Chloe Raises the Roof at the Tuileries Tent in Paris | Photo: BoF

LONDON, United Kingdom — It was a fashion season of extreme weather. After the New York Fashion Week schedule was upended, first by an earthquake and then by the State of Emergency declaration that came courtesy of Hurricane Irene, an unprecedented heat wave in Paris threw buyers, editors and bloggers into a wardrobe tailspin.

The American editors were worst off, having packed for the European shows two weeks before Paris with no prior notice of the heat wave that was to come. After a few days of shows in impossibly hot venues, some of them resorted to ripping the sleeves off their outfits or just wearing their ‘airplane clothes.’

Brands tried to ease the pain. Fans were distributed at shows alongside champagne and much to everyone’s relief, Chloe arranged for the roof of the Tuileries tent to be removed for their show, letting in the sun and much welcome breeze. Meanwhile Net-a-Porter, always on top of a new market opportunity, delivered heat wave friendly clothes to editors caught without weather-appropriate attire.

But of course the real action was on the runway and in conversations between BoF and the good and the great of the global fashion tribe at a season filled with its fair share of events and parties.

Without further ado, it’s time to look back at Spring/Summer 2012, the season that was.

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L-R Ohne Titel, Rodarte, Vera Wang | Source: Style.com

The Volume Stays Up (NY Times)
“There seems to be no escape from the orgy of prints and color consuming the runways. It continued on Tuesday at Rodarte and Vera Wang, with runny floral patterns. It struck on Monday with ice-cream pastels at Preen, tribal prints at Donna Karan and blazing red at Ohne Titel… But if you look at many of the prints that have appeared this week, and the way they were handled, you don’t find that human dimension of wit and vulnerability. They don’t make you smile.”

Style as Seen Through Rose-Colored iPhone App (WSJ)
“Fashion enthusiasts—an image-obsessed group—are enamored with how Instagram turns a low-quality image into a moody composition. At the tents in New York this week, editors, bloggers and publicity people are donning Instagram’s digital rose-colored glasses and uploading images by the thousands, to the chagrin of some professional photographers.”

PPR confirms eyeing Brioni (Reuters)
“French retail and luxury group PPR confirmed it was in talks to acquire family-owned Italian tailor Brioni and added there was a risk the recent drying up of the debt market could affect the disposal of its mail order business Redcats… The deal this summer carried a price tag of about 350 million euros ($480 million)… If it went ahead, the acquisition would allow PPR to make progress on its pledge to strengthen its position in the luxury market and get out of retail.”

Rising cost of clothes could signal end to ‘cheap chic’ (Guardian)
“The days of “cheap chic” and throwaway fashion could be numbered, because the cost of clothes is rising at its fastest rate for nearly 15 years. The “fast fashion” trend, where T-shirts sell for £2 and jeans are priced at less than a fiver in supermarkets, is being battered by big increases in the cost of cotton, labour and transport.”

A Duo Clashes for Fashion (WSJ)
“Messrs. Hernandez and McCollough, both 33 years old, are considered leaders of a new school of designers in their 20s and 30s representing the next generation of big American fashion designers. This new breed is known for its willingness to experiment with fabrics and its ability to reinterpret classic designs for a contemporary audience.”

Canton Road, Hong Kong | Source: Asian Central

Hong Kong is firmly at the heart of China’s new cultural revolution (Guardian)
“The richer China has become, the more they visit Hong Kong to shop. ‘Luxury brands are forecasting year-on-year growth of 35%,’ says Helen Willerton, former managing director of Chloé Asia Pacific. ‘Mainlanders fly in for a few days, save money on accommodation by staying in three-star hotels, and spend on high-end retail – watches, jewellery and fashion.’”

Gap weaves fabric of L.A. into 1969 jeans campaign (LA Times)
“To bring its 1969 Premium Jeans line closer to the heart of the designer denim industry, the apparel giant last year opened a creative design office in a gritty section of downtown L.A. near the fashion district. Now Gap is putting its L.A. vibe at the core of a global marketing campaign.”

European vs American luxury: is there a difference? (FT)
“Proenza often seems more design-led than many of its NY fashion week peers… which are more rooted in the American sports wear tradition of combining super-luxurious materials with super-uncomplicated shapes. This is one of the reasons VFG bought them it the first place; its work does not, in fact, scream ‘American!’ It sort of whispers ‘cool chic.’”

Chloé’s Former Chairman Is Taking Over at St. John (The Cut)
“Ralph Toledano, who was the CEO and chairman of Chloé for eleven years before stepping down last August, is said to be the new chairman of St. John, reports WWD.”

Milk Meets Nicola Formichetti (Milk Blog)
“The digital approach is very important, it’s the future. But we should not forget about our reality, the physical world. We always need to embrace new things, but never be dependent on them.”

PPR eyes Brioni (Reuters)
“French luxury goods and retail group PPR is considering buying family-owned Italian tailor Brioni for about 350 million euros ($508.4 million)… The deal, if it goes ahead, would allow PPR to make further progress on its pledge to get out of retail and make luxury and sports brands its central focus.”

A Proenza Schouler Deal Is Near (On the Runway)
“A European private-equity firm is expected to sell its shares in the design house Proenza Schouler to a group of New York investors led by John Howard, the chief executive of Irving Place Capital, and Andrew Rosen, a seasoned garment industry executive behind Theory and Helmut Lang.”

Forever 21 ups the fashion stakes (FT)
“With the arrival of US retailer Forever 21 on London’s Oxford Street. Renowned for its constantly changing styles and rock-bottom prices, its continued expansion could herald a battle with its rivals, who are already feeling the pinch from cash-strapped shoppers and rising input costs.”

H&M links up with Beckham on new underwear range (Reuters)
“Budget fashion chain Hennes & Mauritz  is to partner with soccer star David Beckham to sell his new range of underwear… H&M, the world’s number two clothes retailer, has often linked itself with famous names to attract customers, including Madonna and Stella McCartney. The partnership with Beckham will be a long-term alliance, the group said.”

Crystals: All that glitters (Independent)
“There’s one name behind all the glitz: Swarovski. Founded more than a century ago, the brand is still family-run and the breadth of its reach and influence continues to grow…The driving force behind all of this is Nadja Swarovski, 41, who has transformed the brand’s reputation and reach through collaborations and commissions.”

L: Proenza Schouler PS1. R: Target Mossimo® Messenger | Source: purseblog.com

LONDON, United Kingdom — When reports first surfaced in March about the striking similarities between Proenza Schouler’s PS1 bag and Target’s Mossimo Messenger, the discomfort within the fashion industry was palpable. What was particularly troubling was that Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez, the design duo behind Proenza Schouler, had a longstanding relationship with Target.

Indeed, in 2007 the designers debuted their capsule collection for Target, part of which they agreed to re-issue for the 2011 spring season. So to make matters worse, when the Target story broke, the alleged knock-off was sitting alongside the re-issued Proenza Schouler for Target pieces, lending a quasi-legitimacy to the offending Mossimo Messenger bag.

Speaking with BoF, Proenza Schouler chief executive Shirley Cook said the impact was deeply felt. “Our relationship [with Target] was based on trust, so of course the [revelation] was particularly upsetting,” she said. “We were attracted to working with Target because we really respect it as an upstanding company, so seeing our product knocked-off in store cut close to home.”

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