Louis Vuitton Maison Sydney | Source: AFR

Anatomy of a maison (AFR)
“In the Medieval age, the sight of a towering spire signalled a city of splendour. Today, it is cathedrals of retailing that indicate metropolitan status in the global pecking order. The December 3 opening, not of another Louis Vuitton store – there are already 460 of those worldwide – but of a much grander Louis Vuitton ‘Maison’ (of which there are just 13) proves Sydney must be a very smart town indeed.”

Arcadia Closures (Vogue)
“Sir Philip Green has confirmed that he expects to close more than 250 Arcadia stores in the next three years as the company reports a profits drop of almost 40 per cent against last year. ‘We have got – from my memory – 450 or 460 stores where leases expire in the next three years,’ Green said. ‘And I think on our latest summary we will close more than half of those on lease expiry.’”

Heel Height Times Tweets? (NY Times)
“The 1920s notion of a “hemline index,” in which the economist George Taylor posited that skirt lengths rise and fall in relation to the economy, suggests that fashion is socially determined. In a modern twist, a report about the direction of high heels, issued by I.B.M., proposes that fashion can now be determined through social media.”

Ogilvy’s and Holt Renfrew: Buzz is, big changes are coming (Montreal Gazette)
“It’s the talk of downtown: big changes are said to be coming to Ogilvy’s and Holt Renfrew. The buzz is that Holt’s will close in its current location, move into Ogilvy’s, and the Art Deco Holt building will become condos… The rumours come after Selfridges Group Ltd., owners of Holt Renfrew, acquired Ogilvy’s this summer.”

Hailee Steinfeld Miu Miu ad deemed ‘irresponsible’ (Telegraph)
“The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the image… Showing the 14-year-old actress sat on a train track and wiping away what could be tears from her eyes, was irresponsible because it depicted a child in an unsafe location. Prada Retail UK, who own the Miu Miu brand, said the image, captured by renowned fashion photographer and film-maker Bruce Weber, was ‘part of a serious, high-fashion campaign’ and ‘based on the set of an imaginary film’.”

Thecorner.com.cn | Source: Thecorner.com.cn

A Wish of E-Shoppers Everywhere, Now in China (WSJ)
“FedEx Corp. delivery men will wait on the doorsteps of Chinese consumers while they inspect their purchases, try them on for size, and decide if the products are worthy of keeping or sending back… The goal is to draw more of that luxury spending online. It is also part of a larger trend of retailers offering special perks to impress upon China’s consumers they are priority No. 1.”

Hermès fires back at share buyback criticism (Reuters)
“Hermès on Wednesday hit back at questions from minority shareholder association Adam regarding the luxury company’s share buybacks at high market prices… Since June, Hermès, best known for its silk scarves and high-end leather bags, has spent 114.5 million euros, or 14 percent of its end-year cash reserves, on share buybacks.”

Sir Philip Green warns of profit fall at Arcadia (Telegraph)
“The revelation is further stark evidence of the consumer downturn, which has hit high street retailers hard in recent months… Profits in the current financial year – which runs to the end of this month – are now expected to be a third lower, Sir Philip has told employees. Arcadia, which also includes the BHS department store, made a pre-tax profit of £213m on sales of £2.7bn last year.”

Hong Huang’s Beijing Boutique, Brand New China (BNC) Signs First In-House Fashion Designer (Jing Daily)
“Hong Huang, publisher of the influential lifestyle magazine iLook, tireless promoter of home-grown Chinese fashion design, and proprietress of the “designed in China” boutique Brand New China(BNC), has signed the fresh ESMOD Beijing graduate Xiang Yaodong as the first in-house designer for her new BNC house line.”

Rise: Ziv Gil Kazenstein (Dazed Digital)
“A recent graduate from Central Saint Martins, Ziv Gil Kazenstein inadvertently laid the foundations for his menswear collection long before he began studying fashion. Hailing from Natania, Israel, the print wear designer describes how at age 17 he spent two years making, creating and painting in a commune before moving to London in search of an outlet for his creativity.”

