Italian Luxury-Goods Makers to Follow Clients in Spending More (Bloomberg)
"Ermenegildo Zegna, Salvatore Ferragamo and Roberto Cavalli will increase investment in 2011, signaling greater confidence among Italian luxury-goods makers as demand continues to rise."

Milan: Heritage, Showmanship, Theater (IHT)
"But even the face-paint effects for the Facebook generation... did not give that extra kick of excitement to sleek suits and luxurious sportswear. Like most of the Milan menswear season, which closes Tuesday, the Gucci show was nice — but not a knockout."

Kenneth Cole shuttering 8 U.S. stores (Crain's)
"The brand, which started 29 years ago, has been struggling in recent years as consumers shunned its trendy wares. Late last year, there were even rumors that namesake designer Kenneth Cole's younger brother, Neil, who runs Iconix Brand Group Inc., was eying Kenneth Cole as an acquisition target."

Burberry boosted by China expansion (FT)
"The group said like-for-like retail sales grew by 36 per cent in the quarter after the group took full ownership of 50 stores in China from a franchisee agreement. China recorded like-for-like comparable sales growth of 14 per cent for the period."

Behind-The-Scenesters: Mel Ottenberg (Style.com)
"'I don't want the style to be noticed, per se. I just want the kid who's reading the magazine to think, wow, that looks great.' Here, Ottenberg talks to Style.com about his big break(s), his atypical days, and how a little fear can be a very good thing.."

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