Kate Moss for Longchamps | Source: Longchamps

Kate Moss: Bags of Style (IHT)
“‘I am not doing it for different personalities — it’s what I like,’ says Ms. Moss — or Kate, as she is known. At age 36, she has taken another step in her second life, as a designer rather than as a supermodel using her pretty face and sensual lips to promote other brands.”

Esprit 1st-Half Net Profit Down 5.2 percent; Beats Forecasts (WSJ)
“Fashion retailer Esprit Holdings Ltd. said Wednesday its first-half net profit fell 5.2% percent from a year earlier as a disappointing wholesale business offset the improvement in its core retail operations.”

Abercrombie & Fitch’s Style Sense Wears Thin With Some Shoppers (WSJ)
“Retail analysts said Abercrombie’s troubles go beyond pricing to its once unerring sense of style, a problem that could be trickier to fix. The logo T-shirt and torn jeans ensemble that Abercrombie made the unofficial school uniform a decade ago has played out.”

Marc Jacobs to Stream Show Live While Robert Duffy Hypes It via Twitter (NY Magazine)
“Further democratizing the Fashion Week process, Jacobs’s business partner Robert Duffy just started tweeting to document Marc’s progress on the collection.”

Luxury in 2010 (CNN)
“Is there a luxury hotlist for 2010? CNN’s Ayesha Durgahee reports.”

Esprit Casual Fall/Holiday 2009 | Source: Brandthink

HK’s Esprit buys $500M JV stake in China push (Reuters)
“Hong Kong fashion retailer Esprit Holdings is buying out its partner in a Chinese retail joint venture for HK$3.88 billion ($500 million) as part of a drive to expand in the world’s third largest economy. The deal will see Esprit take full control of the 10-year-old venture, while China Resources Enterprise, which is selling the stake, will focus on its core businesses.”

Neiman Enlists Designers in Cost-Cutting Plan (WSJ)
“Burton Tansky, the 71-year-old rag-trade journeyman who has led Neiman Marcus Group for nearly a decade, is quietly refashioning the upscale department store chain for an age of belt-tightening and less conspicuous consumption. Mr. Tansky, Neiman’s chairman and CEO, is pressing suppliers to produce lower-priced versions of designer styles, a stark reversal for a chain long labeled ‘Needless Markup’ by more frugal-minded shoppers.”

Fashion boss who hired Lindsay Lohan leaves Ungaro (Reuters)
“Mounir Moufarrige, president and chief executive of French fashion house Emanuel Ungaro, has resigned just over two months after a widely panned collection by American actress Lindsay Lohan. Ungaro said in a statement on Wednesday that Moufarrige would continue to advise the company, which has gone through several stylists and two chief executives since couturier Emanuel Ungaro retired in 2004.”

Madonna does the dishes (Telegraph)
“But the pop star has not let her glamourous image slide, the pictures are acutally part of a photo shoot to promote the Dolce & Gabbana spring/summer clothes campaign.Madonna takes on the role of housewife for the campaign, in which she is also pictured preparing vegetables and tucking into a plate of pasta with her hands, sat on top of a kitchen work surface.”

Dsquared2′s Caten twins launching into limelight (AP)
“The twin-brother team behind the fashion label Dsquared2 are on TV and the radio, they created concert costumes for Madonna and Britney Spears, and they’ll be outfitting the headlining performers at the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2010 Winter Olympics… But any time it seems success might go to their heads, they remember their modest Canadian roots and have a good chuckle.”

Missoni Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland

Runway-ready rooms (Globe & Mail)
“Fashion houses have found a new creative outlet: Hotels. In Europe and the Mideast, designers from Armani to Missoni are delivering chic interiors, stylish experiences and nice bedspreads.”

Plus-size fashion market squeezed in recession (AP)
“The American waistline may be expanding, but plus-size shoppers are tightening their belts. People just aren’t buying plus-size clothing at the rate they used to. Apparel in general — being a discretionary purchase — is suffering because of the economy, but plus-size has been particularly hard hit.”

