Loulou de la Falaise 1948 — 2011 | Source: Luxe Magazine

Debra Scherer remembers Yves Saint Laurent muse Loulou de la Falaise — once called “the quintessential Rive Gauche haute bohémienne” by The New Yorker — who passed away on Saturday at the age of 63 in Paris.

PARIS, France — The last time I saw Loulou de la Falaise was on American television. Yet, as a muse to the legendary Yves Saint Laurent, she will always be remembered as one of the most influential women from a magical time in Paris fashion. She had the ability to take a printed chiffon blouse and a khaki A-line skirt, add a twist of unexpected colour, a scarf tied around her head, arms stacked with beautiful bangles… et voila!

There was Betty Catroux; there was Marina Schiano; there was Catherine Denueve; each one epitomised the Saint Laurent aesthetic. But at its core, it was all about the remarkable ease with which Loulou de la Falaise could put together Saint Laurent’s pieces without it ever seeming like a ‘total look.’

For her part in inspiring YSL’s ‘Rive Gauche’ revolution, Loulou de la Falaise will be remembered as an important figure in the history of fashion. It’s hard to imagine now, but at the time, the very idea of buying YSL straight off the rack, as ready-to-wear, was a risky and revolutionary idea. It was the ‘fast fashion’ of its time and raised many an eyebrow.

But this revolution had little to do with the price; rather it was all about the idea of ease. It brought iconic pieces, like Le Smoking and Le Saharienne, along with beautiful jeweled coloured silks and khaki trench coats to “the rack.” You could walk out of the store with them right away, rather than endure a series of appointments at the haute couture salon, with all of its formality.

So when did I last see Loulou on television? I was flipping channels one day and discovered her on The Home Shopping Network (HSN). I almost couldn’t believe my eyes and had to stop and see what she was doing. What could a woman with such a tremendous and innate sense of style – an authentic Parisienne – have to say to the women of Middle America?

She was fabulous! The items for sale were simpler versions of her famous bangles. Now, this was revolutionary ready-to-wear for the 21st century. Once again, she was doing something that may have been risky. But what the inimitable Loulou de la Falaise really brought to fashion, whether on HSN or in the haute couture salon, was to underline, as only she could, that style can come with ease.

Debra Scherer is founder of The Little Squares.

Raf Simons | Source: Hypebeast

PARIS, France — We usually leave ‘breaking news’ stories to the wire services and Twitter, and don’t like to propagate unsubstantiated rumours, but sometimes the news is so big, and the source of the rumour is so credible, that it warrants immediate comment and analysis from BoF.

In her rapturous review of Raf Simons’ Spring/Summer 2012 collection for Jil Sander, the highly-respected fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune, Suzy Menkes, dropped the bombshell news that unnamed sources in Paris say that Raf Simons will replace Stefano Pilati as Creative Director of storied couture house, Yves Saint Laurent. When Menkes’ IHT colleague Jessica Michault announced the news on Twitter, the fashion Twittersphere was sent into overdrive.

Menkes seems supportive of the supposed move, saying that “if Raf Simons ultimately takes over the helm at Yves Saint Laurent — as those familiar with the situation in Paris suggest — the designer will have found a sweet spot for his meticulous modernism.”

But there was no mention of the timing of the supposed transition, and while Ms. Menkes’ sources are amongst the best in the industry and her reporting is of the highest integrity, the news is yet to be officially confirmed by any of the parties concerned, so this news must still be treated as conjecture.

That said, Mr. Pilati’s future at YSL is said to have been rocky for several seasons now. He has been regularly dogged by rumours that other designers were set to replace him. Only last season, a casual tweet from Kenzo’s Twitter account spawned rumours that Hedi Slimane would replace Pilati, rumours that were only snuffed out when YSL’s official Twitter account wrote: “From YSL HQ in Paris… Pilati busy working on the next collection. All the rumors unfounded – he is here to stay.”

