Mink or Fox? The Trench Gets Complicated (WSJ)
"Signaling how interactive the online shopping experience has become, Burberry, the British fashion label, is offering a way for customers to design and order custom trench coats online. Called Burberry Bespoke, the program is a full-scale attempt at "mass customization," a long-time goal of retailers and unusual for a designer fashion house. Customers select the cut of their trench coat, the fabric, the color, and then navigate through options such as bronze-studded sleeves, bridle leather cuff straps, mink linings and shearling collars."

Hermès raises full-year sales goal (Reuters)
"French luxury group Hermès raised its full-year sales goal on Friday after growth in the Americas and Asia drove an 18.2 percent rise in third-quarter revenue. Sales growth at constant exchange rates could reach 15-16 percent this year, Hermes said in a statement. This compares with a previous forecast of 12-14 percent... Hermès said a "remarkable growth trend" seen in the Americas and Asia, excluding Japan, in the first half of the year had continued in the third quarter, with sales up 22 percent and 34 percent respectively."

3 Ways Digital Innovation Can Make Luxury Brands Exclusive Again (Mashable)
"Luxury brand marketing must preserve exclusivity — on that we can agree. But successful luxury brand marketing today must also put the 'e' in experience... Luxury consumers in this economy are more interested in whether a luxury product is 'worth it,' and that all depends on the experience. While protecting brand exclusivity is a viable concern, such digital and new media tools offer inestimable opportunities to market luxury brand experiences."

Macy's $400 Million Makeover (Forbes)
"It's going to be one helluvaface lift. Macy's Herald Square, which dates (at least part of it) back to 1902, is going to zoom into the millenium thanks to the company's $400 million investment. The sweeping renovation is expected to take four years to complete and when it's done nearly every part of the world's largest store will be refreshed. Macy's has been making all the right moves to attract an older, affluent customer to both its department stores and e-commerce site."

Dazed 20th Anniversary Somerset House Exhibition (Dazed Digital)
"Hosted by Somerset House and curated by Jefferson Hack and Emma Reeves, the exhibition is an immersive representation of the magazine's – and the book's – best bits, featuring original artwork created especially for Dazed & Confused, including Jake & Dinos Chapman's GCSE work and Sam Taylor-Wood's 360 revolutionary seconds."