Prada Prods China’s Elite (WSJ)
“For Prada, in particular, the Chinese market is critical. The company is expected to announce this week plans for an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. Its valuation would likely be higher in Hong Kong than in other market.”

Chanel swaps pearls and operatic grandeur for T-shirts and flats (Guardian)
“‘This is the way young women dress nowadays,’ pronounced Karl Lagerfeld, explaining why his Chanel haute couture show in Paris was built around T-shirts, slim trousers and flat shoes, with barely a cocktail frock to be seen and not a pearl in sight.”

Social Tribes vs.Social Networks (Fashion’s Collective)
“Social networks allow for the expression of current mindsets, but are not good at moving that mindset into the field of concerted action or conversion. In contrast, if luxury marketers could help gird the formation of tribes, they would gain a larger return on investment.”

Luxottica sales reach record high (FT)
“Group sales at Luxottica, the Italian eyewear maker… reached a record high of €5.8bn ($7.9bn) in 2010 – an increase of 7.1 per cent at constant exchange rates – on growing confidence of US consumers and strong sales of its premium and luxury ranges.”

Giles Goes West (Vogue UK)
“Giles Deacon is teaming up with Nine West to create a new capsule collection, launching for autumn/winter 2011-12. The partnership is part of a new initiative called Shoelaborations, where the footwear brand will work with a range of young designers, artists and musicians.”

Interactive Shopping: In Style Boutique | Source: Mashable

How the Fashion Magazine Industry Plans to Profit from Digital This Fall (Mashable)
“Fashion magazines are poised to make a big comeback in ad sales in 2010 — but the recovered revenue may not come from print sales. Instead, the publishers of major U.S. fashion magazines are ramping up their digital and mobile offerings.”

Spending on luxury goods holds up (FT)
“Half of all respondents expected to see a decline in their sales in 2009, and yet 38 per cent saw volume increases. This year, nearly 90 per cent of research participants are expecting sales to rise, and one in three is forecasting growth of 10 per cent or more.”

Recovery Stalls for the Rich (WSJ)
“The number of millionaire investors who plan net decreases in their investments rose to the highest point since June 2009. Nearly two-thirds plan no changes. They are keeping more than a third of their fortunes in cash, and they are reducing their holdings of stocks, bonds, mutual funds.”

The Digital Exploration of Luxury Brands (Fashion’s Collective)
“When a consumer has an amazing experience with a brand, this facilitates the emotional connection that leads to loyal customers, high customer retention and high referral rates.”

Eyewear, With a Bit of Disney and a Touch of Apple (NY Times)
“A wind tunnel. A concierge. A store that’s shaped like an eyeball. It doesn’t exactly sound like an eyeglasses retailer, but then, it’s not supposed to… Luxottica, the $6.6 billion eyewear company… is experimenting with a concept store.”

Christian Dior Couture 2010 | Source: style.com

Wintour Calls for French Fashion Stimulus (WSJ)
“In between fashion shows Monday, Anna Wintour, the influential editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine, told French officials that the country doesn’t do enough to support its fashion sector… Ms. Wintour encouraged the French government to provide more backing for young designers.”

Luxottica Q4 sales down, optimistic on 2010 (Reuters)
“Luxottica, the world’s biggest premium eyewear company, said 2010 would mark a ‘return to ‘normal’ for the maker of Prada and Ray-Ban sunglasses, resulting in growing sales, a more than proportional increase in margins and ‘an appreciable reduction’ in the ratio of net debt to earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.”

As recession stops splurges, luxury retailers retool (Boston Globe)
“Wyman is emblematic of the “aspirational shoppers’’ – middle-class consumers with luxury tastes – who have disappeared during the Great Recession. Their newfound frugality has contributed to an estimated 16 percent plunge in luxury spending over the past year.”

Dior: Hand of History (IHT)
“That feeling of a film fading or a fairy tale ending has never seemed so powerful and elegiac at this fashion house as it did after the poetic parade that John Galliano sent out on Monday.”

Sarah Brown and Naomi Campbell join forces to help Haiti (In Style)
“The Prime Minister’s wife together with supermodels, Naomi Campbell, Yasmin Le Bon and Erin O’Connor have got together to raise money for earthquake victims.”

Louis Vuitton Store, Plaza 66, Shanghai | Source: fashionphile

French luxury preens on website in China (AFP)
“France’s creme de la creme luxury firms, hit by a drop in sales on traditional markets, on Thursday launched a China charm offensive, with a 3D website that gives a peek at the best France has to offer.”

Preshrunk Prices (NY Times)
“The $300 pair of designer jeans is now, courtesy of the recession, the $200 pair of designer jeans… Like any commodity that becomes overpriced, there eventually comes a market correction. And denim’s day of reckoning was long overdue.”

Saks holds a secret sale online, takes on the fashionista websites (Daily Finance)
“Psst, wanna buy some cheap Chanel? Make sure Saks has your e-mail address… Saks Inc. is experimenting with online private sales on top-of-the-line designer goods. A 36-hour sale kicked off this week and another will follow in November.”

Luxottica optimistic on 2010, Q3 net down (Reuters)
“Italian eyewear maker Luxottica is looking to next year with a degree of optimism after a tough 2009, Chief Executive Andrea Guerra said, as the company posted a 20.6 percent fall in third-quarter net profit.”

Even a Slow Economy Can’t Keep Fashion Entrepreneurs Down (Apparel News)
“Try announcing you’re starting a new apparel line during this deep economic downturn and friends are likely to haul you off for a psychological examination. But plenty of people are putting their wallets on the table to launch new clothing ventures.”