Christian Dior Couture Spring 2012 | Source: Style.com

Dior Designer: On the Doorstep? (IHT)
“The black and white, filmic Christian Dior haute couture show on Monday marked nearly a year since John Galliano left the brand in disgrace. But Bernard Arnault, chairman of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, confirmed that there would be no announcement about a new designer this week and that the ‘suspense’ would continue.”

How the other half dress: Paris says merci as haute couture sales rise (Guardian)
“The demand for haute couture is a reflection of economic reality. Not of the recession, but of the polarisation of wealth. Fifteen years ago, there seemed little economic logic in creating beautiful dresses which cost 20 times more than those available in the top Bond Street boutiques. But the emergence of a super-rich strata of society, tiny in number but fabulously wealthy, has created a niche market for whom couture makes perfect sense.”

Now, Online-Only Fashion Shows for Busy Editors (On the Runway)
“KCD, the public relations company that produces fashion shows for top labels like Marc Jacobs and Givenchy, announced on Monday that it is offering a new service wherein it will produce some shows in an entirely digital format so that overtaxed editors can watch them online.”

Little Red (Litigious) Shoes (NY Times)
“This week a federal appellate court will hear arguments in a case involving this very question. The issue arises in connection with shoes, specifically, the vivid red soles beneath Christian Louboutin shoes.”

Fashion’s beautiful relationship with art (The National)
“There’s a real buzz about the vivid, almost saccharine sweet pastel shades that will define spring/summer 2012 fashion. That, and of course the other huge trend of the moment: thrilling prints and 3D textiles. Sometimes it’s hard to tell one from the other because the surface is textured, which heightens the overall trompe l’oeil effect of the print.”

Gianfranco Ferré Spring 2009 | Source: Por Homme

Ferré Struggles to Find Its Feet (WSJ)
“After Mr. Ferré passed away in 2007, the brand’s parent company IT Holding SpA went into government-backed bankruptcy administration in 2009. The brand functioned under bankruptcy receivership until Dubai-based retailer Paris Group bought the Italian label in March. Now, just seven months later, the house’s future is in question again after allegations of mismanagement under the new owners.”

How Spanish Brand Loewe Woos China (Forbes)
“Less than a month after its spring 2012 runway show in Paris, the Spanish luxury brand Loewe (famous worldwide for their leather) mounted a recreation of the full show in Hong Kong today, October 19. The full line up from the Paris show was flown over for the event. When you really think about it, the Hong Kong Loewe show was a much bigger affair than the one held in Paris because it had three different sessions for regional press.”

One Month, Too Much Fashion (NY Times)
“For some retailers and editors, who have complained of the ever-expanding duration of the shows and the feeling of being harassed to attend them all, it would be a welcome development for one city or another to fall by the wayside. Condé Nast editors have already sided with the teams in New York and London. It may be useful to remember that fashion capitals come and go. Cities like Florence, Rome and Barcelona once held greater status in a calendar now crowded with upstarts in New Delhi, Berlin and Seoul.”

Christian Louboutin Heads Back to Court Over Red Sole Trademark (The Cut)
“In August, Judge Victor Marrera ruled against Christian Louboutin’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent Yves Saint Laurent from selling red-soled shoes…Filed Monday, the plaintiff’s appeal brief restates its arguments and focuses on what it deems Judge Marrero’s ‘errors of law in determining that Louboutin’s red outsole mark was likely invalid.’”

An Intellectual Fashion | Rick Owens (Another)
“The Californian Paris-based designer Rick Owens is famed for his artistic take on dressing, his avant-garde eye and his daring designs. Iconic in the fashion field, he also creates furniture and works intensely in connecting clothes with a deeper metaphysical and creative experience.”

London Fashion Week, Somerset House | Source: Zimbio

Battle of the catwalks as Milan clashes fashion week with London (Telegraph)
“Milan has announced that its fashion week next September will overlap those of New York and London, meaning that if no solution can be found, department store buyers and fashion magazine editors would be forced to choose one city over another.”

Burberry slumps on fears of end to Asian boom (Guardian)
“Shares in the British superbrand Burberry took a fresh pummelling as investors worried that the sun was setting on the luxury goods sales boom in Asia. Nearly £2bn has been wiped off Burberry’s market value in the past three months on fears that the Chinese economy has started to splutter.”

Stella McCartney Keeps It in Perspective (NY Times)
“Ms. McCartney also does not have that designer problem of reducing a woman’s life to one or two moments: work, a fancy party. She also makes outfits that strongly hint of home, like a piped pajama shirt worn with a matching foulard-dot pantsuit, or a loose sweater or easy all-in-one to wear to a casual dinner. And they are done with a slightly wacky sense of humor that one assumes reflects her own life and those of the people on her staff.”