There is more reason to believe the rumours are true this time around. Up until now, there has been no such Twitter rebuttal from YSL. And, Ms. Menkes’ news was published in the International Herald Tribune and on The New York Times website, organisations which operate under strict journalistic codes. While still not a 100 percent guarantee, this holds much more weight in our books than a rogue tweet from a competing brand.

As for Mr. Simons, Ms. Menkes says he couldn’t be reached for comment. But, speaking to Tim Blanks for his review on Style.com, Mr. Simons did say that his Spring/Summer 2012 collection “is the last in his couture trilogy” for Jil Sander, leaving Mr. Blanks to postulate about Mr. Simons’ next chapter  for the brand.

Will there really be another Raf Simons collection for Jil Sander? Or, could YSL Couture be next? Watch this space.

Imran Amed is founder and editor of The Business of Fashion

UPDATE: 26 September 2006 – Yves Saint Laurent issued a statement today denying the rumours about Mr. Pilati’s departure (and Mr. Simons’ arrival) at the house: “”Yves Saint Laurent disclaims and regards as unfounded the current rumours concerning the creative direction of the house. Stefano Pilati continues to dedicate his talent and energies to Yves Saint Laurent and the coming fashion show.”

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.”

Miu Miu Autumn/Winter 2011 photographed by Bruce Weber | Source: Miu Miu

Prada Woos Young Chinese With Edgier Sister-Brand (WSJ)
“Aiming to cash in on China’s bulging population of young fashion-lovers, Prada is turning its focus in the Chinese market to its… Sister-brand… Miu Miu has struck a chord with China’s young luxury shoppers… Who… Don’t remember the era in which the brand was overshadowed by the Prada label.”

Global growth drives ASOS sales (FT)
“Online fashion retailer Asos intends to make free global shipping a “permanent” part of its business model, after international sales growth fuelled a 63 per cent jump in sales in the first quarter to £107m… International sales grew 160 per cent… And now make up 57 per cent of overall sales.”

Hugo Boss raises outlook on China, U.S. demand (Reuters)
“German fashion house Hugo Boss raised its outlook for the year, boosted by growing sales in China and the United States…  The group, known for its sharp suits for men, said it now expected 2011 sales to rise by between 15 and 17 percent and underlying earnings to rise by 25 and 30 percent.”

Yves Saint Laurent Defends Its Red Soles Against Christian Louboutin (The Cut)
“Yves Saint Laurent, Inc.’s lawyers issued a… response to Christian Louboutin’s trademark-infringement charges this week, stating first… That no one can prove that YSL’s use of red soles hurt Louboutin’s sales or caused any consumer confusion… They argued that Louboutin never should have gotten a trademark for those red soles.”

In Berlin, Rocking the Fashion Trade Fair (IHT)
“A person stumbling into this spectacle… could easily mistake it for an artsy free-for-all in Berlin… Yet that is precisely what makes Bread & Butter, among the world’s most important urban and street fashion trade fairs… Held this year… It drew 100,000 visitors and 600 brands like Adidas, Diesel and G-Star”

'Read and Shop' on Mr.Porter edited by Jeremy Langmead | Source: Mr.Porter

E-commerce Luring Top Editorial Talent (WWD)
“A new kind of magazine has indeed arrived online and its bringing editors into the sales business. For the last year, fast-growing online retail companies like Gilt and Net-a-porter in the U.K. have been scooping up orphans from the magazine world with the idea that editorial content can help them drive sales.”

Rising raw prices to hurt luxury margins (Reuters)
“Record high prices for raw materials such as gold, silver, diamonds, leather and cashmere will squeeze the margins of luxury goods makers this year because price increases will only absorb part of the hit… supported by a weak U.S. dollar and low interest rates. Other raw materials, such as leather, cotton or cashmere, have become scarce due to high demand from Asia.”

Luxury brands under M&A pressure (Reuters)
“Big luxury goods companies will be pressured to make acquisitions to grow even as stocks of high-end retailers and brands make deals pricey and some targets are reluctant to even listen to offers… So far this year, luxury mergers and acquisitions have doubled the pace set for all of 2010.”

