tamara mellon

Looks like Tamara Mellon is finally getting back into the business of fashion. On Wednesday, the former Jimmy Choo executive tweeted a picture of herself with a shoemaker named Francesco and said she was "back in the factories!" She also shared another picture of her foot being measured, saying, "The last time I did this was 15 years ago!"

More on Mellon's plans, here.

Those stories and more in our daily news roundup.

• The relaunch of Schiaparelli has been delayed until "June or July" of 2013, according to the brand's spokeswoman Farida Khelfa. The reason? Diego Della Valle, who owns the brand, is still looking for a creative director. [Fashionista]
  

• What's next for Tamara Mellon's life after Jimmy Choo? She's writing what she calls an "entrepreneur story" that will be published next year. "It's not strictly a business book and it's not strictly a memoir," she says. "It's a hybrid." [The New York Times]
  

• Publishers of some of the nation's biggest fashion and lifestyle magazines, including Condé Nast and Hearst, were forced to close their New York offices during Hurricane Sandy. [WWD]
  

• Actor Robert Pattinson will take on a new role as the face of Dior's men's fragrances. His contract with the brand is estimated to be worth $12 million over three years. [E! Online]
  

• Twelv magazine hired ice sculptor Takeo Okamoto to create a dress out of ice inspired by Tilda Swinton's portrayal of the Ice Queen in the movie The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Photographers only had 30 minutes to shoot the dress before it melted. [Huff Post Style]
  

• Just in time for Halloween, Coco Rocha stars in a decidedly spooky fashion film called Full Moon that Ellen von Unwerth directed for Vs. Magazine. [Styleite]
  

>> Tamara Mellon, the founder and chief creative officer of Jimmy Choo who abruptly resigned from the brand over the weekend and will depart at the end of the month, is said to be prepping the launch of her own lifestyle brand, in the vein of Tom Ford and Tory Burch.

According to one of WWD's industry sources, funding is already in place for a Tamara Mellon brand, but a timeline for launch or details on positioning could not be learned. Mellon, whose net worth is estimated to be about $240 million, has declined request for interview since her resignation Sunday. However, according to WWD: "Another industry source said Mellon’s next step should come as no surprise: The source said her ambitions had always stretched beyond Choo, and that money — and a high profile — are important to her."

>> Tamara Mellon, who cofounded Jimmy Choo in 1996, has severed her ties with the brand. She recently served as chief creative officer, but no longer had any financial interest in Choo following its $800 million acquisition by private Italian luxury goods group Labelux in May.

According to Labelux, Mellon left “to pursue [an] independent career,” and the company has no plans to replace her as chief creative officer. “The creative side of the company is extremely strong and the design direction will continue,” said Reinhard Mieck, Labelux’s chief executive.

>> With Sarah Jessica Parker, Harvey Weinstein, Marios Schwab, and now board member Tamara Mellon no longer involved with Halston, and rumors of clashes between the remaining board members, brand owners Hilco Consumer Capital are looking for a strong figure to help rebuild the brand, which is now focusing solely on the contemporary Halston Heritage line.

Max Azria put in a bid for Halston when a sale or additional investment was being considered by Hilco, and although neither panned out, the dealings may have provided the leader Halston is looking for: Ben Malka, who has been president of BCBG Max Azria Group since 2001, is said to be close to joining the brand to head up the Heritage business — and he may be bringing Marie Mazelis, creative director of Herve Leger and Max Azria, with him. Mazelis has confirmed that she plans to leave BCBG Max Azria Group, but would not comment on her next move: “I haven’t made a final decision yet.” Malka, for his part, denied that he was joining Halston on Friday.

>> After two months of seeking offers, Jimmy Choo is being sold to German luxury goods company Labelux — which also has holdings in Bally and Derek Lam — for an undisclosed price.

Labelux is said to have paid more than 500 million pounds ($811 million) for Choo. The brand was originally valued at 549 million pounds ($889.4 million), and had net sales of 150 million pounds in 2010.

The current Jimmy Choo management team, including CEO Joshua Schulman and chief creative officer Tamara Mellon, a co-founder of the company, will remain in place. Mellon, who retains a 17 percent stake in the brand, is understood to have made tens of millions of pounds from the deal, and she and Schulman are expected to make an investment alongside Labelux.

“Jimmy Choo is a perfect fit for us, and we see ourselves as long-term strategic investors,” said Reinhard Mieck, CEO of Labelux. “Joshua, Tamara and the management are going to need to deal with us for a very long time. We are thinking about strategies today that will take us beyond this generation to the one after that."

Labelux plans to increase Jimmy Choo's brand presence in China, as well as in men's shoes and handbags.

• First look: H&M’s WaterAid collection — InStyle
• Vogue's guide to dressing for success — Vogue Daily
• Spanx will not save the world — Jezebel
• Banana Republic goes country for Fall 2011 — Fashionologie
• Alexander Wang small "Emile" tote: hard shell, soft center — Bag Snob
• Tamara Mellon on how she first met Jimmy Choo — Vogue UK Daily
• Balmain hires an unknown designer to replace Christophe Decarnin — The Cut
• Lady Gaga says Alexander McQueen is "working through" her — People StyleWatch

Remember when we told you that luxury shoe brand Jimmy Choo was coming out with its very own perfume? Well, now they've put together a making-of video that's heavy on the makeup application and cleavage and rather low on the shoe factor. Check it out below and tell me what you think. No sound is needed, unless you just really love throbbing disco beats.