January 25th, 2008

The Fashion Emperor's Last Show:

Jimmy Choo Co-Founder Tamera Mellon Sues Her Mother:
"The co-founder of the Jimmy Choo shoe boutique beloved by celebrities filed a lawsuit on Wednesday against her estranged mother, seeking $10 million in damages stemming from the 2004 sale of the business . . . Mellon said in a statement that she had been forced to take legal action after trying other means to settle the dispute. 'I am baffled by my mother's refusal to return assets which rightfully do not belong to her,' she said."

Ralph Lauren/Penney's Collaboration a Case of Bad Timing:
"Gleaming white fixtures lovingly stacked with tasty traditional products beacon the Penney's customer who aspires to trade up to a fine way of life . . . At prices 10-35% above J.C.Penney's previously highest priced brands (Izod, Liz & Co.), what seemed like a perfect marriage and a great strategy turns out to be a case of really bad timing in light of the current economic situation."

Gaultier Goes Deep for 2008 Couture Show:
"The madcap couturier yesterday set his spring/summer 2008 collection in an underwater paradise peopled by raunchy sea-sirens and saucy sailors. This was the cue for a tidal wave of mermaid dresses, conch shell bustiers, fish-net tunics and gloves and tights hand-painted with sea monsters. Even the stiletto shoes were painted with fish scales."

Catch the underwater mystery tour below:

Diane von Furstenberg Sues Target Over Alleged Knock-Offs:
"Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg's company sued Target Corp. (TGT) on Thursday, alleging the discount retailer is selling dresses that too closely mimic the pattern from one of her signature dresses . . . 'Specifically, defendants' infringing dresses nearly identically copy the scale, pattern and colorways of DVF's Spotted Frog Design,' the lawsuit said. 'Defendants' infringing dresses are 'wrap' dresses made of materials designed to look like silk jersey, a style consumers and the general public have come to associate with DVF.'"

Earlier, DVF, along with 20 other design firms, initiated a lawsuit against the cheap-chic chain 'Forever 21' citing similar infringement issues. Sounds like Fashion Designers aren't accepting imitation as flattery any longer.

Coach Struggles with Weak Economy, Declining Consumer Spending:
"'This quarter demonstrated for the first time in our public history we are not immune to a slowing consumer environment,' Coach's chairman and chief executive, Lew Frankfort, said on a conference call . . . "My own view is that we're already in a consumer recession -- We do need a tax stimulus package,' he added, suggesting that this week's cut in US interest rates was not enough alone to boost spending."

Gucci Bags Snatched from Charity Shop:
"Callous thieves stole three designer handbags in broad daylight from the Barnardo's charity shop on London Road . . . Manager Melanie Connor said, 'They took the Gucci handbags, but left a Versace and a Chloe. They weren't visibly flash, so I think they were stealing to order' . . . Chairman of Alderley Edge Parish Council Mary Maczkowiak said: 'Stealing from a charity shop is beyond the lowest of the low.'"

Moschino Opens New Flagship Store in Beijing:
"The shop in Beijing displays the new design concept, with the theme of fairy tales, bringing customers a band-new shopping experience that can rarely be experienced in China. A heart-shaped handle, one of the symbols of Moschino, opens the door onto a space of pale, luminous color that transforms the classic furnishings into the main characters of a tale set in an enchanted forest."

***Meanwhile, Beijing's biggest counterfeit market launches its own brand of merchandise, 'SilkStreet', and warns everyone not to counterfeit it! : "This is chutzpah on a grand scale. Anyone who comes to Beijing as a tourist knows that the best address in town for getting knock-off North Face jackets, fake Armani belts and copied Louis Vuitton handbags is Silk Street . . . Now poacher has turned gamekeeper. In a display of astonishing cheek, Silk Street has launched its own brand of ties and scarves - and warned counterfeiters not to try and copy the new brand."

Private Equity Firm Scraps Tommy Hilfiger IPO:
"Apax Partners blamed the growing stock market turmoil today as it pulled the $3 billion to $4 billion (£1.5 billion to £2 billion) float of Tommy Hilfiger, the US designer clothing label, one day before management was due to meet potential investors. The private equity group, which bought the business for $1.6 billion three years ago, said that market conditions were too "volatile" to determine a price."