Derek Lam Threatens To Sue Ivanka Trump Over Copied "Ayami" Wedge

Derek Lam has sent a cease and desist letter to Ivanka Trump, who he claims “blatantly and intentionally copied” his Ayami wedge sandal. At issue is Trump's "Cadie" wedge sandal ($150), which Lam alleges is virtually identical to his "Ayami" wedge ($780). According to WWD, one of the shoe designers at Derek Lam was apparently shopping on Bloomingdales.com and spotted the Trump shoe, then called up the the Derek Lam CEO:

“We have seen very similar copies before but we have never seen a shoe that perfectly copied,” said Jan-Hendrik Schlottmann, chief executive officer of Derek Lam. “It’s such an investment to make a shoe ... we had to protest this.”

Schlottman tells WWD that he hasn't yet seen the physical shoe in person -- he's ordered a pair -- but was convinced enough by the look of the shoe online to take action.

Sears Kardashian Kollection Sales Hit A All Time Low On Verge Of Being Axed

The Kardashian Kollection for Sears isn’t selling. According to Wall Street Journal & MSN Money, Sears bet on the Kardashian Kollection to stir up consumer excitement only to be rewarded with plummeting sales and a lot of clearance racks boasting the products.

 Sears, which has consistently had negative earnings, has posted losses for every quarter so far this year. The company's highly anticipated Kardashian Kollection has more money going out then coming in. The kollection has been besieged by troubles, including Sears being forced to pull certain products for copyright infringement. The Kardashian Kollection days maybe numbered at Sears. The Kardashian Bebe Collection was canceled due to low sales earlier this year. Read more.

Tamara Mellon Sells All Of Her Shares Leaves Jimmy Choo For Good

The co-founder and director of luxury accessories brand Jimmy Choo is to stand down from her role with immediate effect.

Tamara Mellon's departure, announced yesterday, comes five months after she made $85million from the $525.5million sale of the business.

Although the reasons behind the departure of the two are as yet unknown, Labelux said that the pair left amicably .

Google Is Shutting Down Boutique.com And Alexander McQueen Named Coolest Global Brand Of 2011

Google says it’s planning to close Boutiques.com as of October 14 and redirect shoppers to the new Google Product Search. Users of Boutiques.com should get an email soon with details about saving data before the switch takes place.


Alexander McQueen, designing Kate Middleton's wedding dress - has topped the fashion council list of cool designer global fashion brands. 
Aside from the worldwide exposure which followed McQueen royal wedding commission in April, the label became the focus of a retrospective exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York. 'Savage Beauty' is the most viewed fashion exhibit ever attracting 661,509 visitors in three months since it was open. 

Chanel Files Lawsuit Against 399 Websites And Louis Vuitton Now Owns Bulgari

Chanel Inc. has filed a cyberpiracy and trademark infringement lawsuit against 399 websites the company accuses of selling counterfeit items bearing the luxury retailer's name.

The suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas seeks unspecified damages from unnamed operators of websites that the New York-based fashion house alleges operate from China, the Bahamas and other overseas jurisdictions where trademark enforcement is lax.

LVMH (Louis Vuitton) said  it now controls 98% of Italy’s Bulgari after minority shareholders tendered their shares as part of its 3.7 billion euro offer for the high-end jeweler. The deal will double LVMH’s watch and jewelry business to make up around 10 percent of its sales and about 6 percent of operating profit, according to analysts.

Rebecca Minkoff Gives Birth It's A Boy

Congratulations are in order for designer Rebecca Minkoff and her husband, actor Gavin Bellour. The couple announced via Twitter that they welcomed a baby boy on Sunday, September 25. This will be the couple first child.

Anna Wintour Calls Italy's Prime Minister A Dictator Urges Italians To Rebel

In an interview published last Saturday in Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica, Anna Wintour called the Italian prime minister a dictator and urges the world of fashion to rebel against him during fashion week (side-eye). How about focus on the U.S.

According to Wintour, Italys reputation for great design and manufacture is being damaged by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's reputation, US Vogue editor Anna Wintour says.

"On one side, there is the Made in Italy, the designers, the great creations that credit you around the world and that have no equal. On the other side, there is a political reality that is so compromised. How can you tolerate all this?" Wintour said to an Italian newspaper on Saturday, as she visited the country for Milan Fashion Week.

"I am disgusted. I have no other words," she told La Repubblica. "I am disgusted and embarrassed: How can Italy tolerate Silvio Berlusconi and his bevy of girls?" Don't worry I'm lost also lol. Wth?

Designer Ralph Lauren Is The 52nd Richest Person In America Making Him The Richest Designer In The U.S

Ralph Lauren is on "Forbes Richest People In America List". The designer is #52 on the list with assets of $6 billion. Ralph Lauren is the only American designer that made the list 1- 96. 


Ralph Lauren is the wealthest American designer. View Forbe's "The Richest People In America List" here.

Dolce & Gabbana Announce The End Of D&G Label Spring 2012 Will Be The Last

Minutes after Dolce & Gabbana runway show, they walk down the catwalk and bowed. Soon after a statement appeared in the inboxes of the show attendees informing them that Dolce and Gabbana are shutting the cheaper D&G label in order to concentrate on their main collection. "Spring 2012 will be the last of D&G." 


To bad because I was not impressed with the collection. I was left feeling dizzy and confused, everything look the same. View D&G Spring 2012 collection here.

