American Apparel Summer 2010 | Source: American Apparel

American Apparel: The public won’t wear it (Guardian)
“[American Apparel] was now a vertically integrated company that seemed dedicated to getting women horizontal.  It turns out that, even in the fashion business, there’s such a thing as too much sex.”

Burberry: Runway to Checkout (NY Times)
“Burberry plans to offer customers a substantial portion of its Prorsum spring 2011 runway collection — to be shown Sept. 21 in London — for immediate online sale, with delivery in six to eight weeks.”

Thoroughly Modern Milliners (Vogue UK)
“With visionaries like Lady Gaga around, there’s a feeling that we should all be making more effort with our headgear – especially as the class of 2010 are redefining the art of millinery.”

French luxury vet steps in at Chloé (NY Post)
“On tap to replace Toledano is Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye, a veteran of French luxury conglomerate LVMH and Walt Disney Co., who most recently engineered the turnaround of British department store Liberty.”

Louis Vuitton’s Global Flavor (WWD)
“Louis Vuitton’s holiday windows worldwide will have an Indian flavor this year. Starting Nov. 5, displays will pay tribute to Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, an ancient and joyous occasion to light oil lamps, wear new clothes and distribute sweets.”

Proenza Schouler Autumn/Winter 2010 | Source: Proenza Schouler

What Do Girls Want? (NY Times)
“You can understand why brands like Chanel want to limit their Web exposure, but what happens to interest if the immediate outlet is blocked? This is not a generation that will wait to get a number for admission.”

Style.com’s Faces Off With Vogue (WWD)
“Right after Labor Day, Style.com, once the online home of W and Vogue but now a brand in its own right, will face some stiff competition from one of its former comrades, as Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour unveils a major relaunch of vogue.com.”

Chloé Moves (Vogue.com)
“Ralph Toledano no longer holds the position of CEO and chairman at luxury fashion house Chloé… There are suggestions that Toledano was pushed out by his new boss, Marty Wikstrom who heads up Richmonts fashion and accessories businesses.”

Prada Japan hits back at ex-employee over harassment lawsuit (AFP)
“The Japanese unit of Italian fashion house Prada has launched a countersuit claiming defamation against a former employee who is suing the company for alleged sexual harassment and unfair dismissal.”

Something New in Tiffany Blue (WSJ)
“Tiffany & Co. now has bags to match its little blue boxes. The jeweler is launching an expansive collection of handbags, ranging from clutches to totes to satchels, in a dozen of its U.S. stores on Sept. 1.”

In fashion’s latest revolving designer door saga (we’ve already seen this play out at Vionnet, Ungaro, Nina Ricci, etc.), Chloé has removed Paulo Melim Andersson as Creative Director. Andersson stepped into the role after Phoebe Philo left the Parisian fashion house two years ago. He has been replaced by Hannah MacGibbon who previously worked under Philo.

Melim Andersson’s ouster should come as no surprise to fashion industry insiders, many of whom have been whispering about significant drops in retail sales and wholesale orders ever since Andersson unveiled his first Chloé collection, which was  a dramatic departure from the floaty feminine styles that propelled the brand back onto the fashion radar.

Are we going back to the girly Chloé girl then? Maybe, but then again, the girly thing is quickly becoming passé as designers move towards a more long, silhouette, often influenced by masculine tailoring.  Now where will the brand go?

Top fashion business links for the week of 30 April, 2007:

New York Times – No Store is a Hero to its Valet
Either the New York Times really has it in for Tom Ford (perhaps he spurned and interview request or declined an editors request for a discount?) or there is a real issue with Tom Ford’s new eponymous business. First, Cathy Horyn criticized Ford’s new business for being too niche and too grand (after Ford had provided her with a private tour – you can’t buy this woman’s vote) and today, in its Critical Shopper feature, Horacio Silva pans the store for confusing "exclusionary for exclusive."

Modabot.de – Brave New Internet World – How the Internet is changing the Fashion Universe
Fashion 2.0 is a hot topic. The Business of Fashion recently advocated that big fashion brands should consider the Internet an avenue that they should be cruising down, albeit with necessary caution. Over at Modabot.de, the Berlin-based fashion blog for avantgarde fashionistas, they delve into the topic with vigour, providing a 360 degree view of the fashion blogosphere and some of the new social shopping sites that are bound to change the way consumers shop forever, if not now, then certainly in the years to come.

Style.com – Gathering Moss
Sarah Mower at Style.com provides a witty and always insightful peek into the Kate Moss for Top Shop event this week. This is no small business. Philip Green has managed to make this line a pilot project for expanding Top Shop to other markets, particularly the US. Not only will the line bow at Top Shops around the world, it will also be sold at Colette in Paris, Barney’s in America and 10 Corso Como in Milan. Mr. Green was even on hand to provide some sales assistance himself. Clearly, this is a business he is counting on.

The Daily Telegraph – Farewell to Floaty and Flirty
Is this a harbinger of Chloe’s fast fall, after its fast rise on the fashion scene? At the Daily Telegraph, they have joined the chorus of people questioning the design direction taken by new Chloe’s new Creative Director, Paulo Melim Andersson. One can definitely appreciate a bit of Marni heritage in the collection he showed for A/W 2007, but the question is whether Chloe loyalists are brand faithful or design faithful. As the Telegraph points out, if it is the latter, then there are plenty of other places for girly girls to look for the look that Chloe has become known for over the past 10 years. Clearly, for a large fashion house like Chloe, a change in creative direction like this should be considered carefully as part of a broader strategic exercise. This is no less important to a fashion business than an airline choosing to fly to a new market (did you know Virgin flies to Nairobi?), a cola company changing their age old formulation (New Coke, anyone?), or Colonel Sanders tweaking the KFC recipe (do you like your chicken more crispy?).