Yves Saint Laurent hit back at Christian Louboutin (Telegraph)
“Yves Saint Laurent have hit back against claims they copied Christian Louboutin’s trademarked red soles, in a $1 million court case which is set to divide the fashion world… ‘Red outsoles are a commonly used ornamental design feature in footwear, dating as far back as the red shoes worn by King Louis XIV in the 1600s.’”

Chronicles of Never (Dazed Digital)
“Since departing from Australian design trio Ksubi, Gareth Moody has turned his attention to developing his own, equally rebellious label, Chronicles of Never… the label echoes the same Ksubi spirit which saw warehouse installations, hundreds of rats let loose onto a catwalk and a boat party where models were instructed to jump overboard.”

Stefano Pilati | Source: Fashion Squad

Balanced on Fashion’s Wobbly Pedestal (NY Times)
“In total, Mr. Pilati has been a designer for nearly 30 years, during which time he has had highs and lows, wrestled with drug abuse, and constantly questioned his place in fashion and whether the pressures are worth it.’I have worked and worked and worked hard again… I have been a monk here.’”

It’s Hard to Be Sexy (NY Times)
“Of course, all this is a big fat cliché; women, including Ms. McCartney, are much more complex than that. But it was interesting for Ms. McCartney, who isn’t known for straying far from her brand comfort zone, to take these sexual identities to such extremes. As a trying three-week run of shows winds down, you realize how difficult it is for designers to make new statements with sexy clothes.”

Cut from a different cloth (FT)
“There are, at most, just 300 Intha people who know how to harvest the wild lotus flower stems… About 200 others know how to extract the filaments and process these to skeins, which must be done within 24 hours of picking to prevent deterioration. When Loro Piana first came to Burma… he guaranteed to purchase all the fabric.”

Prada Shuns Milan for Hong Kong Signals Economic Shift (Bloomberg)
“Losing Prada highlights the struggles facing Borsa Italiana to gain new listings, said investor… The Italian exchange lost half its value in the past three years amid a dearth of IPOs and the drop in stock prices since 2007… ‘The Borsa’s troubles mirror sluggish economic growth and an exchange that isn’t as visible as others on a global scale… Companies that have a global market are looking elsewhere for success.’”

Nuturing by a Style ‘Angel’ (IHT)
“One woman in particular was overwhelmed with emotion at the Ackermann show: Anne Chapelle, the Belgian investor who believed in the designer and supported him, just as she has Ann Demeulemeester and has brought the Josephus Thimister brand back to life. Ms. Chapelle’s approach to designers is different from the big-bucks, big-brand style…. ‘My designers have to have their feet on the ground.’”

But there were no signs that the medium was condensing around fixed codes. Quite the opposite. What we saw was the kind of restless innovation and constant evolution that characterises the fluid nature of digital media itself, with an explosion of new films that energised, but also transcended, the seasonal presentation schedule, speaking directly to consumers across the internet as part of in-season digital campaigns.

During the Paris menswear collections, Stefano Pilati opened the Yves Saint Laurent show with “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” a 7-minute film by legendary photographer Bruce Weber, while on the first night of New York Fashion week, a mesmerising film by Nick Knight, featuring Ranya Mordanova in a fractured, postmodern ritual, beautifully complemented Korean designer Jung Kuho’s deconstructed Hexa collection. A week later in London, the British Fashion Council inaugurated a special screening zone at Somerset House for a series of film presentations by young designers like Craig Lawrence, Louise Gray and Katie Eary.

But much of the action took place outside the official fashion week schedule. We saw fashion films inhabiting online advertising units on sites like The New York Times, as well as the emergence of new editorial channels like TEST and NOWNESS, which joined SHOWstudio, Dazed Digital, brand websites, video sharing sites, and Diane Pernet’s international festival, A Shaded View on Fashion Film, as platforms for striking films by avant garde designers and established brands alike.