H&M Targets Expansion in Asia (Bloomberg)
“Hennes & Mauritz, Europe’s second- largest clothing retailer, plans to step up the expansion of its new brands in Asia, anticipating that Chinese consumers will favor more-expensive labels such as Monki and COS… H&M is adding stores in China more rapidly than anywhere else, turning to the world’s fastest-growing major economy to help reverse falling profit.”

Christian Louboutin retrospective to open in London (Telegraph)
“Launching at the end of March 2012, London’s Design Museum will host an exhibition detailing the story of the shoe designer’s rise to the top of the glamorous footwear game, from his launch in 1991 to the present day, when he dresses the feet of everyone from Victoria Beckham to Lady Gaga.”

Gap cautious on full-year sales outlook (Reuters)
“Gap Inc Chief Executive Glenn Murphy said on Thursday that consumer sentiment may deteriorate in the second half of 2011 and was cautious about future sales growth at the apparel retailer… Gap has lost about a quarter of its market value this year as investors questioned the company’s ability to grow sales after several quarters of losing market share.”

Zara accused in Brazil sweatshop inquiry (Guardian)
“Retail fashion chain Zara is under investigation by Brazil’s ministry of labour after a contractor in São Paulo was found to be using employees in sweatshop conditions to make garments for the Spanish company… Zara is a family business founded in 1975 in La Coruña, north-west Spain by Amancio Ortega… According to Forbes magazine, half of production remains in Spain, with 26% per cent in Europe and the remainder spread around the world.”

Caution on Main Street: retailers fret ahead of key sales season (Reuters)
“Caution is the watchword for apparel executives heading into the all-important holiday season and their lack of confidence is scaring investors. Wary of talk of a double-dip recession, consumers are waiting on bargains, leaving retailers in the dark over how sales trends will turn out in the key year-end shopping season.”

Louis Vuitton’s “Big Store Strategy” Spreads (Jing Daily)
“Luxury giant Louis Vuitton has spent the last several years in China ramping up its inland expansion and rethinking its strategy in top-tier cities… A new LV store might not seem like big news, considering the brand is expanding perhaps more quickly than any other luxury brand in China, but in second- and third-tier markets, the arrival of Louis Vuitton means they’ve reached a certain level.”

Fashion; red in tooth and claw? (FT)
“The story so far: in 2008 Louboutin trademarked a lacquered red sole on footwear ( Pantone No. 18-1663 TP, or “Chinese Red,” FYI). In April this year Louboutin filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in New York saying that YSL had breached its copyright by using the red sole… Potentially worse for Christian Louboutin, who has another hearing in the case scheduled this Friday, the judge also implied that his 2008 trademark could be cancelled.”

Diego Della Valle | Source: Marie Claire

Lunch with the FT: Diego Della Valle (FT)
“Tod’s is a success story that continues to show impressive growth: half-year results of the €800m company released this week show sales up by 16.4 per cent from the corresponding period last year and net income up by 26.7 per cent… Tod’s is nothing if not a global concern and, as with most luxury goods companies, eyes are looking hungrily eastwards.”

Luxury retailers worry that shoppers may pull back on spending (LA Times)
“The luxury sector has been a consistent bright spot in the retail industry this year, posting robust sales month after month as wealthy shoppers spent freely on designer handbags, shoes and jewelry…But luxury shopping is tied closely to stock market performance. Analysts said rich shoppers could pull back again if their portfolios take a big enough hit and if they sense long-term volatility.”

Ben Sherman poaches Burberry director as part of makeover (Independent)
“Ben Sherman, one of Britain’s oldest menswear brands, has poached Burberry merchandising chief Adrian Ward-Rees as part of a makeover for the 48-year-old business… The brand, famous for its 1960s Mod associations, wants to do a “Burberry” or a “Mini” and reinvent itself as a top global menswear brand.”

Artistic licence: The most influential make-up artist in the world (Independent)
“As the global creative director for Chanel beauty– creating looks for that company’s runway shows, beauty advertising campaigns and the product itself, from nail polish to lipstick, worn by millions, if not billions, of women – he is the most influential of his profession by far… Among many other beauty moments, it was Philips who created the extraordinary underwater alien look for Alexander McQueen’s final show, Plato’s Atlantis.”

Fight On (Vogue UK)
“Christian Louboutin’s lawyer says the shoe designer plans to “fight like hell” against YSL’s attempt to overturn his re-sole trademark – and plans to file an appeal against the judge’s denial of his requested injunction… Last week the judge ruled that Yves Saint Laurent could continue to produce the shoes in the meantime and hinted that Louboutin’s monopoly on the colour could be set to end.”