Christian Lacroix by Annie Leibovitz, Vogue December 2003 | Source: Vogue

End of a fairytale: Christian Lacroix fashion house to strip down (Guardian)
“Christian Lacroix, the celebrated French designer whose fantastical creations and luxurious image captured the decadence of its age, was told today that the fashion house he founded over two decades ago is to cease making haute couture.”

J.C. Penney Is Betting Big By Adding A European Flair (WSJ)
“J.C. Penney Co.may be making its biggest fashion statement yet with the addition of a European fashion store within its own stores. J.C. Penney will begin selling merchandise by Barcelona-based retailer Mango in separate departments, or “mini stores,” within its own stores as a way of highlighting the trendy European merchandise for women.”

Fashion Entrepreneurs Capitalizing on High-End Rentals (Inc.)
“Companies that offer designer duds for rent are the saving grace of fashion-forward women who can’t afford such upmarket tastes in the recession… Membership-only designer rental companies that offer costly, elegant attire for just a fraction of the retail price have been experiencing a boom in the down economy.”

Fashion retailer Yoox prices IPO at 4.3 euros/share (Reuters)
“Italian online fashion retailer Yoox priced an initial public offering at 4.3 euros per share, towards the upper end of the indicated range, it said on Tuesday. Yoox will become the first company to float on Milan’s main MTA market after a 20-month hiatus caused by market turbulence. It will debut on Dec. 3.”

Stella McCartney to team up with Morrissey for vegan shoe range (Independent)
“Fashion designer and animal rights activist Stella McCartney has found the perfect collaborator for a leather-free shoe collection: cult singer and fellow vegetarian Morrissey. ‘I’m working with Morrissey on a line of leather-free shoes which I’m really excited about.’”

Escada stock prices over the last 5 days, courtesy of Google Finance

Escada Board to Meet on Insolvency After Bondholders Snub Offer (Bloomberg)
“Escada AG, the luxury clothing company whose dresses are worn by Demi Moore, is holding a board meeting today to discuss a plan to file for insolvency after bondholders rejected its financial rescue proposal.”

Micro trends making major fashion statements this autumn (Telegraph)
“Brace yourselves as ’slow-burning trends’, such as thigh-high boots and shoulder pads, hit the big time this season.”

Claudia Schiffer to address IHT’s Berlin luxury conference (MNI)
“The International Herald Tribune (IHT) has announced that Claudia Schiffer will join the lineup of high-profile speakers at its annual luxury conference where she will talk about the challenges of maintaining and protecting your global image in a digital world where fashion and celebrity media platforms have proliferated.”

Playing to the Middle (New York Times)
“Why would this perennially square department store bother to reanimate itself in Manhattan – in the sleekest, scariest fashion city in America – during a hair-raising economic downturn, without taking the opportunity to vigorously rebrand itself?”

VAT increase to cost retailers £90m (Drapers)
“The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has forecast that the return of VAT to 17.5% on January 1 will cost retailers £90m, as the Conservative party refused to rule out raising VAT further if they come to power.”