relocation

"the saleswoman offered me a pair of sockettes to try on with my shoes and brought out a new pair fresh from its packet."

- nudnik on why on pedder is unexpectedly awesome

according to butterboom, the on pedder flagship at wheelock house is soon no longer to be. on 1 october it will relocate to the first floor of joyce's 18 queen's road central store.

no more men

"fashion is going too fast, and identities are being too quickly mainstreamed by the whole fashion business."

- helmut lang

helmut lang menswear ss05

a source within the firm speculates on the future of the menswear division:

"it doesn't make sense anymore to make men's for helmut.  they haven't shown a formal collection in five years, and link theory (the japanese firm which bought the label in 2006) has a big retail plan for the company that's centred mostly on women's collections.  as a whole, the helmut brand has promise and we're optimistic, but men's is just not part of the picture any longer."

russian roulette

"russia on its path has oftentimes discussed and overdiscussed what had happened earlier, instead of moving forward.  the result is always the same: it is very difficult to move forward when you're looking backward."

- mikhail khodorkovsky

chanel pre-fall 2009 paris-moscow campaign

one third of russia’s 42,000 clothing retailers will close by the end of this year after the economic crisis hurt spending, according to the head of the european fashion and textile export council. "retail failures and order cutbacks in russia mean companies in fashion-exporting nations such as germany will deliver less apparel for the winter season," said reinhard doepfer, who leads the brussels- and stuttgart-based industry group.  diesel, stella mccartney, reebok, plato and hugo boss have all closed stores in region.  the local franchisee for hong kong sportswear maker sprandi international ltd has also closed all 37 of its outlets in moscow and st petersburg after declaring bankruptcy this past may.  gross domestic product in russia shrank 9.8 percent in the first quarter - the worst contraction in 15 years - and average monthly wages dropped 5.2 percent in june.

lacroix lives!! - part II

"we have made an offer this morning (monday) before 10:00am.... it is only symbolic really." 

- louis petiet, head of bernard krief consultants told reuters about their bid of "not even" a few million euros for the couture house

sketch by christian lacroix for desdemona's costume in othello

in 2008, the company made a loss of eur10 million on revenues of eur30 million while orders for ss09 prêt-à-porter were down 35 percent, but there may be hope yet.  monday was the deadline for offers for the ailing label which will be evaluated in a court in september.  on the table at the moment are:

1. the borletti group (owner of la rinascente and printemps) - being considered as "serious"

2. bernard krief consultants (french management consultancy) - deemed "unsatisfactory"

3. two more bids of eur1 each - "rejected"

the final option is that of the falic group's aggressive restructuring plan which will see 90 percent of the house's workforce cut.

lacroix lives!!

"france, and the whole of europe, have a great culture and an amazing history.  most important thing though is that people there know how to live!"

- johnny depp

seamstresses at valentino

christian lacroix bridal collection 2008

christian lacroix bridal collection 2008

christian lacroix bridal collection 2008

christian lacroix bridal collection 2008

christian lacroix bridal collection 2008

there is hope yet that christian lacroix may be saved!!  rumours are rife that restructuring firm bernard krief consultants has put in a bail-out bid and will table this formally next week.  if this is false however, falic group (the label's owner) will be forced to restructure and slash the current workforce of 124 artisans to just 12.  these women are part of a dying breed of "petites mains" who work the couture houses.  with the industry being supported by no more than a couple of hundred clients globally as well as the rise of cheap overseas labour it is no wonder that their jobs are being sacrificed.  but what of france?  what would french fashion be without all of this?  of all photographs care of girls.pic.

auf wiedersehen, escada

"the doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live."

- flora whittemore

eva longoria parker in escada

blake lively in celine

shortly after celine's announcement earlier this month of the closure of its only london door, comes the news that escada may soon have to dissolve.  the german label has liquidity to last until august but not beyond.  although restructuring plans have been presented to creditors, if these are not accepted escada will be forced to halt trading immediately as "98 out of the 99 possible measures" to revive the company have already been taken, said chairman bruno sälzer.  the brand was founded in 1978 by margaretha and wolfgang ley.