism reflects new austerity (Independent)
“Stella McCartney opened the proceedings at the Paris collections yesterday with a show that went to prove that the return of minimalism to the international catwalks is the story of the autumn/winter 2010 season.”

Red Carpet Fading Away (IHT)
“Sometimes a fashion moment is defined as much by what is not on the runway as by the catwalk favorites. And with only one more day of autumn/winter 2010 in Paris before the season’s close, dressy evening clothes are fading from the limelight.”