Fashion chain Esprit’s H2 profit down; eyes expansion (Reuters)
“Esprit, the world’s No.6 fashion retailer by market value, on Wednesday posted a 40 percent fall in second-half profit, as global economic woes took a bite out of its core European market. But the company said it would focus on expansion to tap potential growth as the economy recovers.”

Fashionably first (Times of India)
“While the Delhi and Mumbai fashion weeks have captured the collective imagination of the country with a dynamic mix of talented designers, top models and great creations, the honeymoon was short-lived as infighting split the fashion industry in half.”

Matthew Williamson for H&M, courtesy of H&M

H&M’s 8% April Comparable Sales Gain Breaks Trend (WSJ)
“Fashion retailer Hennes & Mauritz AB Friday said April sales in comparable stores rose for the first time since July, indicating that it may be recovering from the global trend of consumers reining in spending amid the economic slowdown.”

Dior Jumps on the Viral-Video Bandwagon (NYMag.com)
“The House of Dior will release a short film on May 20, directed by Oliver Dahan and starring the ever-lovely Marion Cotillard,” featuring artistic shots of stockings, Lady Dior handbags, clothes by John Galliano, the Eiffel Tower, and gangsters. To whet our appetites, Dior has released a 30 second trailer. (see video here)

Esprit says to open more stores, meet target (The Guardian)
“Esprit Holdings, the world’s No.6 fashion brand, said on Thursday it will continue to open new stores and is confident of meeting its target of adding 110 outlets in the fiscal year ending in June.”

Richard Prince Wraps Hong Kong Museum For Vuitton (WWD)
“The installation, which takes its theme from Prince’s ‘After Dark’ series, heralds a significant exhibition of paintings, photographs and video installations collectively called ‘Louis Vuitton: A Passion for Creation’ that will be displayed inside the Museum of Art from May 22 to August 9 as part of Hong Kong’s annual French May Arts Festival.”

De La Renta to Open Stores in the Gulf Region (WWD)
“Not about to be mired down by the U.S. economy, Oscar de la Renta Ltd. is heading to the Arabian Gulf region to increase international sales.” (Subscription required)

High-top sneakers by Raf Simons

Designer Raf Simons Forges Ahead (WWD)
Raf Simons reveals plans for his eponymous label as well as a number of other design based ventures. (Subscription required)

Clothing prices fall 4.9% in March (Drapers)
“Prices fell 4.9% in the clothing and footwear sector during March, according to the British Retail Consortium Nielsen Shop Price Index.”

Esprit in free fall after CEO replaced (Forbes)
“Esprit sank more than 7 percent on Wednesday after the world’s No.6 fashion brand announced it was replacing its long-time chief executive.”

Lower Rent Costs May Boost N.Y. Retail (WWD)
“As store vacancies rise and rents fall in Manhattan, some eager retailers appear ready to pounce on the spoils.” (Subscription required)

Parlux Signs Deal With Jay-Z’s Iconic Fragrances (WSJ)
“Parlux Fragrances Inc. signed an agreement with licensing company Iconic Fragrances LLC, in which rap icon Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is principal, that will bring to market perfume labels for singers Rihanna and Kanye West.”

Just Cavalli S/S 09 Advertising campaign

Just Cavalli Extends License With Ittierre SpA (WWD)
“Roberto Cavalli has signed a new five-year license with Ittierre.” (Subscription required)

Esprit Appoints Ronald Van der Vis To Replace Krogner As CEO (WSJ)
Esprit Holdings Ltd. will name Ronald Van der Vis as their new CEO, replacing Heinz Krogner as the brand’s top man.

Big Retailers Revamp for ’09 (WWD)
“After a tumultuous fall – defined by the promotional hurricane that swept through the retail landscape – department stores are going on the offensive this spring.”

When ‘S.V.U.’ Stands for ‘Shopping Victims United’ (NYT)
“They say that gamblers like to ‘play the percentages.’ As the recession drags on, shoppers are doing the same, seeking stores where the signs promise sale prices that are 50, 60, 70 percent or more off regular prices.”