Ports Design Plans to Purchase European Company (Bloomberg)
In an effort to expand beyond China, Ports may acquire a European company and open stores in Japan.

PPR, Hermes Report Solid Profits in First Half (WWD)
Proving that the luxury industry is resilient, PPR and Hermes performed well in the first half of the year.

Tiffany Profit Rises More Than Estimates on Sales (Reuters)
With strong sales in Europe and Asia-Pacific, Tiffany’s net income increased to $80.8 million or 63 cents a share in the second quarter.

L’Oreal Operating Profits Rise (WWD)
L’Oreal posted a net profit increase of 6.4 percent for the first-half of the year.

Ports 1961 a/w ‘08, photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Michael Kors (but You Knew That) (NY Times)
Thanks to Project Runway, the Michael Kors brand is having a moment.

Bouwer Presents Fashion Show Via Webcast (WSJ)
For his spring / summer ’09 show during New York Fashion Week, Marc Bouwer will forgo a runway presentation in favor of a webcast in order to reach a wider audience.

Six Ways To Shop Indian Merchants Online (Forbes)
For non-resident Indians (NRIs), a number of e-commerce sites allow them to send gifts back home to relatives.

Retail sales slump surpasses 1990s recession (Times UK)
In the UK, “high street sales plunged to the lowest level in a quarter of century in August," according to the Times UK.

Quiksilver Sells Rossignol for $146M (WWD)
With a binding offer from Chartreuse & Mont Blanc to purchase Rossignol, Quicksilver is out of the skiwear business.

Michael Kors, photo courtesy of the New York Times.

Vuitton’s Deal With Rei Kawakubo (WWD)
Rei Kawakubo designs handbags for  Louis Vuitton.

Urban Outfitters Fashions Growth Plan (WSJ)
To meet Urban Outfitter’s 20% sales growth goal, its CEO plans to open 45 stores including outposts in Europe.

Tennis Apparel Sales Bounce Back (WWD)
Tennis apparel is gaining popularity both on and off the court.

Westfield London signs more luxury brands (Drapers)
Set to open on October 30th, the luxury shopping development Westfield London  has added Miu Miu, Dior and Valentino to its impressive roster of  high end brands.

Rei Kawakubo, photo courtesy of Egodesign.com

Perry Ellis: Stock Down 25% on Huge Q2 Loss (Seeking Alpha)
Perry Ellis suffers a significant Q2 loss.

Las Vegas Retailers See Strife, Opportunity (DNR)
As less people travel to Las Vegas, retailers are “fighting for every dollar.”

Coach in $1 Billion Share Buyback (WWD)
Coach just announced a $1 billion stock buyback program, which according to  Lew Frankfort, the company’s CEO, is "designed both to increase economic value for shareholders and to offset the share issuances under our employee compensation plans,"

Brits Lead EU Beauty Spend (WWD)
In 2007, British consumers spent more on beauty and health products than anyone in the EU.

Perry Ellis ad, courtesy of Perry Ellis.

AMENDMENT: NEW SURVEY LINK NOW AVAILABLE: Click here

About a year ago, we had an overwhelming response to our first reader survey and gained valuable insight into the nature of the Business of Fashion community and helpful feedback on how to improve the website and deliver the best possible reader experience.

As we are about to go into an exciting redesign phase, working with Design Science Office (the team behind the fantastic blog Dezeen), it seems like the perfect time to turn to you again and get your input to ensure you get what you’re looking for from the new design and content.

We would be grateful for your responses to our short 10 question survey. We encourage feedback which is constructive, courteous and honest and in return commit to read everything and consider it as we take things forward.

In the meantime are going to take a bit of a late summer hiatus. We’ll be back for New York Fashion Week in early September with all of the insider news and analysis from the front lines of the fashion business.

You can fill out the reader survey by clicking here. Thank you.

Even as Bolt Sets Records, Puma Keeps Its Own Clock (WSJ)
Despite Usain Bolt’s Olympic triumph, Puma lays low on its marketing efforts.

Colette Unveils Redesigned Store Interior (WWD)
Colette, the Parisian style temple of cool unveils its new look.

US fashion brands chart new course abroad (Guardian)
Many US brands will expand their presence to foreign markets in the near future.

Future proof your look (Times UK)
Slow fashion is gaining some steady momentum.

Calvin Klein Web Site Offers E-Commerce (WWD)
Calvin Klein ventures into e-commerce.

Usain Bolt at the Olympics, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.

PARIS, France – When I first met Diane Pernet, it was hard to see beyond her iconic look : a towering pompadour, mantilla veil, cateye sunglasses and platform wedges, all in black, complemented by scarlet red lips and a signature scent.  Since then, I have never seen her in anything else.

But, despite her aesthetic constancy, she is one of those rare souls in the fashion business who still manages to surprise at every turn, with witty observations and an unflinching honesty. And, as I have come to know the person behind the veil, as it were, we have bonded over our shared passion for young design talent, debated ideas for fashion collaborations and industry progress, and exchanged dollops of industry gossip.

Diane, of course, is best known for building one of the most influential blogs in the industry, something she has done by focusing on emerging brands and edgy events from around the world, as opposed to the major brands which are covered ad nauseam elsewhere. But recently, she has been talking to me about A Shaded View on Fashion Film, which will launch at the prestigious Jeu de Paume in Paris in September.

… Continue Reading

Moving Into Prestige: CVS Set to Roll Out Luxury Beauty Units (WWD)
The drug store chain CVS plans to open high-end beauty stores called Beauty 360.

Gap Profits Up on Cost-Cutting (WWD)
With Q2 earnings up, Gap shows some progress.

Retailing icon Mickey Drexler doubles down (Fortune)
According to J. Crew CEO, Mickey Drexler, this is the worst retail environment in 40 years, and therefore, he plans to take the company upscale.

Meet the sultans of style (Fortune)
Fortune rounds up the moguls who are shaping the luxury industry.

Beauty 360 rendering, courtesy of WWD.

Olympic Couture (Newsweek)
At the Olympics, athletes’ uniforms revealed much about their countries’ people.

American Apparel Hits China (WWD)
This weekend, American Apparel is set to open a store in Beijing’s World Trade Center.

The Death of Trends: III  (JC Report)
The JC Report examines the effect of retail practices on trends.

On Rodeo Drive, the economy’s booming (LA Times)
Shoppers at the glitzy Rodeo Drive prove that wealthy individuals aren’t affected by the economic downturn.

Dov Charney of American Apparel, photo courtesy of American Apparel.

Saks Inc. Reports $31.7M Loss (WWD)
According to WWD, Saks "fell deeper into the red in the second quarter" that ended on August 2.

Earnings Preview: Gap (Forbes)
As its Q2 earnings report reveals, Gap "continues to struggle with lackluster same-store sales."

Patrick McMullan & Hot Phone Hit Factory Launch PMc Magazine via iPhone (Market Watch)
Nightlife photographer Patrick McMullan with new media company Hot Phone Hit Factory introduce PMc Magazine exclusively to iPhone users.

Retailers ‘Sell’ to Young Virtually (WSJ)
Numerous retailers are virtually launching lines for teens and tweens.

Photo of Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store, courtesy of www.thecityreview.com.