Givenchy Couture Spring 2012 | Source: Style Heroine

The Fine Line (NY Times)
“Nowadays, almost no one talks about its demise. Quite the opposite. Not only have revenues reportedly risen, thanks to big spenders in countries like China and Brazil, but there are also more new names on the calendar, like Giambattista Valli and Bouchra Jarrar, who makes ready-to-wear but because of her small quantities and fine sense of craft, shrewdly decided to show during couture. This season Versace returned to Paris after an absence.”

Chinese Shoppers Putting Premium On “Made In USA” Labels (Jing Daily)
“By this point, it’s well established that China’s shoppers are fans of American brands like Coach, Ralph Lauren, Levi’s and Tiffany & Co…But for smaller brands, particularly those made on a smaller scale in the US, opportunities are opening up in the Chinese market as well.”

H&M Q4 profit falls, see tough economic outlook (Reuters)
“Hennes & Mauritz, the world’s second-largest fashion retailer, posted a surprise drop in fourth-quarter pretax profit on Thursday and said 2012 was looking tough due to a worsening economic climate in many of its markets.”

J.C. Penney Permanently Cuts All Prices by 40 Percent (The Cut)
“As part of J.C. Penney’s new pricing strategy, they’re marking down all of their merchandise by at least 40 percent — permanently — so that shoppers don’t have to wait for sales to get the best price. To make up for the revenue they’ll sacrifice to do this, Penney’s will have fewer sales and promotions throughout the year.”

The Year in E-Tail: Lessons Learned and Looking Ahead (WWD)
“If 2011 was seen as the year e-tail exploded, it was a mere precursor to what’s expected in 2012. Mobile commerce spending on smartphones is expected to reach $10 billion this year, said Sucharita Mulpuru, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester Research, and this projection doesn’t even include tablet shopping.”

Giambattista Valli Fall 2011 Couture | Source: Style.com

Giambattista Valli is Officially a Couturier Now (The Cut)
“Giambattista Valli showed his first couture collection in Paris earlier this year, as a guest of France’s Chambre Syndicale… The process for designers to be granted full, official appellation and membership usually takes five years, but Valli’s status has been upgraded after hyst the one collection.”

The problem with pre-fall (FT)
“Pre-fall. What is that? Isn’t that … summer? But these clothes are not summer clothes. Or not really, though they do have summer elements… Indeed, Kors hates the name so much he has his sales staff refer to the collection, in stores, as simply a ‘new drop’. They don’t call it pre-fall.”

The Issue of Counterfeiting in the Digital Age (Fashion’s Collective)
“ Counterfeiting is one of the fastest growing crimes, and shows no signs of slowing down. The World Customs Organization estimates annual global trade in illegitimate goods is about $600 billion, and this figure is expected to rise to $1.7 trillion by 2015. It is estimated that between 5% and 7% of worldwide trade is from the counterfeit market.”

Fashion Review Of The Year: 2011 (Independent)
“From blushing brides to dramatic falls from grace, Susannah Frankel charts the highs and lows of the international style set in 2011.”

Joseph Altuzarra’s Fierce Fashion (Forbes)
“When Joseph Altuzarra launched his clothing line, Altuzarra, in 2008, New York fashion was dominated by pretty, polite dresses and casual sportswear — and he was tired of it. ‘I wanted to create clothes for women in their 40s and 50s and 60s who have careers and are sexy and don’t want to look like grandmothers,’ says the soft-spoken Paris-born designer.”

Giambattista Valli Store, Paris | Source: Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli: “True Luxury Is When Others Come To You” (Style.com)
“There’s something about Giambattista Valli’s clothes that is so fundamentally optimistic, they’ve got you at hello,” said Style.com’s Tim Blanks—and last week, the designer opened his first Paris boutique, in the centuries-old Galerie de la Madeleine.”

Diane Von Furstenberg and China: A Perfect Fit? (NY Times)
“Today, there are roughly three dozen DVF boutiques worldwide, and she’s extending her reach into China, with shops in Beijing and Shanghai…’I came for the first time in 1990. And I’ve always had this fantasy. I’d like to sell every Chinese a T-shirt.’”

When friendship and fashion equal success (Financial Times)
“When launching Gilt Groupe, an online shopping site that currently has 3m members, the co-founders did not trouble to write a traditional business plan. Instead Alexis Maybank, 35 and Alexandra Wilkis Wilson, 33, took what they had learnt from Harvard Business School and bypassed the formality.”

EBay to Buy Germany’s Brands4friends (Bloomberg)
“EBay Inc., the largest e-commerce marketplace, agreed to buy brands4friends, Germany’s biggest online shopping club, to increase fashion sales in Europe.”

Seamless Sabya (Deccan Herald)
“His clothes are an extension of his personality — they’re cheery, colourful and above all, exude a strong sense of Indianness. With his mantra being ‘clothes are just extensions of one’s intellect’, B-town’s favourite designer, Sabyasachi Mukherjee has proved his mettle in the business of fashion.”

Giambattista Valli Autumn/Winter 2010 | Source: Style.com

Inside a Jet-Set Designer’s Atelier (WSJ)
“Mr. Valli has become a go-to designer for the rich and royal. Producing confections of silk satin, cashmere and tulle that have been compared to Rolls-Royce sedans and have prices to match, he has dressed clients from Queen Rania of Jordan to Sarah Jessica Parker.”

Benetton CEO Leaving In April After Sales Drop (WSJ)
“Italian clothing retailer Benetton Group said Thursday Chief Executive Gerolamo Caccia Dominioni will depart after nearly three years at the helm, news that came as the company cut its dividend amid a drop in sales.”

Ralph Lauren Takes Online Marketing to Next Level (The Thread)
“Right now on Ralph Lauren’s website, anyone can watch a virtual presentation of the Lauren by Ralph Lauren collection, and — here’s the kicker — buy anything you like straight off the runway… Ralph Lauren has even created a virtual front row.”

Brazil: Lessons in luxury for an emerging class (FT)
“But it is only in the past 10 years that they have begun to develop an original style. Today, thanks to a flourishing economy, a growing middle class and increasingly sophisticated buyers, the domestic luxury jewellery market is thriving.”

CFDA Announces 2010 Awards (Vogue.com)
“Alexander McQueen will be honoured with a posthumous CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute award in June, it was announced in New York last night.”

Hublot Platinum Watch Detail | Source: Hublot

LVMH Must Watch It (WSJ)
“LVMH should do more to fill out its lack of presence in the ‘hard’ luxury segments of jewelry and high-end watches. High operating leverage at jewelers and watch makers, especially smaller outfits, has left them economically vulnerable and a potential hunting ground to scale up LVMH’s business.”

Giambattista Valli to Sew His Own Clothes (WSJ)
“Mr. Valli said that, starting today, he ‘ceases any contractual deal with Mariella Burani Fashion Group,’… [the group] is in bankruptcy proceedings which were announced last week during Milan fashion week. Mr. Valli had just signed on with the firm last year.”

Reaching Affluents on Social Nets (e-Marketer)
“Most wealthy Internet users in the US are optimistic about the economy going forward… that should make them attractive to retailers, which are increasingly turning to social networks to attract customers.”

McCartney minimalism reflects new austerity (Independent)
“Stella McCartney opened the proceedings at the Paris collections yesterday with a show that went to prove that the return of minimalism to the international catwalks is the story of the autumn/winter 2010 season.”

Red Carpet Fading Away (IHT)
“Sometimes a fashion moment is defined as much by what is not on the runway as by the catwalk favorites. And with only one more day of autumn/winter 2010 in Paris before the season’s close, dressy evening clothes are fading from the limelight.”