Harper's Bazaar To Decrease Its Yearly Issues And Increase Content

Harper's Bazaar will increase its magazine pages but reduce it frequency. Instead of 12 issues per year, subscribers will only recieve 10 issues per year (but more content). The changes will begin in December 2011. Hearst will combine December 2011 with January 2012. The cover price will remain $3.99.

Anna Wintour On The Cover Of The Wall Street Journal April 2011 Issue

This magazine cover image is courtesy of Wall Street Journal Magazine shows the April 2011 cover. The issue will hit newsstands on March 26, 2011. I will scan and post the article as soon as the issue is available.

Bulgari Sells 56% Of Its Company To Louis Vuitton For 5.2 Billion Deal

LVMH said in a statement it will exchange 16.5 million of its own shares for the 56% stake in Bulgari owned by the company's founding family. Bulgari will be paid with Louis Vuitton shares worth 5.2 billion.

LVMH will offer the remaining Bulgari shareholders $17.10 per share in a public offering. After the deal, the Bulgari family will own 3% of LVMH.

Bulgari was started in 1884 by Greek immigrant Sotirios Bulgari, who opened the flagship Via Condotti store in Rome in 1905
 and has expanded to more than 260 stores.

Dolce & Gabbana To Discontinue Their Lower Price D&G Clothing Line

Vogue UK is reporting Dolce and Gabbana plans to retire D&G toward the ending of this year. The duo want to focus on one single brand (Dolce & Gabbana) according to a anonymous Italian retailer. "I don't understand, because D&G is a line makes 400 million euros [£339 million], it's young and flexible and it's doing really well.

Balmain Creative Director Has Been In A Mental Hospital Since January

Balmain creative director Christopher Decarnin check into a mental hospital early January. The reasons alternate between exhaustion and depression. Balmain owner M. Alain Hivelin, meanwhile, told the press, “He has been exhausted because this season was particularly demanding and complicated," but also said the reason for his ailment is "not physical." 


A statement has yet to be released, but the general consensus is that Decarnin's hospitalization, whatever the nature, is most likely caused by a new climate of increased pressure on designers. 

Betsey Johnson Has A New Price Friendly Clothing Line "Pink Patch" Everthing Under $100

Last night Betsey Johnson unveiled two new clothing collections, a lower priced collection called Pink Patch and an pricey contemporary line called Black Tag. Check out all the fall looks from the new Pink Patch label, here. Betsey Johnson shoes from last night runway are now available in Steve Madden stores.

Gap's President Marka Hansen Has Been Fired Over A Laundry List Of PR Mishaps

Last Monday January 31, 2011 Gap announced that Marka Hansen would be leaving the company (terminated). February 4, 2011 was her last day with the company. Gap has been dealing with a laundry list of public relation issues last year and presently. Read the mounting issues below. 

Gap employs children in Indian sweatshops.

The children were hired by an unauthorized subcontractor used by one of the company’s Indian vendors to fill orders. Gap also dealt with similar allegations in 2000 and 2006.

The company’s new logo is a design abomination. (Surprised she survived this.)

Gap redesigned their iconic logo, and the resulting design looked like it was made on Microsoft Word but later return to it's original.

Gap’s FEED America bags were made in China.

Though promotional material claimed the Lauren Bush-designed bags were made in the U.S., tags on the inside of two of the five designs stated they were made in China.

A stolen Flickr image was used on a babyGap onesie. (LOL)

In a story that broke yesterday, it appears as though Gap printed a stylized version of a Flickr photo (taken by Chris Devers, who is in no way affiliated with the company) on one of its onesies.

Prada Put Part Of Its Company Up For Sale Only To Hong Kong Buyers

Prada fashion house, said it will start the process for selling shares in an initial public offering in Hong Kong, as rising incomes in China rise demand for luxury goods. Prada would be the first Italian company to list in Hong Kong, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.


The Milan-based maker of Miu Miu bags and Church’s and Car Shoe footwear follows European companies including L’Occitane International in seeking to tap investors in Hong Kong, as they seek access to financial markets to help fund opening stores in emerging markets.

Interview Magazine Gets A New Fashion Director Miguel Enamorando

Interview Magazine today announced that Miguel Enamorando had been promoted to fashion director. Miguel spent the last three years as the magazine's fashion market director under creative director Karl Templer. "I'm delighted to see this role filled by Miguel," said Templer, although the role was newly-created. "He's been a critical part of the fashion team at Interview for the past three years. 

Kenneth Cole Is Closing 9 US Stores Including Its Flagship At Rockefeller

Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. is closing its flagship store in Rockefeller Center and eight other stores this year, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing. The apparel retailer also closed eight in 2010.

The brand, which started 29 years ago, has been struggling in recent years as consumers shunned its trendy wares. Late last year, there were even rumors that namesake designer Kenneth Cole's younger brother, Neil, who runs Iconix Brand Group Inc., was eying Kenneth Cole as an acquisition target. A deal failed to reach fruition.

InStyle Magazine Has A New Accessories Director Leah Harp

Leah Karp has been named accessories director at InStyle, replacing Meggan Crum, who left the magazine last Friday to pursue freelance projects. Karp most recently served as accessories director at Allure, a position she has held since joining the title in 2005. From 2003 to 2005, she was senior accessories editor at Marie Claire.