Burberry Bespoke Screen Shot | Source: Burberry.com

Mink or Fox? The Trench Gets Complicated (WSJ)
“Signaling how interactive the online shopping experience has become, Burberry, the British fashion label, is offering a way for customers to design and order custom trench coats online. Called Burberry Bespoke, the program is a full-scale attempt at “mass customization,” a long-time goal of retailers and unusual for a designer fashion house. Customers select the cut of their trench coat, the fabric, the color, and then navigate through options such as bronze-studded sleeves, bridle leather cuff straps, mink linings and shearling collars.”

Hermès raises full-year sales goal (Reuters)
“French luxury group Hermès raised its full-year sales goal on Friday after growth in the Americas and Asia drove an 18.2 percent rise in third-quarter revenue. Sales growth at constant exchange rates could reach 15-16 percent this year, Hermes said in a statement. This compares with a previous forecast of 12-14 percent… Hermès said a “remarkable growth trend” seen in the Americas and Asia, excluding Japan, in the first half of the year had continued in the third quarter, with sales up 22 percent and 34 percent respectively.”

3 Ways Digital Innovation Can Make Luxury Brands Exclusive Again (Mashable)
“Luxury brand marketing must preserve exclusivity — on that we can agree. But successful luxury brand marketing today must also put the ‘e’ in experience… Luxury consumers in this economy are more interested in whether a luxury product is ‘worth it,’ and that all depends on the experience. While protecting brand exclusivity is a viable concern, such digital and new media tools offer inestimable opportunities to market luxury brand experiences.”

Macy’s $400 Million Makeover (Forbes)
“It’s going to be one helluvaface lift. Macy’s Herald Square, which dates (at least part of it) back to 1902, is going to zoom into the millenium thanks to the company’s $400 million investment. The sweeping renovation is expected to take four years to complete and when it’s done nearly every part of the world’s largest store will be refreshed. Macy’s has been making all the right moves to attract an older, affluent customer to both its department stores and e-commerce site.”

Dazed 20th Anniversary Somerset House Exhibition (Dazed Digital)
“Hosted by Somerset House and curated by Jefferson Hack and Emma Reeves, the exhibition is an immersive representation of the magazine’s – and the book’s – best bits, featuring original artwork created especially for Dazed & Confused, including Jake & Dinos Chapman’s GCSE work and Sam Taylor-Wood’s 360 revolutionary seconds.”

David Lauren at IHT Luxury Conference | Source: Samir Husein for IHT

The Prince of Polo (Fast Company)
“By associating Ralph Lauren with new digital technology, David has done more than imbue the brand with a current vibe. He has, in the process, made the company a progressive leader among fashion peers. In 2009, David produced an online-only fashion show for Ralph Lauren’s heritage Rugby brand that, for the first time ever, allowed viewers to shop the looks in real time.”

Red Faces at Louboutin? (On the Runway)
“A court ruling today refused to grant a preliminary injunction requested by Christian Louboutin against Yves Saint Laurent, alleging trademark infringement on shoes that featured red soles suspiciously similar to those of Louboutin’s. The decision not only cleared the way for YSL to continue producing its shoes, but also seemed to give coverage to other shoe manufacturers who may want to add a scarlet underpinning to their own future models.”

Macy’s quarterly sales, profit surge (LA Times)
“Macy’s Inc., saying it had its most successful second quarter in more than a decade, reported a surge in profit and sales and raised its full-year outlook. The department store giant Wednesday reported profit of $241 million, or 55 cents a share, compared with $147 million, or 35 cents, in the same quarter last year… Profit, sales, operating income and cash flow all exceeded expectations for the quarter that ended July 30, the company said.”

Kleiner Perkins and the emerging market entail game (FT)
“Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm, has announced that, together with NY/Beijing-based Tiger Global Management, it is investing $26m in Trendyol.com, the fastest growing, biggest fashion etail site in Turkey… This is the first time Kleiner had invested in a Turkish company, and only its second fashion etail investment, after renttherunway.com.”

