Worst of times prove best for luxury brands (CNN)
"Luxury brands, including fashion label Burberry and vehicle manufacturer Rolls-Royce, have all enjoyed bumper years, recording slump-busting profits that may raise eyebrows among consumers forced to tighten their non-snakeskin belts. Such income surges will dispel doubts raised when markets first began to falter over the resilience of the high-end market."

Chanel's Blue-Sky Thinking (IHT)
"Chanel took flight on Tuesday — both in its air travel stage set, inside the Grand Palais, and in the soaring imagination of its summer 2012 haute couture collection, all in blue, like an open sky. Trim and elegant as fantasy air hostesses, the first models were sent out by Karl Lagerfeld, who appeared in front of a mock pilot's cabin at the end to take his bow."

Jean-Jacques Picart Shares Four Decades of Fashion Wisdom (WWD)
"In a dense new book comprising 30 interviews with famous names and hidden talents, Paris-based fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart gleans life and career lessons — and unearths some candid snapshots of yore that alone are worth the price of admission."

Osklen, Brazil's First Global Luxury Brand (Forbes)
"Brazilians are snapping up luxury goods at a staggering rate. Industry sales were up 33% last year to $12 billion. So one would assume that the big, domestic brands would treat Brazil's own consumers as a priority. Not Osklen, the sought-after maker of sportswear founded in 1989 by the orthopaedic physician Oskar Metsavaht."

LVMH: daring to ditch the runway circus (FT)
"The Céline  move marks a conscious decision to choose the designer over possible marketing returns from the runway pictures (front row, celebs, backstage) that benefit brands every season, and is the first time I can remember that an LVMH house has done anything like this. Even after John Galliano's fall, they continued to have major shows for Dior, refusing to miss a season."