Marc Jacobs | Source: Fashionfreax.net

Marc Jacobs To Dior? (Huffington Post)
“The question of who will take the top job at Dior has remained since Galliano’s ousting. But WWD writes that meetings between Dior representatives from LVMH, the luxury conglomerate that owns the Christian Dior label as well as Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs and a host of other top brands, and Jacobs’ legal representatives are set to take place this week in Paris.”

Carine Roitfeld by Karl Lagerfeld (Interview)
“Although Carine Roitfeld is no longer the editor of French Vogue, she remains steadily at the perch of the fashion world, standing atop those super-high bondage-referencing heels that she partly made a staple of Parisian style. But la femme parisienne, which Roitfeld very much is, makes her own ground wherever she walks.”

Cut from a different cloth (FT)
“What happens when bespoke is not enough? As the ability to personalise everything from your trainers to your trench has become democratised thanks to the internet, those in search of the truly special – the ne plus ultraof made-to-order – have become frustrated. Even more so as their old go-to solution, the tailor, has been constrained by the increasing homogeneity of cloth.”

J. Crew’s Canadian shoppers balk at higher prices (The Globe and Mail)
“J. Crew has raised its merchandise prices by about 15 per cent in its Canadian store and on its new Canadian e-commerce site compared with those at its U.S. outlets. For online customers, taxes and duties raised the final price for orders in some cases by as much as 50 per cent compared with the U.S. site they previously ordered from.”

Summer Scouting (On the Runway)
“F.N.O. was a good idea when it began, back in the depths of the recession when stores were virtually empty. But now it’s become a party, an institutionalized kickoff to Fashion Week, and though it apparently raises money for some causes, I have to believe that the costs of security, crowd control and entertainment, not to mention the traffic headaches, outweigh the actual benefits.”

Karl Lagerfeld for Impulse | Source: Catwalk Queen

Dowdy Department Stores Start Looking Cool Again (WSJ)
“The sector, long derided for dowdy merchandise, maze-like stores and crumbling facades, is making a comeback. Macy’s Inc., Nordstrom Inc. and Kohl’s Corp. are posting solid sales gains even as consumers remain cautious and manufacturing costs rise—and they are poised to continue the streak this fall.”

Lagerfeld for the Masses, Again (On the Runway)
“Macy’s unveiled its newest fast-fashion collection, this one designed by Karl Lagerfeld… What struck me about the designs, actually Mr. Lagerfeld’s second endeavor into the mainstream market, after his pioneering collection for H&M in 2004, was how much more sophisticated they seemed.”

Chinese, U.S. demand helps boost Adidas sales forecast (Reuters)
“Adidas, the world’s second-largest sports clothing company, raised its year forecasts again on Thursday after seeing a 5 percent rise in sales in the second quarter thanks to strong demand in China… The German group said on Thursday it now expects sales this year to be up 10 percent and earnings per share up by 15 percent, with demand in North America also remaining strong.”

Retail Sales Rise at Expensive Stores but Are Mixed Elsewhere (NY Times)
“New data from July shows that the retail economy is locked on two tracks: one for businesses that cater to the well-to-do, and the other for everyone else… While expensive stores turned in strong results, including a startling 15.6 percent increase at Saks Fifth Avenue, almost double what analysts had predicted, middle- and low-end stores were largely dependent on marked-down summer clothes for their increases.”

A Small Victory for Christian Louboutin in the Suit Against Yves Saint Laurent (The Cut)
“A development in the case, which should set a precedent as to whether other luxury shoe labels can safely design shoes with red soles for aesthetic rather than branding reasons, seems to suggest Team Louboutin may have an edge… The judge ruled in Louboutin’s favor on that chart, as well as on other disputed YSL exhibits.”

Mickey Drexler | Source: W Magazine

J.Crew agrees to $3bn takeover (FT)
“J.Crew, the US retailer with a preppy style, has agreed to be acquired by TPG Capital and Leonard Green & Partners in a $3bn deal… The two funds have agreed to pay $43.50 per share in cash for J Crew.”

Divergent paths for US consumers as holidays near (AFP)
“Americans appear to be shaking off the gloom heading into the holiday season with recession no longer hanging over them, but the mood is dampened by a growing split between the haves and have-nots, say analysts.”

Karl Lagerfeld Developing Lower-Priced Line for Macy’s (Media Bistro)
“Designer Karl Lagerfeld will soon unveil a fashion venture with Macy’s… for an affordably priced ready-to-wear line that will range from jeans to gowns. The new line, slated to launch with a collection for fall 2011, is also expected to include a major online component.”

Guess sees full-year above view (Reuters)
“Apparel company Guess Inc reported a quarterly profit on Tuesday that far exceeded Wall Street expectations helped by robust expansion overseas, sending its shares up 8 percent.”

Magical Reality in 3-D From Issey Miyake (IHT)
“Last week, the Japanese designer opened an exhibition called ‘Reality Lab’ in his 21_21 Design Sight cultural center in Tokyo… Other work in the show is by photographers, scientists and a planetary physicist.”

“I think they are very beautiful objects. There is no touch of what is considered bad taste or bad design [with technology], because bad design is bad taste today. They are flawless in a way. Facebook is a flawless object…it’s for me like a Brancusi”

Karl Lagerfeld speaking exclusively to BoF Founder and Editor-in-Chief Imran Amed on technology for The Luxury Channel, following the IHT Heritage Luxury Conference hosted by Suzy Menkes and held in London last week.

Anna Dello Russo | Source: Anna Dello Russo

The New Icons of Fashion (NY Times)
“Ms. Dello Russo and her raffish style-world cohort, who populate the mastheads of the fashion magazines, represent a new breed of Web-based reality star… they are casting a spell, their comings and goings relentlessly tracked by a new generation of aspiring style savants.”

What Does ‘Masstige’ Mean For China? (Jing Daily)
“If masstige collections are offered supplemental to the luxury collections, there is little risk of impacting the luxury spending; instead, masstige opens up a new market segment of middle-class consumers.”

Gap opens first China store, banks on rising incomes (Reuters)
“U.S. clothing retailer Gap Inc opened its first store in mainland China on Thursday, the first of its four planned stores in the country, as it banks on rising Chinese incomes to prop up soft demand back home.”

Polo profit beats, revenue outlook raised (Reuters)
“Polo Ralph Lauren Corp reported a higher-than-expected quarterly profit on Wednesday and again raised its full-year sales outlook due to strong demand globally, sending its shares to an all-time high.”

A McQueen Retrospective at the Met (NY Times)
“‘Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty,’ an exhibition of the fashion of the late British designer, will open at the Costume Institute on May 4 [and] will include designs from Mr. McQueen’s postgraduate show at Central Saint Martins in 1992 until his final collection in 2010.”