L-R Mugler, Issey Miyake, 3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2012 | Source: Style.com

Asian Designers Make an Impact in Paris (IHT)
“Asian designers, whether home based or in the fashion diaspora, are making an impact in the opening days of the Paris men’s 2012 season. Phillip Lim, the Cambodian-American designer based in New York, was smart to come to Paris to show a 3.1 Phillip Lim collection that was simple but laced with the conceptual.”

European Luxury-Goods Stocks May Benefit From Weaker Currencies (Bloomberg)
“Investors forecasting the euro and Swiss franc will weaken against the dollar may find comfort in shares of European luxury-goods companies. Financiere Richemont and LVMH are among stocks that would benefit disproportionately if the currencies fall further from year-ago levels.”

Crisis on the catwalk over Britain’s fashion brain drain (Independent)
“The British Fashion Council (BFC) yesterday announced the formation of a Fashion 2012 Menswear committee, designed to raise the profile of UK designers and increase sales.”

More Heads Roll at Ungaro (The Cut)
“After losing Giles Deacon in December and new CEO Jeffry Aronsson just last month, Emanuel Ungaro appears to be on one shaky last leg. WWD reports that the ailing French fashion house told retailers that they’re unable to deliver their spring-summer collection because of ‘internal reorganization.’”

Louis Vuitton’s Kim Jones: exclusive Q&A (Guardian)
“British menswear designer of the year Kim Jones presented his second collection for Louis Vuitton. He talks exclusively to the Guardian about his inspirations and moodboard.”

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.”

Frida Giannini | Source: Vogue Taiwan

How Gucci Got Its Groove Back (Departures)
“Today she’s happy being the woman behind the brand, unlike Ford, who was ultimately bigger than Gucci, which is why, in part, he’s no longer there. (Ford declined to comment for this article.) ‘After almost ten years, it’s difficult to divide myself from Gucci,’ she says. ‘I love this company, and I have such respect for its history.’”

Azzedine Alaïa, a furious fashion talent (Independent)
“Basking in the knowledge that, more than any other designer, he occupies neutral territory – it is not uncommon for M Alaïa to be seen front row at many of his competitors’ shows, or indeed for other designers to wear his clothes – this is not a man who has been overly worried about what others might think of him and that, too, in fashion circles, is most unusual.”

The Rise of Consumption Equality (WSJ)
“It used to be so cool to be wealthy—an elite education, exclusive mobile communications, a private screening room, a table at Annabel’s on London’s Berkeley Square. Now it’s hard to swing a cat without hitting yet another diatribe against income inequality. People sleep in tents to protest that others are too damn wealthy.”

Fashion Hangover (Vogue)
“Louis Vuitton is going to war with Warner Bros: suing the entertainment giant for profits from it recent blockbuster sequel The Hangover Part II, for using fake copies of its bags in the film. Despite requests by the luxury label to not feature counterfeit bags – created by Diophy which is also being sued – the fake Louis Vuitton luggage appeared in a scene filmed at the airport.”

Cathy Horyn Recounts the Year in Fashion (NY Times)
“‘Give me time, and I’ll give you a revolution,’ Alexander McQueen once said. Like anyone born to achieve, he resented the small distractions — and the fashion business provides plenty of them.”

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’.”

LVMH Lecture Theatre at Central Saint Martins, Kings Cross | Source: LVMH

LVMH and Central St Martins Partnership (Vogue UK)
“Central St Martins new Kings Cross building will feature a state-of-the-art lecture theatre sponsored by LVMH. The luxury conglomerate has also announced plans for a scholarship programme to recruit promising designers from the university for its stable of brands.”

Tamara Mellon leaves Jimmy Choo (FT)
“Tamara Mellon has stepped down from Jimmy Choo, the footwear and accessories brand she founded 15 years ago, following its takeover and integration with Labelux, the private Italian luxury goods group… In 1996 Ms Mellon transformed a small business set up by Jimmy Choo, a cobbler from east London. The business has also branched out into accessories such as handbags and scarves, as well as fragrances.”

A new frontier for big brands (FT)
“In Paris, at 23 Place Vendôme next year, Louis Vuitton will open the first boutique dedicated to its fine jewellery. It is a significant move for the industry… As is usual with Louis Vuitton, a decision by the world’s most successful luxury brand to make a decisive step into a new market is a signal of shifts in the industry… But expectations are that jewellery’s switch from a predominantly craft market to a new frontier for big brands is under way.”

Big in Japan: Paul Smith’s focus shifts to the East (Telegraph)
“The designer has, however, recently fixed his gaze eastwards, staging a fashion show in Japan for the first time in his career. Entitled I Love Japan, the show marked the launch of Japan’s first major fashion event since the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis… In the case of Paul Smith, the designer’s affection for Japan has clearly returned – reflected in both the number of boutiques and department stores across the country and sales figures.”

Fashion retailing catalogs turn a page (LA Times)
“Alluring as print catalogs may be, an increasing number of retailers — Bloomingdales, Nordstrom and J. Crew among them — aren’t just mailing them to their customers. They’re going digital, showing off this season’s lace-trimmed dresses and faux-fur vests in free downloadable apps that mimic the traditional catalog experience, minus the print.”