Making Sense of the YSL Retrobranding (Insight & Analysis)
"When Hedi Slimane was appointed creative director of Yves Saint Laurent, last March, YSL's parent company, PPR, gave the designer 'total creative responsibility for the brand image and all its collections.'"

Colin's Column | Making the Case for a Modern Couture (Opinion)
"Strange people in the fashion world. Take Dior. The couturier who founded the house with money provided by Marcel Boussac, the cotton baron, was secretive and superstitious, always looking for traitors hiding behind curtains."

Finding Your M.O. | Part 3: The Business Plan is Your Roadmap (Education)
"Early stage entrepreneurs often ask: is a business plan really that important or can you get away without one? The quick answer is: yes, it's really that important, and, no, you cannot get away without one."

The Creative Class | Ellen von Unwerth (The Creative Class)
"'I love London!' beams photographer and director Ellen von Unwerth in her soft Frankfurt lilt, while holding court at Michael Hoppen's Gallery in Chelsea, where she has come to unveil her latest show, Do Not Disturb."

Qatari royal family buys Italian fashion house Valentino (Reuters)
"Iconic Italian fashion house Valentino has been snapped up by the Qatari royal family for 700 million euros ($857.46 million), marking one of the most prominent purchases of a European top designer brand by an emerging market investor."

Marvin S. Traub, Impresario of Bloomingdale's, Dies at 87 (NY Times)
"One of the most creative retailers of his era, Mr. Traub made Bloomingdale's synonymous with luxury, introduced many of the world's best-known clothing designers and created a national chain that acquired a reputation for status-conscious merchandising and chic interior moods that dazzled the eye."

Target Teams Up With Neiman Marcus to Create a Holiday Sales Smash (Forbes)
"You don't need to be a fashion slave to understand that the newly announced partnership between Neiman Marcus and Target is going to produce a collection that will send holiday shoppers thronging to both stores."