Last October, we brought you our first seasonal ranking of the Top 10 Fashion Films. This season, the competition was stronger than ever. So sit back, turn up the volume, and enjoy the Top 10 Fashion Films of the Season — and since most of the films are in HD, we recommend you expand the videos to fill your screens with the latest in digital fashion creativity.

(RSS and Email subscribers, click here to view the films).

1. FRED BUTLER “SUNSHOWERS” by Elisha Smith-Leverock
There is a hypnotic, sharply focused beauty about Fred Butler and Elisha Smith-Leverock’s film “Sunshowers” that makes it dance through your head long after you’ve seen it. Created for A Shaded View on Fashion Film in response to a one-word brief (“Light”) from Diane Pernet, the film uses ritualistic movements, flashes of golden sunlight, and rhythmic soundtrack to perfectly heighten the experience of stunning accessories and headpieces by Fred Butler and Rosy Nicholas for Fred Butler. We think the film feels primal and utterly elegant, timeless and contemporary — all in the same breath. BoF offers you an exclusive look at this film, developed in association with Vogue Italia.

“Sunshowers” premieres at ASVOFF on May 25 in Milan.

2. HEXA by KUHO by Nick Knight
To complement Jung Kuho’s deconstructed and reconstructed A/W 2010 collection, inspired by ecdysis, “shedding our outer skins to re-emerge spiritually as more perfect or purer beings,” Nick Knight stripped away all excess to create an almost religious, masterfully controlled, magnetic film, featuring Ranya Mordanova undergoing a postmodern metamorphosis. The editing work was nothing short of sublime, playing with repetition and ceremonial body movements perfectly synced to a spellbinding soundtrack.

3. AANTENI for RODARTE by Todd Cole
Shot by photographer and video artist Todd Cole in the deserted grounds of the California jet lab that houses PayPal founder Elon Musk’s Space X initiative, this hallucinatory techno thriller stars Guinevere van Seenus wearing pieces from Rodarte’s S/S 2010 collection. Appearing in-season on new, LVMH-owned content site NOWNESS, the film invites consumers into the enigmatic, textured world of the Rodarte brand, blending art, fashion, mystery and science with visual impact and conceptual daring.

4. CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN for FASHIONAIR
Entitled “Dancer in a Daydream” and presented on FASHIONAIR, this film features the world’s most famous shoe designer, Christian Louboutin himself. The film begins with Mr. Louboutin at work in his Paris atelier, but he quickly slips into a daydram that transports him to New York’s Broadway, where he tap dances like Fred Astaire alongside two showgirls wearing his signature red-soled shoes. It’s a fun film. But what’s most compelling from a business point of view is the way FASHIONAIR displays the video alongside shopable and sharable products featured in the film — an elegant and highly effective way to integrate content and commerce and turn engagement into sales.

5. PRADA S/S 2010 by Steven Meisel
This spring, along with a YouTube channel, Prada launched not one, but two digital fashion films. The 9-minute First Spring was beautifully shot by Chinese artist Yang Fudong. Indeed, high-resolution screengrabs from the film were also used by Prada as print advertising, underscoring the flexibility of capturing content in high-definiton digital video. But we were more intrigued by the 1-minute S/S 2010 womenswear film shot by Steven Meisel. Featuring Rasa Zukauskaite as a sexy accessory-holic, twirling to a hip-hop soundtrack with bright red lips and ponytails, the film’s visual device is simple, and the focus is squarely on product. But what’s most interesting about this film is the way it appeared in online advertising units that seemed to target a younger audience.

6. Y-3 S/S 2010 by Lloyd & Co
This season, Adidas and Yohji Yamamoto also leveraged high-definition digital video to power a cross-media campaign for their sportswear collaboration Y-3, photographed by Alasdair McLellan, styled by Nicola Formichetti, filmed by Theo Stanley and art directed by Doug Lloyd. Capturing the simplicity and grace of a classic team portrait and timed to coincide with the run up to this summer’s World Cup, the campaign features football legend Zinedine Zidane and lives cohesively and seamlessly across multiple media formats, from online video to print advertising.

