It’s been a blisteringly busy Paris fashion week here at the BoF, but we’ve been taking everything in and can finally share some of our views on all the action — and the business implications. This season, we were most interested in Balenciaga and Givenchy — the new Paris establishment — and the series of brand revivalists – including Stuart Vevers at Loewe, Estaban Cortazar at Ungaro and Alessandra Facchinetti at Valentino. Today, the new establishment. Tomorrow, the brand revivalists.

After what was widely considered a tour-de-force from Nicolas Ghesquiere  last season, the anticipation was building for a Balenciaga for A/W 2008. He did not disappoint, picking up on last season’s modern, sculpted silhouette (which, incidentally has also popped up in other collections this season from Marchesa to Bruno Pieters) and producing a more wearable, but still distinctive, collection. Ghesquiere is solidifying his place as the leader of the new Paris establishment.

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While London is often the spark of new ideas and New York is confidently commercial, the Milan shows usually sit somewhere in between. They may not be the pushing the limits of fashion in terms of new ideas, but they specialise in striking the right balance between commerce and creativity.

Many buyers and editors complained of an uncharacteristically inconsistent offering from Milan’s usually focused designers last week. But we think there was a lot to be impressed by in Milan, especially from the some of the heavyweight brands who show there.

Take Burberry, for example. Christopher Bailey is on a clear winning streak, softening his approach this season with the perfect autumnal mood for the urban birds who walked down his catwalk of  "optimistic melancholy." (Theurban birds term was cleverly coined by Tim Blanks; Bailey loved it. We think its perfect).

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Two articles this week gave an inside look into two of the women who are changing the face of fashion. And unlike the mysterious, impenetrable images that helped to create previous fashion icons, these women seem to be comfortable just being themselves, even if it is politically incorrect. Is authenticity the new must-have?

The Anti-Anna (New York Magazine)
In an unabashedly honest look into one one most important women in fashion, the editor of Paris Vogue, Carine Roitfeld makes no apologies for who she is. Comparison to Anna Wintour aside, we were most intrigued by Ms. Roitfeld’s comments on the fashion business, saying

“Right now, I think that fashion in the world becomes a bit boring. There is so much money, and I feel a bit when you go to shows they want to sell so many handbags, and for me, well, I do not like handbags. I do not wear handbags. It is not a nice look, to carry a handbag…I’m not a business girl. I will never be a business girl.”

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Watch out buyers, editors and merchants.  StyleHop, one of a new breed of Internet start-ups, is attempting to disintermediate you.  Or, at least, StyleHop is trying to make your job easier.

According to President David Reinke, a business school classmate of ours, women are craving an honest, accurate, democratic rating system in fashion that can help them cut through the clutter and show them highly-filtered lists based on individual preferences.

Customers, he says, know that the editorial pages of fashion magazines are biased by a need to please advertisers and other external influences. So, they would prefer to turn to the wisdom of crowds (i.e. masses of other people just like them) to help them pick out the best styles.

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An article in Friday’s Women’s Wear Daily highlighted the ongoing battle that young designers are having in preventing their designs from being copied by much larger mass-market rivals. Hence, the CFDA in the United States is spearheading The Design Piracy Prohibition Act, to protect the designs of American fashion designers for a period of three years and impose a fine of at least $250,000 for a successful conviction of fashion copyright infringement.

While the law is still far from being enacted, the high-profile discussion has shed new light on the scale of the problem. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimated that $12 billion was lost due to counterfeiting and piracy in the fashion and apparel industry in 2006.

With formal legal recourse hanging in the balance, sometimes designers have to take matters into their own hands. Aseef Vaza, whose shapely clutches have become a must-have for London’s fashion insiders, is one example.

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Today, the Financial Times published its regular Business of Fashion supplement, chock full of industry updates and in-depth articles on the issues that are shaping the industry. It really is a must-read for everyone in the fashion business, whether you are a creative or a corporate, or somewhere in between.

This time, we contributed an article, How to reach second base online, encouraging established luxury and fashion companies to start thinking about Internet as a communication tool, not just a tool for selling and advertising.  In fact, if done cleverly, this can be used to re-establish the communication and relationships that Luxury Goods companies were once known for.

We would love to hear what you are thinking on Fashion 2.0 these days, and about any brands that you think are leading the way. The full PDF of the article is available here.

Everyone is packing up and leaving for Milan, but our thoughts are still on a strong London Fashion Week, albeit one without the major American buyers who have stayed away due to the rise of the pound — or more accurately, the fall of the dollar. We liked the bold graphism of Duro Olowu, the long (but apparently unwalkable) silhouette of Marios Schwab, the fuzzy prints at Erdem, and the spaceage knits of Louise Goldin.

But our  highlight again was Christopher Kane, a man continues to live up to the very high expectations placed on him by an industry desperate to find London’s next great designer — someone in the league of Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, and Vivienne Westwood.

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Louis Vuitton | Going back to its luxury roots (Marketing Week)
The iconic French luxury brand is poised to launch its first ever television advertisement (click on video above to view it). The ad is being positively received by industry analysts and observers who say it takes the brand back to its heritage in luxury travel.

Gucci | “Loves” New York but city not returning sentiment (CNBC)
As Gucci opened its new 5th Avenue store, declaring its undying love for the city, some New Yorkers are trying to get in Cupid’s way.

Halston | Fast fashion test drive (Cathy Horyn – On the Runway)
While the fashion pack moved over to London, Cathy Horyn decided to give Net-a-Porter’s fast fashion from Halston a test drive, with some unexpected results that have “concerned” Bonnie Takhar, Halston’s CEO.

The first clue on Wednesday night that the Giles Deacon show was about to undergo a big change was the glam photo of quintuple Grammy-winning Amy Winehouse on the All Access Pass. Continuing on this tack, his tiny, usually sparse, white showspace had been converted into a dark disco chamber, with disco balls hanging every which way, leaving showgoers (who included Lily Allen and Bee Shaffer) bathed in white polkadots.

His collection was mixture of mini puffa jackets, blinged-out high heels, suede-fringed dresses and others with typically Giles intricate construction. With all this effort, Giles seemed determined to get the biggest bang for his buck. For the first time, he put on two shows to meet growing demand to take part in what has become one of the most highly anticipated events on the London Fashion Week calendar.

So, why the change?

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Osman Yousefzada is one London designer who has shown a knack for building his business without an active investor on board. Not only is he consulting for a high profile British luxury chain, he is collaborating with Mango to release a capsule collection of little black dresses which will hit Mango stores worldwide in March, after an exclusive selling period at Selfridges in London. These projects help Osman by injecting cash to finance production and operating costs for the business.

Mango also hosted Osman’s show today in its Oxford Street flagship, causing quite a stir as regular shoppers mixed in with London’s fashion flock. The choice of location works for both parties because Osman gets free space and solid evidence of his partnership with Mango, while Osman brings new people into the store and ups its Mango’s fashion cred. Perhaps it does not have the quirky ambiance of a schoolhouse in Shoreditch or a tunnel in the South Bank, but it does the trick anyway, and the long catwalk allowed many of the buyers and press to see the clothes up close.

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