Giambattista Valli A/W 09, courtesy of coutorture

Burani to License Giambattista Valli Fashions (WSJ)
“Italy’s Mariella Burani Fashion Group said it has signed a five-year contract to make and distribute the ready-to-wear collection of Italian fashion designer Giambattista Valli, a deal aimed at growing both companies as the luxury goods industry suffers through the economic crisis.”

Haute Couture Faces Uncertain Times (IHT)
“In the closeted world of satin and sequins that is Parisian haute couture, there is uncertainty about the future.”

Berlin Fashion Week Shows a Raw Energy (New York Times)
“From the discomforting sight of homeless people from public shelters as models at Patrick Mohr’s show, to the gritty glamour of the Boss Orange line strutted through a former electricity plant on the city’s outer fringes, Berlin Fashion Week, which closed last weekend, had a distinctive raw energy.”

Too Precious for a Recession (New York Times)
“In a different economy, Billy Mitchell and Nicole Drucker of San Francisco might have splurged on a $10,000 engagement ring. But Ms. Drucker is out of work and they need to save for a house. So in April, Mr. Mitchell got down on one knee on the Golden Gate Bridge and proposed with a $4,000 diamond ring he had bought on the Internet.”

Christian Lacroix: hanging on by a thread (AFP)
“Designer Christian Lacroix has had his back against the wall since the fashion house which bears his name went into administration early last month. If no saviour turns up, the house will close its doors at the end of July and 112 of its current 124 employees will lose their jobs.”

Scene on Madison Avenue, courtesy of the New York Times

On Madison Avenue, Shops Pack Their Hand-Tooled Bags (New York Times)
“New York’s most elegant shopping corridor, the Gold Coast of Madison Avenue, from 57th Street to 72nd Street, is pockmarked with vacancies as retailers flee sky-high rents.”

Mango’s sales rise 8% (Drapers)
Beating the downward retail trend, Mango’s sales rise 8 percent.

Industry Reacts to Lincoln Center Move (WWD)
Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park is New York Fashion Week’s new location, and not all industry players are happy. (Subscription required)

Berlin Fashion Week | Very ‘Project Runway’ (The Moment)
“Instead of distilling a powerful German aesthetic and developing the public relations and commercial infrastructure necessary for real success, people are more focused on blowing Champagne kisses and indulging their caviar dreams.”

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