7. KATIE EARY A/W 2010 by Kathryn Ferguson
Shot by Kathryn Ferguson for London-based menswear designer and rising star Katie Eary, this film screened on both Jaime Perlman’s TEST magazine and Dazed Digital to coincide with London Fashion Week. The kaleidoscopic effects and use of lighting complement Ms. Eary’s A/W 2010 collection perfectly, while the film’s underground, sci-fi gothic aesthetic is charged with just the kind of raw energy and intrigue a young designer needs to catapault into the spotlight. We only wish TEST and Dazed Digital had let fans easily embed the video in their own blogs.

8. DOLCE & GABBANA by Pierre Debusschere
Created for NOWNESS in collaboration with AnOther Man’s “Outlaw” issue, this surreal film by Belgian filmmaker and fashion photographer Pierre Debusschere celebrates Dolce & Gabbanna’s tailored S/S 2010 menswear collection. Featuring young British actor Robert Sheehan, the film has an otherworldy feel, punctuated by a visual arsenal of fireworks, strobe lights and green lasers and set against a sunrise in the middle of the woods. We like that AnOther Magazine and AnOther Man are extending their print editorials online with movement and sound and giving viewers a digital asset they can share with each other in between issues.

9. YSL “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” by Bruce Weber
At the Paris menswear, the Yves Saint Laurent show kicked off with a black and white film by legendary photographer Bruce Weber, featuring music by Marvin Gaye and a special appearance by Bunny Yeager, one of Weber’s favorite photographers. As the fashion show began, a trailer for the film was circulated on Facebook and YouTube, with video from the show and Weber’s complete film appearing online a few hours later at Vogue.co.uk, YSL.com and elsewhere. By choosing to work with a photographer like Bruce Weber — perhaps best known for his semi-nude campaigns and catalogues for Abercrombie & Fitch — YSL creative director Stefano Pilati no doubt sought and succeeded in building online buzz around his menswear collection.

10. THE LOVE THING by James Lima

Independent pioneers like Dazed Digital have often presented fashion films that accompany stills shoots. But Condé Nast’s LOVE, edited by superstylist Katie Grand, is the first magazine to create a high-octane fashion film as a commercial for a “multi-media extravaganza” coming soon on their own website, thelovemagazine.co.uk. Featuring an all-star cast of internet favorites like Dree Hemingway and Pixie Geldof playing in traffic while wearing leopard coats, sheer trenches, black garters, or nothing at all, the film was shot on the revolutionary RED Mysterium-X and released on Valentine’s Day for maximum impact. “I’m very excited by the idea of moving image; clothes and bodies look better in motion. The new technology surrounding the iPad is very interesting to me, and it’s thrilling to try and find a new way of working with fashion that isn’t two dimensional,” said Katie Grand. At BoF, we couldn’t agree more.

Which fashion films made your eyes pop this season? Let the BoF community know which films you thought were special.

Stefano Pilati of YSL, courtesy of Wallpaper

Black is back at Yves Saint Laurent (Financial Times)
After ten years of losses, Yves Saint Laurent breaks even amid the current recession.

Net-a-Porter profits rocket (Drapers)
Due to improved margins, Net-a-Porter’s pre tax profits are up 300 percent to £9 million.

Wal-Mart’s Profits Attributable to Sad State of Economy (Seeking Alpha)
“Wal-Mart is one of the few stalwarts to actually expand business amidst today’s financial carnage and the glowing statistics are not to be mistaken for a grandiose harbinger of U.S. economic vitality.”

Christian Lacroix Heads Back to the Basics (WSJ)
As a response to the economic tumult, Lacroix pulled back on his signature exuberance.

NEW YORK, United States – Quoting Steven Kolb, executive director of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, saying the format of showing the Fall 2009 collections this February is the “number one item on everyone’s agenda right now,” The Wall Street Journal‘s Heard on the Runway blog recently asked the question: “Will fashion shows survive the economy?”