Two young women walk past a fresco in Prato | Source: Guardian

Made in little Wenzhou, Italy: the latest label from Tuscany (Guardian)
“Pronto moda involves importing cheap fabric, usually from China, and getting it made up to order at breakneck speeds into high-fashion garments that are then sold with ‘made in Italy’ labels.”

Fairtrade goes fashion (Telegraph)
“The bods at Fairtrade have upped the fashion ante for Fairtrade cotton’s fifth anniversary this month by embarking on a re-brand. Their aim? To attract more fashion-forward high-street retailers and designers.”

Arcadia group will be debt-free by end of 2012 (Independent)
“Sir Philip Green, the tycoon behind the Topshop to Bhs retail empire, vowed his group would be debt-free in two years’ time as he unveiled a “solid” 6.4 per cent rise in its profits.”

Balenciaga Exhibition Opening on Park Avenue (On the Runway)
“It’s astonishing… to realize how much one country shaped the ideas of Cristóbal Balenciaga. The country, of course, is Spain, and the period of influence was from 1937, when he opened his Paris house, until he retired in 1968 and returned to Spain.”

Designing With Feathers, the Old-Fashioned Way (NY Times)
“Working alone in the atelier that she also calls home, Ms. Saunier, a master plumassière, is one of the few remaining feather designers in France practicing with exceptional skill a craft in danger of extinction.”

Kate Moss for Topshop Autumn/Winter 09 | Source: Topshop

Arcadia profits soar (Retail Week)
“Sir Philip Green’s Arcadia Group has reported a 13% rise in pre-tax profits, despite the recession. Young fashion brands Topshop, Topman and Miss Selfridge all had record years.”

Harvey Nicks boss says luxury needs to evolve (Drapers)
“Harvey Nichols chief executive Joseph Wan has warned the luxury sector will not recover from the global banking collapse for at least five years after the downturn prompted a “substantial shift” in the mindset of shoppers.”

The Guardian launches online fashion store (Drapers)
“Newspaper group, the Guardian News & Media, has launched an online fashion store. Guardianfashionstore.co.uk links the newspaper’s fashion editorial content and allows Guardian and Observer readers to browse over 150,000 products.”

Nanette Lepore heads up rally to save the garment center (Examiner)
“The fashion district was buzzing yesterday at a rally to save the garment center… Nanette Lepore spoke out about legislation to promote production in the garment center and honor the city zoning for manufacturers.”

Son of Escada founders mounts bid for brand (Drapers)
“The son of Escada’s founding family has teamed up with Maurizio Borletti, chairman of Italian department store La Rinascente, in an to effort rescue the insolvent German womenswear business, according to reports.”

Fashionair.com homepage

Showbiz moguls target the world of style (FT)
“This week pop culture maestro Simon Fuller, the man who created the Spice Girls and the American Idol format, launched his new venture, Fashionair, an online fashion-meets-entertainment platform.”

Web fashionistas are just a click away from high street acceptance (Times)
“Sir Philip Green is famously reluctant to follow slavishly the latest fashionable idea unless it makes good business sense. Asked for his opinion on a social-networking proposal called Mint by fashion students, a site that had won plaudits from hard-nosed types such as Terry Green, Tesco’s fashion supremo, Sir Philip curtly renamed it Skint. It was his shorthand for dismissing it as an extravagance.”

Jaeger chairman eyes Aquascutum bid (Reuters)
“Harold Tillman is considering a bid for 158-year-old fashion brand Aquascutum.”

Celebrity clothing ranges in the men’s market (FT)
“If, thanks to the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Lopez and Elle MacPherson, the women’s wear market has long accepted direct celebrity involvement, it is – apart from the hip hop and urban clothing market – still a new idea for men’s wear. Until now.”

The Fabric of New York (New York Times)
“The blocks from 34th to 40th Streets between Broadway and Ninth Avenue have been home to America’s fashion industry for more than 100 years. But all that could change. The district is in danger of disappearing, with its factories and workers forced out by landlords seeking higher-paying tenants.”