LVMH

Tom Binns revealed his Fall 2009 collection and in it, are one-off sea glass necklaces which Michelle Obama loves.

The Stephen Jones exhibit is still going strong and if you're not in London you can check out the pictures. 

Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, keeps a close watch on his brands and the quality versus quantity ratio. 

In case Fall 2009 has you thinking too far in advance, Spring's biggest trends are reiterated. 

>> So just how does the richest man in France, and one of the most powerful in fashion, do it?  A profile in the March 2009 issue of WSJ. gives us a clue about the dealings of Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, who Anna Wintour says "has a very strong understanding of what [his] designers do. If he’s concerned about something, he’ll speak up, but he’ll never tell them, ‘Do this’ or ‘Do that.”

But he will give them a strong hint.  When John Galliano was presenting the Pre-Fall 2009 collection to buyers in Paris, Arnault came to oversee.  Twenty-three models are escorted in for Arnault's perusal, and Galliano "reads nervously in English from a prepared speech to explain the source of his inspiration: Dior seen through the erotic lens of photographer Helmut Newton":

Arnault, seated on a white sofa, focuses on two ingredients: Is the piece “Dior” enough and is it priced right? “Ah, this is true Dior,” he states definitively of a black waist-cinched suit with pleated pockets. “It’s Dior safari,” he says of a beige coat with fox-fur collar. A skirt suit in Prince of Wales check appears: “The Dior woman will like this and will want to come back season after season,” he says.

"Ça, c’est beau — how much is it?” Arnault asks as a tall blond model stands before him in a $1,500 red double-face wool dress. “Will that sell?” he asks of an embroidered $15,000 cream-colored gown. (The answer was yes, in Monaco, Hong Kong and Moscow.) “Why not use those black masks for the ad campaign?” “If you tell me so, sir,” Galliano answers.

Now about those pesky plastic pendants »

>> WSJ., The Wall Street Journal's glossy, is back this weekend with a fashion-centric March issue featuring LVMH chief Bernard Arnault.  Inside, Arnault hints that LVMH might be in the market to acquire more companies.  “We’re about to enter a market of buyers over the next six-to-eight months.  There will be opportunities, and we will be looking at them.”  According to WSJ., Arnault was “in talks to invest in a fashion company with ecological and ethical goals founded by a global celebrity” at the time the article was written — WWD is guessing Edun, Bono’s green clothing line.

But there are certainly a couple of other designers on LVMH's radar.  Gareth Pugh is the obvious one — rumors have run rampant about him taking over at Dior Homme ever since LVMH heiress Delphine Arnault sat front row at his debut menswear show, and Bernard Arnault has already confirmed that LVMH has helped finance Pugh's shows.  Talking acquisitions, however, Rodarte may be a more likely candidate — Pierre-Yves Roussel, CEO of LVMH's fashion division, was in attendance at the Fall 2009 show, and soon after, Katherine Ross, PR honcho for LVMH, hosted a poolside tea party at the Chateau Marmont in LA for the designing duo, so they're definitely on the radar.

Bernard Arnault confirmed in January that Gareth Pugh wasn't the only "new talent" LVMH supports — "LVMH does that with many talented people" — so a number of other brands may be being looked at.  Especially now, when as Arnault points it, it's a buyer's market — young brands with plenty of talent may need that big-company backing to keep them going.
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>> INSIDER WIRE —It was only a matter of time with their couture-like capabilities: Pierre-Yves Roussel, CEO of LVMH's fashion division, was in attendance at Rodarte today.  Although LVMH sources say that none of their houses are currently in need of a design switch-up, it appeared that Laura and Kate Mulleavy were being scouted just in case.  This is not the first notable case of up-and-coming talent scouting this week — Sir Philip Green sat front row at Alexander Wang. [WWD]
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>> INSIDER WIRE —It was recently rumored that Coach paid Ali Michael $50,000 to appear in their Spring 2009 campaign, and now another rumor has hit the airwaves about the brand — a rumor that, if true, could bring even more money back into the Coach coffers. Although neither party would comment, LVMH is said to be eyeing an acquisition of the accessories brand. [WWD, TFS]

>> Leave it to Fashion Week to turn up a juicy rumor or two.  Currently being served up?  The future of Gareth Pugh.  At his premiere menswear show in Paris last night, an unexpected front row guest — LVMH heiress Delphine Arnault — caused a lot of chatter.  Arnault, who is the second largest shareholder in LVMH after her father Bernard, is not known for staying out late, much less for a show which started an hour late at 10 pm on a rainy Sunday night.

After the show, which she deemed, "Beautiful, amazing," Delphine went backstage to congratulate Gareth.  The designer has recently been talking about making more wearable pieces, and Arnault's appearance could be more than coincidence.  As the Telegraph reports, "The word is out that someone very big wants to harness his talent, because it could be just the spark to reignite a moribund menswear market."  Grazia has heard from several sources that that "very big" someone is LVMH's Dior Homme, who is about to tap Pugh as a consultant.
*image: source

ELuxury, the e-commerce site owned and operated by LVMH, is closing down it's 'retail section' within the next six months and will transition into editorial. 

Peter Som and Creative Design Studios have split, forcing Som to pull out from New York Fashion Week. There's no denying that Som has had a tough year. 

On a lighter note...

Fred Flare is desperately trying to cheer everyone up. For Valentine's Day mail in a homemade Valentine and Fred Flare will sell it for $4 and give the money to charity.

Last night Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs celebrated in honor of Stephen Sprouse. Check out a photo gallery from last night's event right here. 

It has been reported that Vena Cava is on the hunt for new office chairs and a financial advisor to take their business to the next level. Young designers make for much better interview subjects.

LVMH 'clarified' that despite a quick drop in stocks yesterday, their China sales are doing quite well indeed. And then WWD finished the article off with a quick sentence about how LVMH stock is trading at about half as much as it was in January. 

European luxury brands are warming up to the idea of treating bloggers and online editors like real people which isn't exactly the way WWD put it but there are two sides to every coin. 

Macy's reports third quarter loses of 44 million dollars. Chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Terry J. Lundgren, articulated that the retailer is still doing well compared to its competitors.