Lagerfeld sketch for Chanel from "Paris-Shanghai" | Source: Fashionmagazine

European Luxury Goods Risk Cachet With China Focus (Bloomberg)
“European luxury brands are risking their cachet and alienating Western shoppers by changing designs to appeal to the Chinese market, according to Tyler Brûlé , the London-based design consultant and editor of Monocle magazine.”

Will Fashion’s Biggest Names Kiss the Runway Goodbye? (Time)
“On Dec. 11, Rugby, Ralph Lauren’s collegiate brand, will show its holiday collection in an online fashion show… instead of the company’s spending $1.5 million on an audience of approximately 700 members of the fashion press and department-store buyers, the virtual show will cost less than $50,000 to produce and is expected to attract more than 40 million page views.”

Inditex’s push into Asia offsets domestic slump (FT)
“Inditex, the Spanish clothes retailer, yesterday unveiled a slight drop in profits for the nine months to the end of October, as aggressive expansion into Asia helped offset weakness in the domestic market.”

Mulberry profits boosted by UK retail sales (Drapers)
“Mulberry posted a 16% hike in sales in the first half of the year, boosted by a strong UK retail performance. The luxury clothing and accessories house saw sales climb to to £32.3m during the six months to the end of September 2009.”

Luxury groups think they can survive bonus tax (FT)
“Luxury retailers think that their Christmas sales can withstand the tax on bankers’ bonuses but are worried about the impact of higher income tax next year… The 50 percent bonus tax, announced in the pre-Budget report, will target important customers for luxury shops.”

Eddie Bauer goose down slippers, courtesy of Eddie Bauer

Eddie Bauer Plots Its Next Ascent (WSJ)
“Eddie Bauer Holdings Inc., the nearly 90-year-old outdoor retailer with a rich history, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, overcome by a heavy debt load.”

British style captures mood of times, says Mulberry (Reuters)
“The leather bags specialist said UK like-for-like sales leapt 21 percent in the first 10 weeks of its new financial year, helping to send its shares up 9.2 percent to 71 pence at 0822 GMT.”

Fashion First, Whatever the Size (New York Times)
“This month, Arcadia plans to unveil a collection that Ms. Ditto designed for Evans, the company’s plus-size division. Available in the United States on the Web, it highlights cutting-edge looks like a corset dress and a cropped biker jacket.”

Kokosalaki to overhaul Diesel Black Gold (Drapers)
“Diesel Black Gold has pulled out of New York Fashion Week and drafted in Greek born designer Sophia Kokosalaki to overhaul its premium Black Gold womenswear collection.”

Outnet homepage, courtesy of Net-a-Porter

Net-a-Porter gives details of discount venture (Drapers)
As revealed in BoF’s exclusive interview with Natalie Massenet in November, Net-a-Porter will launch a discount e-Commerce venture called Outnet.com.

Milan’s Choice: Appeal to Reason or the Gut? (WSJ)
In order to lure customers, designers in Milan employed polarising design strategies.

Mulberry to beat expectations (Drapers)
According to Mulberry, the holiday sales rush will help it beat market expectations.

Luxury Players Battle Changes in Online Rules (WWD)
Changes in European regulation, could dictate how luxury players operate their e-Commerce businesses. (Subscription required)

Zara owner Inditex posts strong sales (Drapers)
Despite the volatile market conditions, Inditex has posted a net sales increase of 11 percent this year.