Louis Vuitton Maison Sydney | Source: AFR

Anatomy of a maison (AFR)
“In the Medieval age, the sight of a towering spire signalled a city of splendour. Today, it is cathedrals of retailing that indicate metropolitan status in the global pecking order. The December 3 opening, not of another Louis Vuitton store – there are already 460 of those worldwide – but of a much grander Louis Vuitton ‘Maison’ (of which there are just 13) proves Sydney must be a very smart town indeed.”

Arcadia Closures (Vogue)
“Sir Philip Green has confirmed that he expects to close more than 250 Arcadia stores in the next three years as the company reports a profits drop of almost 40 per cent against last year. ‘We have got – from my memory – 450 or 460 stores where leases expire in the next three years,’ Green said. ‘And I think on our latest summary we will close more than half of those on lease expiry.’”

Heel Height Times Tweets? (NY Times)
“The 1920s notion of a “hemline index,” in which the economist George Taylor posited that skirt lengths rise and fall in relation to the economy, suggests that fashion is socially determined. In a modern twist, a report about the direction of high heels, issued by I.B.M., proposes that fashion can now be determined through social media.”

Ogilvy’s and Holt Renfrew: Buzz is, big changes are coming (Montreal Gazette)
“It’s the talk of downtown: big changes are said to be coming to Ogilvy’s and Holt Renfrew. The buzz is that Holt’s will close in its current location, move into Ogilvy’s, and the Art Deco Holt building will become condos… The rumours come after Selfridges Group Ltd., owners of Holt Renfrew, acquired Ogilvy’s this summer.”

Hailee Steinfeld Miu Miu ad deemed ‘irresponsible’ (Telegraph)
“The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that the image… Showing the 14-year-old actress sat on a train track and wiping away what could be tears from her eyes, was irresponsible because it depicted a child in an unsafe location. Prada Retail UK, who own the Miu Miu brand, said the image, captured by renowned fashion photographer and film-maker Bruce Weber, was ‘part of a serious, high-fashion campaign’ and ‘based on the set of an imaginary film’.”

Z Zegna in Holt Renfrew's S/S 2011 Campaign | Source: Fashionising

For Holt’s, luxury regains its proper place (Globe and Mail)
“The full-price model is part of Mr. Derbyshire’s five-year business plan to strengthen Holt’s results following a period of stagnation caused by the economic slump… His efforts seem to be paying off: Privately held Holt’s enjoyed a record profit in 2010 – double that of its next best year, 2006.”

Tommy Hilfiger Changes his Stripes (WSJ)
“‘It’s my formula. It’s my vision,’ Mr. Hilfiger says. ‘But I wanted someone to come in who respects the vision but would want to maybe modernize it a bit.’ The hires are part of Mr. Hilfiger’s broader effort to refresh his 26-year-old label’s image in the U.S., particularly among luxury consumers.

Kurt Geiger sale to Jones Group (Guardian)
“‘We’ve had a brilliant ride with private equity but now we’d like to park the company for the long term and not look over our shoulders every three or four years. It’s been a great journey but we now want to think about the next 10 years.’”

Gucci Turns 90! (Dazed Digital)
“The glamorous Italian brand celebrates its 90th birthday this year in grand style as we show images from an exclusive editorial shot at the Palazzo Alberini in Rome and speak to creative director, Frida Giannini.”

A New Look at the Art of Prada (WSJ)
“Miuccia Prada the designer—she of the black nylon backpacks, whose Italian label is often called fashion’s most intellectual—keeps art and fashion separate. ‘Definitely fashion for me isn’t art… Art is a place for ideas without any other direct concerns. If I’m a good fashion designer, it’s because I sell.’”

CFDA Winner Jason Wu | Source: Jason Wu

Asian-Americans Climb Fashion Industry Ladder (NY Times)
“It was the first time that all three prizes given by the [CFDA] were awarded to designers who are Asian-American. That same night, the fashion council announced three scholarships, each for $25,000, won by student designers of Asian heritage.”

Fashion brands are turning to the lucrative homewares market (Independent)
“The trendy Swedish denim company Acne is having a go, as is the avant-garde designer Martin Margiela. Diane von Furstenberg will be launching a homeware line in 2011; Diesel started one last year, and is now moving into lighting.”

Victoria Beckham: Is She for Real? (NY Times)
“Her sinuously curvy cocktail dresses… are showcased in stores alongside luxury labels like Narciso Rodriguez and Vera Wang. ‘Don’t underestimate her,’ said Anna Wintour.”

A morning in the life of Donna Karan (National Post)
“Twenty-five years ago, Donna Karan made her first Canadian personal appearance at Holt Renfrew’s Toronto flagship store to launch her ready-to-wear label. The New York fashion designer recently returned to mark the occasion.”

Steve Madden Might End Up Owning Betsey Johnson in 2012 (The Cut)
“Madden already holds a license for handbags, small leather goods, belts and umbrellas under the Betsey Johnson and Betseyville trademarks. The collateral for the loan includes the company’s intellectual property.”

Jimmy Choo takes steps to possible IPO (FT)
“The private equity owner of Jimmy Choo plans to appoint investment banks to advise on strategic options for the maker of stilettos for the stars, including a possible initial public offering valuing the company at about £500m.”

Affluent, Generous Young Women Lead Recovery (Marketing Daily)
“When it comes to power-shopping our way toward economic recovery, a new report from American Express says well-heeled young women are leading the charge.”

Should luxury brands use twitter? (Luxury Society)
“Luxury is an intricate web of emotions… can it be captured in 140 characters (and that too with a shortened link of some sort if the company is trying to drive some traffic to a specific webpage or website)?”

Taking a page from Wal-Mart, Holt Renfrew hires greeters (Vancouver Sun)
“The luxury retailer’s new president, Mark Derbyshire, is chagrined at the mention of the company’s reputation for having sales clerks with a chilly attitude that may intimidate potential customers.”

Fashion Week Preview: The Faces (NY Times)
“Now that we’re practically on a first-name basis with Doutzen, Lakshmi and Anja, it’s time we meet Bambi, Fei Fei and Kat. They are some of the new and almost-like-new faces we’ll be seeing next week at the New York fashion shows.”

Holt Renfrew Flagship, Toronto | Source: 3G Lighting

Changes at the top for Holts (Globe and Mail)
“Upscale fashion retailer Holt Renfrew & Co. has replaced its president Caryn Lerner with company insider Mark Derbyshire, making the leadership change just as it is gearing up for a more prosperous economic environment.”

Neiman Marcus key sales figure climbs in December (Business Week)
“Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus Inc. said Thursday that sales at its namesake stores and Bergdorf Goodman locations open at least a year rose 4.5 percent in December, as shoppers picked up designer handbags, jewelry, shoes and men’s and women’s clothing.”

Like-for-likes drop at Gap’s international stores (Drapers)
“Gap, the US casualwear giant, said like-for-likes at its international stores fell 1% in the five weeks to January 2, compared with a 5% drop over the same period last year.”

Luxury brands turn to DNA for protection (Toronto Sun)
“A New York state-based company has announced it will be adding genetic material to some high-end products. Applied DNA Sciences, based in Stony Brook, N.Y., said it has reached an agreement to supply a European luxury goods company with DNA markers to protect its products from counterfeiters.”

Charles Kleibacker, Fashion Designer, Dies at 88 (NY Times)
“Charles Kleibacker, a former fashion designer whose taste for intricately constructed gowns gave him the nickname Master of the Bias in the 1960s, died Sunday in Columbus, Ohio. He was 88.”