To answer this question, it’s important to consider how fashion shows function in today’s media landscape. Increasingly, images and video from runway shows, captured by the established media, as well as a new generation of fashion bloggers wielding video-enabled camera phones, reach a global audience of fashion consumers, in close to realtime, on Style.com, YouTube and fashion blogs around the world.

As a result, today’s shows are not simply aimed at editors, buyers and other industry insiders. They have become remarkable vehicles for conjuring and transmitting the energy of a brand to end consumers.

Recessionary times require a rethink of the cost versus benefit calculation. Certainly this applies to fashion shows also. But tough economies also prompt new ideas. So far, the most popular answer has been to stage simpler “presentations” instead of elaborate runway shows. But the timing has never been better for designers to think outside the box and leverage the power of the internet to communicate their vision in a dynamic and cost-effective manner.

For Spring/Summer 2009, Victor & Rolf became the first major fashion brand to stage a web-only show, while online fashion retailer Net-a-Porter recently staged a mini-runway show featuring eight outfits from Alexander McQueen’s 2009 Pre-Spring collection. While they get top marks for innovation, simply taking the format of the runway show and recreating it online isn’t the only (or necessarily the most effective) way to harness the potential of the new medium.

Indeed, recent seasons have seen the rise of a groundbreaking new format: the online fashion film. Complementing less elaborate presentations, online fashion films have the potential to deliver the poetry and energy of a full-blown runway show, with motion and music, in a way that’s cost-effective and easily distributed.

For Autumn/Winter 2008, creative director Stefano Pilati, struggling to achieve profitability at Yves Saint Laurent, decided to skip the traditional runway show and present his menswear collection for Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche through a film broadcast on YSL’s website, YouTube and Nick Knight’s SHOWstudio.

A pioneer of the new format, SHOWstudio themselves recently released “Insensate,” an online short that brings to life the bewitching aesthetic magic of Gareth Pugh’s Autumn/Winter 2008 collection. But Prada was perhaps the first big brand to experiment with the new medium of online fashion film as a marketing tool that played an integral role in their seasonal advertising campaign. Their animated short “Trembled Blossoms,” based on the James Jean wallpaper that appeared in the campaign, depicts a cyber-woman’s journey through a CGI forest as she acquires looks from the Spring/Summer 2008 collection, as if by magic. Premiered at New York Fashion Week, the film created quite a buzz with both fashion insiders and a global audience on YouTube.

Even Chanel, arguably France’s premier fashion house, has been experimenting with online fashion film, launching a beautiful online short that highlights Coco Chanel’s fascination with Russia and the splendour of the tsars to accompany the recent launch of Chanel’s Paris-Moscou collection. And while brands like Chanel are unlikely to stop staging the kind of elaborate presentations that sometimes feel more like operas than mere runway shows, one thing’s for sure.

The ascendance of the online fashion film is a significant and growing trend that stands to get a boost from the current economic climate. Stay tuned.

Vikram Alexei Kansara is a digital strategist and writer based in New York.

PARIS, France – There was wall-to-wall coverage of Yves Saint Laurent’s funeral in Paris on Thursday, but as usual, it was Suzy Menkes, in her own erudite and quirky way, who best managed to capture the mood of the moment in her article and video about Saint Laurent’s final farewell.

That John Galliano, Christian Lacroix, Ricardo Tisci, Valentino Garavani, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Sonia Rykiel, Stefano Pilati, Mark Jacobs, Alber Elbaz, Hubert de Givenchy and Vivienne Westwood were all there to pay homage speaks to Saint Laurent’s towering status amongst his peers and YSL successors. The one notable absentee was Karl Lagerfeld.

Marc Jacobs, speaking of Saint Laurent’s influence on his own designs, said simply “He’s the person who taught me everything I know.” In creative fields like fashion, it is this kind of recognition, respect and influence that stands the test of time. Not dollars and cents.