Sales Down for All Fashion Magazines Except Vogue (Thread NY)
“According to a new report in WWD, Vogue was the only magazine to show an increase in sales in the first half of 2011, and it’s largely because of one cover in particular: Lady Gaga, who appeared on the magazine’s March issue… While sales for all other fashion magazines were down during that period, according to the report, the March 2011 issue was up in sales by 100,000 copies over the March 2010 issue.”

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.”

Make your own jeans | Source: Makeyourownjeans.com

Designed by You, Made by … Who? (NY Times)
“Do-it-yourself Web sites are making it easy for fashion buffs to design and order custom outfits: all you need is an Internet connection and a credit card. But are the sites any good? Can design-your-own jeans rival designer jeans? Is the shoe of your dreams mere mouse clicks away?”

The investor’s dilemma: etail vs the brand (Material World)
“An announcement of a partnership with Vente-Privee… will be the third in a rash of investment in the latest fashion fad that began at the end of April with Ideeli’s raising $40 million of Series C funding, which was followed Tuesday by Gilt Groupe’s raising $168 million… And you know what they say: three examples of anything is a trend. Welcome to the new internet investment bubble: shopping!”

Coach eyes China men’s market (FT)
“The company [is] eager to capitalise on men’s untapped enthusiasm for its products in China… Coach said men account for 45 per cent of spending on handbags and luxury accessories in mainland China, whereas they make up only 25 per cent of spending across Asia and just 15 per cent worldwide.

Macy’s Jumps After Raising Profit Forecast (Bloomberg)
“[Macy’s] jumped the most in a year after boosting its 2011 profit forecast… sales in the first quarter exceeded its expectations as online revenue jumped 38 percent and spring fashion sold strongly. Consumers have ramped up spending as the job market has improved.”

Rock on Tommy: remembering a Savile Row legend (Telegraph)
“Almost 20 years after his death… Nutter is still talked about in the most reverential tones by fashion people and survivors of the whole 1970s scene. What’s more, that tailored look – ironically itself a revival (of 1930s and 1940s menswear) – is enjoying something of a comeback right now.”

Mary Katrantzou Autumn/Winter 2011 | Source: Style.com

‘English,’ With Irony (IHT)
“Yet although there have been the usual glancing references to tweed, cable knits, plaids and country clothes, the real story lies with a young, techno-savvy generation. The prints that grow more sophisticated each season are light-years from the classic patterns of roses ’round the door. But they are only a click away from a student with a smartphone and digital skills.”

Olivier Zahm’s Purple World (WWD)
“So how does he do that without becoming a tool? Purple Fashion just breaks even — before it pays its staff and such mundane matters as the lighting and heating bills. It’s no InStyle or Vogue in the money machine department, that’s for sure. Yet Zahm is, in his way, as feted and courted as any editor in chief of a major, and more profitable, fashion title.”

And Poof! A New Clothing Label (NY Times)
“‘I thought about doing an archive revival mini-capsule collection,’ explained Ms. Kennedy, but she eventually chose new pieces by 10 alumni designers that she felt were both saleable and representative of Fashion East’s history… Lulu & Co. is stocked by Collette in Paris and Harvey Nichols in London, and Ms. Kennedy says she now looks forward to growing the line in coming seasons.”

Macy’s Net Jumps 50%, Beats Analysts’ Estimates (Bloomberg)
“Macy’s, the second-biggest U.S. department-store chain, reported earnings that beat analysts’ estimates after keeping a lid on costs and selling exclusive holiday gifts from celebrity lines… Sales exceeded Macy’s expectations in every region as well as at the Bloomingdale’s chain. Online revenue jumped 29 percent.”

McQueen continues to cast spell (Independent)
“Alexander McQueen, who died a week before last year’s London Fashion Week, was remembered at a launch event for the forthcoming retrospective of the designer’s work at New York’s Metropolitan Museum. Vogue editor Anna Wintour and the ubiquitous Samantha Cameron gathered with press at the Ritz hotel.”