The man who wants to fix retail (Fortune)
Fortune magazine profiles NRDC’s Richard Baker who is on a retail and fashion acquisition spree having bought Lord & Taylor, Fortunoff, and Peter Som and is said to have his eyes on Saks.

Giles Style (Scottish Daily Record)
Giles Deacon talks to a Scottish paper about the fashion designer of the 21st century — one who has his feet on the ground and is passionate about gardening and reading.

Levi’s turns a corner (International Herald Tribune)
Armin Broger , President of Levi Straus Europe, is successfully turning around the Levi’s business by refocusing its collections and using cities like Antwerp as fashion business laboratories.

Peter Som A/W 2008 photo courtesy of Coutorture.

A little lightness to end the week here on The Business of Fashion. This 1930′s clip from Youtube forecasts cantilever-heeled shoes and transparent net as the fashion must-haves for the Year 2000. The video has had almost 100,000 views. Could Raf Simons, Marc Jacobs and Alexander McQueen been some of them? Have a look at their collections for Spring/Summer 2008.

The Latest in Fashion: Pink Slips (New York Times)
Eric Wilson chronicles the revolving designer doors at fashion houses from New York to Milan to Paris in recent years. Of course, the latest door revolved this week in Milan, where Lars Nilsson was quickly replaced by Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi of 6267 as head designers for Gianfranco Ferre.

Luxe brands Follow the Money – to the Internet (WWD)
Several readers have written to alert us to today’s WWD article about the role the Internet can play in helping luxe brands ride out the recession, which US Fed Chairman, Ben Bernanke, all but confirmed yesterday. In what some are touting as the greatest recession buster for luxury companies, the Internet may (finally) be the next battleground in their quest for the luxury consumer’s dollars, euro and yen.

In the run-up to the Easter long weekend, which has already begun here in London, we thought we’d share some our new favourites for lazy Sunday reading from the ever expanding fashion  and business blogosphere.

JC Report
Not technically a blog, but now presented in a blog format, JC Report is one of the leading online authorities for thoughtful fashion content on the cutting edge. We’ve been working with Jason Campbell, JC Report’s charismatic founder, on restructuring the JCR value proposition, launching a newly designed site, and engaging JCR’s truly global fashion community. We’re delighted with the results: daily news, editorial and intelligence that you can’t find anywhere else.  The latest issue, released yesterday, features a denim hunter from London, shopping in Kuala Lumpur, and the masculine tailoring trend sweeping through the A/W women’s collections. For the next month, the JC Report site is being curated by photographer Miguel Villalobos. Congratulations to Jason and his team.

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Two articles this week gave an inside look into two of the women who are changing the face of fashion. And unlike the mysterious, impenetrable images that helped to create previous fashion icons, these women seem to be comfortable just being themselves, even if it is politically incorrect. Is authenticity the new must-have?

The Anti-Anna (New York Magazine)
In an unabashedly honest look into one one most important women in fashion, the editor of Paris Vogue, Carine Roitfeld makes no apologies for who she is. Comparison to Anna Wintour aside, we were most intrigued by Ms. Roitfeld’s comments on the fashion business, saying

“Right now, I think that fashion in the world becomes a bit boring. There is so much money, and I feel a bit when you go to shows they want to sell so many handbags, and for me, well, I do not like handbags. I do not wear handbags. It is not a nice look, to carry a handbag…I’m not a business girl. I will never be a business girl.”

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Louis Vuitton | Going back to its luxury roots (Marketing Week)
The iconic French luxury brand is poised to launch its first ever television advertisement (click on video above to view it). The ad is being positively received by industry analysts and observers who say it takes the brand back to its heritage in luxury travel.

Gucci | “Loves” New York but city not returning sentiment (CNBC)
As Gucci opened its new 5th Avenue store, declaring its undying love for the city, some New Yorkers are trying to get in Cupid’s way.

Halston | Fast fashion test drive (Cathy Horyn – On the Runway)
While the fashion pack moved over to London, Cathy Horyn decided to give Net-a-Porter’s fast fashion from Halston a test drive, with some unexpected results that have “concerned” Bonnie Takhar, Halston’s CEO.