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.”

Liz Claiborne Autumn/Winter 09/10 | Source: NY Mag

For Liz Claiborne, will new name bring better luck? (MSN Money)
“When Liz Claiborne sold its namesake brand to J.C. Penney late last year for $288 million, it became obvious that a name change was in order. The company indeed announced Wednesday that starting in May it would become Fifth and Pacific. The name reflects New York (Fifth Avenue) and Pacific (The Pacific Ocean). It is not a bad corporate name, but it doesn’t obscure the challenges that lie ahead for the fashion.”

Spotlight on specialty online retailers (The Times of India)
“The red hot e-commerce story will go niche with the speciality e-tailing set to dominate the consumer internet business in 2012. Venture capitalists who pumped big bucks in group buying and mass merchandising portals like Snapdeal, Flipkart and Yebhi are now chasing the single category e-tailing start-ups.”

Inside Marc’s World (Vogue)
“Louis Vuitton’s new Marc Jacobs exhibition will open at Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris on March 9 until September 16. A celebration of the designer’s 15-year-long reign at the luxury label, the exhibition will be curated by leading fashion author and lecturer Pamela Golbin.”

In With the New: A Look at 2012 (WWD)
“The publishing world is all about what’s new and what’s next, so 2012 should be right up its alley. There are lots of changes ahead in Media Land.”

Insiders | Sarah Mower (AnOther)
“Her recent citation with an MBE for ‘services to the Fashion Industry’ only confirmed to the wider public what the British fashion industry has known for years: few have done as much to ensure the rude health of London’s fashion designers than Sarah Mower.”

Scarlett Johansson for MNG at J.C. Penney | Source: Nitrolicious

Penney Weaves New Fast-Fashion Line (WSJ)
“J.C. Penney Co. is going to try running with a faster crowd.  [Unveiling] an unconventional collaboration with Mango, the closely-held Barcelona chain known for whipping up cutting edge looks that go from design studio to store shelves in as little as four weeks.”

Societies May Fall, but Prices Do Not (NY Times)
“What surprises most when entering Lanvin’s new three-floor shop on Madison Avenue is how packed with merchandise it is, and how intime it feels. At barely a month old, it already evokes a feeling of having been lived in.”

Discovering Hats (WSJ)
“Gap and J. Crew say they have witnessed strong hat sales this spring and summer while department stores like Barneys New York have been expanding their assortments after years of general indifference to hats.”

American Apparel warns of likely sales drop, loss (LA Times)
“Troubled clothing firm American Apparel Inc. said Tuesday that its second-quarter sales probably fell compared with a year earlier and that it expected to report a loss.”

Things my mentor taught me (FT)
“Starting a business can be lonely and prone to failure – which is why many entrepreneurs take advice from those who have done it before. Five business founders speak about the people whose advice they valued.”

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.”