Nick Knight: Techno King (IHT)
“What makes this glossy magazine photo session different is not just that it takes place in a London museum… It’s that there are thousands, maybe millions, of other viewers out there in cyberspace following the live stream, watching the hairdresser flicking Natalia’s Mohawk or sending tweets about her luminous beauty.”

Mariella Burani mulls strategic investor (Reuters)
“Debt-laden Mariella Burani Fashion Group is weighing taking on a strategic investor after it failed to close a debt restucturing accord ahead of a Monday deadline, the luxury goods company said.”

H&M: October sales drop but Jimmy Choo range is a success (Drapers)
“Total sales across the group grew 7% in October compared to the same month the previous year. The results came as H&M opened its doors to its latest designer collaboration, this time with Jimmy Choo which drew crowds across the country this weekend.”

Asos enjoys overseas sales boost (BBC)
“A big push into new international markets has boosted sales at online fashion retailer Asos. International sales grew by 112% in the six months to 30 September. Asos added 56 countries to its reach and now trades in 114 places.”

Iman: The model entrepreneur (CNN)
“One of the most recognized models of the 1970s and ’80s, Iman has used her entrepreneurial skills to great effect in the fashion industry, with her own cosmetics business and in her charitable fund-raising work.”

El Palacio de Hierro luxury department store, Mexico City | Source: iluminet.com

Ferragamo Chief Norsa Says Mexico Is Strongest Luxury Market (Bloomberg)
“Salvatore Ferragamo SpA Chief Executive Officer Michele Norsa said the Italian fashion brand’s strongest sales growth among major economies this year has been in Mexico, where the wealthy spent more at home as the peso fell.”

Asos benefits from overseas sales (FT)
“In a statement ahead of its annual shareholder meeting, Asos said trading was in line with expectations for the six months to September 30. The fashion site said it had 1.2m active customers in the period, up from 890,000 a year ago, with 5.6m visitors a month.”

U.K. Retail Sales Index Rises to Highest Since April, CBI Says (Bloomberg)
“Retailers saying sales increased from a year earlier outnumbered those reporting declines by 3 percentage points, compared with a reading of minus 16 points in August, the biggest U.K. business lobby said in a statement in London today.”

M&S Sales Improving, Cautious On Outlook (WSJ)
“U.K. retailer Marks & Spencer Group PLC Wednesday reported better-than-expected fiscal second-quarter sales, driven by the introduction of more affordable food and revamped clothing and homeware ranges, but cautioned that trading conditions will remain difficult well into next year due to the economic downturn.”

Random Thoughts Before the Train to Paris (New York Times)
Cathy Horyn collects her thoughts before her arrival in Paris.

Lanvin, Dior, and Paul Smith S/S 10, courtesy of men.style.com

Paris menswear week winds down with Dior, Lanvin (AP)
“The French capital’s spring-summer 2010 menswear displays wound down Sunday with a harder-than-usual silhouette from romantic label Lanvin, a retro rocker at British dandy Paul Smith and a sheer, shorn look at Dior Homme.” 

ASOS says trading robust as profit doubles (Reuters)
“British Internet fashion retailer ASOS Plc posted an expected 93 percent rise in year profit and said current trading was robust, boosted by strong demand for jumpsuits, boyfriend blazers and marble wash denim.”

Why retailers are launching retro collections (FT)
“While fashion has been plundering its own history for years, these days it’s not just the designers who are having a renaissance. Designs of long-ago are, too.”

Ready to Wear: Is it fair to lambast such an innovative designer? (Guardian)
“Balenciaga’s Nicolas Ghesquière has once again came under scrutiny online as bloggers point out that a patchwork leather jacket from his 2010 resort collection shown in New York earlier this month bears an uncanny resemblance to a ‘parrot’ jacket, courtesy of East West Musical Instruments that operated in San Francisco during the Sixties and Seventies.”

Escada S/S 09 ad campaign, courtesy of Escada

Escada seen up on report of unit sale (Reuters)
Could there finally be a way out of the red for beleaguered Escada? Shares in the German luxury-fashion company rose, “8.3 percent in pre-bourse trade making them one of the few German pre-market gainers after a report in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung says the company is in advanced talks with one suitor to sell its Primera subsidiary, which offers mid- to upper-market brands.”

Asos sees sales more than double (BBC)
Online sales continue their explosive growth. At ASOS, “sales for the 12 months to end of March came in at £165m, which was a rise of 104% from the previous year.”

China Govt: To Keep Raising Export-Tax Rebate On Textiles (WSJ)
“China will continue to increase export-tax rebates on textiles to stabilize the share of the world market held by domestic companies, and is aiming to keep textile export growth at an average of 8% each year through the end of 2011, the State Council, or Cabinet, said Friday.”

Stocks Rally for Seventh-Straight Week (WWD)
“Retail stocks rose 2.7 percent Friday, cementing the sector’s seventh-straight week on the rise despite continued concerns about shoppers and sales.” (Subscription required)

Eliana, courtesy of American Apparel

Ten Stores Americans Can’t Give Up (Forbes)
American Apparel tops the list of stores Americans can’t live without.

NYFW: Commercial versus creative (Drapers)
In New York, it’s always a balancing act between commerce and creativity during fashion week.

ASOS launches kidswear (Drapers)
ASOS, the online retailer, has just launched a kidswear line.

Should Fashion Week Open to Consumers? (WWD)
A survey reveals that consumers would pay for fashion show tickets. (Subscription required)

Model wearing thresasfour, courtesy of Sony

Sony Electronics Partners With Emerging Designers (WSJ)
In New York, to create buzz around its new Vaio laptop computer, Sony has partnered with up-and-coming designers.

Page Six Magazine Going Quarterly (Gawker)
New York Post’s Page Six Magazine will cut back to only four issues a year.

Brooks Brothers Opens Black Fleece Store (WWD)
The first Black Fleece standalone store in the West Village. (Subscription required)

Drapers has announced its Etail award winners (Drapers)
ASOS, Mulberry, and MyWardrobe.com are three of Drapers’ etail award winners.

Tommy Hilfiger, Brooks Brothers and Wrangler, courtesy of IHT

U.S. brands’ many routes to Europe (IHT)
Some American brands believe in a one size fits all mentality when it comes to selling to Europe, but others such as Tommy Hilfiger take a more segmented approach.

Emanuel Ungaro Drops Pre-Fall Prices by 15% (WSJ)
“Emanuel Ungaro is pricing its pre-fall collection about 15% below last year’s.”

ASOS bucks gloomy retail trend again (Guardian)
Due to the popularity of black shine leggings, online retailer ASOS bucks the downward retail trend.

Lord & Taylor Cuts 170 Jobs (WWD)
As another sign of an ailing retail industry, Lord & Taylor announces that it will eliminate 170 jobs. (Subscription required)