Chloe Raises the Roof at the Tuileries Tent in Paris | Photo: BoF

LONDON, United Kingdom — It was a fashion season of extreme weather. After the New York Fashion Week schedule was upended, first by an earthquake and then by the State of Emergency declaration that came courtesy of Hurricane Irene, an unprecedented heat wave in Paris threw buyers, editors and bloggers into a wardrobe tailspin.

The American editors were worst off, having packed for the European shows two weeks before Paris with no prior notice of the heat wave that was to come. After a few days of shows in impossibly hot venues, some of them resorted to ripping the sleeves off their outfits or just wearing their ‘airplane clothes.’

Brands tried to ease the pain. Fans were distributed at shows alongside champagne and much to everyone’s relief, Chloe arranged for the roof of the Tuileries tent to be removed for their show, letting in the sun and much welcome breeze. Meanwhile Net-a-Porter, always on top of a new market opportunity, delivered heat wave friendly clothes to editors caught without weather-appropriate attire.

But of course the real action was on the runway and in conversations between BoF and the good and the great of the global fashion tribe at a season filled with its fair share of events and parties.

Without further ado, it’s time to look back at Spring/Summer 2012, the season that was.

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Engaging The Millennial: Augmented Reality And The Wired Generation (Luxist)
“Millennials have grown up linked by BlackBerries, Androids, IPhones, computers, IPods, and video games. This is the generation of Wii, Facebook, Twitter, free downloads, access to just about everything. How do luxury brands engage these mindsets?”

J. Crew $10 Million Settlement of TPG Buyout Suit Falls Apart (Bloomberg)
“J. Crew’s $10 million settlement of an investor lawsuit over the proposed takeover by private-equity firms TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners LP fell apart, a lawyer for the shareholders said.”

A Bathing Ape Takes a Final Bath (Néojaponisme)
“So if Nigo’s 18-year old pet ape is being primarily consumed by the Chinese in its old age, it only makes sense that a Hong Kong based company — I.T Ltd. — would buy out the whole thing (including the debt). The depressing detail was the 90% equity purchase only cost the acquirers $2.8 million.”

Christopher Kane: Fashion Fund Winner (Vogue.com)
“Christopher Kane has won the 2011 BFC/Vogue Designer Fashion Fund. The Scottish designer beat off stiff competition… for the prize, which comprises a cash payout of £200,000 as well as business mentoring from some of the fashion industry’s biggest hitters.”

Meet Bill Cunningham, the original street style photographer (Telegraph)
“Decades before The Sartorialist and Tommy Ton, Bill Cunningham was photographing street fashions. Now an incredible new documentary ‘Bill Cunningham New York’ tells his life story.”

GAP S/S 2010 Ad Campaign | Source: Denimology

Gap Profit Up 40 per cent As Old Navy Drives Sales (WSJ)
“Gap Inc. (GPS) reported a 40% increase in profits for the first quarter, as sales were boosted by strong performance at the company’s budget brand, Old Navy. Sales at that division rose 6.8% to $1.3 billion, accounting for nearly 40% of Gap Inc.’s total.”

Versace and Kane: An Odd Mix That Works (NYT)
“They are an odd couple, Mr. Kane and Ms. Versace, in an industry of convenient marriages. Who in the fashion world could compete with her view of glamour? He, on the other hand, grasps the Versaces mentally — through pictures. He can’t help it, being born in 1982, when Gianni Versace did his first metal-mesh dresses.”

Fashion sales up but future looks gloomy (Times Online)
“Sales of clothes, shoes and textiles were 9.5 per cent higher than in April last year, the biggest annual rise since July last year…Analysts said that retailers would struggle to keep up the momentum as households faced sluggish earnings growth and political uncertainty as well as tax rises and spending cuts.”

LVMH says has no plans to sell Kenzo (Reuters)
“LVMH said it had no plans to sell Kenzo, denying a report in Les Echos that said the luxury group was looking for potential buyers for the loss-making fashion brand.”

Osman Yousefzada stars in new V&A Fashion in Motion series (Telegraph)
“Yousefzada designs through instinct, his creations reflecting a deep-rooted sensibility and poetic approach, inspired both by history and the future. He is renowned for his innovative cutting and dramatic draping, and so contemporary dancers will also be on hand to demonstrate the extraordinary way in which his designs move on the human form.”

J. Crew Spring/Summer 2010 Preview | Source: J. Crew

J. Crew Is Going Global on Net-A-Porter (Stylelist)
“Now, the classic American outfitter, currently available only in North America and Japan, has entered into an agreement with Net-A-Porter to be sold globally starting in May.”

Nordstrom’s Profit More Than Doubles (WSJ)
“Upscale department-store chain Nordstrom Inc. reported a 152 percent increase in profits during the quarter ended Jan. 30, underscoring how its strategy of expanding price points and carrying more exclusive merchandise is leading to more full-priced selling.”

Britain a cut above the rest (Telegraph)
“The creativity of these highly inspirational designers [generates] consistent demand via regular showcasing of new trends and design styles. Without this talent there would simply be no thriving high street, no £46bn sector and far fewer jobs.”

Liberty’s designer open call event (FT)
“The Liberty Best of British Open Call, an initiative launched last April by the store’s buying director… involves designers showing their wares to Liberty’s textile, furniture and fashion buyers.”

Christopher Kane updates the little black dress at LFW (Independent)
“When Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel created the little black dress in the Twenties, she could hardly have foreseen the sexy leather and lace versions which graced London Fashion Week.”

LONDON, United Kingdom — In February of 2004, writing about London Fashion Week in the Guardian newspaper, Charlie Porter declared: “It’s that old London fashion week conundrum all over again — wondering what’s the point, and failing to find an answer.” A month earlier, Porter said that London Fashion Week was in crisis mode.

Looking back, it’s easy to understand Porter’s lack of optimism. That February, London hosted 40 shows in a 5-day schedule. This was a decline from 50 shows in September of 2003. Style.com only reviewed 13 of the on-schedule shows in London, or about 33 percent. As a proxy for quality, this ratio did not bode well for London’s position amongst the major fashion capitals. Major editors were in short supply and international buyers were few and far between at the lacklustre event.

What a difference five years makes. It felt like three times as much activity was packed in to the same five day period during this London Fashion Week. With more than 75 on-schedule shows and presentations at Somerset House and other locations, more than 50 off-schedule designers showing at Fashion Scout and On|Off, plus a full day of menswear and even more events each evening, this was a jam-packed London Fashion Week to remember.

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