Putting Your Money Where Your Style Is

At a time when some of the fashion industry’s most beloved labels, from Christian Lacroix to Véronique Branquinho, are declaring bankruptcy, what would you pay to keep your favorite designer in business? (New York Times)

High Drama, Frayed Tempers at Paris Fashion Week

Police sirens and screams set the tone for Dior’s film noir-inspired fashion show on Friday, with a collection of 1950s trench coats, lingerie dresses and tight metallic jeans that revealed a decidedly commercial slant. (Reuters)

Designers Turn to the Practical

The world of high fashion is coming down to earth a bit. (Courier Post Online)

Michael Kors Chanels Prada – In a Wearable Way

Michael Kors was channeling some minimalist and architectural looks from Prada and Francisco Costa’s Calvin Klein line. But he did it with typical Kors aplomb — the collection was eminently wearable. (Wall Street Journal)

Michael Kors Chanels Prada – In a Wearable Way

Giving Fashion an ‘Eco-Boost’

When 11 barefoot models began a slow dance under a giant spider installation created by the famed Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, it was an unusual fashion moment. (New York Times)

Annie Leibovitz to Design For Louis Vuitton

Photographer joins guest designers to help Louis Vuitton raise money for the Red Cross. (Elle UK)

UK Designers Say Mass Retail Complements Business

London fashion designers say mass retailers do not necessarily undermine their business and can actually be of help, but acknowledge that they have awakened a desire among shoppers for frequent refreshing of stock. (Reuters)

Fashion’s Secret Helpers

Tavi Gevinson is an eighth-grader in a Chicago suburb. She’s reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” in English class and is taking algebra. She is also a muse to the designers of Rodarte, the award-winning fashion house showing next Tuesday at New York Fashion Week. (Wall Street Journal)

LuxuryLab Digest | Spas Take Off In Asia, Audi Taps Facebook Fans, Fashion Blogs Turn the Internet into a Catwalk, How the Pixel is Evolving Human Sentiment

Spas Take Off in Asia (Fortune)
Healthy living is back in style in Asia, which means a revival of ancient Asian wellness techniques – and an explosion of spas.
HUA HIN, Thailand — Yue-Sai Kan — one of the most recognizable women in China with a cosmetics empire and her own TV show — often needs to get away from the grueling pressures and polluted skies of Shanghai and Beijing, where she lives.

Audi Taps its Facebook Fans to Help Design Car of the Future (Mashable)
More and more businesses are learning that adopting a strategy of incorporating social media to connect with customers is a great way to build a solid brand. Even companies that already have very successful global brands, like Audi are starting to use social media to enhance their presence and garner feedback from users.

Fashion Blogs Turn the Internet into a Catwalk (China Daily)
Glossy fashion magazines are getting competition from Internet fashion blogs that are not only cheaper but also faster.  Before new trends from the catwalks and the streets arrive on the pages of the fashion magazines, they already are posted on the Internet. From secret tips on the hippest accessories to introductions of new artists and designers and styling tips for the perfect look, nearly everything can be found in fashion blogs.

How the Pixel is Evolving as Real Human Sentiment (Goonth’s Posterous)
We’re witnessing this on a mass scale – the adoption of social technologies that are helping to transform communication in incredible ways.  Perhaps something that we may overlook at times, as well as be shocked by, is how the pixel is evolving as a means for real human sentiment.

Audi Taps its Facebook Fans to Help Design Car of the Future

More and more businesses are learning that adopting a strategy of incorporating social media to connect with customers is a great way to build a solid brand. Even companies that already have very successful global brands, like Audi are starting to use social media to enhance their presence and garner feedback from users. (Mashable)