Bill Blass

The number of times we've typed the brand name 'Bill Blass' with zero intention to discuss clothing kind of annoys us. Alas, there is news to be reported! The company has sold to Peacock International Holdings LLC for 15 million dollars less than NexCen Brands hoped for. Ouch. The shell of Bill Blass will presumably sit in the offices of Peacock until the dress shirt and neckwear company figures out what to do with the thing. Or so it is suggested. We say, good idea! Let the economy strengthen and then do what Americans do best and reinvent yourself!

In other news...Beyonce gives Pugh's creations a home for the holidays. See his Spring 2009 collection right here. 

It was recently announced that Bill Blass would be officially closing and now the remains of this season are cropping up on the sample sale website Gilt Groupe. This sleeveless scoop neck dress (left) was originally priced at over three thousand dollars and the sale, which went live today at noon EST, is offering it for only $398. To shop this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime sale, click here. To see the Fall 2008 collection, from which this sale is based, click here. To read more about the closing of the American fashion house Bill Blass New York, click over to WWD. 

>> Bill Blass has been on its last breath for a while now, particularly since Peter Som departed due to the brand's financial constraints in October.  Parent company Nexcen has been unable to sell the brand, and late last month, the brand was liquidated.  Now, reports come that the company will close its showroom and the remaining staff will leave this week.

The company canceled its Spring 2009 collection due to a severe cash squeeze, and Som was never replaced; Nexcen, who is still trying to sell Bill Blass in hopes that the runway collection will be revitalized, is to the point of selling samples from the Bill Blass archives at discounts of 90 percent.  A sad place for the iconic American brand, indeed — all we can hope for is that a buyer will come along and allow Blass to pull a Rochas.
*image: source

One of the more exciting things to watch for during Fashion Week are those brands and fashion houses that have recently come under new leadership. With Fashion Week just a few months away, we think this list will get anyone's heart racing...

Print expert and all-around bright-ray-of-fashion-sunshine Matthew Williamson left Pucci after his first season with the brand. Click here to see the Spring 2009 Pucci collection, and, to learn more about his departure, check out Fashionologie's report.

Just last week it was announced that Amanda Wakeley's Spring 09 collection would be presented without her. This season's Fall 09 presentation should be a chilly one. Click here to see Wakeley's Spring 09 collection. 

Pheobe Philo resigned from her position as Creative Director at Chloe in 2006 so that she could spend more time with her family. Philo recently signed on to become Celine's new Creative Director (with the stipulation that she could work from London) and her debut collection for the brand will hit the catwalks in Paris this March. Click here to see the Celine Spring 2009 collection. 

There were no departures more dramatic than those at Valentino and Bill Blass. In both cases, news broke in the midst of Fashion Week madness and, in the case of Bill Blass, it followed that the company was liquidating. Though Blass is no longer, Valentino lives on. Let's just hope this season is a peaceful one.

Bill Blass New York has stopped taking Spring 09 orders and is liquidating. On October 28th it was officially announced that Peter Som would be parting ways with the company, after a whirlwind of reports that NexCen was in deep financial waters, and news that Som had resigned, back in the spring. As far eulogies go, the New York Times wrote one when they covered Michael Vollbracht's Spring 09 presentation at New York Fashion Week. 

Romeo Gigli, Italian designer, will launch a new line called io ipse idem. The designer is famous for coining the term 'cocooning' and was popular in the 1980's when Italian Vogue editor Carla Sozzani helped launch his career. 

Two new Target collaborations have been slated in the accessories department. Handbag brand Felix Ray and footwear designer Trish Carroll will both launch diffusion collections this Spring. 

New York's window displays have turned out to be as fantastic as ever--despite across the board losses in the retail market. The answer is simple: some cheering up is in order.